Semi-automated stair climbing of a wheel hub-based patient transportation aid for emergency medical services
Abstract A novel approach for a patient transportation aid for emergency medical services bases on a wheel hub stair-climbing mechanism, which currently requires a manual adjustment relative to the stair edges. In this paper, an approach for an automation is presented which utilizes two distance sensors to characterize stairs and determine the relative position to them. A controller can then adjust the system’s position automatically. A user supervision concept copes with sensor inaccuracies or errors, resulting in a semi-automatic process. Within a formative usability study ( n = 11 n=11 users) the algorithm was able to reconstruct the stairs and drive the system neither falling down nor colliding with steps. The semi-automatic process reduced climbing time by 59 % and the participants reported a higher subjective usability compared to manual stair climbing.