Robotic Wheelchairs

Dear Colleagues,

People suffering from conditions that severely affect neuromuscular structures and functions tend to lose a significant degree of autonomy in their daily living activities. Conventional power wheelchairs may be, in some cases, a sufficient solution to increase the mobility and autonomy of people suffering from severe motor impairments. However, many of these users become unable to use conventional power wheelchairs as a result of the deterioration of their physical ability. For those with severe motor impairments, robotic wheelchairs, capable of providing appropriate human–robot interaction, may be a potential solution, as these are based on intelligent assistive navigation systems able to aid users according to their capabilities. A robotic wheelchair is generally based on a semi-autonomous controller that requires a minimum of two agents, a human agent (the user) and a machine agent (the robotic wheelchair), which collaborate with each other during the navigation process. To be effective and reliable, a robotic wheelchair must be capable of interacting with the human user, recognizing human intent in every step of the navigation process and making the right decisions according to human intent and the navigational workspace context. Several robotic wheelchair prototypes have been developed in recent years with the ultimate goal of improving the mobility capabilities of severely motor-disabled people. However, reported experimental tests have been primarily conducted in highly structured environments with able-bodied users.

This Special Issue will focus on new methods that can significantly contribute to increase the safety, reliability, and adaptability of a robotic wheelchair navigating human dynamic-changing environments, and on new methods and approaches that can contribute to more effective human–robot interaction, in which the human–machine interface must be tailored to user needs and capabilities and the robotic system must be able to identify and respond to user’s intents in the most appropriate and safe manner. Of special relevance are works with experimental results validated with users with severe motor impairments.

Dr. Ana Lopes
Guest Editor

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• assistive navigation
• collaborative and shared control
• brain-actuated robotic wheelchairs
• human–machine interfaces
• context aware
• planning
• perception