Design and implementation of a head motion-controlled semi-autonomous wheelchair for quadriplegic patients based on 3-axis accelerometer

Quadriplegic patients are affected by paralysis of all four limbs, and therefore they cannot move without the assistance of other people. Fortunately, they can move their heads, and it could be a way to control the navigation of a wheelchair. To assist the paraplegic patients, a head motion-controlled semi-autonomous wheelchair is proposed in this paper. This wheelchair can help any paraplegic patients as well as disable persons to move indoor or outdoor places without the assistance of any other people. Here a 3-axis accelerometer sensor is used to detect the head movement, and based on the movement of head; two DC motors are controlled to navigate the wheelchair. The system also has two sonar sensors to detect the obstacle in the front or back direction of the wheelchair to avoid clash or accident. In case of an accident, it has the ability to detect the collision and to inform the family member by sending an SMS through GSM modem with location information. The detailed methodology to develop a prototype of the proposed wheelchair, the performances of the prototype, and the advantages of this wheelchair compared to the existing systems are presented in this paper.