Aescolapius project allows wheelchairs to be controlled by the voice, by mobile devices or by an electric pulse collection device, which interprets brain stimuli to increase the autonomy of people with different disabilities.
The system can be easily adapted to every kind of motorized wheelchair in the market and it allows people with very different disabilities to control by themselves motions they would not be able to reproduce with a conventional wheelchair. This way, they gain independence and allow caretakers and relatives to be released from daily work and to tele-monitor their movements.
Motored conventional wheelchairs can be controlled with a remote, which requires a physical effort not every user can do, for instance, the ones who are not able to move their upper extremities or they do it with some difficulties. Nevertheless, with the devices that have been designed and which can be adjusted to every kind of wheelchair, the ways of controlling the motions increases greatly. A person in a wheelchair can direct it with the voice or by using a helmet to interpret gestures or thinkings, while a relative or caretaker is also able to manage the wheelchair from external interfaces, such as a mobile, tablet or computer.
Voice control is for people incapable of performing physical movements. It offers commands for motions, such as moving forward, backward or turning, but it also allows to have conversations with the wheelchair, so the news or weather forecast can be consulted, the incorporated lights can be turned on or off or an emergency signal can be sent to the police.
The wheelchair can also be managed through a mobile device, not only by the person occupying the chair, but also by a accompanist. It is enough to turn the mobile device to one side or to the other one to indicate the movement to be performed. Also, there is another option to control the wheelchair through a mobile, which only requires to slide the hand over the screen in the motion direction. On top of that, all these possibilities are customizables, that is, the kind of motion or the speed can be adapted to the persons necessities.
However, the most innovative kind of control is the one offered by the electric pulse collection device, which allows to detect brain stimuli, such as moving the tongue towards one side, grinding the teeth, blinking an eye, opening the mouth or grimacing. This way, a specific interpretation to each one of the motions for the wheelchair to move or activate some of its functions. Same as the other system components, it also support bluetooth communication.