iWalker: Toward a Rollator-Mounted Wayfinding System for the Elderly

Research on intelligent walkers aims at helping elderly individuals to maintain their independence in familiar and unfamiliar environments. Several walkers have been developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. This article contributes to this research venue by describing the design and initial evaluations of iWalker, a multi-sensor rollator-mounted wayfinding system for the elderly. The primary difference of the proposed navigation aid from other intelligent walkers is that iWalker is assumed to operate in a smart world (SW), a physical space equipped with embedded sensors. By integrating inexpensive sensors into the environment, the cost and complexity of the walker can be reduced.

[1]  Minghui Jiang,et al.  Surface-Embedded Passive RF Exteroception: Kepler, Greed, and Buffon's Needle , 2007, UIC.

[2]  G. Lacey,et al.  User involvement in the design and evaluation of a smart mobility aid. , 2000, Journal of rehabilitation research and development.

[3]  Sebastian Thrun,et al.  Learning user models of mobility-related activities through instrumented walking aids , 2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004.

[4]  Joelle Pineau,et al.  Experiences with a mobile robotic guide for the elderly , 2002, AAAI/IAAI.

[5]  G. Allen,et al.  Age-related differences in adults' macrospatial cognitive processes. , 1992, Experimental aging research.

[6]  Stefan Carmien,et al.  MAPS: Dynamic Scaffolding for Independence for Persons with Cognitive Impairments , 2003, User Modeling.

[7]  Vladimir Kulyukin.  CONNECT-THE-DOTS IN A GRAPH AND BUFFON'S NEEDLE ON A CHESSBOARD: TWO PROBLEMS IN ASSISTED NAVIGATION , 2007 .

[8]  Henry A. Kautz,et al.  An Overview of the Assisted Cognition Project , 2002 .

[9]  Debra Schreckenghost,et al.  Web-Based Assistive Technology Interventions for Cognitive Impairments After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Selective Review and Two Case Studies. , 2004 .

[10]  Wolfram Burgard,et al.  Mapping and localization with RFID technology , 2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004.

[11]  Stefan Carmien.  MAPS: PDA scaffolding for independence for persons with cognitive impairments , 2002 .

[12]  Pradip Sheth,et al.  User intent in a shared control framework for pedestrian mobility aids , 2003, Proceedings 2003 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2003) (Cat. No.03CH37453).

[13]  Steven Dubowsky,et al.  PAMM - a robotic aid to the elderly for mobility assistance and monitoring: a "helping-hand" for the elderly , 2000, Proceedings 2000 ICRA. Millennium Conference. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Symposia Proceedings (Cat. No.00CH37065).

[14]  Vladimir A. Kulyukin,et al.  A rollator-mounted wayfinding system for the elderly:: a smart world perspective , 2006, Assets '06.

[15]  Birgit Graf,et al.  Robotic home assistant Care-O-bot: past-present-future , 2002, Proceedings. 11th IEEE International Workshop on Robot and Human Interactive Communication.

[16]  K C Kirasic,et al.  Acquisition of spatial knowledge under conditions of temporospatial discontinuity in young and elderly adults , 1990, Psychological research.

[17]  Judith T. Matthews,et al.  PREFERENCES FOR INTERFACE DESIGN FOR A NAVIGATION ASSISTANT ON A WHEELED WALKER , 2007 .

[18]  Jared Glover.  A robotically-augmented walker for older adults , 2003 .

[19]  John Nicholson,et al.  Robot-assisted wayfinding for the visually impaired in structured indoor environments , 2006, Auton. Robots.

[20]  R. Passini,et al.  Wayfinding in dementia of the Alzheimer type: planning abilities. , 1995, Journal of clinical and experimental neuropsychology.

[21]  Judith T. Matthews,et al.  A Rollator-Mounted Wayfinding System for the Elderly: Proof-of-Concept Design and Preliminary Technical Evaluation , 2006 .

[22]  Scooter Willis Computer.  A Passive RFID Information Grid for Location and Proximity Sensing for the Blind User , 2004 .

[23]  S. Gauthier,et al.  Spatial disorientation in persons with early senile dementia of the Alzheimer type. , 1991, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.