'Gest-BOT' - A Highly Convenient Locomotive Solution for the Elderly and Physically Challenged
21 Oct 2012-pp 350-355
TL;DR: This work uses a small camera mounted very close to the user's hand, which tracks the small movements of their fingers to understand the direction of movement of the wheelchair, and develops a gesture recognition system which identifies the gesture and is interfaced to the wheelchair control system in order to move the wheelchair to the desired location.
Abstract: Various research studies conducted all around the world reveal that 75% of people with debilitating physical disabilities and elderly people experience significant difficulties for their day to day locomotion. Although there are existing solutions to overcome this problem, none of them served to be customizable, economical and user friendly all at the same time. Therefore, one of the best options that could be useful for these affected class of people is a gesture-based interaction with their environment, in particular their wheelchairs. The proposed system named as 'Gest-BOT', uses a small camera mounted very close to the user's hand, which tracks the small movements of their fingers to understand the direction of movement of the wheelchair. A gesture recognition system which identifies the gesture is then interfaced to the wheelchair control system in order move it to the desired location. Gest-BOT is effortless to use, customizable, economical, highly convenient and non-intrusive. The hardware implementation of Gest-BOT consists of a wheelchair, an Arduino board based ATmega microcontroller and an Intel Atom EBC-352 processor, which uses MATLAB® executables for gesture image processing. We have also calculated the response of the system under various conditions which is detailed in the paper.
Citations
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TL;DR: With the average success rate of gesture recognition above 99.25% and response time as comparable with that of commercially available joystick controlled wheelchair, HanGes could be a possible alternative to the existing ones.
Abstract: This paper presents a novel and simple hand gesture recognition method to be used in rehabilitation of people who have mobility issues particularly stroke patients and patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Keeping in mind the reach of such a system for a wider community of people with mobility issues, the proposed low-cost control device called gpaD—gesture pad provides an alternative solution to the joystick-based powered wheelchair control through hand gestures. In this method, IR sensors are used for identifying the simple gestures to control the powered wheelchair to move in any direction. In the proposed prototype system HanGes, a gesture pad that includes IR sensors, MCU and power management circuit is designed for gesture recognition and identification and a controller for driving motors is implemented. HanGes’s design, implementation, the response time calculations of the system, testing, performance evaluation with stroke and SCI patients are discussed in detail. With the average success rate of gesture recognition above 99.25% and response time as comparable with that of commercially available joystick controlled wheelchair, HanGes could be a possible alternative to the existing ones. With extensive experiments that demonstrate the accuracy of the system, the user experience, testing with patients, and the implementation cost indicate the superiority of our system.
18 citations
Cites methods from "'Gest-BOT' - A Highly Convenient Lo..."
...Our earlier work which was published uses IR Camera and Intel Processor board for hand gesture image capture, recognition and identification [33]....
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01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated outcomes of older people's use of powered wheelchairs and risk factors for negative outcomes and found that the most frequent activity in the summer was going for a ride and in the winter it was shopping.
Abstract: OBJECTIVE
The aims of this study were to investigate outcomes of older people's use of powered wheelchairs and risk factors for negative outcomes.
DESIGN
The study was a cross-sectional interview-study including 111 powered wheelchair users over 65 years of age.
RESULTS
All participants used their powered wheelchair in the summer; nearly all users regarded it as important and found that it gave them independence. The wheelchair made activity and participation possible for the users. The most frequent activity in the summer was going for a ride, and in the winter it was shopping. However, some could not use the wheelchair for visits, and supplementary travel modes are called for. Users who could not walk at all or who could not transfer without assistance were more likely not to be able to carry out prioritized activities. Furthermore, other risk factors for negative outcomes and need for further research were identified.
CONCLUSION
The use of powered wheelchairs is a relevant societal intervention in relation to older people with limited walking ability in order to make activity and participation possible. It is likely that a larger proportion of older people could benefit from this intervention, in particular if current practices are improved taking activity and participation outcomes into consideration.
15 citations
27 Mar 2019
TL;DR: A design that aids the voice activation system for physically disabled people by incorporating manual operation and Arduino microcontroller and voice recognition have been used to support the movement of the wheelchair.
