Autonomous Wheelchair Development

The most severely disabled of individual lack the capability to operate a conventional powered wheelchair. Autonomous wheelchairs are able to self-navigate and thereby allow severely disabled individuals independent transportation. All existing autonomous wheelchair solutions are extremely expensive. The University of Wyoming is working to develop a low cost autonomous wheelchair to provide a viable transportation option to those most in need. This presentation covers the development progress of the autonomous wheelchair project during the 2012-2013 academic year. During this time frame, work on the wheelchair focused on the development a new, more powerful control system for the wheelchair. This presentation will cover the justification of the need for control system redesign, the design of the new electrical system, and a plan for future development of the project.