Abstract— Intelligent wheelchairs can increase mobility and independence for cognitively-impaired older adults by compensating for their cognitive deficits using automatic safety features. The level and/or type of control desired by the target population during intelligent wheelchair use have not been previously explored. In this paper, we present findings from a study conducted with a mock intelligent wheelchair offering different modes of user control. We discuss both participant attitudes related to control and the implication of these findings for future intelligent wheelchair design. I. INTRODUCTION Powered wheelchairs (PWCs) can improve the quality of life of older adults who are unable to propel themselves in manual wheelchairs. Safe operation of these PWCs, however, can be difficult or even impossible for drivers with cognitive deficits. It is reported that 60-80% of long-term care residents have dementia [1]. When determining eligibility for PWC use, prescribers (therapists) are faced with the difficult decision of weighing their clients’ need for independent mobility against the safety of the driver and others in the environment [2]. Cognitive impairments often lead to decisions of PWC exclusion, which in turn lead to reduced mobility and independence for a large number of long-term care residents. In order to address the issues above, several researchers have developed intelligent wheelchairs capable of compensating for cognitive deficits by providing collision avoidance and wayfinding support [3]. Only a few of these systems, however, have been tested with cognitively- impaired older adults and have led to the identification of specific usability issues and areas for improvement [4]. In addition, interviews with users and caregivers have explored perceptions on intelligent wheelchair use [5]. All of the above studies have suggested that further testing with the user population is imperative in order to determine user needs and preferences, and to develop a system that is eventually adopted by the intended users. Specifically, *Research supported by CANWHEEL (the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Emerging Team in Wheeled Mobility for Older Adults Grant #AMG-100925), the Alzheimer’s Society Research Program and the Alzheimer’s Society of Canada, the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada grants, British Columbia Knowledge Development Fund Grant #13113, the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS) at UBC, and TELUS. a Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada. Email: {pooja.viswanathan, julianne.bell, rosalie.wang, alex.mihailidis}@utoronto.ca b Department of Computer Science, University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada. Email: {mitchell, bikram7, mack}@cs.ubc.ca c Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, UBC, Vancouver, Canada. Email: bill.miller@ubc.ca attitudes related to user control while driving intelligent wheelchairs have not been explored in previous studies, and are important to consider in the design of this technology. The study described in this paper is informed by quantitative and qualitative results acquired during studies conducted previously by the authors. This study uses a mock intelligent wheelchair, implementing a Wizard-of-Oz approach that allows researchers to circumvent engineering challenges in building a fully functional system, and yet obtain feedback from the users on issues related to usability and satisfaction [6]. The study described is one of the first to test different modes of control in a (mock) intelligent wheelchair with cognitively-impaired older adults. The system in [7] was also tested with residents with varying levels of physical and cognitive impairment; however, the system implemented a single shared control strategy. This paper presents details about our study protocol, data collection and analysis approaches, and some findings related to the user population's attitudes toward control when using an intelligent wheelchair that provides three different modes of driving assistance. II. SYSTEM SETUP The study used a commercial PWC modified by AT Sciences, LLC (http://www.at-sciences.com/) such that it could be controlled normally through the joystick on the wheelchair or through a laptop. The software provided by AT Sciences was further modified by our research team to allow the wheelchair to be controlled through a separate wireless joystick held by a tele-operator. Specifically, the wheelchair controllers were modified so that the user’s joystick input could be overridden by the tele-operator’s commands. This allowed the tele-operator to simulate a shared or autonomous control strategy through the use of a second driving interface. For example, if the user drove towards an obstacle, the tele-operator could slow down or stop the wheelchair to prevent a collision. In addition, the tele-operator could change the wheelchair heading to enable the user to steer away from obstacles. The tele-operator’s interface consisted of a joystick for direction control, buttons for speed adjustments, and a stop button. Audio and haptic feedback was also provided in some cases. More details on the tele-operator's capabilities can be found in [8]. III. RECRUITMENT Following ethics approvals, potential participants were contacted by designated caregiving staff for informed consent. A purposive sampling method was used. Ten participants from three different long-term care facilities in the city of Vancouver were recruited over a period of three months. To be included in the study, participants had to: A Wizard-of-Oz Intelligent Wheelchair Study with Cognitively- Impaired Older Adults: Attitudes toward User Control Pooja Viswanathan a , Julianne L. Bell a , Rosalie H. Wang a , Bikram Adhikari b , Alan K. Mackworth b , Alex Mihailidis a , William C. Miller c , Ian M. Mitchell b* 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems Workshop on Assistive Robotics for Individuals with Disabilities: HRI Issues and Beyond September 14, 2014, Chicago, Illinois, USA