Abstract: A sector of physically challenged people finds it very difficult to use traditional wheelchairs. Researchers have been working on computer-controlled chairs which utilize sensors and quick control algorithms to minimize the level of human intervention. This paper is based on a design that aids the voice activation system for physically disabled people by incorporating manual operation. Arduino microcontroller and voice recognition have been used to support the movement of the wheelchair. The wheelchair does not respond to an incorrect speech command. Depending on the direction given through voice and gesture, the Arduino controls the wheelchair directions. Ultrasonic sensors are used to detect obstacles. The prototype is designed in such a way that it can be used independently and efficiently with less effort. It saves time, reduces cost and energy of the users.
13 citations
Cites background from "'Gest-BOT' - A Highly Convenient Lo..."
...Rajesh Kannan Magalingam et al [11] proposed a model which uses a tiny camera attached very close to the user’s hand to track the small movements of their fingers to recognize the direction of movement of the wheelchair....
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14 Jun 2018
TL;DR: This work proposes an integrated approach of tracking and recognition of hands which is intended to be used as human-robot interaction interface (inferred from HMI (human machine interface)).
Abstract: Hand gesture control system has been unfolding the entire humanity to quite a wide range of applications, such as human android interaction, automation & control, virtual games, 3D animations, posture recognition language, traffic signal controlling, virtual play station, etc. This glove can be used to control small scale machines and home appliances. Increased usage of robots in unfavorable cases where conditions don't stay certain like rescue operations and nuclear environment has made advancement in the modern world of army and defense. This work proposes an integrated approach of tracking and recognition of hands which is intended to be used as human-robot interaction interface (inferred from HMI (human machine interface)).
8 citations
Cites methods from "'Gest-BOT' - A Highly Convenient Lo..."
...To build efficient human-machine interaction Gesture-based input devices apply a manual interaction between the human and the machine[7]....
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TL;DR: Pursuant to the positive feedback from the wheelchair-user experience, it is concluded that Mudra's gesture controlled wheelchairs would be preferable alternative to joystick controlledWheelchairs.
Abstract: Prevailing technological solutions that address the problems that are experienced by the infirm and elderly people in terms of locomotion needs, offer limited options when it comes to control mechanism and customization. For more than a decade, joysticks have served the purpose of steering and navigation of autonomous wheelchairs. An alternative gesture-based method for navigation of wheelchairs by the physically impaired could very well replace the conventional joystick controls. A prototype system, 'Mudra' (Sanskrit word for gesture), incorporates a gesture capture module, developed for recognition and identification of hand gestures. Mudra is a no-nonsense user-friendly system that enables control of the navigational platform, merely by four gestures of the human hand. This paper presents a comprehensive report on the implementation of the Mudra system's hardware and software, performance analysis and safety evaluation. Verification tests of the conceptual design show promising results, where 97.8% of the hand gestures were recognized accurately. Furthermore, the response timings of wheelchairs with Mudra controls were noticeably faster than the joystick-based wheelchairs, as affirmed by live testing with wheelchair-users. Pursuant to the positive feedback from the wheelchair-user experience, we conclude that Mudra's gesture controlled wheelchairs would be a preferable alternative to joystick-controlled wheelchairs.
4 citations
References
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TL;DR: This paper presents a novel hands‐free control system for intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) based on visual recognition of head gestures that is extremely useful for the users who have restricted limb movements caused by some diseases such as Parkinson's disease and quadriplegics.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper presents a novel hands‐free control system for intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) based on visual recognition of head gestures.Design/methodology/approach – A robust head gesture‐based interface (HGI), is designed for head gesture recognition of the RoboChair user. The recognised gestures are used to generate motion control commands to the low‐level DSP motion controller so that it can control the motion of the RoboChair according to the user's intention. Adaboost face detection algorithm and Camshift object tracking algorithm are combined in our system to achieve accurate face detection, tracking and gesture recognition in real time. It is intended to be used as a human‐friendly interface for elderly and disabled people to operate our intelligent wheelchair using their head gestures rather than their hands.Findings – This is an extremely useful system for the users who have restricted limb movements caused by some diseases such as Parkinson's disease and quadriplegics.Practical implicatio...
241 citations
TL;DR: The use of powered wheelchairs is a relevant societal intervention in relation to older people with limited walking ability in order to make activity and participation possible and it is likely that a larger proportion of older people could benefit from this intervention if current practices are improved taking activity and Participation outcomes into consideration.
