Gary Fischer demonstrates his Power Chair of the Future

ActivMedia Robotics

Operating a power chair can be a difficult or impossible task for those who most need a little control over their lives. The Independence-Enhancing Wheelchair being developed by ActivMedia Robotics with support by NIH's National Institute of Child Health and Human Development empowers a severely mobility or visually impaired person to operate a power chair. Drivers will be able to command the chair in a number of ways: by clicking a destination on a map, by selecting from a text or iconic menu, and by speaking commands.

Using intelligent navigation techniques, the chair travels to the destination on its own. Along the way, it circumvents obstacles and avoids dangers such as stairs. Drivers may stop the chair at any time. Caregivers can customize chair operation for individual users with maps that control the allowed destinations and type of input device appropriate for a particular driver.