Assisting Wheelchair: Assist W

Abstract

Traditional wheelchairs used by disabled people are required to be controlled manually. Hence, continuous monitoring and assistance of a caretaker is a mandatory requirement. This paper introduces an autonomous assisting wheelchair - Assist W, which would facilitate disabled people to do their day-to-day activities independently in a very safe manner, thereby managing their mental and physical health. Assist W can scan the location and design a 2D map of the house using SLAM algorithm and LIDAR sensor. After generating the map, Assist W is able to move automatically according to the commands (Voice and touch) given by the user, with the help of the map data. There is an AR (Augmented Reality) chat-bot that acts as a good companion to manage the mental health of the disabled person. Assist W is also able to manage the security and physical health of the disabled person by providing a fall detection system and automatic lifting system, and sending emergency alerts to the caretakers. This system was tested using simulation.