[BobbyB]

Tank chair: Arizona inventor creates all-weather wheelchair
Jessey Bird , The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Wednesday, January 09, 2008
LAS VEGAS - When 37-year-old Brad Soden's wife Liz was paralyzed in a car wreck nine years ago, Mr. Soden found it incredibly difficult to watch how her life had changed.

"She was crying all the time because she couldn't go anywhere," said Mr. Soden, "and I can't stand to see her cry."

Mr. Soden, who used to be a firefighter in Phoenix, Arizona, recently left his job to pursue a new profession: wheelchair inventor and entrepreneur.


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The Tank Chair weighs 300 pounds and has a one-horsepower motor.
Jessey Bird, The Ottawa Citizen

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Font:****Mr. Soden unveiled what has been two years of labour at the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show this week: the Tank Chair.

"This is going to get people off of the sidewalk and the porch," he said, gesturing to what he calls an "off-road" chair. "The thing is, people typically make wheelchairs just so people can exist, and I want to make them so people can live."

The Tank Chair, which will begin being shipped out at the end of the month, retails for $15, 600 US.

"It goes through anything," said Mr. Soden. "Snow, mud, gravel, sand ... it just blows right through."

The chair weighs 300 pounds, has 42-inch rubber wheels and tracks, and runs off of a one horsepower motor. Mr. Soden says he has plans to kick the engine up to two horsepower.

The name is also completely warranted: it really does look like a tank.

Since the invention of the Tank Chair, not only has his website traffic has exploded, but he said his wife is now able to go camping with he and his five kids.

"When I put this together nobody believed that I could do it," he said.

The Tank Chair also comes in a much lighter version, called the 2008 Speedster, and they are available for order on the official Tank Chair website.


http://www.canada.com/topics/technol...7404b0&k=25669

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

[BobbyB]

Future Robotic Wheelchairs
Traditional wheelchairs used by the elderly and people with severe disabilities have some limited functions and flexibility. Their users often need help from nurses or relatives. Several teams are currently at work to develop robotic wheelchairs to overcome these limitations. For example, researchers from the University of Essex and the Institute of Automation at Beijing are developing the RoboChair. This RoboChair will be equipped with a vision system and a 3G wireless communication system. It will be able to avoid collisions and to plan a path. Meanwhile, Professor Ray Jarvis of Monash University�s Intelligent Robotics Centre in Australia, is building another robotic wheelchair which will help people to travel off the beaten track (PDF format, 1 page, 131 KB). His prototype system combines robotic navigation with a four-wheel drive. It automatically adapts itself to the user�s capabilities and takes control when needed.

Let's start with the RoboChair.

The RoboChair will have a user-friendly man-machine interface and the ability of navigation, avoiding collision and planning a path. It will be equipped with a new vision system and a 3G wireless communication system so that its carer or relative can monitor and communicate remotely when necessary.
Professor Huosheng Hu will lead Essex's Human-Centred Robotics team in developing algorithms for sensor fusion, map-building, intelligent decision-making, and tele-operation through the Internet using 3G mobile phones. Professor Kui Yuan of the Institute of Automation will develop prototype hardware and control software, including servo drivers, DSP-based control systems, sensor systems, and motion control algorithms.
What are the benefits to expect from this project?

The technology developed through this joint project will not only enable users to gain increased mobility and independence, but also enable carers and relatives to monitor and communicate remotely when necessary. Professor Hu continued: 'This is a very challenging project. One of the key challenges is to make the RoboChair cost-effective, easy to use and able to meet the needs of the elderly and disabled and their carers. The ethical and legal issues such as data security, privacy, and complex liability will also be an interesting challenge.'
Now, let's turn to Jarvis prototype of advanced robotic wheelchair.

Robotic navigation systems could enable people with even quite severe disabilities to travel along forest trails if funding can be found to mass-produce a wheelchair created by Prof Ray Jarvis of Monash University�s Intelligent Robotics Centre.
"The system is designed to provide maximum freedom while protecting the user," Jarvis says. "The user has complete freedom unless they nearly crash. If there are a few near misses -- perhaps because of a tremor, or you�re getting tired -- the system takes over. If the user gets better it lets them have control again."


Jarvis has combined his work in robotic navigation with a four-wheel drive, soft-tyred wheelchair suitable for forest tracks and beaches. He hopes it will open up a range of opportunities to those currently restricted to roads and footpaths. (Credit: Ray Jarvis).

The idea has been taken to an extra level by combining the wheelchair and robotics with an "eye gaze tracker" created by Prof Alex Zelinsky of the Australian National University. This system detects the angle of the user�s face and the direction of the pupils, and controls the wheelchair so that it travels in the direction the user is looking. When the occupant looks down the chair moves slowly, while raising the eyes will speed it up.
When will see a finished product?

At the moment any wheelchair with such a system would be enormously expensive. Jarvis admits the eye tracker in particular may prove unaffordable at first. However, he hopes that "some wheelchair-producing champion will mass-produce the product to the point where the price will fall.
As you can see, there are still major issues to solve, such as security and costs, before these robotic wheelchairs become available.


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