5 ms·

One downside I can see for this: it looks like, if the user had a seizure, it would be extremely dangerous. It would keep them in the seat but interpret their m

One downside I can see for this: it looks like, if the user had a seizure, it would be extremely dangerous. It would keep them in the seat but interpret their movements as erratic hard accelerations and sharp turns.

hliyan 11y ago
I noticed two support wheels in the rear. I suspect it might be there to keep the occupant from hurting himself if he fall backward due to a situation like the one you described.
- JulianMorrison 11y ago
  The balance mechanism will keep them from falling backward - but interpret a heavy backward arch as "reverse fast" and a forward jerk as "damn the torpedoes, all ahead full" and a sideways flop as "spin wildly". So it's less a problem of them falling out or falling over, as one of them dashing around like a panicking bull, ramming things and people at 20mph.
  - mfoy_ 11y ago
    Maaaaybe there would be heuristics that would interpret such wild movement as unhealthy and trigger a medical alert.
    - JulianMorrison 11y ago
      Can such a heuristic distinguish wild movement from basketball (as shown in the video)?
      - volkk 11y ago
        perhaps a "free movement" mode? (kinda like ABS on a car)
      - lallysingh 11y ago
        It wouldn't be hard to put bluetooth on the controller and tell it "this user is a seizure risk" vs "this user is playing basketball."
      - codebeaker 11y ago
        Of course, there's nothing to stop the manufacturers programming in different modes, imagine speed limits, sports modes with higher torque and lower battery life, etc, etc. If some such "The operator is prone to seizures" mode were to exist, to require more prolonged sustained input from a user, or to move very slowly, after "double inputting" an intent, I can see this being quite safe, a "lean forwards twice to toggle moving forwards at 3mph" may well be a totally acceptable interface for some subset of people.
mfoy_ 11y ago
As an extension to your concern it struck me that this would be amazing for certain types of disabilities but completely useless for others. I don't think it's meant to be a one-size-fits-all wheelchair.
bpodgursky 11y ago
Ok... so are cars (in fact, they are much worse), but we survive somehow. I mean, I guess this is true, but being paralyzed usually does not mean you are unusually predisposed to seizures. This criticism kind of feels like hunting for problems.
- openasocket 11y ago
  people who regularly get seizures are not allowed to drive. The laws vary a lot by country and state and can be looked up here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy_and_driving https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy_and_driving Most of the time the law is of the form "you must be seizure-free for <x> months in order to drive"
  - acjohnson55 11y ago
    Right, and I suppose one probably wouldn't buy this if they were prone to seizures, either. I presume there's enough of a disjunction between people with impaired mobility and seizure risk for that to not be such a big deal.
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
cuchoi 11y ago
Are people with disabilities have more seizures? Independent of the answer I feel that this can also be applied with any human beings (with disabilities or not) and cars.
bentpins 11y ago
I wonder if it's possible to detect a seizure through vitals.
throwaway7767 11y ago
> One downside I can see for this: it looks like, if the user had a seizure, it would be extremely dangerous You're right. However, I suspect there are a lot of people who want this precisely because it's an electric wheelchair that's not been designed for the lowest common denominator. Most of the electric wheelchairs seem to want their target market to be "all disabled people". This means you have to limit the speed, agility, control sensitivity, etc. so even people with (say) Cerebral Palsy can control them without putting them in danger. There is a market for disabled people with full arm control and no proclivity for seizures who just want a fast, efficient way to get around. Right now I think the most popular way is to buy an electric wheelchair and mod it, but there's probably a market there for an off-the-shelf solution.
ryanlol 11y ago
Yeah, bicycles seem to suffer from this too, and helicopters.
orkoden 11y ago
The control software could probably detect a seizure or other erratic input and stop the vehicle.
lazyjones 11y ago
It probably doesn't require a seizure to become dangerous. Don't sneeze while waiting to cross the road, I guess.

hliyan 11y ago

I noticed two support wheels in the rear. I suspect it might be there to keep the occupant from hurting himself if he fall backward due to a situation like the one you described.

JulianMorrison 11y ago
The balance mechanism will keep them from falling backward - but interpret a heavy backward arch as "reverse fast" and a forward jerk as "damn the torpedoes, all ahead full" and a sideways flop as "spin wildly". So it's less a problem of them falling out or falling over, as one of them dashing around like a panicking bull, ramming things and people at 20mph.
- mfoy_ 11y ago
  Maaaaybe there would be heuristics that would interpret such wild movement as unhealthy and trigger a medical alert.
  - JulianMorrison 11y ago
    Can such a heuristic distinguish wild movement from basketball (as shown in the video)?
    - volkk 11y ago
      perhaps a "free movement" mode? (kinda like ABS on a car)
    - lallysingh 11y ago
      It wouldn't be hard to put bluetooth on the controller and tell it "this user is a seizure risk" vs "this user is playing basketball."
    - codebeaker 11y ago
      Of course, there's nothing to stop the manufacturers programming in different modes, imagine speed limits, sports modes with higher torque and lower battery life, etc, etc. If some such "The operator is prone to seizures" mode were to exist, to require more prolonged sustained input from a user, or to move very slowly, after "double inputting" an intent, I can see this being quite safe, a "lean forwards twice to toggle moving forwards at 3mph" may well be a totally acceptable interface for some subset of people.

mfoy_ 11y ago

As an extension to your concern it struck me that this would be amazing for certain types of disabilities but completely useless for others. I don't think it's meant to be a one-size-fits-all wheelchair.

bpodgursky 11y ago

Ok... so are cars (in fact, they are much worse), but we survive somehow. I mean, I guess this is true, but being paralyzed usually does not mean you are unusually predisposed to seizures. This criticism kind of feels like hunting for problems.

openasocket 11y ago
people who regularly get seizures are not allowed to drive. The laws vary a lot by country and state and can be looked up here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy_and_driving https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy_and_driving Most of the time the law is of the form "you must be seizure-free for <x> months in order to drive"
- acjohnson55 11y ago
  Right, and I suppose one probably wouldn't buy this if they were prone to seizures, either. I presume there's enough of a disjunction between people with impaired mobility and seizure risk for that to not be such a big deal.
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

cuchoi 11y ago

Are people with disabilities have more seizures? Independent of the answer I feel that this can also be applied with any human beings (with disabilities or not) and cars.

bentpins 11y ago

I wonder if it's possible to detect a seizure through vitals.

throwaway7767 11y ago

> One downside I can see for this: it looks like, if the user had a seizure, it would be extremely dangerous You're right. However, I suspect there are a lot of people who want this precisely because it's an electric wheelchair that's not been designed for the lowest common denominator. Most of the electric wheelchairs seem to want their target market to be "all disabled people". This means you have to limit the speed, agility, control sensitivity, etc. so even people with (say) Cerebral Palsy can control them without putting them in danger. There is a market for disabled people with full arm control and no proclivity for seizures who just want a fast, efficient way to get around. Right now I think the most popular way is to buy an electric wheelchair and mod it, but there's probably a market there for an off-the-shelf solution.

ryanlol 11y ago

Yeah, bicycles seem to suffer from this too, and helicopters.

orkoden 11y ago

The control software could probably detect a seizure or other erratic input and stop the vehicle.

lazyjones 11y ago

It probably doesn't require a seizure to become dangerous. Don't sneeze while waiting to cross the road, I guess.