Wii Wheelchair Gives Mobility to Disabled Infants

posted on Sep 10 by Sherri in the Disability News, Technology, Wheelchair Technology category

Last month, we told you about a new robotic game that teaches disabled children how to safely drive a wheelchair. As every pediatric professional and parent knows, being able to explore the environment plays a crucial role in childhood development. However, what has this meant for disabled infants who lack mobility? Until now, children with disabilities needed to be able to navigate joystick controls and parents needed to be able to navigate the high costs for the specialized equipment. Fortunately, there is an intriguing low-cost solution for both of these issues on the horizon.

A team of researchers are currently developing the prototype of a motorized wheelchair in order to provide “safe powered mobility to infants with physical disabilities who are less than two years of age.” IC Tots on Bots is a collaborative research project among the departments of Computer Science, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy at Ithaca College in New York. Their affordable mobility unit consists of a wheeled robotic base with a child safety seat sitting atop a Wii Balance Board, which allows disabled infants to steer simply by leaning in the direction they wish to reach. According to the researchers:

The balance board has responsive pressure sensors in each of its four corners and built in Bluetooth capabilities. We use a commercial Bluetooth adapter and WiiYourself! C++ library to access balance board data within our robotics software. Our software compares the values of the four pressure sensors to determine which, if any, direction the infant is leaning. When a sustained lean is detected, the robot begins to move in that direction. When the child reaches out for an item, he or she leans in the direction of the item and moves towards it. We believe this will be the most intuitive method for a young child to learn to use.

Because each child moves differently from any other, the researchers are working on creating parameter files that are tailored to the individual. In addition, the Pioneer 3 robotic platform uses sonar to keep from bumping into objects, which helps keep babies safe from collisions. For ultimate peace of mind, there is also a remote-control joystick that provides wireless parental override.