Hawassa University

Institute of Technology
Faculty of Manufacturing
Department of Electromechanical Engineering

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED

WHEELCHAIR

A Thesis proposal submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the award of the degree of Electromechanical Engineering

By

ABENEZER TEFERA – 0094/08

AMANUEL ZENA – 0240/08
BINIYAM SISAY – 0444/08
ELIEZER WOLDE – 0622/08

Hawassa, Ethiopia

March 2020
 Hawassa University Institute of Technology
Faculty of Manufacturing
Department of Electromechanical Engineering

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ADVANCED

WHEELCHAIR

A Thesis proposal submitted in partial fulfillment

of the requirements for the award of the degree of Electromechanical Engineering

By

ABENEZER TEFERA – 0094/08

AMANUEL ZENA – 0240/08
BINIYAM SISAY – 0444/08
ELIEZER WOLDE – 0622/08

Submitted to: Ins. Belay.E

Hawassa, Ethiopia
March 2020

i
List of Figures
Figure 1: Manual Wheelchair ............................................................................................. 2

Figure 2: Smart Wheelchair ................................................................................................ 2

ii
List of Tables
Table 1: Proposed Time Schedule .................................................................................... 15

Table 2: Estimated Prototyping Cost ................................................................................ 16

iii
 Abstract
The incorporation of suitable technologies became an increasingly important element of
wheelchair design. This paper proposes an innovative technology and design which enables
disabilities to be able to benefit from an all in one smart wheelchair design, which has an integrated
multi-control system (voice and Remote control), Stair Climbing Capabilities, Seat and back
Position Adjustments and obstacle avoidance ability with simple drive mechanisms.
Wheel chairs are the evaded partner for most of disabled people lives to support their day
to day activities. Manual and powered wheelchairs fail to meet the needs of the quadruple
amputees. The objective of this study is to produce wheelchair to meet the needs of quadruple
amputees by integrating voice command control system. The controller system is based on a voice
recognition module for the voice control capabilities together with a substitutive joystick controller
as an alternative.
Full time wheelchair users are at a height disadvantage during many function activities,
such as transferring or reaching objects while seated in the wheelchair which are difficult and
unsafe. Lateral transfers between surfaces at different heights can be hard and unstable too. Sit-to-
stand transfers are made simpler with a higher seat. So the project seeks to assist reach and transfers
by designing a system to raise and lower a wheelchair seat over some range by using Jack with an
electric motor to make the seats adjustable to various heights.
The above problems do not enclose all difficulties faced by disabled persons in all. Another
major problem is stair climbing incapability. And again this project strives in finding some answer
for this specific issue by developing a stair climbing wheelchair. via integrating a belted track
wheel with supplementary mechanisms that permits the user to go up and down a stair with no
trouble at all.
The project follows a multi-step iterative design process that included creation of design
concepts, evaluation of the design performance and design revision, supplemented with different
CAD systems and computer based simulation. The design process included fabricating and testing
of a real time functioning prototype.

Key Terms — Smart Wheelchair, Voice recognition, Quadruple amputees, Height-adjustment, Stair Climbing
wheelchair

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Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................. iv
1. Introduction ............................................................................................................. 1
1.1. Background ........................................................................................................ 2

1.2. Statement of the Problem .................................................................................. 3

1.3. Objective ............................................................................................................ 4

1.3.1. General Objective ........................................................................................... 4

1.3.2. Specific Objective .......................................................................................... 4

1.4. The Project Questions ........................................................................................ 5

1.5. The Scope of the Study...................................................................................... 5

1.6. Justification and Significance of the Study ....................................................... 6

1.6.1. Justification .................................................................................................... 6

1.6.2. Significance .................................................................................................... 6

1.7. Limitations of the Project .................................................................................. 7

2. Literature review .................................................................................................... 8

