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LOW COST SMART WHEELCHAIR - BLOG

 

 

Daniele Benedettelli,

May 2010

 

 

Welcome to the BLOG about a low cost smart wheelchair. The aim is to realize a robotic wheelchair that will allow disabled people to gain mobility and independency. The motivation of this project is that existing smart wheelchairs are very expensive and they are not so smart.

The idea is to realize such a vehicle using low cost hardware such as LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT, a netbook, other off-the-shelf technology, and custom sensors.

 
 
 
 

 

22 May 2010. The project is proceeding very slowly. Now I am the only one working on it in my spare time, that is very limited.

Any help is greatly appreciated to keep this "part-time" project become a "full-time" project.

Contact me!

Low Cost Smart Wheelchair LOGO

 

 

 

 

15 April 2010. Here is the presentation of the project at Campus Party Europe (Madrid).

 

 

 

 

 

 

11 April 2010.

Here's the video of the first localization and navigation experiments of the first prototype of LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Laser guided vehicle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 March 2010.

Gina posted this entry in Mac's BLOG about the project.

 

 

 

 

 

14 March 2010.

I received an invitation to Campus Party Europe, a big event held in Madrid, where talents from all Europe could meet, show and share innovative and creative ideas. I submitted the low cost smart wheelchair project, that was selected as finalist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 August 2008.

Could LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT technology be the brain of a low cost wheelchair for children?

That's what Gina Wilson Burns asked me time ago.

We share the basic idea that the available off-the-shelf technology, contained even in toys, can be used to improve the quality of life of disabled people.

 

Hi Daniele

I am the mum of a five year old little boy who is severely disabled.  I am frustrated by the lack of equipment to allow him a degree independent mobility and freedom despite him being immobile and partially blind.

 I [...] wondered if some of that technology could be incorporated with larger motors and appropriate light weight seating to create a SMART powered NXT wheelchair.

[...]

Ideally I would be interested in line following options, possibly collision avoidance[...] and maybe, down the track some of the verbal command options.  The current wheelchairs out there are good, but so heavy and not suitable in around other five year olds.  [...]

Do you think it would be possible?

You can find pics of our son Mac on Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH7PK_b2M1E&feature=related

or his story under http://www.abc.net.au/gnt/future/Transcripts/s1058899.htm