Research on autonomous robotic wheelchairs in Europe [Guest Editorial]

Autonomous Robotic Wheelchairs in Europe by Spyros G. Tzafestas (National Technical University of Athens) Autonomous robotic wheelchairs (ARWs) represent an important class of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) [1-3] that is receiving increasing attention all over the world. This is due to the strong need of easier wheelchair mobility throughout a longer average life of the handicapped. In the European Union (EU) there are more than two million people with particular disabilities that could benefit from semiautonomous/autonomous wheelchairs. Basically, the design of these powered wheelchairs follows the general principles, technologies, and methodologies of the other AMRs, but they must possess particular characteristics (maneuverability, navigation, control, safety) that call for specialized designs. During the last decade a great effort was concentrated in European institutions, universities, and companies toward developing semiautonomous and autonomous wheelchairs with several degrees of navigational intelligence. The aim of the intelligent/autonomous wheelchairs is to provide the capability of natural wheelchair control to persons with severe handicaps. Standard electric wheelchairs have been in use for a long time, but many severely disabled people cannot control an ordinary electric wheelchair. Thus, further mobility aids are under development to enhance the independent mobility of these people. This special issue of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine contains five articles that present the design, architectural, implementation, and operational issues of high-autonomy systems built in European laboratories. To increase the coverage of the subject, some other R&D results are briefly overviewed here.