This Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) project, Development, Technology Transfer and Commercialization of the Automated Transport and Retrieval System (ATRS), proposes to provide significantly increased mobility independence for wheelchair users. Six million people in the United States with disabilities have difficulties in obtaining the transportation they need. This is a major contributor to the unemployment rate of the disabled population nationally, estimated at over 65% by the U.S. Census Bureau. Currently, a van conversion represents the sole personal transportation choice for wheelchair users. Unfortunately, van conversions have significant shortcomings in terms of both user safety and cost. To address these limitations, the project proposes the development, technology transfer, and commercialization of a new paradigm for personal independent mobility: the Automated Transport and Retrieval System (ATRS). ATRS seamlessly integrates robotics and automation technologies with existing mobility products into structurally unmodified automobiles. By eliminating the drastic modifications to the base vehicle, ATRS will provide a safer alternative to van conversions with more flexibility at a significantly reduced cost. ATRS will put into practice reliable autonomous systems that will enable robust sensing and the automatic determination of single-point sensor failures. It will also employ state-of-the-art algorithms for pose estimation and control of the wheelchair actuators. The system will be engineered to be low cost since most of the sensors will be solid state, and they can therefore be produced at very lowcost.
Access to transportation is critical for Americans with disabilities and the elderly to participate fully in employment, education, worship, job training, commerce, recreation, and other activities of community life. By facilitating personal transportation, ATRS will improve personal independence and the quality of life for the physically challenged across the country and will help remove one of the greatest hurdles preventing wheelchair users from finding employment. The commercialization of ATRS will have local and national economic impact. The success of ATRS will aid the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) in the revitalization of the retired Philadelphia Naval Shipyard into a thriving physical engineering sciences campus, creating new companies and jobs in Philadelphia. Finally, the cost advantages of ATRS will also lessen the burden on third party payers and ultimately decrease the required tax dollars for such efforts.
Partners: The partners include: Lehigh University (Lead Institution); industry partners: Freedom Sciences, LLC; Cook Technologies, Inc.; and Sensible Machines, Inc., and public sector partners: Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. .
