Wheelchair Convoy System

Current Projects:

• Smart Wheelchairs
  • Drive Safe
  • Wheelchair Convoy System
• Personal Assistants
  • ICue - Interactive Task Guidance
  • Navigation Assistant

The Wheelchair Convoy System is directed toward people who are currently dependent on an attendant for mobility. In current practice, moving a group of consumers between locations requires at least three caregivers: one to stay with consumers at the starting location, a second to stay with consumers at the goal location, and a third to move one person at a time from the start location to the goal location. Meanwhile, the consumers must wait until a caregiver is available to move them. This practice is inefficient, and encourages staff to hurry to complete the process, thereby setting the stage for unsafe practices such as pushing two wheelchairs at the same time by holding one handlebar on the back of each wheelchair, or pushing one wheelchair from the rear with one arm while pulling the second from the front with the other arm. Furthermore, the time involved in assembling multiple consumers with disabilities often deters their participation in group activities.

The Wheelchair Convoy system will allow caregivers to quickly form wheelchair "convoys" by physically linking modules attached to each wheelchair in the convoy. One attendant can then transport a group of people at one time. The Convoy system will reduce the time that people with disabilities spend waiting for someone to move them between locations, reduce staff time and physical effort required for transportation, and thereby also increase social and therapeutic opportunities for clients while accomodating staffing limitations. Furthermore, The Convoy system will also provide a mechanism for evacuating wheelchair users from a facility in the event of an emergency.

The Convoy system will be compatible with both powered wheelchairs and manual wheelchairs to which motorized wheel hubs have been attached.

An early prototype of the Convoy System was developed through a grant from The Technology Collaborative of Pittsburgh. A patent is in submission by the University of Pittsburgh (Provisional application 60/958,554). AT Sciences, a subcontractor on this early development work, is licensing the technology from the University of Pittsburgh for further development and eventual commercialization.

For more information:

• Video of the system in action
• Publications
• Development Team