Eye controlled electric wheelchair

An assistive mechanism for implementing comfortable wheelchair locomotion for severely disabled people is presented. The main feature of the prototype is that the estimation of the direction of movement is decided solely by the patient without stressing him physically. This is successfully achieved by investigating the user´s natural gaze behavior using eyeball tracking in NI LabView. The prototype consists of a camera, image processing software and a motor controller to drive the wheelchair. Besides being a reliable, convenient and extremely useful, this prototype promises a cheap solution to the latest technology access. Tracking algorithm utilized is shape adapted mean shift algorithm in NI Vision assistant. The eyeball tracking outcomes are then used to produce suitable wheelchair motion taking the user to the intended location. The prototype encompasses a critical blend of knowledge and skills and should find high acceptance within the target group of severely disabled, especially whose communications are limited only to eye movements.