Design and Implementation of a Smart Wheelchair
TL;DR: The objective of a smart wheelchair is to reduce user effort in controlling the wheelchair and to ensure safety during movement to make it affordable to a larger section of the target population, particularly in developing nations.
Abstract: A smart wheelchair can restore autonomy to patients with sensori-motor disabilities by enabling them to move around freely without depending on the care givers. The objective of a smart wheelchair is to reduce user effort in controlling the wheelchair and to ensure safety during movement. In this paper, our focus is to design and develop a smart wheelchair using inexpensive hardware and open-source software so as to make it affordable to a larger section of the target population, particularly in developing nations. The user can control the wheelchair using three interfaces namely, keyboard, a webcam and a microphone. Webcam is used to detect head-tilt which can be used for turning the wheelchair. Microphone is used for controlling the wheelchair through discrete voice commands. The wheelchair can be operated in three modes namely, manual, automatic and tele-operation modes. The software and hardware architecture of the platform is described in detail and experiments are performed to demonstrate the usability of the platform.
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TL;DR: This paper systematically presents the international SW research effort, starting with an introduction to PWs and the communities they serve, and discusses in detail the SW and associated technological innovations with an emphasis on the most researched areas, generating the most interest for future research and development.
Abstract: A smart wheelchair (SW) is a power wheelchair (PW) to which computers, sensors, and assistive technology are attached. In the past decade, there has been little effort to provide a systematic review of SW research. This paper aims to provide a complete state-of-the-art overview of SW research trends. We expect that the information gathered in this study will enhance awareness of the status of contemporary PW as well as SW technology and increase the functional mobility of people who use PWs. We systematically present the international SW research effort, starting with an introduction to PWs and the communities they serve. Then, we discuss in detail the SW and associated technological innovations with an emphasis on the most researched areas, generating the most interest for future research and development. We conclude with our vision for the future of SW research and how to best serve people with all types of disabilities.
149 citations
Cites background from "Design and Implementation of a Smar..."
...7-a,b), so researchers at the Kyoto Institute of Technology measure the physiological indices when the wheelchair is inclined, in order to evaluate the physical strains on the human body [152]....
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...Indian Institute of Technology [53] Jodhpur, India 2013...
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Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide a complete state-of-the-art overview of smart wheelchair research trends, focusing on the most researched areas, generating the most interest for future research and development.
Abstract: A smart wheelchair (SW) is a power wheelchair (PW) to which computers, sensors, and assistive technology are attached. In the past decade, there has been little effort to provide a systematic review of SW research. This paper aims to provide a complete state-of-the-art overview of SW research trends. We expect that the information gathered in this study will enhance awareness of the status of contemporary PW as well as SW technology, and increase the functional mobility of people who use PWs. We systematically present the international SW research effort, starting with an introduction to power wheelchairs and the communities they serve. Then we discuss in detail the SW and associated technological innovations with an emphasis on the most researched areas, generating the most interest for future research and development. We conclude with our vision for the future of SW research and how to best serve people with all types of disabilities.
85 citations
01 Feb 2015
TL;DR: An attempt has been made to propose a thought controlled wheelchair, which uses the captured signals from the brain and eyes and processes it to control the wheelchair.
Abstract: Improving the quality of life for the elderly and disabled people and giving them the proper care at the right time is one the most important roles that are to be performed by us being a responsible member of the society. It's not easy for the disabled and elderly people to maneuver a mechanical wheelchair, which many of them normally use for locomotion. Hence there is a need for designing a wheelchair that is intelligent and provides easy maneuverability. In this context, an attempt has been made to propose a thought controlled wheelchair, which uses the captured signals from the brain and eyes and processes it to control the wheelchair. Electroencephalography (EEG) technique deploys an electrode cap that is placed on the user's scalp for the acquisition of the EEG signals which are captured and translated into movement commands by the arduino microcontroller which in turn move the wheelchair.
44 citations
Cites methods from "Design and Implementation of a Smar..."
...The brain-controlled wheelchair has not yet been widely adopted, and any commercial device would need proper safety trials and FDA approval before release [1]....
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TL;DR: The development of the prototype speech controlled cloud based wheelchair platform using low-cost available speech WebKit in the cloud which works in the web browser as well as on the mobile devices providing live video stream.
39 citations
01 Sep 2016
TL;DR: The human factors in the current prototype of the intelligent power wheelchair are evaluated to ensure that the technology will be accepted by those it is designed to serve, and a wheelchair skills test is proposed for future trial participants.
Abstract: The intelligent power wheelchair (iChair) is designed to assist people with mobility, sensory, and cognitive impairment lead a higher quality, more independent lifestyle. The iChair includes a power wheelchair (PW), laptop computer, laptop mount, multi-modal input platform, and a custom plastic enclosure for the environmental sensors, made with a 3D printer. We have developed the configuration of sensors to facilitate scientific observation, while maintaining the flexibility to mount the system on almost any power wheelchair, and remain easily removed for maintenance or travel. The first scientific observations have been used to compile ACCESS Reports that quantify a location or event's level of accessibility. If barriers exist we collect a 3D point cloud to be used as evidence and to make recommendations on how to remedy the problem. The iChair will serve a wide variety of disability types by incorporating several input methods, voice, touch, proximity switch, and head tracking camera. The HD camera and 3D scanner have been mounted in such a way as to provide reliable data with the precision necessary to detect obstacles, build 3D maps, follow guides, anticipate events, and provide navigational assistance. We evaluate the human factors in the current prototype to ensure that the technology will be accepted by those it is designed to serve, and propose a wheelchair skills test for future trial participants.
18 citations
Cites methods from "Design and Implementation of a Smar..."