I. Smart Wheelchairs ................................................................................................ 8

II. Voice Controlled Wheelchair ................................................................................ 9

III. Stairclimbing Wheelchairs .................................................................................. 10

1. Methodology .......................................................................................................... 13
3.1. Data Survey ..................................................................................................... 13

3.2. Approach ......................................................................................................... 13

4. Work Plan and Time Schedule ............................................................................ 15

5. Budget .................................................................................................................... 16
6. Excepted Output ................................................................................................... 17
7. Reference ............................................................................................................... 18

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 1. Introduction
The wheelchair is one of the most commonly used assistive devices to promote mobility
and enhance quality of life for people who have difficulties in walking (e.g. a person with spinal
cord injuries resulting in quadriplegia or paraplegia, muscular dystrophy etc.). Wheelchair
mobility opens up opportunities for wheelchair users to study, work, engage in social activities
and access services such as healthcare. In addition to providing mobility, an appropriate wheelchair
benefits the physical health and quality of life of the users by helping in reducing common
problems such as pressure sores, progression of deformities and improve respiration and digestion.

To ensure effective mobility, wheelchair users need a wheelchair which fits them correctly
and meets their specific needs. However, statistics show that about 10% of the global population,
i.e. about 650 million people, have disabilities and of these, some 10% require a wheelchair. It is
thus estimated that about 1% of a total population, or 10% of a people with a disability, need a
wheelchair, i.e. about 65 million people worldwide.

Of most concern when a loved one experiences limited or decreased mobility is the
difficulty, they can face taking part in social activities. We know that socialization is vital for
emotional and physical health, so it’s important to maintain a healthy social life.

A wheelchair, along with other mobility aids, can allow the user to continue to enjoy their
favorite activities, whether that’s a walk around the local park, visiting the local shops or heading
to a gallery. A wheelchair gives the user a more active lifestyle that may result in a more positive
outlook on life. Electric and manual wheelchairs both allow the user to get around and undertake
daily activities without assistance. An electric wheelchair, in particular, provides increased
independence due to its ease-of-use and the ability to travel without experiencing fatigue.

However, even a manual wheelchair provides additional flexibility for the user and their
career. For someone with limited mobility who may not be able to walk unaided, a wheelchair can
reduce the risk and fear of falling in the home or outdoors allowing you to move around with
confidence. In consideration of the issues we are facing as human beings we are addressing to the
significance of wheelchairs. As stated, there are about 65 million peoples worldwide who are need
of wheelchairs. And most of these numbers are found in the developing and underdeveloped

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countries. So, as engineers are trying to meet the needs of these poor peoples by providing them
with a versatile and affordable electric wheelchair to make their lives much better.

1.1. Background

An electrically propelled tricycle was developed by the R.A. Harding company in England
in the 1930s. The electric-powered wheelchair was invented by George Klein who worked for the
National Research Council of Canada, to assist injured veterans after World War II. Power chair
design may be categorized by drive system/chassis, battery, controller, seat, and use. Because of
their use as the primary method of locomotion, they must be of the utmost reliability both
electrically and structurally, and are classified as Durable medical equipment by Medicare in the
United States.

Figure 1: Manual Wheelchair

Figure 2: Smart Wheelchair

The currently available wheelchairs are only useful for over curbs, through doorways,
forward movement and backward movement. But we are proposing that this should not be the case
at all. As technological advancements progress we need to be able to provide a better solution to
the people.

In this project we will be designing and developing a working prototype of an electric

wheelchair that has a wide range of application areas like for example, stair climbing capability.
There are high end and expensive wheelchairs that are capable of stair climbing but we are
proposing a cheaper and sturdy product that can be much useful in a less developed countries and
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the proposed design is hoped to go to greater length in helping millions of peoples that are suffering
in ways we cannot begin to understand.

When designing an advanced wheelchair, the process includes the design of the full
structure of the chair that will be capable of supporting a fully grown man. It will also include the
design of the control system for the human interfaces and the design of the driving system which
will be capable of stair climbing abilities.

