
With the help of AI, robots, tractors and baby strollers - even skate parks - are becoming autonomous. One developer, Kabilan KB, is bringing autonomous-navigation capabilities to wheelchairs, which could help improve mobility for people with disabilities.
The undergraduate from the Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences in Coimbatore, India, is powering his autonomous wheelchair project using the NVIDIA Jetson platform for edge AI and robotics.
The autonomous motorized wheelchair is connected to depth and lidar sensors - along with USB cameras - which allow it to perceive the environment and plan an obstacle-free path toward a user's desired destination.
A person using the motorized wheelchair could provide the location they need to move to, which would already be programmed in the autonomous navigation system or path-planned with assigned numerical values, KB said. For example, they could press one' for the kitchen or two' for the bedroom, and the autonomous wheelchair will take them there.
An NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kit processes data from the cameras and sensors in real time. It then uses deep learning-based computer vision models to detect obstacles in the environment.
The developer kit acts as the brain of the autonomous system - generating a 2D map of its surroundings to plan a collision-free path to the destination - and sends updated signals to the motorized wheelchair to help ensure safe navigation along the way.
About the Maker KB, who has a background in mechanical engineering, became fascinated with AI and robotics during the pandemic, when he spent his free time searching up educational YouTube videos on the topics.
He's now working toward a bachelor's degree in robotics and automation at the Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences and aspires to one day launch a robotics startup.
KB, a self-described supporter of self-education, has also received several certifications from the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute, including Building Video AI Applications at the Edge on Jetson Nano and Develop, Customize and Publish in Omniverse With Extensions.
Once he learned the basics of robotics, he began experimenting with simulation in NVIDIA Omniverse, a platform for building and operating 3D tools and applications based on the OpenUSD framework.
Using Omniverse for simulation, I don't need to invest heavily in prototyping models for my robots, because I can use synthetic data generation instead, he said. It's the software of the future.
His Inspiration With this latest NVIDIA Jetson project, KB aimed to create a device that could be helpful for his cousin, who has a mobility disorder, and other people with disabilities who might not be able to control a manual or motorized wheelchair.
Sometimes, people don't have the money to buy an electric wheelchair, KB said. In India, only upper- and middle-class people can afford them, so I decided to use the most basic type of motorized wheelchair available and connect it to the Jetson to make it autonomous.
The personal project was funded by the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, which is jointly positioned under the Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
His Jetson Project After purchasing the basic motorized wheelchair, KB connected its motor hub with the NVIDIA Jetson Nano and lidar and depth cameras.
He trained the AI algorithms for the autonomous wheelchair using YOLO object detection on the Jetson Nano, as well as the Robot Operating System, or ROS, a popular software for building robotics applications.
The wheelchair can tap these algorithms to perceive and map its environment and plan a collision-free path.
The NVIDIA Jetson Nano's real-time processing speed prevents delays or lags for the user, said KB, who's been working on the project's prototype since June. The developer dives into the technical components of the autonomous wheelchair on his blog. A demo of the autonomous wheelchair has also been featured on the Karunya Innovation and Design Studio YouTube channel.
Looking forward, he envisions his project could be expanded to allow users to control a wheelchair using brain signals from electroencephalograms, or EEGs, that are connected to machine learning algorithms.
I want to make a product that would let a person with a full mobility disorder control their wheelchair by simply thinking, I want to go there,' KB said.
Learn more about the NVIDIA Jetson platform.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
22/07/2026
Culver City, CA, July 21, 2026 3D streaming infrastructure provider Miris today announced glTF intake, including the binary .glb form, to its spatial streamin...
22/07/2026
Documentary Lo Invisible Captured with Blackmagic PYXIS 6K
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's versatile design allowed filmmakers to c...
22/07/2026
AAF Bridge converts AAF and XML Timelines to Ableton Live - and back
Jerome Gardier July 21, 2026
0 Comments
A two-way converter for macOS and Windows...
22/07/2026
From Class to Concert: Explore a Student-Led Production of David Bowies Work Thr...
21/07/2026
New research involving a cross-section of Mongolias independent media landscape finds enthusiasm for AI as a tool to improve efficiency, sustainability and resi...
21/07/2026
With winners Spain having already paraded the World Cup trophy through Madrid in front of millions of fans and the dust now settling on an epic tournament of th...
21/07/2026
In a time of disarray in regional sports broadcasting, the league will provide c...
