title: Semi-autonomous competency assessment of powered mobility device users.
abstract: This paper describes a stand-alone sensor package and algorithms for aiding the assessment by an occupational therapist whether a person has the capacity to safely and effectively operate a powered mobility device such as a walking aid or a wheelchair. The sensor package employed consists of a laser range finder, an RGB camera and an inertial measurement unit that can be attached to any mobility device with minimal modifications. Algorithms for capturing the data received by the sensor package and for generating the map of the environment as well as the trajectory of the mobility device have been developed. Such information presents occupational therapists with the capability to provide a quantitative assessment of whether patients are ready to be safely deployed with mobile aids for their daily activities. Preliminary evaluation of the sensor package and associated algorithms based on experiments, conducted at the premises of the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney, are presented.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Sydney NSW 2007, Australia. jaime.vallsmiro@uts.edu.au
authors.forename: Jaime Valls
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Miro
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: Freek
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Bruijn
authors.forename: Dissanayake
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dissanayake
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D006801:Humans; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology; D014910:Wheelchairs