Smart Navigation and Control System for Electric Wheelchair

摘要

When a keyword for wheelchair is searched on internet browser, the search engine returns withmore than 1.8 billion. Such a big number is an indicator of a large group of people interested in the wheelchair.Meaning that, the larger interest corresponds to greater demand. Recent statistics shows that 1 in 4 ofAmericans have a disability that impacts major life activities and number could slightly differ in other countries.The people with disability are trying to move independently for schools, work places, markets and other placesof their interest. Therefore, they are needed by a mobility aid which is safe, comfortable and less expensive. Inthis paper, the development of navigation and control system for an electrically powered wheelchair is reported.The system requires popularly used Smartphone Arduino UNO board, motor driver, joystick and proximitysensor. For navigation and tracking the destination, mobile application software is developed on Androidplatform. Arduino platform was used as microcontroller for interfacing the sensors and electric motor driverboard. The system was tested for the speed, operational skill and safety issues. From the tests it is found that thenavigation and control of the wheelchair is efficient, cost-effective and reliable.