21/07/2026
When NEP designed one of its largest recurring mobile production unit fleets for PGA TOUR
coverage, the leading media services provider faced a familiar challe...
21/07/2026
High-end analogue channel strip boasts plug-in recall
Originally revealed as a prototype back at NAMM 2024, the Channex Studio channel strip represented a b...
21/07/2026
Relies on same DSP as plug-in range
Musik Hack's line-up has been influenced heavily by founder Stan Greene's work as a mixing engineer, and their M...
21/07/2026
Official collaboration with boutique builder Dirty Boy Pedals
Warm Audio have just announced the launch of a new guitar pedal range created in collaboration...
21/07/2026
SBS scores biggest ever FIFA World Cup Reach as Spain triumph in the final
21 July, 2026
Media releases
Spain v Argentina attracted a Total TV reach of al...
21/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz showcases broad range of EMC test solutions at EMC SIPI 2026 in ...
21/07/2026
Warner Bros. Discovery's unbroken lead is interrupted as sports and live mus...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Across the TV and streaming ecosystem, industry players face mounting pressure to do more with less. They must simplify operations, protect premium content and ...
21/07/2026
Tuxera, a leading prover of quality-assured file systems and networking technologies, is bringing its latest advances in connectivity performance to the media w...
21/07/2026
COW Jobs: Apple Motion Expert for Custom FCP Rigged Graphics Package
Brie Clayton July 21, 2026
0 Comments
HIRING: Apple Motion Expert for Custom FCP ...
21/07/2026
Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software-defined television technology, will use its presence at IBC2026 (stand 7.A01, Amsterdam RAI, 11 14 September) to...
21/07/2026
Calrec will be located in Hall 8, on Stand C47
Beyond bigger
For years, broadcast facilities were built around one assumption: provision for the biggest pro...
21/07/2026
Pebble, the leading automation, content management and integrated channel specialist, will discuss its future-facing developments for the new generation of medi...
21/07/2026
nxtedition returns to IBC2026 with its consolidated production platform, showing how scripting, editing, graphics, AI-assisted tools and automation can work wit...
21/07/2026
C2PA content signing helps broadcasters, public institutions, and publishers give audiences a verifiable record of where their video content came from and how i...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
21/07/2026
New capability centralizes collaboration, feedback, security and status tracking within VIDA, providing a structured, auditable approach to master quality contr...
21/07/2026
Lightcraft Launches Exclusive Spark Story Beta for Filmmakers and Creators at SI...
21/07/2026
Indie Road Movie Where in the Hell Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Brie Clayton July 20, 2026
0 Comments
Colorist blends vintage film looks to shape...
21/07/2026
Which USS Defiant Pulse Phaser effect is better?
Graham Quince July 20, 2026
0 Comments
Aargh, ever since @DarkRavenProductions posted a comment ask...
21/07/2026
The AI era runs on AI infrastructure. Many of these advanced systems are built a...
21/07/2026
X-Rite Pantone and NIFT Partner to Build Color Management Skills for India's...
21/07/2026
Harmonics cOS Virtualized Broadband Platform and Pearl Remote OLTs Enable Flexible PON Migration, While SeaStar Optical Node Powers Cost-Effective Multi-Gigabit...
21/07/2026
Every live event starts with a defining moment. A camera captures the game-winni...
21/07/2026
AI has entered the gigascale era.
The world's most advanced AI factories are bringing together hundreds of thousands of GPUs and CPUs to train frontier mod...
21/07/2026
NVIDIA Vera Rubin is here, and it's going gigascale.
Vera Rubin NVL72 produ...
21/07/2026
160 hours of Irish storytelling for 2026
KIN and The Walsh Sisters return
RT has today unveiled its most ambitious drama slate ever, with a record-breakin...
20/07/2026
The former Northwestern broadcast-operations leader is helping train the next generation of live-sports-production talent across the Big Ten
The sports-product...
20/07/2026
By Lucy Spicer
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. Whi...
20/07/2026
Product range now readily available in the UK
Graph Tech Guitar Labs have just announced the launch of a new UK Online Store that makes it quicker and easie...
20/07/2026
Popular headset gains active noise cancellation
The Maxwell headet was Audeze's first foray into the gaming world, and thanks to its Dolby Atmos compati...
20/07/2026
The NFVF, an agency of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, has released t...