September 29, 2008

Autonomous Wheelchair Works by Voice Command

autonomous wheelchair.jpg

MIT is working on an autonomous wheelchair that will memorize locations by WiFi in a building, then go to it by verbal command. Funded by Nokia and Microsoft, the system learns and adapts to the user so that each wheelchair is personalized. The chair is first taken on a "guided tour" of the facility for the first time with certain sites, such as "my room," "cafeteria," etc. The user need only say, "Take me to my room" and it will do so. Already being tested in the Boston Home in Dorchester, the team would like to add such features in the future as collision avoidance and mechanical arms to assist the users.

Via MIT