Section: Partnerships and Cooperations

International Initiatives

ISI4NAVE

• Title: Innovative Sensors and adapted Interfaces for assistive NAVigation and pathology Evaluation

• International Partner (Institution - Laboratory - Researcher):

  • UCL London (United Kingdom) - Aspire CREATe laboratory - Tom Carlson

• Duration: Jan 2016 – Dec 2018

• See also: https://team.inria.fr/isi4nave/

• Abstract: The global ageing population, along with disability compensation constitute major challenging societal and economic issues. In particular, achieving autonomy remains a fundamental need that contributes to the individual's wellness and well-being. In this context, innovative and smart technologies are designed to achieve independence while matching user's individual needs and desires.

  Hence, designing a robotic assistive solution related to wheelchair navigation remains of major importance as soon as it compensates partial incapacities. This project will then address the following two issues. First, the idea is to design an indoor / outdoor efficient obstacle avoidance system that respects the user intention, and does not alter user perception. This involves embedding innovative sensors to tackle the outdoor wheelchair navigation problem. The second objective is to take advantage of the proposed assistive tool to enhance the user Quality of Experience by means of biofeedback. Indeed, adapted interfaces should improve the understanding of people that suffer from cognitive and/or visual impairments.

  The originality of the project is to continuously integrate medical validation as well as clinical trials during the scientific research work in order to match user needs and acceptation.

François Chaumette is one of the five external experts of the Australian Center for Robotic Vision (see http://roboticvision.org). This center groups QUT in Brisbane, ANU in Canberra, Monash University and Adelaide University. In the scope of this project, Agniva Sengupta and Axel Lopez Gandia received a grant to participate to the 2018 Robotic Vision Summer School in Kioloa (New South Wales) and spent a 1-week visit at QUT in March 2018.