Doctoral student Andrey Rusakov carried out the complex programming of the robotic SmartWalker largely by himself. (Photograph: D-INFK/ETH Zurich)
Computer scientists and roboticists at ETH Zurich have developed a robotic walker that makes senior citizens more mobile. Now SmartWalker is waiting for an industrial partner to come along and help get the technology ready for mass production. When walking becomes increasingly difficult and arduous, many elderly people use walkers. These walking aids are frames mounted on four wheels that senior citizens can lean on and push along in front of them. The front wheels are steerable, while the rear wheels are fixed in position. Add a basket for groceries and brakes so that the walker does not roll off down a hill and presto! There is not really much more to conventional walkers. Now a team of computer scientists and roboticists at ETH Zurich have turned a walker into an autonomous robot that goes by the name of SmartWalker.
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