Laser Line Striper: Short Range Sensor for Smart Wheelchairs
By Sharma, Vinod K., MS; Simpson, Richard, PhD, ATP; RESNA 28th International Annual Conference 2005: Atlanta, Georgia,Publication Date: 2005
Paper discusses the preliminary design and development of a laser line striper for smart wheelchairs. The line striper uses a laser to create a beam of light, which is ultimately used to calculate distances to objects from a wheelchair. A video camera is placed at a certain distance from the laser, as the camera is used to observe the point at which a light intersects objects and obstacles. A series of tests were conducted on a line striper mounted on a manual wheelchair, as its accuracy was evaluated using a piece of sheet rock that was painted black, a white marker board, and a section of green carpet. The sensor was first positioned 1 meter from the obstacle at different angles, and was then moved further away until the camera could no longer “see” the object. The distance between the striper and the object was recorded as the maximum detection distance, the values of which are presented in table format. Results indicated that the laser line striper was an effective range finder of objects at angles less than one degree away and a maximum range in distance of a few meters. This paper was presented at the 2005 annual conference of RESNA, the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America and is available on CD-ROM.
Published by: Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) (Website:http://www.resna.org)
