A Novel Approach to Wheelchair Design and Operation Using Multi-Function Controller

Jamal I. Al-Nabulsi

doi:10.3844/jcssp.2020.1029.1041

Abstract

An electric multi-function controlled wheelchair is designed and fully tested. This wheelchair is controlled by several physiological variables namely; voice, head movement, finger bending, breathing pressure and Electrooculography (EOG). The patient has the choice to use any of these variables to control the wheelchair. The voice command is recorded by a voice recognition module with its microphone, whereas, the head and finger motion operate through the gyro accelerometer and flex sensors. A pressure sensor is used to determine the force of breathing and EOG signals are used to control the wheelchair movement. All of the inputs are processed using a microcontroller. Testing of the wheel chair using the mentioned variables is carried out successfully with accuracy between 88 to 96% for various control modules and safety consideration as a primary goal.

Highlights

For the past few decades, the need for assistive devices has increased numerously because of the different injuries that could occur to people globally starting from work related injuries to war related injuries
The Voice Recognition Module (VRM) recognizes the voice command which is processed by the main microcontroller
The motor drivers operate depending on the voice confirmed by the microcontroller and the motors function depending on the sent voice command

Summary

Introduction

For the past few decades, the need for assistive devices has increased numerously because of the different injuries that could occur to people globally starting from work related injuries to war related injuries. Wheelchairs assist people with disabilities to become productive members of their communities. According to the US census, around 10% of the global population has disabilities and require some kind of assistive device (Taylor, 2018), where in Europe, according to several statistics is estimated to be around 1%. These estimates reach between 5 to 10% in countries like Cambodia or Afghanistan (Philip, 2012). Power wheelchairs are structured having the following basic parts: Chair with wheels, motor, battery, drive system and controller. Since Controlling the wheelchair with a joystick isn’t convenient to many individuals with severe motordisabilities such as cerebral palsy, high level spinal cord injury and poliomyelitis, multiple controls can be manipulated such as

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