Intelligent Wheelchair Robot (IWR): Phase 1

Background

Around 5.6 million people around the world are suffering from paralysis, hence they are unable to move their limbs which obstruct them from doing their daily simple tasks, such as moving around there house freely. Traditional electrical wheelchairs are not an optimal solution for those patients who cannot control their limbs, and therefore they are in need for assistance to move the wheelchair. One existing solution for these patients is brain-controlled wheelchair (BCW) where the wheelchair is completely controlled by brain signal. This solution, however, requires continuous concentration by the patient which is practically difficult. Moreover, any destruction to user from the surrounding may cause error in motion commands which might lead to a devastating consequences.

This project aims at developing an intelligent wheelchair robot (IWR) that can be controlled using user’s eye-gaze. The developed IWR contains a screen where a pre-defined map is displayed to the patient. The patient can select the destination that he is intending to reach using an eye-gaze system. Once the destination is determined, the IWR will move autonomously and safely to the required destination without user interference. Different navigation algorithms will be employed in the proposed IWR including obstacle and collision avoidance, map making and localization, path planning and tracking algorithms. This report consists of literature review, and detailed design of the proposed system, the development of the IWR prototype, and simulation and testing of the algorithms.

Design

System Integration

System Testing