Development of a collision-avoidance assist system for an electric cart

This paper describes a system that helps electric carts avoid collisions. In Japan, electric carts are widely used by elderly and disabled people. However, accidents often occur due to driving errors. Because electric carts have specific features that result in an inner/outer track difference, the drivers are forced to move their upper bodies significantly to visually confirm the safety of their carts. Therefore, we developed an electric cart with an assistance system for collision avoidance. When the system detects obstacles near the cart, it reduces the speed to assist the driver in avoiding a collision with the obstacles.