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From
The Brown and White at Lehigh University:
We've all imagined the future when robots and mechanized contraptions take over the world. But just how close are we? John Spletzer, an associate professor of computer science and engineering, is developing a completely robotic wheelchair that is helping us find the answer.
"We hope that within the next 10 years the smart wheelchair will go to the commercial market. Robotics is finally at the point with its fast computers, smart algorithms, that past science fiction is now science fact," Spletzer said.
Spletzer is a well-recognized professional in the field of robotics. He is known for his work on "Little Ben," a Toyota Prius that was a part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's 2007 Urban Challenge, and the Automated Transport and Retrieval System (ATRS). The ATRS is a system that can be installed in cars and is designed to aid wheelchair drivers.
A location ranging system that detects its surroundings through sensing light, called LIDAR, has been essential to Spletzer's research.
However, the LIDAR in the ATRS system is not used for the actual car; instead it is used for a smart wheelchair that is located in the back of the car.
This smart wheelchair (pictured) is able to move by itself from the back of the car to the front where the chair picks up the driver when he/she wants to get out of the car.
Spletzer's latest project has been turning the smart wheelchair from the ATRS system in the car to a fully-functioning wheelchair that can be used outdoors. The wheelchair he is developing looks and functions like any other wheelchair, except this chair will be able to control itself.
The smart wheelchair is designed for drivers in wheelchairs with disabilities. "This wheelchair will be used by people with severe disabilities such as spinal cord injuries. People who have full cognitive abilities but are unable to move will benefit from this technology," Spletzer said.
"As of now, there are wheelchairs that are controlled by pads you touch with your face or by blowing in straws that control the chair. Instead of having to do that, now with this wheelchair, they will be able to say a command, and the wheelchair will take them where they want to go," he said.
"It will also support the healthcare model by enabling disabled people to stay at home longer instead of going to assisted care facilities. The smart wheelchair will improve the quality of life for disabled people."
Research on smart wheelchairs is a recent development, and few products are offered in the commercial market, Spletzer said. "As of now, smart wheelchairs are very limited. It is a difficult process because, since it is a medical device, it needs FDA approval to go on the commercial market. The existing type of smart wheelchairs right now is the iBot 4000 from Johnson and Johnson."
"They do work, but they don't take it to a certain point," he said. "This wheelchair is going to be different from any other wheelchair because we are looking at not just indoors, but outdoors as well. We are going to integrate large outdoor maps and 3D LIDAR information."
As of now, Spletzer's greatest accomplishment was FDA approval of the ATRS and its emergence on the market. "There are not too many robots working in the outdoors," he said. "The ATRS is a pioneering system of robotics."
Using his research from the ATRS system, Spletzer hopes to incorporate his previous findings in development of the smart wheelchair.
"The smart wheelchair is a very positive application of robotics," Spletzer said. "It will leverage technology for the people who need it the most."
Currently, the smart wheelchair is still being developed by a team of Lehigh graduate and undergraduate students.
Mike Sands, a Ph.D. student and teaching assistant in the department of computer science and engineering, said the team's goal is to use the wheelchair in the real world. "We hope to use the wheelchair in a variety of environments, particularly an urban one," he said. "We've got the Stabler Arena parking lot and Fourth Street mapped out with 3D LIDAR technology and are working on Third Street."
At the moment, the wheelchair has heavy, steel metal wheels replacing its original ones. "The wheels have been replaced because the wheelchair is still at a stage where there are many complications in operating it just yet," Sands said.
"The wheels allow the wheelchair to maintain the weight of a person and enable the wheelchair to move virtually without moving physically," Spletzer added.
"Our goal now is to map out the fourth floor of Packard Lab and have the smart wheelchair physically go around the floor on its own. We should be able to maintain this goal by the end of February."
The ultimate goal is for the wheelchair to make it on the commercial market.
"The ATRS is finally on the commercial market, and it was a big hurdle. Even if you think it works great, you can't just sell it. You need FDA approval and a company to back your application," Spletzer said.
Engineering, particularly robotics, has always been something Spletzer was interested in. "I played with robots as a kid. Didn't everybody?" he said. "You see all the movies like 'Transformers' when it used to be primitive. I've found robotics, machines and science fiction interesting for as long as I can remember."
Amy Forando, '11, a researcher working with Spletzer, has always been interested in robotics too. "When I found out about this research project, I asked Professor Spletzer if I could join."
This smart wheelchair is no longer a subject of science fiction. With the help of Spletzer and his research team, the possibility of being able to control a wheelchair without using movement or physical strength is a fact of the near future.
"I want to see this get to the market as soon as possible and be available to help people," he said. "Engineers do research projects, get funding and finish, but their projects just sit in the back of the lab and nothing happens. I want to see the smart chair get out and be used by people who need it."
From The Brown and White at Lehigh University:
