roboticwheelchair
Latest
ICYMI: Fast brain upload, mind-control monkeys & more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-222051").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers at HRL Labs have developed a system to upload information to your brain using electrical signals already mapped from an expert's mind. Duke University is testing a wireless brain-machine interface that allows monkeys to steer a wheelchair with their mind, which they were able to do while also improving their skills over time. Cardiologists have a new tool to roto-rooter blood vessels filled with plague in the first FDA approved device that helps surgeons see inside vessels with a built-in camera.
Robotic wheelchair uses 3D imaging to 'see' for visually impaired drivers
You may not be able to control it with your mind, but this robotic wheelchair from Sweden's Luleå University of Technology can still offer something that only a few others can -- "sight." The chair uses a laser sensor to generate a 3D map of its surroundings, which is then transferred to an on-board haptic robot, allowing the bot to pick up on and navigate its way around any obstacles. A visually impaired student already took the contraption out for a spin and said he felt "safe" while traveling through crowded corridors, comparing the experience to "using a white cane." Luleå's engineers, however, still have some fine tuning to do. The laser, for instance, can only recognize objects at a specific height, while ignoring everything above or below its field of vision. Researchers are also busy developing a new 3D camera for the chair and are hoping to have it ready for commercial use within the next five years. There's a full PR waiting for you after the break.
Wii Balance Board-controlled robot a hit with toddlers in Ithaca (video)
How could we resist a story involving robot-powered babies? The Ithaca College Tots on Bots project aims to mobilize infants with physical disabilities by setting them atop a "mobile robot" equipped with a Wii Balance Board to let the young operator steer by leaning -- which, it turns out, works pretty well. Additionally, the vehicle uses sonar to avoid nasty crashes and a remote control that an adult can use to take control. Further study has to be made before any long term developmental benefits can be ascertained, but in the meantime it does look like a lot of fun. See it in action after the break.
Japanese researchers develop robotic wheelchair that can follow humans
We've already seen robotic wheelchairs designed to navigate autonomously, but it looks like some researchers at Saitama University's Human-Robot Interaction Center are taking a slightly different approach with their latest project. They've developed a wheelchair equipped with a camera and a laser sensor that instead of tracking its surroundings, simply locks onto a nearby human companion and follows them around. It can even apparently anticipate the direction the person is going to go by using a distance sensor to check which way their shoulders are facing. Still no word on a commercial version, but the wheelchair is already being field-tested in care centers, where the researchers say it could be particularly useful if the facilities are short-staffed. Head on past the break to check it out in action.