Abstract: Objective: The aims of this study were to investigate outcomes of older people's use of powered wheelchairs and risk factors for negative outcomes. Design: The study was a cross-sectional interview-study including 111 powered wheelchair users over 65 years of age. Results: All participants used their powered wheelchair in the summer; nearly all users regarded it as important and found that it gave them independence. The wheelchair made activity and participation possible for the users. The most frequent activity in the summer was going for a ride, and in the winter it was shopping. However, some could not use the wheelchair for visits, and supplementary travel modes are called for. Users who could not walk at all or who could not transfer without assistance were more likely not to be able to carry out prioritized activities. Furthermore, other risk factors for negative outcomes and need for further research were identified. Conclusion: The use of powered wheelchairs is a relevant societal intervention in relation to older people with limited walking ability in order to make activity and participation possible. It is likely that a larger proportion of older people could benefit from this intervention, in particular if current practices are improved taking activity and participation outcomes into consideration.
186 citations
01 Dec 2000
TL;DR: The design of a navigation system and its integration with a commercial powered wheelchair provides the commercial wheelchair with a set of functions which increase the autonomy of elderly and people with motor disabilities.
Abstract: Assistive technology is an emerging area where some robotic devices can be used to strengthen the residual abilities of individuals with motor disabilities or to substitute their missing function thus helping them to gain a level of independence at least in the activities of daily living. This paper presents the design of a navigation system and its integration with a commercial powered wheelchair. The navigation system provides the commercial wheelchair with a set of functions which increase the autonomy of elderly and people with motor disabilities. In general, a robot device must be adapted to assistive applications in such a way as to be easily managed by the user. Users, especially young ones, prefer to directly control the robotic device and this aspect of usability has to be managed without affecting the security and efficiency of the navigation module. These aspects have been considered as specifications for the navigation module of powered wheelchairs. Different autonomy levels of the navigation module and proper user interfaces have been developed. Two autonomy levels have been designed. Simple collision avoidance is also implemented in order to stop the mobile base when an obstacle is detected. The preliminary technical tests performed on the navigation system have shown satisfactory results in terms of security and response time. A modular solution for the navigation module was considered in order to simplify the adaptation of the module to different powered wheelchairs.
63 citations
TL;DR: A method to realize a caregiver's power-assist control for an electric wheelchair is proposed, which enables power-assisted wheelchairs to adapt not only to flat roads but also to roads with steps.
Abstract: Various welfare devices have been developed by the influence of the population's aging society. They are required to support caregivers and cared-for people these days because the burden of the nursing care is increasing. A method to realize a caregiver's power-assist control for an electric wheelchair is proposed in this paper. This method enables power-assisted wheelchairs to adapt not only to flat roads but also to roads with steps. Instead of a force sensor, a reaction torque estimation observer is constructed to detect the human torque input into the wheelchair. An inclination sensor is used to detect the step and to determine the control method while passing over the step. Simulations and experiments were carried out to show the validity of the proposed method.
63 citations
"'Gest-BOT' - A Highly Convenient Lo..." refers background in this paper
...The most common among these are mouthstick based control, keypad-based control, and joystick-based control and brain actuated wheelchair controls as shown from [12]....
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29 Oct 2001
TL;DR: This paper presents an intelligent wheelchair that can avoid collisions with such human pedestrians safely and comfortably for each other, and demonstrates the effectiveness and comfortableness of the proposed method.
Abstract: With the increase in the number of senior citizens, there is a growing demand for human-friendly wheelchairs as mobility aids. One of the main issues in the robotic wheelchair research is autonomous obstacle avoidance for safety. However, this is difficult because most moving obstacles in the real world are human beings. They sometimes change their motion abruptly. The paper presents an intelligent wheelchair that can avoid collisions with such human pedestrians safely and comfortably for each other. We assume that the information whether or not a pedestrian has noticed the wheelchair and which direction he/she wants to go can appear in the face direction. Thus our intelligent wheelchair is continuously observing the pedestrian's face in its front area, realizing smooth passing by changing its collision avoidance strategy based on the face information and the range data from the ultrasonic sensors. Experimental results show the effectiveness and comfortableness of the proposed method.
41 citations
"'Gest-BOT' - A Highly Convenient Lo..." refers background in this paper
...The authors of [8] explain about an obstacle avoidance wheelchair that works based on the face of the pedestrian....
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...But the main defect of [8] is that this system does not work when the pedestrian walks in the same direction of the wheelchair and the person riding the wheelchair does not notice the pedestrian....
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