Design and Implementation of a Control Device for Intelligent Wheelchair by Combining Image Processing and Acceleration Sensor

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 M.Sc. Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pardis Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Corresponding Author, Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pardis Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

In this paper, a gadget for controlling an electric wheelchair (EWC) is designed.
The device is designed based on the combination of acceleration sensor data from
head rotation, and image processing data from user’s face recognition, for
commanding to the EWC. This gadget designed as a wearable device and is
developed low cost, safe, and flexible for the patients with spinal cord injuries as
well as the elderly with limited hand use. The mechanical design, sensor tuning,
and 3Dprinted prototype of the gadget are presented. Finally the result of
experimental test is discussed. Acceleration sensor module and camera and
Raspberry Pi board are the core of the gadget. For performance evaluation,
several experiments have been performed. The commands sent by the user are
divided into four control commands (right, stop, move, left). Forward movement
command, is performed by showing a happy expression on the face. The
experiments show that the head angle controller and the image processor react
to the stop in the shortest time, which indicates that it has a high level of safety.

Keywords

Main Subjects


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