CoNav Chair: Design of a ROS-based Smart Wheelchair for Shared Control Navigation in the Built Environment
Yifan Xu, Qianwei Wang, Jordan Lillie, Vineet Kamat, Carol Menassa
TL;DR
CoNav Chair addresses the limitations of fully autonomous or fully manual wheelchairs by introducing a ROS-based smart wheelchair that blends user input with autonomous navigation through a shared-control Model Predictive Control framework. The hardware integrates a commercial wheelchair with LiDAR, an RGB-D camera, an IMU, and encoders, while software relies on RTAB-Map for mapping and Faster-LIO for localization, enabling robust indoor SLAM. A non-linear MPC local planner modulates control authority via a user-weight parameter that adapts to user input, achieving efficient, smooth, and safer navigation with obstacle avoidance. Real-world indoor evaluations show that the shared-control approach yields faster task completion, higher success, fewer collisions, and smoother trajectories compared to manual or autonomous baselines, indicating improved user trust and independence for PWD mobility in built environments.
Abstract
With the number of people with disabilities (PWD) increasing worldwide each year, the demand for mobility support to enable independent living and social integration is also growing. Wheelchairs commonly support the mobility of PWD in both indoor and outdoor environments. However, current powered wheelchairs (PWC) often fail to meet the needs of PWD, who may find it difficult to operate them. Furthermore, existing research on robotic wheelchairs typically focuses either on full autonomy or enhanced manual control, which can lead to reduced efficiency and user trust. To address these issues, this paper proposes a Robot Operating System (ROS)-based smart wheelchair, called CoNav Chair, that incorporates a shared control navigation algorithm and obstacle avoidance to support PWD while fostering efficiency and trust between the robot and the user. Our design consists of hardware and software components. Experimental results conducted in a typical indoor social environment demonstrate the performance and effectiveness of the smart wheelchair hardware and software design. This integrated design promotes trust and autonomy, which are crucial for the acceptance of assistive mobility technologies in the built environment.