ccaROS: A ROS Node for Cognitive Collaborative Architecture for an Intelligent Wheelchair

Abstract

For effective Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), an intelligent wheelchair (IW) need to be cognitively enhanced. Robot Operating System (ROS) has been steadily gaining popularity among robotics researchers as an open source framework for robot control. This paper presents ccaROS - a new ROS node for a Cognitive Collaborative Architecture to achieve better HRI for an IW. The design of the ROS node is presented. It provides mechanisms for obstacle avoidance, detection and adaption of user’s navigational strategy; seamless switching of driving control from machine to human and vice-versa. This would not only assist to achieve safe navigation but also allow retention of residual skills of the user. The effectiveness of ccaROS has been evaluated through simulation studies within a ROS-USARSim environment.