Controlling an automated wheelchair via joystick/head-joystick supported by smart driving assistance

With this work, we encourage the application of smart driving assistance algorithms to support the operator of an automated wheelchair in complex navigational situations. On the basis of an empirical study in which eight untrained subjects performed a given course using a conventional joystick and a proportional head-joystick respectively, we are able to prove benefits resulting from the application of a newly developed driving assistance module. Altering the translational and rotational velocities in situations where an obstacle blocks the user-commanded way, the driving assistance module significantly improves driver-performance by preventing all collisions along the way.