Robotic wheelchair capable of stepping on steps

I think it is no secret that the situation with wheelchair ramps in our country is rather sad.

I came across a stroller prototype created by Japanese scientists, which can walk upstairs, adjusting the height of the seat, that is, the wheelchair walks, but the person in it remains approximately in the same position.


')
The beauty is that the person sitting in it does not need to manage this process - he simply guides the wheelchair with the help of the joystick in the right direction, and she takes care of the rest herself. The wheelchair is equipped with a number of sensors, with the help of which it activates the “walking” mode as soon as it bumps into an obstacle.

Sensors can detect the presence of obstacles on the road. As soon as the stroller approaches the step, the robot takes a step. It also measures the distance to the obstacle, as well as its dimensions. The robot lifts one foot, taking a step, because at this time the rear wheels change position for stabilization. Plus, the stroller can turn on the spot.

While the wheelchair is not ready for the mass production stage, its creator says that now they have only this prototype, but it is already able to show all the advantages of the device. At the next stage, it is planned to conduct a series of tests in order to collect as many reviews as possible from people who are forced to use wheelchairs.

She was invented by Shuro Nakajima from the Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan (Shuro Nakajima, Chiba, Japan).