Data analytics used to improve mobility for wheelchair users
A technology company and wheelchair tennis player are developing a navigation system using smart technology and the cloud to help overcome mobility-related issues around cities.
Technology company Arrow Electronics is working with wheelchair tennis player Dani Caverzaschi to use data analytics to help improve the lives of those with disabilities and limited mobility in cities.
The Data Analytics & Network Innovation project (DANI) is an edge computing project that brings computation and data storage closer to the source of data – in this case, Dani. As part of the project, technology solutions are being developed by members of Arrow’s graduate programme.
Improving lives
Dani Caverzaschi, aged 28, was born missing most of his right leg and having several malformations on his left one. He plays on the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) Wheelchair Tennis Tour and is competing for the first time at Roland-Garros in Paris, on 31 May – 04 June. He also formed part of the Spanish national team that finished second, for the second time in a row, in the World Cup in Vilamoura, Portugal, in May.
Arrow and Caverzaschi are collaborating on two technology solutions to improve the lives of wheelchair users and those with disabilities.
“I generate the data, which is then analysed – the information then comes back to me, via the apps, enabling me to make informed decisions. I decide where to go and what to do”
WheelWay is an innovative navigation system, specifically designed for anyone with limited mobility, helping to overcome mobility-related issues around cities. It focuses on what’s possible, rather than obstacles, enabling wheelchair users to plan journeys and discover the city around them.
Routing instructions combine live data from smart GPS and public open cloud services, to provide real time, mobility-friendly routing information. It is a singular solution for the disabled community.
A second solution, DataRally, delivers live, real-time data, sourced from sensors on an athlete’s wheelchair, equipment and body, enabling him/her to analyse, refine and improve competitive performance.
Expanding on Arrow’s experience and expertise, the two initiatives demonstrate new ways of approaching mobility – in an integrated way – and feature new technologies that combine advanced hardware and software, cloud architecture and analytics to collect and analyse data. The data is specifically relevant to the needs of those in a wheelchair or with limited mobility.
“These solutions don’t take over; they’re not making me more dependent,” said Caverzaschi, whose objective it is to normalise disability. “I generate the data, which is then analysed – the information then comes back to me, via the apps, enabling me to make informed decisions. I decide where to go and what to do. I decide how to adjust on the court. It’s giving me more choice; more freedom and opportunity.”
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