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Research paper−107−Synthesiology - English edition Vol.2 No.2 pp.107-120 (Oct. 2009) sensing technology for keeping safety. Therefore, we developed an intelligent electric chair equipped with “stereo omni-directional camera” which has the ability to monitor color images and 3D information simultaneously, with no blind areas, in real time. This wheelchair helps the rider to move safely indoors and outdoors and in space shared by pedestrians. It has a basic function of detecting obstacles and level differences in all directions simultaneously, and can decelerate and stop automatically when there is some danger.In this paper, we present the detailed picture of the process from the beginning. The picture involves the strategy, scenario, and elaborations. In what follows, we shall describe the research scenario in chapter 2. In chapter 3, we describe the selection of elemental technologies necessary for constructing the prototype, and chapter 4 presents the integration and the synthesis. In chapter 5, we describe the experiments and evaluations, and in chapter 6 the summary of this paper.2 The research scenarioThis research was conducted as part of the “Development of Assistive Technology for Safety and Convenience of the Physically Disabled People (FY 2004~2006)” Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) led by AIST and the National Rehabilitation Center for People with Disabilities. The rank and mission of this study within this project was “to propose the potency and necessity of advanced welfare apparatuses supported by future-oriented advanced technology.” We were required not to develop a product but to present the potential for improving the welfare apparatus by advanced technology. To execute this mission, we thought it would be particularly 1 IntroductionThe development of technology to improve the quality of life (QOL) of the elderly and the physically disabled is a socially important issue, and the utilization of advanced science and technology is expected. Such effort is strongly demanded socially in Japan, which is a rapidly aging country.The mobility (the ability to move around freely or the means that allow one to do so) is an indispensable element for us. Especially when a person loses the “ability to walk,” it becomes very hard to move by one’s own will, causing strong limitations of daily activities. This is not the issue only for the elderly and physically disabled, but also for people who can still walk normally now, but has the possibility of losing the ability by an accident or aging. Preparing the sufficient alternative for the walking ability could be the important safety net for all of us. The electric wheelchair is the major alternative to walking ability. Recently, it has become widely spread, and it has made it easier for people with walking-difficulty to go out freely. On the other hand, as the number of electric wheelchair increases, the accidents have increased, e.g. collision with pedestrians, obstacles and falling, capsizing at level differences and stairs. Thus, the technological developments to ensure safety are of immediate demand. In the area of automobile, the technology for driving safety is actively being developed. For example, monitoring vehicle's forward space with millimeter wave raddear and stereo camera[1] and automatic braking to avoid rear-end collision[2] are technologies that have been put to practical use. Unlike an automobile that runs on the road, an electric wheelchair is used in various situations such as crowded areas and inside a room and it is necessary to deploy next-generation - An intelligent electric wheelchair with a stereo omni-directional camera system -Yutaka Satoh*and Katsuhiko SakaueInformation Technology Research Institute, AIST Tsukuba Central 2, Umezono 1-1-1, Tsukuba 305-8568, Japan *E-mail : Received original manuscript December 18, 2008, Revisions received February 12, 2009, Accepted February 12, 2009We propose a secure and reliable next generation smart electric wheelchair system that is equipped with a novel 3D stereovision system referred to here as a 'stereo omni-directional camera'. The novel vision system is not only intended for use with a new generation of electric wheelchairs for conventional wheelchair users, but also for use in future advanced personal mobility devices for everyone.A secure and reliable next generation mobilityKeywords : Mobility, active safety, welfare apparatus, computer vision, stereo omni-directional camera system[Translation from Synthesiology, Vol.2, No.2, p.113-126 (2009)]

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