...Other methods like pupil tracking, and head tilt [15] are less reliable outdoors and require the camera to be positioned very close to the user’s eye, which may be uncomfortable for some PW users....
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References
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01 Dec 2001
TL;DR: A machine learning approach for visual object detection which is capable of processing images extremely rapidly and achieving high detection rates and the introduction of a new image representation called the "integral image" which allows the features used by the detector to be computed very quickly.
Abstract: This paper describes a machine learning approach for visual object detection which is capable of processing images extremely rapidly and achieving high detection rates. This work is distinguished by three key contributions. The first is the introduction of a new image representation called the "integral image" which allows the features used by our detector to be computed very quickly. The second is a learning algorithm, based on AdaBoost, which selects a small number of critical visual features from a larger set and yields extremely efficient classifiers. The third contribution is a method for combining increasingly more complex classifiers in a "cascade" which allows background regions of the image to be quickly discarded while spending more computation on promising object-like regions. The cascade can be viewed as an object specific focus-of-attention mechanism which unlike previous approaches provides statistical guarantees that discarded regions are unlikely to contain the object of interest. In the domain of face detection the system yields detection rates comparable to the best previous systems. Used in real-time applications, the detector runs at 15 frames per second without resorting to image differencing or skin color detection.
18,620 citations
01 Sep 1993
TL;DR: A tutorial on signal processing in state-of-the-art speech recognition systems is presented, reviewing those techniques most commonly used, and three important trends that have developed in the last five years in speech recognition are examined.
Abstract: A tutorial on signal processing in state-of-the-art speech recognition systems is presented, reviewing those techniques most commonly used. The four basic operations of signal modeling, i.e. spectral shaping, spectral analysis, parametric transformation, and statistical modeling, are discussed. Three important trends that have developed in the last five years in speech recognition are examined. First, heterogeneous parameter sets that mix absolute spectral information with dynamic, or time-derivative, spectral information, have become common. Second, similarity transform techniques, often used to normalize and decorrelate parameters in some computationally inexpensive way, have become popular. Third, the signal parameter estimation problem has merged with the speech recognition process so that more sophisticated statistical models of the signal's spectrum can be estimated in a closed-loop manner. The signal processing components of these algorithms are reviewed. >
792 citations
Journal Article•
790 citations
01 Jan 2012
Abstract: The population of people with disabilities inhabit a distinct position in the U.S. economy, both for their contributions to the marketplace and roles in government policies and programs. People with disabilities bring unique sets of skills to the workplace, enhancing the strength and diversity of the U.S. labor market.1 In addition, they make up a significant market of consumers, representing more than $200 billion in discretionary spending and spurring technological innovation and entrepreneurship.2 People with disabilities also often rely on various government interventions to maintain their participation in the community. Federal programs like Social Security and Medicare and more than 60 smaller federal and state programs provide a wide array of income, health care, and other support services to individuals with disabilities across the United States. In 2008, the federal government spent an estimated $357 billion dollars on programs for working-age people with disabilities, representing 12 percent of total federal outlays.3 While there is little doubt about the large economic impact of people with disabilities, estimates of the size and characteristics of this population depend much on the definitions used to classify what it means to be disabled.
561 citations
"Design and Implementation of a Smar..." refers background in this paper
...According to US Census Bureau [2], there are approximately 56.7 million people living in United States had some kind of disability in 2010 and this accounts for 18.7% of the US population....
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...According to US Census Bureau [2], there are approximately 56....
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TL;DR: Smart wheelchairs have been the subject of research since the early 1980s and have been developed on four continents and presented a summary of the current state of the art and directions for future research.
Abstract: — Several studies have shown that both children andadults benefit substantially from access to a means of indepen-dent mobility. While the needs of many individuals with disabil-ities can be satisfied with traditional manual or poweredwheelchairs, a segment of the disabled community finds it diffi-cult or impossible to use wheelchairs independently. To accom-modate this population, researchers have used technologiesoriginally developed for mobile robots to create “smart wheel-chairs.” Smart wheelchairs have been the subject of researchsince the early 1980s and have been developed on four conti-nents. This article presents a summary of the current state of theart and directions for future research. Key words: artificial intelligence, independent mobility, infra-red range finder, laser range finder, machine vision, powerwheelchairs, robotics, sonar, subsumption, voice control. INTRODUCTION Several studies have shown that both children andadults benefit substantially from access to a means ofindependent mobility, including power wheelchairs, man-ual wheelchairs, scooters, a nd walkers [1–2]. Independentmobility increases vocational and educational opportuni-ties, reduces dependence on caregivers and family mem-bers, and promotes feelings of self-reliance. For youngchildren, independent mobility serves as the foundationfor much early learning [1]. Nonambulatory children lackaccess to the wealth of stimuli afforded self-ambulatingchildren. This lack of exploration and control often pro-duces a cycle of deprivation and reduced motivation thatleads to learned helplessness [3].For adults, independent mobility is an importantaspect of self-esteem and plays a pivotal role in “aging inplace.” For example, if older people find it increasinglydifficult to walk or wheel themselves to the commode,they may do so less often or they may drink less fluid toreduce the frequency of urination. If they become unableto walk or wheel themselves to the commode and help isnot routinely available in the home when needed, a moveto a more enabling environment (e.g., assisted living) maybe necessary. Mobility limitati ons are the leading cause offunctional limitations among adults, with an estimatedprevalence of 40 per 1,000 persons age 18 to 44 and 188per 1,000 at age 85 and older [4]. Mobility difficulties arealso strong predictors of activities of daily living (ADL)and instrumental ADL disabi lities because of the need to
531 citations