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
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
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.
