A Better Engineering Design: Low Cost Assistance Kit for Manual Wheelchair Users with Enhanced Obstacle Detection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5614/j.eng.technol.sci.2015.47.4.4Abstract
This paper proposes a better engineering design of an assistance kit for manual wheelchair users. The design is aimed to enhance the detection of obstacles in the travelling path of the wheelchair user at low cost. This is facilitated by microcontroller and sensor technologies. The proposed design provides the intended user with obstacle detection, light detection, a light emitting diode (LED) emergency light system, and an emergency alarm system. The microcontroller is the main controller that receives input from the sensors and produces output to the light crystal display (LCD) screen, the LED emergency light system, and the emergency alarm system. An ultrasonic sensor is used to detect the presence of obstacles directly behind the wheelchair. If any obstacle exists behind the wheelchair within a set range, the system will alert the wheelchair user through different alarm sounds. In the case of absence of light, the LED emergency light system is activated and turns on a light source, which is attached to the wheelchair to provide a bright and clear path for the user. The distance between the obstacle and the wheelchair, and the status of the LED emergency light system are displayed on the LCD screen.Downloads
References
Simpson, R.C., Smart Wheelchairs: A Literature Review, J. of Rehabilitation Research & Development, 42(4), pp. 423-436, 2005.
Hiremath, S.V., Physical Activity Monitoring System for Manual Wheelchair Users. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburg, USA, 2013.
Tarek, M., Using Ultrasonic and Infrared Sensors for Distance, World Academy of Sci., Eng. and Tech., 3, 2009.
Simpson, R., LoPresti, E., Hayashi, S., Guo, S., Ding, D., Ammer, W., Sharma, V. & Cooper, R., A Prototype Power Assist Wheelchair that Provides for Obstacle Detection and Avoidance for Those with Visual Impairments, J. of Neuro Eng. and Rehabilitation, 2(30), 2005.
Puviarasi. R., Ramalingam, M. & Chinnavan, E., Low Cost Self-assistive Voice Controlled Technology for Disabled People, Int. J. of Modern Eng. Research, 3(4), pp. 2127-2132, 2013.
Gomi, T. & Griffith, A., Developing Intelligent Wheelchairs for the Handicapped, Assistive Technology and Artificial Intelligence, Springer Verlag, 1458, pp. 150-178, 1998.
Hoey, J., Gunn, D., Mihailidis, A. & Elinas, P., Obstacle Avoidance Wheelchair System, Proceedings of the ICRA, 2006.
Hareesh, D., Kishore, R. & Satyavathi, K., Sensors Based Automated Wheelchair, Int. J. of Research in Computer and Communication Tech., 2(9), pp. 813-818, 2013.
Akmeliawati, R., Faez, S., Tis, B. & Wani, U.J., Design and Development of a Hand-glove Controlled Wheel Chair, Int. Conf. on Mechatronics, pp. 1-5, 2011.
Prassler, E., Scholz, J. & Strobel, M., Maid, Mobility Assistance for Elderly and Disabled People, 24th Annual Conference of the IEEE on Industrial Electronics Society, 4, pp. 2493-2498, 1998.
Postolache, O., Girao, P.S. Ijaz, H. & Freire, J., IEEE 1451.4 Embedded Smart Sensors Architecture for Wheelchair User Monitoring, IEEE Int. Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications Proceedings, pp. 1-5, 2012.
Yi, J., Tan, Y., Ang, R. & Panda, S., Microcontroller Based VoiceActivated Powered Wheelchair Control, Int. convention on Rehabilitation Eng. & Assistive Technology, ACM, pp. 67-72 , 2007.
Lu, T., Yuan, K., Zhu, H. & Hu, H., An Embedded Control System for Intelligent Wheelchair, Proceedings of 27th Annual Int. Conf. of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society, Shanghai, China, pp.1-4 September 2005.
Toyib, W., Lee, E. & Park, M., An Integrative Method on the Remote Monitoring of Walking Activity Using Ubiquitous Healthcare System, Int. J. on Electrical Eng. and Informatics, 3(4), pp. 453-463, 2011.