This thesis will also be design in consideration of age difference among the crowed. Being
a kid is no barrier to have to use a wheelchair so we will be keeping in mind that for kids who
depend on a wheelchair for the long term, life is different. They'll need to learn how to use the
wheelchair in lots of different situations — at home, in school, while away on vacation. In some
cases, it will be hard to use the wheelchair or it might take a long time. That can be frustrating, but
we hope that our newly to be designed wheelchairs will make a difference in the lives of
individuals.

1.2. Statement of the Problem

The problem our project will be focusing on should be clear by now. We, when designing
and developing this advanced wheelchair, are hopping to improve the quality of life of disabled
peoples. The quality of life of a single random disabled person is fully dependent on whether that
person has a full time career that will aid him/her to different tasks that the person may need to
complete. In many developing counties the construction itself is not in consideration with the
number of disabled people it can accommodate with full comfort starting from getting in to the
building.

In Ethiopia, almost all available wheelchairs are manually operated. This has its own
disadvantage when it comes to leaving the individual on the chair to complete tasks as simple as
going to bed from the chair or going to sit on the toilet on their own. Being able to complete these
simple tasks is near to impossible without an additional person to aid.

Also for the kids that are prone to growing with a disability and being stuck with a manually
operated wheelchair can cause an emotional damage which can be devastating. We and the
psychological community strongly advice to provide the kids with the most possible
technologically evolved vehicle which may help the cope.

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 As we tried to mention in our concept paper, there are several additional problems that the
disabled community faced on a daily basis. Some of them are listed bellow

 Troubled control and interface system

 failure to meet the needs of the quadruple amputees
 Inability to move the chair at will
 Stair climbing incapability
 Difficulty with Seat and back Positioning
 Overall Efficiency
 Foreign currency and high market cost
 Compatibility to the patient’s condition
 Lack of assistive technology

1.3. Objective

This project addresses the problems encountered by millions and, millions of peoples all
over the world. By the end of this project we hope to improve the overall quality of life for the
disabled people in any range of age they may be by giving them a more affordable, modern and
flexible wheelchair to aid them in completing the simple tasks without anyone to help.

1.3.1. General Objective

The main objective of this project is to solve the millions of people’s problems around the
world by designing and developing a better and affordable advanced wheelchair with capabilities
of performing advanced tasks such as stair climbing, seat adjustment and obstacle avoidance with
voice command control system to improve overall life quality.

1.3.2. Specific Objective

The aim of this project was to design an Electric wheelchair as follows:

 To integrate all the design pre and post requirements.

 To develop a real time functioning prototype.
 To provide smooth speed & movement control
 To make the project as cost effective & less weight as compared to other conventional
methods.

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  To help ease the difficulty that occurs during going up the stairs
 To provide a chair height adjustment ho help aid going to bed or anywhere else
 To reduce human effort that goes into aiding the disabled
 To create a sense of satisfaction by giving the person the freedom to do whatever he/she
may need
 To contribute to the technological advancement of the country

1.4. The Project Questions

o How can we build the driving system?

o How should the wheelchair structure be designed and constructed?
o Which controlling system should we use?
o How can we integrate a built in voice recognition system?
o How many wheels must we use?
o How should we build the stair climbing system?
o What can we do to make the project esthetically pleasing?

1.5. The Scope of the Study

The scope of the study is designing and developing an electrically operated advanced
wheelchair. It is a detail and as much a possible precise design of structure and control elements.
The project will start with a software design of the systems and progress to the prototype
development.

Specifically, in this project there will be a full systematic design for the different features
integrated with the wheelchair like the voice recognition system and the stair climbing capability
feature.

Specifications of the different material designs will be in accordance with cost efficiency
and availability of the material. The process design will be having a specific dimension when being
designed by the software (i.e. SOLID WORKS, AutoCAD). the project paper will also include the
different economic analysis, cost analysis and design considerations to keep track of the progress
and to evaluate and analyze which will be the best option to go.

