On the Design of MoviWE.Q: An Omnidirectional Electric-Powered Wheelchair for Indoor Mobility

This paper presents the design of a novel electric-powered wheelchair for indoor use, named MovieWE.Q. The leading idea is that of exploiting a redundant set of actuation variables to achieve omnidirectional mobility through conventional wheels. The aim is overcoming the mobility limitations of conventional differential drive electric wheelchairs while avoiding the drawbacks of mecanum and omni wheels-based systems. The system is conceived to be commanded by the user seated on the wheelchair via a conventional joystick or other alternative control interfaces, by an assistive operator through the use of a sensorized handle mounted on the back of the chair, or by an autonomous navigation system. The study focuses on the functional design of the wheelchair and it proposes the executive design of the prototype of MoviWE.Q.