ANTS ARCHITECTURE FOR THE DISABLED

ANTS vehicular architecture would allow far more mobility than traditionally wheeled vehicles, such wheelchairs. Undifferentiated components allow reconfiguration to achieve optimal mobility. No limitations are imposed by permanent appendages, where an ‘optimal’ size and shape is always a compromise and can’t possibly be suitable for every terrain, whether manmade, such as steps, or natural, such as desert pavement. At the 12Tetrahedral level, as described on the Tetrahedral Walker page, relatively continuous motion is possible. A pair of such walkers could replace the wheels on a wheelchair, attached by a node on either side of a human ‘carrier’. Control and command is being developed so that the user of the ANTS vehicle could select a destination, and the ANTS addressable, self-configuring network of nodes (synthetic nervous system) would reversibly deploy struts (synthetic skeletal muscular framework), allowing transformation in size, shape, and gait, as required and determined from feedback to the nodes at the actuator level.

LINKS

Tetrahedral Walker Page
Enabling Technology