Robotic walker for vision-impaired elderly being tested by VA From: VA Research Currents - October, 2001 VA researchers in Pittsburgh and Atlanta are evaluating a high-tech walking frame designed to promote mobility and independence for vision-impaired frail elderly. The walker, known as the PAM-AID (Personal Adaptive Mobility Aid), was launched commercially on Oct. 5 at a rehabilitation conference in Europe by its manufacturer, Ireland-based Haptica. The walker weighs about 60 pounds and costs around $8,000. It uses robotics and artificial intelligence to sense the environment and support and guide its user. According to the manufacturer, the device "builds the functionality of a guide dog into a robust walking frame." Rory Cooper, PhD, director of VA's Center for Wheelchair and Related Technology in Pittsburgh, is lead investigator on a grant from Rehabilitation Research and Development to evaluate the device. While Dr. Cooper bench-tests the prototype from an engineering standpoint, Bruce Blasch, PhD, coordinator of the Vision Research Program at the Center of Excellence on Geriatric Rehabilitation at the Atlanta VA Medical Center, will lead a clinical trial with 45 residents of an assisted-living facility. Dr. Blasch’s team will test the PAM-AID against a far less expensive, low-tech device known as the Adaptive Mobility Device (AMD), developed by VA. Made of aluminum and plastic, with no electronic circuitry, the AMD features two parallel canes in a rectangular frame. "It's a better type of cane, more suitable to the elderly," said Dr. Blasch about the AMD. "It requires very little dexterity, which can be a problem for elderly with arthritis. They can’t move a cane back and forth. [The AMD] gives the user preview about the environment ahead of him, which is what a blind person needs." The sophisticated PAM-AID, on the other hand, uses laser range finders, sonar sensors, steering motors and a motion controller. These mesh with software that recognizes "landmarks" such as turns and doorways and avoids obstacles. The device audibly announces these decisional points to the user. When used in automatic mode, the device senses which way the user wants to go, through pressure on the handlebars, and gently steers in that direction. http://www.cs.tcd.ie/PAMAID/ http://www.ipa.fhg.de/srdatabase/pamaid.html http://link.springer.de/link/service/series/0558/bibs/1458/14580211.htm http://link.springer.de/link/service/series/0558/papers/1458/14580211.pdf http://www.discover.com/jan_00/breakrobot.html