Robotic wheelchair follows human companions avoiding obstacles on the way

We’ve seen a few robotic wheelchairs, some that are thought controlled, some voice controlled and few that double as scooters, still this new wheelchair by Saitama University‘s Human-Robot Interaction Center finds a niche for itself in this techie side of the wheelchairs. This robotic wheelchair has built-in distance sensor and camera courtesy which the wheelchair can follow a human companion without the person sitting in the wheelchair having to take control. The wheelchair detects the position of the person’s shoulder and then figuring out the direction and avoiding obstacles it follow the person. This brings in a new kind of independence for the wheelchair users who can now move freely alongside their companions. Hit the jump to see the video for more insight on the robotic wheelchair.

robotic wheelchair follow human companion automati

robotic wheelchair follow human companion automati

Via: CrunchGear/GearFuse/DigInfo