GROUP 7 THOMAS BLASCHAK JOSHUA DAVIS ANTHONY HOMCHENKO CHARLES HUPP NANABAYIN WILSON SMART WHEELCHAIR

INTRODUCTION Smart wheelchair designed to help individuals with ALS Features: brain-controlled, fail-safe mechanisms Ideal Project: Additional funds and time add the ability for more features and a wheelchair built to focus on the comfort and health needs of individuals with ALS Project Scope: Integrating brain-control and fail-safe mechanisms with a power wheelchair

ALS – Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease Progressive and fatal neurological disease that attacks nerve cells which control voluntary muscles Individuals lose their strength and ability to move their body ALS does not impair a person’s mind or intelligence Source: ALS Fact Sheet,

EEG & NUERO-HEADSETS Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain (Wikipedia) Neuro-headsets give the ability to detect and read brain-signals Multiple nuero-headsets are on the market from companies such as NeuroSky and Emotiv Higher end headsets give the ability to read raw EEG data

EMOTIV EPOC Source:

EMOTIV EPOC High resolution, multi-channel, wireless neuroheadset 14 sensors plus 2 references to read electric signals produced by the brain Can detect the user’s thoughts, feelings, and expressions in real time Gyroscope 12 hour battery life Emotiv App Source:

OBJECTIVES Brain-controlled wheelchair  Mobility – user independence Incorporate fail-safe mechanisms  Prevent collisions with objects and people  Avoid drop-off hazards such as staircases  Provide solution to user sleeping with headset Retrofit power wheelchair  Interface with existing electronics

PROJECT PLAN Purchase power wheelchair Interface current electronics with hardware/software to provide brain-control functionality and fail-safe mechanisms Testing Contingency Plan: demonstrate the idea with a small robot

USE CASE

SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

STATE TRANSITION DIAGRAM

SEQUENCE DIAGRAM

COLLISION / DROP-OFF AVOIDANCE Sensors – proximity sensors Microcontroller – Dragonflybot board will be used to interface the sensors with the laptop for processing

SLEEP DETECTION Very important fail safe mechanism. Ensures the safety of the user when he/she falls asleep  Headset detects brain activity that signifies sleep patterns  Program motors to power off whenever headset detects such patterns Sleep detection requires observing the raw EEG data that the headset reads from the brain.  Problem: Emotiv EPOC EEG data is encrypted, and therefore will not allow us to access it normally  Solution: Open source interface to the EPOC called the Emokit project. It’s a Python library that pulls the raw EEG data from the EPOC.

RETROFIT POWER WHEELCHAIR Buy a power wheelchair Ensure usability of current motors and electronics Laptop computer will be used to interface new components with the existing electronics and motors Interface with the wheelchair’s motors via laptop which will be running the code to interpret the neuro-headset readings, sensor readings, and send signals to the motors, as shown in the system architecture Laptop – Windows based with open source software, Emotiv SDK

TESTING

EXPECTED OUTCOMES Make the lives of those affected by ALS easier Retrofit a power wheelchair to allow individuals with ALS, who have lost muscle movement, the ability to be mobile and gain a sense of independence Design the wheelchair to be safe both for the user and individuals around

POTENTIAL Brain-controlled wheelchair could be useful for other disabilities, such as paralysis The wheelchair could be adapted for outdoor use Additional features: Wi-Fi connectivity, voice commands, emergency contact capabilities, awareness of building exits and elevators, address the comfort and health needs of individuals with ALS

CONCLUSION Smart wheelchair for patients with ALS Objectives  Brain-controlled  Fail-safe mechanisms  Retrofit power wheelchair Interface sensors and controller, wheelchair motors and controllers, EPOC headset with current wheelchair electronics

SOURCES eralsclerosis/detail_ALS.htm eralsclerosis/detail_ALS.htm y y 68hc12_9s12_hcs12.html 68hc12_9s12_hcs12.html

QUESTIONS?