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Design and Develop an Electric Wheelchair for People with Arthritis

Undergraduate #447
Discipline: Technology and Engineering
Subcategory: Computer Engineering
Session: 3
Room: Exhibit Hall A

Tytiana A Christmas - Virginia State University
Co-Author(s): Saad Alzahrani, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA; Keshawn Sykes, Virginia State University, Petersburg, VA



The purpose of this research project is to design and develop a control system that will be placed on a wheelchair for people with wrist arthritis or without a hand. The controller will receive commands from either the movement of head or the arm based on the reading from a sensor. With new technology integrated into a wheel chair, it will improve the mobility of people with disability and will enhance their ability to control their transport themselves for a more independent life. Hence, will improve the quality their life. This project will focus on the use of a System-on- Chip technology. Developing a complete system on a single chip will increase battery life and space efficiency for a wheelchair design. With a lighter chip powering the transportation it will be easier for the device to be more mobile without a large computer system to power it. With a smaller system, the wheelchair can be designed with more versatility. With a more versatile design the transportation can become more efficient and easier for upgrades and improvements with a smaller chip controlling the device. With a smaller control system it is less likely to break from environmental or be rendered no longer useful for longevity. Using a system on a chip for a wheelchair will help those in society who need this mode of transportation and have limitation of the devices that are already in use. The research will hope to enhance wheelchair transportation with understanding the how the system can operate and be enhanced to create a more efficient method of transportation.

Funder Acknowledgement(s): National Science Foundation HBCU-UP

Faculty Advisor: Ali Ansari, aansari@vsu.edu

Role: For my part of the research I created the sensor that will allow the individual with arthritis to be able to control the wheel chair with either the movement of their hand or the movement of their head. This will integrate the system on a chip design with the sensor design so that the sensor software can be run on the system on a chip. This design will allow for a light weight piece of hardware that will not contribute to a need of a stronger bulkier the motor so the design can be efficient and sleek and allow the wheel chair to be able to transport a wide range of individuals without being bulky. I also combined the controller system that decides how the wheel chair moves forward, backward, side to side and turn all the way around with the sensor so that the individual can have full control of their device without it having to give many different instructions. For this project I also serve as the team leader which is the liaison between the faculty adviser and the members of the team.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) under Grant No. DUE-1930047. Any opinions, findings, interpretations, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of its authors and do not represent the views of the AAAS Board of Directors, the Council of AAAS, AAAS’ membership or the National Science Foundation.

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