Design and Implementation of an Autonomous Wheelchair for Physically Challenged People

Abstract

"Many people struggle on a daily basis with the issue of mobility. For most, the struggle of mobility is due to a physical handicap that is prohibiting their movement. Wheelchairs were invented to help provide a remedy for these situations. However, standard wheelchairs still seem to prove ineffective for a large percentage of users. This includes people with weak muscle, the blind, paraplegics, or those who were born with congenital amputation. With the advancement of technology, it is possible to make wheelchairs, “smart” and “safe” to allow people with disabilities to use such chair by simply communicating with them.
This research aims to deliver an automated, safe and convenient solution for assistive technologies/advanced smart assistance which will enable elderly and handicapped people with locomotive disabilities to travel around alone with no assistance. The command of the person in the form of voice, written information, or hand gesture, is captured by the wheel chair artificial brain and convert it to a control command, which tells the wheelchair where to go. In order for the artificial brain to perform properly, it must know the environment it is operating in and the coordinates of the different possible spots the chair is likely to go.
The research project is broken down into four stages, namely: a) Mapping of the environment b) Localization of the Wheelchair in the environment c) Autonomous Navigation and d) Human command Interpretation. In this phase of the research, the human voice is used to provide the locations to go to"