A Smart Wheelchair Based on Gesture Control and Vital Signs Monitoring

Abstract

Aiming to offer better ubiquitous healthcare (Uhealthcare) to the aged and the disabled, this paper introduce a smart wheelchair with embedded sensor system for vital signs which can be controlled by simple gestures. In motion control module, firstly the gesture is distinguished from background using depth images from Kinect. Then three detailed formulas are added to Hu Invariant Moments for hand gesture recognition. Finally, recognition results are transmitted to a host computer via USB 2.0 interface for implementing motion control. In sensor sub-system module, a microcontroller-based platform is designed to process the signals required from biomedical sensors embedded in the wheelchair and output signals are transmitted wirelessly using IEEE802.15.4 WPAN protocol to a server application implemented in a host computer. Physiological parameters are measured by photoplethysmography (PPG), ballistocardiography (BCG) and skin conductivity sensor. Experimental results and analyses show that such a smart wheelchair can provide the aged and disabled people with better U-healthcare. Keywords-U-healthcare; smart biosensors; IEEE1451 standard; Hu Invariant Moment; intelligent wheelchair.