Robo wheelchair trained to heel

One of the rite of passages in the life of a dog owner would be to have your four-legged friend obey the “Heel” command flawlessly, following you like what they term a “velcro dog”. Well, the same principle has been applied to the wheelchair now, thanks to Saitama University of Japan‘s Human-Robot Interaction Center that came up with a robo wheelchair. It will feature an integrated distance sensor and camera system which will track the position of the companion’s shoulders, while figuring out the intended direction of the person as it plays follow the leader accordingly. This also makes the journey for the wheelchair user a whole lot more relaxing since there is no need to push it with one’s own hands. How about obstacles, you ask? Well, the robo wheelchair is smart enough to avoid obstacles automatically (up to a reasonable degree, of course). Check out the video for more context on how it gets around.