TORONTO - A team of Canadian researchers and robotics experts say they've developed cost-effective technology that would allow power wheelchairs to drive themselves.
Toronto-based Cyberworks Robotics and the University of Toronto have applied the same principles at work in self-driving cars, saying using similar types of sensors on motorized wheelchairs can allow the mobility aids to dodge obstacles and travel routes without assistance from the user.
They say previous autonomous wheelchair designs could cost the user upwards of $30,000, but say the product they've developed will have a total cost of between $300 and $700.
The technology is still a work in progress, as it still struggles to operate in full sunlight and is currently intended for indoor use, but developers say they hope to make it commercially available in the near future.
Wheelchair users say they're cautiously optimistic about the development of such technology.
They say it has the potential to reduce user fatigue and even address secondary disabilities, but should not be viewed as a solution to the broader social issue of ensuring spaces are accessible for all.