Robotics Student Builds Autonomous Wheelchair With Nvidia Jetson

Kabilan KB, an undergraduate from the Karunya Institute of Technology and Sciences in Coimbatore, India, is using the NVIDIA Jetson platform for edge AI and robotics to power an autonomous motorized wheelchair project. The wheelchair is connected to depth and lidar sensors, as well as USB cameras, to allow it to perceive the environment and plan an obstacle-free path toward a user’s desired destination. An NVIDIA Jetson Nano Developer Kit processes data from the cameras and sensors in real time and uses deep learning-based computer vision models to detect obstacles in the environment. KB, who has a background in mechanical engineering, aspires to one day launch a robotics startup.