MOTION CONTROL OF OMNIDIRECTIONAL WHEELCHAIR CONSIDERING PATIENT COMFORT

An omnidirectional wheelchair is highly maneuverable in narrow or crowded areas such as residences, offices and hospitals. In this paper, a novel motion control system for an omnidirectional wheelchair is proposed. In order to ensure a comfortable ride for the patient, the controller is designed using a hybrid shape approach that considers both time and frequency characteristics. The effectiveness of the proposed system is evaluated by the output signal of a sensor attached to the wheelchair and by a descriptive inspection by several users.