Head-Motion Controlled Wheelchair

An electric wheelchair is propelled by means of an electric motor rather than manually. Persons with mobility impairments often traditionally use these. Quadriplegics are one of the many physically disabled people that require such electric wheelchairs. They have paralysis of all four limbs and the torso that may be caused due to spinal cord injuries, strokes or cerebral palsy. They have no control over their hand movements and cannot grasp things or perform motions that might allow them independence over their movements. They only have control over their head motions. For this reason, a head-motion controlled wheelchair would provide them with the flexibility of signalled directions. The tilting movements of the head in the four directions-forward, backward, right or left-would cause the wheelchair to move in the signalled directions. This project represents a novel approach to develop a head-motion controlled wheelchair.

Keywords: Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Zigbee Module, Web camera, Ultrasonic Sensor, Head Motion Recognition