It looks like the development of the software was done in Ubuntu

Sep 11, 2014 13:03 GMT  ·  By

Intel has revealed a new, interesting concept called the Connected Wheelchair, which takes data from users and allows people to share that info with the community and is powered by Linux.

When people say Intel, they usually think about processors, but the company also makes a host of other products, including very cool or useful concepts that might have some very important applications in everyday life.

The latest initiative is called the Connected Wheelchair and the guys from Intel even convinced the famous Stephen Hawking to help them spread the word about this amazing project. It's still in the testing phases and it's one of those products that might show a lot of promise but never go anywhere because there is no one to produce and sell it.

What Intel is saying about the Connected Wheelchair

"Through the Intel Collaborators program, a team of Intel engineering interns designed a custom platform that can transform standard wheelchairs into data driven, connected machines. Using the Intel(r) Galileo Development kit and Intel Gateway Solutions for IoT, the team created a wheelchair proof of concept that enables the collection of biometrical information from the user, as well as mechanical information from the machine, that can then be analyzed. The team also built an application that allows wheelchair users to map and rate the accessibility of locations, further enhancing the user experience," notes the announcement from Intel.

As the makers of this project are saying, this is a proof of concept, but Intel asked Stephen Hawking to talk about it and to raise awareness about the benefits of this wheelchair.

Another interesting thing about the Connected Wheelchair project is that the development was completed on a Linux system, Ubuntu from the looks of it, although the application used by the users to map the locations seems to be running on an Android tablet.

Intel is already providing some of the technology that allows the famous astrophysicist Stephen Hawking to interact with the world, and the company has been doing this for a very long time. A project that would help people confined in wheelchairs is just the kind of technology that someone like Stephen Hawking would throw their full support at.

We end with a quote from Stephen Hawking himself about this topic

"If you don't recognize my voice, my name Stephen Hawking. I am the guy who made black holes cool. I am here to talk about a topic that is very personal to me, how science and technology can help people with disabilities. I lived my life on the edge, pushing the boundaries of not just science, but what my body can do. Medicine can't cure me, so I rely on technology."

Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking

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Development done in Ubuntu for the Intel project
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