1. INTRODUCTION

Robotic technologies have the potential to improve the lifestyles of people suffering from one or more disabilities. Restricted mobility is one such disability. There are many reasons why a person may not be able to travel freely, like spinal injuries and amputation.

A wheelchair is a mechanical device that can often assist in mobility. It effectively uses wheels and mechanical support to overcome a loss of limb. Manual wheelchairs can be operated by persons who have the use of their upper body or someone available to assist. Powered wheelchairs are used when either of these cases does not apply. However, these devices typically require a high level of user control and this is something precluded by many severe forms of disablement. In recent decades many groups have researched the possibilities of robotic wheelchairs. These endeavours are aimed at creating ‘intelligent’ devices that can sense information from their environment and respond in useful ways.

Figure 1: Design of Smart Wheelchair