Gesture recognition system for wheelchair control using a depth sensor

In usual wheelchair user control the wheelchair using the joystick. However, the user can´t control the joystick when the user holds an object by both hands. We have developed a gesture control system of the wheelchair. This system consists of an electric-powered wheelchair with an experimental structure, a depth sensor, and a PC. In our system, the wheelchair moves according to the position of the hand. We use a depth sensor in order to recognize the hand gesture quickly. The proposed system offers a “hands freedom” sense to the user, simplifying their daily activities by using the hands movements as the direction-control input. The effectiveness of our system is clarified by several experimental results.