An environment to enable the control of mobile robots by patients with severe motor disabilities

• Grant number: 11/17145-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2011
• End date: September 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science
• Principal Investigator: Humberto Ferasoli Filho
• Grantee: Caetano Mazzoni Ranieri
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências (FC). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Patients with severe motor disabilities become dependent on other people to realize many of their essential daily activities. It is hard for these people to interact with the world around them, because of the small variety of movements that they can perform. Frequently, tools like adapted wheelchairs reduce these limitations' impact, improving their life quality. It is necessary, thus, to properly explore the movements that they are able to do and create tools that allow them to interact with the environment. In this context, this project aims to build an environment to control mobile robots based on a few movements, such as head movements.(AU)