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Rich Simpson's Smart Wheelchair Component System at the Rehabilitation Robotics Demonstration

The goal of this project is to develop a collection of components that can be added to standard power wheelchairs to convert them into smart wheelchairs. Wheelchairs equipped with the Smart Wheelchair System will be able to assist users in two distinct ways: 1. As a mobility aid, the system will present users with an immediate opportunity for independent mobility, and 2. As a training tool, the smart wheelchair will allow users to safely develop and refme the skills necessary to operate a power wheelchair without the need for technological assistance. During this project, a prototype of the system will be developed which will serve as a testbed for demonstrating technical feasibility of our approach to providing navigation assistance to wheelchair users. The prototype will be compatible with wheelchairs from four manufacturers and wifi make use of a variety of sensor modalities. The result of the project will be a demonstration that existing smart wheelchair technology is sufficiently advanced to produce a robust and functional product ready for use in the real world.