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Development of an Intelligent Wheelchair Using Computer Graphics Animation and Simulation
Author(s) -
Ojala Jari,
Inoue Kenji,
Sasaki Ken,
Takano Masaharu
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
computer graphics forum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.578
H-Index - 120
eISSN - 1467-8659
pISSN - 0167-7055
DOI - 10.1111/1467-8659.1040285
Subject(s) - computer science , graphics , robot , simulation , graphical user interface , process (computing) , controller (irrigation) , computer architecture simulator , animation , software , computer graphics , wheelchair , computer animation , human–computer interaction , computer graphics (images) , artificial intelligence , world wide web , agronomy , biology , programming language , operating system
A new robot simulator JC‐1 is used as a control software development tool in a project in progress where an intelligent wheelchair for a blind user is being developed. The intelligent wheelchair is planned to be able to fulfill simple symbolic commands like “follow wall” or “follow object” and using the JC‐1 simulator an evaluation team which includes e.g. the user, a rehabilitation engineer and a software engineer, can check control algorithms and user interface routines before constructing a real wheelchair prototype. The JC‐1 simulator models the environment using simplified boundary‐ representation where objects, robot sensors and actuators are presented as symbolic objects in the graphics data‐base of the simulator. In the JC‐1 simulator a robot controller under development controls the motion of the graphical model of the robot while simulator commands or other robot controllers can be used to control the movement of disturbing obstacles. Computer graphics animation and simulation help to find fundamental design errors at an early design stage and as this paper suggests, enable the user of the final product to take part in to the designing process of the robot controller. Benefits and difficulties of using computer graphics simulation in the wheelchair development process are discussed.