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Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair
A revolutionary innovation in the technology of wheelchairs is predicted to drastically increase the quality of life for those with restricted mobility. An autonomous wheelchair implanted with Lidar technology is being created, that could potentially revolutionize the way individuals with disabilities navigate and move around.
A consortium of scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are in charge of this project. The technology utilizes Lidar sensors, reminiscent to radar, to create a 3D map of the environment and to detect obstacles and uneven terrain. The sensors employed in autonomous automobiles, so as to recognize obstructions and come across a way to navigate around them, are utilized in the Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair as well.
These wheelchairs are attentively crafted to be user-friendly and hang on to. Users will be able to move them with the aid of a joystick, or let the chair drive itself. The many advantages of this technology are discernible, since it offers people with movement troubles more autonomy and the opportunity to go to places they may have not been able to beforehand.
This technology holds the promise of minimizing the requirement for human caregivers and redirecting the resources and energy to other essential duties. Although it is still in the early stages, it could potentially revolutionize the lives of disabled people. It is an exhilarating advancement, which can potentially make the world a more inclusive and cooperative environment.
Of course, autonomous wheelchairs may sound a bit far-fetched.
However, the truth is that our vehicles are slowly but surely becoming more autonomous. So, going back a couple of years, you just would not have believed this. Driving around our hospitals in a Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair could be patients or even doctors.
This is a follow-up to driverless cars and trucks. So there are even driverless trains in some countries? Japan, I believe. Many car companies have developed technology that allows a car to park itself. These inventions are now becoming commonplace. So, yes, my new car can actually sense other things, like other cars and people. Analysts predict that autonomous, or self-driving, cars are the next step.
Companies such as Google are pumping millions of dollars into these schemes. So it is looking ominous that we’ll see self-driving cars in showrooms across the country in the near future. However, this new technology brings up a few issues. including a higher cost to the consumer. Also, there is a need for more advanced infrastructure. especially here in the UK. Many of our roads are narrow and old, with twisty blind bends. I cannot help thinking that these cars would cause danger.
Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair-who chargers them up?
The idea behind the Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair is to make an ordinary powered wheelchair better. Of course, by adding sensors, it can sense the environment around it. As a result, it should be used in places such as hospitals. Thus, a voice interface to understand orders, a wireless device to determine location at the room level, and motor-control software to control the wheelchair’s motion
cleverly, through a narrated, guided tour led by the user or the user’s caregivers. So, the robotic wheelchair learns how its surroundings (a hospital, rehab centre, home, etc.) are set up. The Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair can then be voice-commanded to move to any previously named destination after that (e.g., “Take me to the cafeteria”).
This method works for people who can still talk but can’t move because of a brain injury or the loss of a limb. Many new hospitals, such as Pinderfields in West Yorkshire, have very wide corridors leading from ward to ward. Ideal for such situations
Drive itself to different hospital departments
Users of traditional powered wheelchairs that are controlled with a joystick can also be safer with this system because they won’t run into walls, fixed objects, furniture, or other people. We think that tens of thousands of users’ safety and quality of life could be enhanced by voice-controlled Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair.
In my opinion, this is the next step toward benefiting our disabled community. In addition, significant health benefits and financial savings could result from reducing or eliminating collision-related injuries such as wounds and broken limbs.
These wheelchairs would be the same. Consequently, I can see these working in a modern, well-designed hospital, such as the new Wakefield trust hospital Pinderfields. So it would be possible to just set the computer to take you to the X-ray department, and off you would go. This is great news if you are like me and get lost in hospitals on many occasions.
I am not sure what the porters may say though?
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Add this to the list of autonomous vehicles – the self-driving wheelchair. It can be summoned with a smart app. The Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, or SMART, developed and deployed the first unit at Singapore’s Changi General Hospital. Continue reading
Source: Self-driving Lidar Wheelchair – In The ScanIn The Scan
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