EVLN(The little nEV that could)
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--- {EVangel}
http://www.clarionledger.com/news/0209/18/m16.html
September 18, 2002
Electric vehicle may help disabled
Special to The Clarion-Ledger
A prototype being developed by Mississippi State may become
"the little car that could" for some folks whose
disabilities won't allow them to drive a standard
automobile.
The university's T.K. Martin Center for Technology and
Disability recently took delivery of a commercially
available electric vehicle that is often used in residential
communities and industrial parks. Evaluations for adaptive
driving and recommendations for appropriate operating
technologies are among the varied services offered by the
facility.
With funding from the Mississippi Council on Developmental
Disabilities, the center is reconfiguring the vehicle, using
advances in electronics, environmental sensing and
telematics.
Small, dome-shaped and powered by six 12-volt batteries, the
four-seat prototype can be recharged through normal
electrical outlets. "It's a low-speed, limited-range vehicle
whose maximum speed is about 25 miles per hour," said the
Martin Center's Andrew G. Whetstone.
The rehabilitation engineer said the MSU research team
anticipates that elements of adaptive technologies being
employed in the project have the potential to help
individuals with developmental disabilities overcome some
physical, cognitive and sensory limitations.
Even with existing technologies for sedans, minivans and
vans, some individuals are unable to drive cars with
standard adaptations, he said.
"We're looking at developing a rear-entry system to
accommodate a single wheelchair user," Whetstone said. The
vehicle will use drive-by-wire technology to control the gas
and brake or the gas, brake and steering, he said.
Founded in 1996 and named for the former MSU vice president
who took the lead in making the campus more
handicapped-accessible, the Martin Center provides research
and clinical services for persons with all types of
disabilities. In addition to rehabilitation and biomedical
engineers, its staff also includes occupational therapists,
speech-language pathologists and special educators.
"With this project," Whetstone said, "we're hoping to
incorporate some of the 'smart' driving technology such as
on-board navigation systems, intelligent cruise control,
automatic parallel parking, and vehicle proximity detection
systems."
He said a similar prototype tested in the United Kingdom
during the 1970s demonstrated that battery-powered vehicles
can operate safely on highways.
Testing of MSU's prototype is expected to begin next spring
after alterations have been completed.
For more information, visit www.tkmartin.msstate.edu/ or
call Judy Duncan at (662) 325-1028.
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