EMG-based hands-free wheelchair control with EOG attention shift detection

This paper presents a novel hands-free control system for an electric-powered wheelchair, which is based on EMG (Electromyography) signals recorded from eyebrow muscle activity. By using a simple CyberLink [1] device, one-dimensional continuous EMG signals are obtained, analysed, and then translated into multi-directional control commands (forward, left, right, etc.) for the wheelchair that supports multi-directional control. At the same time, EOG (Electrooculography) signals detected from eye movements are used to adjust wheelchair speed. The system also allows a user to choose either control state or non-control state so that any non-intended muscle activity can be ignored during the non-control state. The system is reliable, easy to set up, and easy to use.