Barcode-based Navigation Concept for Autonomous Wheelchairs and Walking Frames

After a knee or hip surgery, a fast mobilization of the patient is highly recommended. The best therapy would be individual physiotherapy or guided walks with personal assistance, but unfortunately, this is very quite expensive and clinics are suffering from a lack of well-educated personnel. With RoRo, an autonomous walking frame (rollator), the patient receives walking support, reminders for exercises, and a measurement of the gait and walking parameters. For the navigation purposes of the autonomous rollator within the building of a clinic, a precise indoor navigation concept is needed that even works without a continuous internet connection. This paper describes the location and navigation concept with optical barcodes that are stuck at the top of each floor. The information of the barcodes is coded in the way, that they contain orientation features and are spanning a hierarchical structure.