Author: Raj Kukreja
Kukreja, Raj, 2018 Audio Visual Brain Computer Controlled Wheelchair, Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering
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Advancements in technology and medical devices have been providing solutions such as electric and powered wheelchairs for individuals with impairments and physical disabilities to cope with their disabilities; however, there are certain individuals in the disabled community with a high-level of disability which restricts them from using these mobility aids. This thesis aims to contribute to the ABC Wheelchair project at Flinders University by developing a cost-effective Autonomous Wheelchair which can be controlled using multiple inputs such as speech commands, hand gestures, or facial gestures by converting an existing electric wheelchair to an intelligent robotic system with easily accessible sensors. The study describes various methodology used for designing and developing an intelligent and autonomous wheelchair using Robot Operating System. It can also act as a base for converting the majority of the existing electric wheelchairs into autonomous ones by introducing multiple control inputs as well as generating a map for the wheelchair environment and navigating inside it. The system was implemented on an electric wheelchair with the new capability of generating 2D and 3D maps of the environment and navigating within the generated map using low-cost sensors. The tests provided convincing results for the developed system to act as a mobility aid not only for individuals with cognitive and certain physical impairments, but also as an accessory for converting existing wheelchairs into autonomous ones.
Keywords: ABCWheelchair, SLAM, ROS, Smart Wheelchair, Arduino, RTABMAP, Robot Operating System
Subject: Engineering thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2018
School: College of Science and Engineering
Supervisor: Dr Nasser Asgari