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1.6. Justification and Significance of the Study

1.6.1. Justification

As we tried to mention in the background section, there are about 65 million peoples who
are suffering from complete leg and hip paralysis. And their quality of life is not satisfactory as a
human being especially in Ethiopia. The amount of attention given to the disabled community is
not compatible with the suffering they are facing every single day of their life.

Especially in the case if being paralyzed while being a kid has its own serious effects on
the kids, both physically in giving them comfort and psychologically not being able to walk or
move freely like their pears.

Considering these and more reasons we have decided to design and develop an electric
vehicle which will be helping the disabled community in ways that no human being can. For
example, for a single disabled person it is almost impossible to go to the toilet by his/her own and
this create its own psychological damage but hopefully by our design implementation that same
person will be able to use the toile with the sit adjustments features.

1.6.2. Significance

Human beings never know what tomorrow hold for them. A devastating accident may
occur at any time, and a manually operated wheelchair is so out of date and not so much as
versatile. Introducing an advanced wheelchair has the following significance.

 Ease of use
 Applicable in hazardous areas
 Time saving
 Effort saving
 Technologically advanced
 Improve the psychological state of the patient
 Integrated with voice recognition
 Improving overall quality of life

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1.7. Limitations of the Project

Though The design will be done in detail with considering every aspect needed to solve
the issued problems. the Thesis have the following limitation related with lack of time and
resources. in which we recommend those who will plan to work on the same topic to ponder.

 Requirement of a complex wrist movement for the Joystick control system.

 Vulnerability of voice based interface system against noise.
 Stair climbing mechanism with belted track wheel requires a continues load balancing
system which will need a border design consideration and work.

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 2. Literature review
This chapter provides the detail description literature review done according to the title of
"Design and Fabrication of a smart Wheel Chair ". This literature review will give an overview or
a brief introduction of the features of the new design which will be integrated in the new design.
These review section is categorized under three subsections which includes General smart
wheelchair design, Control system mechanisms and Stair climbing capabilities.

Many researchers have conducted their project and researches on motorized wheelchairs
with different features suitable for different users. These reviews can be stated as follows:

I. Smart Wheelchairs

The advancement of wheelchair technology has gone through a lot as time progresses. And
these development has introduced smart wheelchairs. Papers regarding these latest innovations can
be mentioned as follows.

Deepak Kumar Lodhi, Prakshi Vats, Addala Varun, Prashant Solanki, Ritakshi
Gupta, Manoj Kumar Pandey, Rajat Butola [1]; titled as “Smart Electronic Wheelchair Using
Arduino and Bluetooth Module”, This paper describes the design of a smart, motorized, voice
controlled wheelchair using embedded system. Proposed design supports voice activation system
for physically differently abled persons incorporating manual operation. This paper represents the
Voice-controlled Wheel chair for the physically differently abled person where the voice command
controls the movements of the wheelchair. The voice command is given through a cellular device
having Bluetooth and the command is transferred and converted to string by the BT Voice Control
for Arduino and is transferred to the Bluetooth Module SR-04 connected to the Arduino board for
the control of the Wheelchair. For example, when the user says “Go‟ then chair will move in
forward direction and when he says “Back‟ then the chair will move in backward direction and
similarly “Left‟, “Right‟ for rotating it in left and right directions respectively and “Stop‟ for
making it stop. This system was designed and developed to save cost, time and energy of the
patient. Ultrasonic sensor is also made a part of the design and it helps to detect obstacles lying
ahead in the way of the wheelchair that can hinder the passage of the wheelchair.

