A few researchers had a brilliant idea that a walker could be much more than a device that can help someone keep their balance. This walker of the future does everything a regular walker does but it can also locate itself by reading signs, spot and avoid small objects in its walking path, and prevent collisions with large objects.
How does it do this? It uses ultrasonic sensors to virtually map out its surroundings, basically the same thing we do with our eyes when we want to walk somewhere. It detects obstacles and then does its best to navigate around them.
As of right now, this walker is called the VA-PAMAID, and it is still in the testing period. It has been determined to be very safe, and can accommodate all weather conditions. It has a range of 10.9km with a maximum speed of 1.2m/s. Research is still being conducted in order to make improvements. An example of a possible improvement is a GPS system that has a map of an institution such as a senior center so it can navigate through complicated hallways and corridors with ease. So be on the lookout for the release of this product in the future!
“The SmartCane System.” UCLA. 2011.
www.cs.ucla.edu/~alireza/BodyNets08.pdf
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