RehaCare 2018

•••9••• Innovationen Intelligent wheelchairs and prostheses Researchers from Fraunhofer IPA use radar technology to help patients with limited mobility Stairs, stony paths and tiered lev- els – for wheelchair users, these obstacles are often insurmount- able. This can also be dangerous for people with leg prostheses. Bernhard Kleinert from Fraun- hofer IPA: “The research aimed to turn wheelchairs and prostheses into intelligent systems.” He and his team developed a sensor sys- tem that helps to recognise obsta- cles and overcome them. The central element of this new technology consists in using ra- dar-on-chip sensors to scan the environment. Radar chips have several advantages over ultrason- ic or laser sensors: They are sig- nificantly lighter and smaller, so they are particularly well suited to applications centered on mobil- ity, and they also function outside of closed spaces. This is a huge advantage for use in orthopedic technology, since patients should be able to use the new features in as many scenarios as possible. However, the radar chips do have a disadvantage: they only have one antenna for sending and re- ceiving radar signals. Therefore, only objects that are directly hit by the radar beam are visible. This means that the reading is only one-dimensional, which is not enough to locate obstacles. Bern- hard’s team used a trick to create a two-dimensional image from the one-dimensional readings. The project leader explains: “Sim- ilar to a laser scanner, which scans different points on a surface, we combine several reflections from different perspectives.” The different perspectives oc- cur almost spontaneously when the radar sensor is moved, for in- stance when someone wearing a prosthetic limb equipped with a sensor moves. Generating differ- ent perspectives is much more complicated when it comes to the sensor integrated into a wheel- chair. Here, a mirror helps to di- rect the radar beam this way and that. With the different readings generated, an algorithm devel- oped by Fraunhofer IPA creates a 2D image of the surrounding, which can be used to precisely lo- cate the obstacle down to a few centimetres. Radar-on-chip sensor Photo: Fraunhofer IPA, Rainer Bez Continued from page 1 STOVE GUARDS FROM EFP NORDIC SAVE LIFES EFP Stove Guard is an inovative safety device that effectively prevents fire on Stoves/cookers EFP Nordic AS is the world’s largest supplier of Stove Guards for the elderly and disabled Hall 3 · Booth F21 WHY STOVE GUARD? EFP Stove Guard is an inovative safety device that effectively prevents fire on Stoves/cookers • Stove fires are the most frequent cause of fire in domestic homes. • Stove guards will prevent most stove fires • Stove guards can be installed as part of a smart home solution, or as a standalone “plug & play” product. • Get a stove guard for you and your family! WHO ARE WE? EFP Nordic AS is the world’s largest supplier of stove guards for the elderly and disabled • We have installed over 150.000 stove guards in the nordic countries. • We are the sole supplier for stove guards to the Norwegian Government. • Other key customers are Eaton Electric, Schneider Electric and Dixon Group. • With our experience and expertise in this industry you can be sure we will deliver high quality products only. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What is a stove guard? A stove guard comes in two parts: one part which monitors the hob, and one part which is either hidden behind the stove or installed in the fuse box. If the monitor unit detects a risk of fire on the hob, the stove guard emits a warning. If no one reacts to the alarm, it turns off the power to the stove. Do they work? When you fit an approved stove guard and use it correctly, you significantly reduce the risk of fire. What type of stove guard should we buy? There are different types of stove guard on the market, and the quality of older stove guards tends to vary a great deal. The new European standard, EN 50615, aims to ensure that stove guards react to situations that could lead to a fire, while not giving false alarms and cutting off the electricity unnecessarily. If you buy a new stove guard, it’s important to make sure that it complies with this standard. Can a homeowner install a stove guard? Stove guards with a plug and socket (fixed sto- ve guard) can be installed by anyone. The type that has a switch in the fuse box must be instal- led by an electrician. Where can I get more information? Call us on +47 982 32 128, or check out our web- site www.komfyrvakt.no for more information. Visit us at Hall 3 · Booth F21 STOVE GUARD WALL MOUNTED STOVE GUARD CEILING MOUNTED OUR STOVE GUARDS