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Wheelesley : A Robotic Wheelchair System : Indoor Navigation and User Interface. Holly A. Yanco. 20003325 Woo Hyun Soo. DESC Lab. Introduction. Goal of the Wheelesley project
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Wheelesley: A Robotic Wheelchair System:Indoor Navigation and User Interface Holly A. Yanco 20003325 Woo Hyun Soo DESC Lab.
Introduction • Goal of the Wheelesley project • A robotic wheelchair system that provides navigational assistance which allows its user to drive more easily and efficiently. • Two basic requirements • First, robotic wheelchair must navigate safely for long periods of time. • Second, it must interact effectively with the user. • The Wheelesley system takes over low-level navigation control, • allowing the user to give higher level directional commands.
Related Work • This research differs from previous research in robotic wheelchairs in four ways. • First, it will be able to navigate in indoor and outdoor environments. • Second, it is a reactive system and does not require maps or planning. • Third, interaction between the user and the wheelchair is investigated. • Finally, the system has an easily customizable user interface.
Robot Hardware • The robot has a 68332 processor • For sensing the environment, • 12 SUNX proximity sensors (infrared) • 4 ultrasonic range sensors • 2 shaft (wheel) encoders and 2 Hall effect sensors. • A Macintosh Powerbook • is used for the robot’s graphical user interface. • The focus was • On creating an interface that could be easily customized for various users and their access methods.
A Navigation System for Indoor Environments • A robotic wheelchair must interact with its user. • There are two types of control: • Low-level control involves avoiding obstacles and keeping the chair centered in a hallway. • High-level control involves directing the wheelchair to a desired location. • In the Wheelesley system, • The user gives the high-level commands through the graphical user interface.
A Navigation System for Indoor Environments • Indoor navigation relies on • The infrared sensors • Give binary readings that indicate if something is about one foot from the sensor. • The sonar sensors • Return distance information. • The Hall effect sensors • are mounted on the wheelchair’s bumper and are used as a last resort. • The robot is able to traverse long hallways • without requiring user corrections.
Graphical User Interface • The Wheelesley system solves • The adaptation problem through the addition of a general user interface that can be customized for each user. • The interface has been customized for two access methods. • The first is an eye tracking device called EagleEyes. • The second is a single switch scanning device. • There are three control modes. • Manual mode • joystick mode • interface mode
The original user interface screen • The rectangular bars represent the sonar sensors. • The infrared sensors are represented by circles with a line. • Two different access methods: • Eye tracking and single switch scanning.
Access Methods • Access methods are devices, • Used to enable people to drive wheelchairs or control computers. • The default is a joystick. • A switch or group of switches. • A sip and puff system. • Single switch scanning. • The method of last resort.
Customizing the User Interface for EagleEyes • EagleEyes is a technology, • That allows a person to control computer through five electrodes placed on the head. • The electrodes measure the EOG • Custom software • interprets signals and translates them into cursor coordinates on the screen.
Customizing the User Interface for Single Switch Scanning • Single switch scanning • Is the access method of last resort • Consists of a switch and a control panel with four lights for four directions • The user clicks the single switch when the control panel shows the desired direction. • Robotic assisted control • Can improve driving by correcting drift automatically and avoiding obstacles. • User tests determined • That an obstacle course can be completed in less time and with less effort than without.
Future Work and Summary • A robotic wheelchair • Must be able to navigate in both indoor and outdoor environments. • Will automatically select indoor or outdoor mode using an indoor/outdoor sensor currently in development. • A vision system for • outdoor navigation is being developed. • In the initial work towards the goal • An indoor navigation system and a graphical user interface have been developed.