Designing and Manufacturing a Model of a Smart Wheelchair Controlled by Patients ‎with Complete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury ‎

The purpose of this study is to rehabilitate people with quadriplegia as a result of complete cervical spine injure (CCSI). Given the limitations of today's wheelchairs, a model for patients with CCSI who are unable to use joystick wheelchairs or move conventional wheelchairs manually is designed here to overcome these limitations. In this regard, a disabled person can move the wheelchair without the need for another person, just by moving his head.

In order to have an initial model similar to a wheelchair, we made a wooden back support and seat that has a length of 25, a width of 23 and a height of 26 cm. There are two 7 cm aluminum wheels on either side of the replica for movement and two idler ball wheels to maintain balance at the rear and front. The movement of the prototype‎ backward and forward and its left and right rotation are controlled by four infrared transmitter sensors and four corresponding receivers installed in appropriate places around the prototype. Using the sensors installed on the replica, the movement of the disabled’s head in any of the four directions causes one of the receiver sensors to react and the wheelchair to move in the expected direction.

All electronic circuits and mechanical parts required for information processing and application of control commands to the wheelchair were designed and implemented by the parts available in the Iranian Market Achievement of the expected performance by the designed model based on practical tests is confirmed. Therefore, this design has the capability to become an industrial prototype.

The results of this project can be used to add intelligent movement control to conventional wheelchairs in an easy and economical manner.