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iBot 4000

Details

The iBot is an advanced robotic wheelchair. It allows users to get up curbs and go up and down stairs. It can also raise its seat so the user can reach higher spots or talk at eye level with a standing person.

Creator
DEKA and Independence Technology
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Year
1999
Type
Medical
Creator
DEKA and Independence Technology
Country
United States 🇺🇸
Year
1999
Type
Medical

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Did You Know?

Dean Kamen, founder of DEKA Research, invented the iBot after seeing a man in a wheelchair struggling to go up a curb to enter a mall.
The iBot was a precursor to Dean Kamen's famous Segway human transporter.
During development, the iBot's code name was Fred Upstairs, after Fred Astaire, because it was agile and capable of climbing stairs.

Specs

FEATURES
Capable of driving on grass, sand, and uneven terrain. Equipped with wheels that rotate around each other to allow the robot to climb stairs.
HEIGHT
126 cm | 49.6 in
LENGTH
106 cm | 41.7 in
WIDTH
67 cm | 26.4 in
WEIGHT
127 kg | 280 lb
SPEED
10.9 km/h | 6.8 mph (standard driving mode)

SENSORS
Gyros, accelerometers, and rotary encoders.
ACTUATORS
DC motors
POWER
7.2-Ah nickel-cadmium battery
COMPUTING
N/A
SOFTWARE
iBalance software for dynamic stabilization when iBot is in self-balancing mode.
DEGREES OF FREEDOM (DOF)
N/A
MATERIALS
N/A
COST
$25,000
STATUS
Discontinued
WEBSITE
http://www.ibotnow.com

History

DEKA, founded by inventor and entrepreneur Dean Kamen, designed the iBot, which was first publicly announced in 1999. Johnson & Johnson's Independence Technology partnered with DEKA to license the technology and build and sell the iBot. In 2009, Independence announced that it was discontinuing production.