Development of head operated controllable powered wheelchair for children with spinal cord injury using mechatronics approach

• Main Author: Pacer, Wenifredo L.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Human activity recognition; Electric wheelchairs; Mechatronics; Manufacturing
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/6340; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etd_masteral/article/13423/viewcontent/Head_Operated_Wheelchair_Nov._7_edited__.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Mobility is one of the most important human faculties. It affects not only the individual’s locomotion capacity but also the ability to perform certain tasks, affecting physiological and personal aspects and conditioning the conduct of an individual in his/her environment. Once mobility is affected just like in case of spinal cord injury, the individual functioning ability is also affected. The main objective of the study is to design and develop a head operated controllable powered wheelchair for children with paraplegic and quadriplegic disabilities using mechatronics approach through different head motions. The study revealed that the gyroscope sensor can be used for head motion recognition. Based on the experiments conducted, the success rate of the proposed head controller using the MPU 60050 was 85.34 percent. The gyroscope that was built on the adjustable head strap perform well to recognize the head motion command. The proposed controller works successfully in data acquisition and recognizes the head movement using the microcontroller Arduino Uno for processing the data. The assembled prototype of head operated powered wheelchair demonstrated a high level of performance with the average accuracy of 76.785 Relative to Head Motion and that the assembled prototype of head operated powered wheelchair can be of help and can be used by children and young adult with spinal cord injury specifically those with paraplegia. The researcher recommends that since the implementation of the control system through the use of actuator encountered problem, future researchers may consider the use ABS material in fabrication of the actuator. When testing becomes accurate and reliable enough to operate the wheelchair, testing the wheelchair with quadriplegic children is recommended. The obstacle avoidance sensor is ultrasonic and IR sensor. The design of the wheelchair is not intended for rough surface.