Lockton [2] discusses the retro fitting of electric power into manual wheelchairs. The
existing products and configurations are reviewed in a comparative table. Various product

8
 specifications are categorized and briefly described. These include control devices, drives, steering
and position. Various configurations, Twin-wheeled drive, rear-mounted, with differential
steering, Single-wheeled drive, rear-mounted, with steering ahead of the wheel, single-wheeled
drive, rear-mounted, with steering above the wheel, Single-wheeled drive, rear-mounted, with
nutation steering and Single-wheeled drive, front-mounted, with handlebar/articulated steering are
evaluated. The motors, mechanics, control technology and usability are investigated for the above
mentioned combinations.

Peizer et al [3] have investigated and summarized the evolution of wheelchairs over five
years. Anthropometric parameters required to be considered for the design of seat ergonomically,
a book on Indian anthropometric dimensions by Prof. D.K. Chakraborty is referred. Necessary
measurements and data have been collected from Indian Anthropometric Design.

II. Voice Controlled Wheelchair

In the past decade, a lot of intelligent wheelchair control systems were developed using
different methods and techniques. Human-computer interaction plays a big role to provide an
interface using methods such as Bio-potential based Methods, voice based method, Motion-based
method and Image analysis method. Some of the researchers and literatures are:

Kharka Bahadur Rai, Jeetendra Thakur, Nirmal Rai [4]; titled as “Voice controlled
wheelchair using Arduino”, for the physically handicapped person the voice command controls
the movements of the wheel chair. Voice Recognition Kit (HM2007 Module) is being used to
recognize the voice command. The voice command given is converted to binary numbers by Voice
Recognition Kit and those binary data is given to the Arduino board for the control of the wheel
chair. For example: when the user says “forward‟ then chair will move in Forward direction and
when he says “Backward‟ then the chair will move in backward direction and similarly for left,
right and stop. They have used LCD display unit to display the direction in which direction of the
wheel chair.

Mohammad Ilyas Malik, Tanveer Bashir, Mr. Omar Farooq Khan [5]; titled as “Voice
controlled wheelchair system”, The main objective of Voice controlled wheelchair system project
is recommended to control a wheel chair by using speech recognition module. The system is
designed to control a wheel chair using the voice of person. The objective of this project is to

9
 facilitate the movement of people who are disable or handicapped and elderly people who are not
able to move well. The goal of this system will allow certain people to live a life with less
dependence on others for their movement as a daily need. Speech recognition technology is a key
technology which will provide a new way of human interaction with machine or tools. Therefore,
the problems that they face can be solved by using speech recognition technology for the
movement of wheel chair. This can be realized and optimized with use the smart phone device as
an intermediary or interface. In this project interfaces have been designed therefore to develop a
program for recognize speech also controls the movement of chair and an application which can
handle or manage the graphical commands. This project uses Arduino kit Microcontroller circuit
and DC motors to create the movement of wheel chair and Ultrasonic Sensors to detect the hurdles
in between wheelchair and the way of direction.

Nelson Rai, Deepak Rasaily, Tashi Rapden Wangchuk, Manoj Gurung, Rit Kr.
Khawas[6]; titled as “Bluetooth remote controlled car using Arduino”, This Work is based on
Arduino, motor driver and Bluetooth module. Since robotics has become a major part in our daily
life and also in the engineering field and it plays a vital role in the development of new technology.
This is a very simple and easy type form of remote-control car, where the ordinary micro-controller
has been replaced by Arduino and IR sensors has been replaced by a Bluetooth module. The remote
can be any android or IOS cell phones. This project can be made in a bigger scale for real time
vehicles.

M.N.Srinithya, Visahan.S, Joshuva.J, Chandra Mohan.K[7]; titled as “Voice based

smart wheelchair for disabled using android”, This paper is to describe an intelligent motorized
wheel chair for handicapped person using voice technology. Their goal was to move towards
making accessible the manipulation of everyday objects to individuals with motor impairments. It
can be controlled through simple voice commands using voice controller. A voice recognition
application which is interfaced with motors through microcontroller. They were using Hidden
Markov Model algorithm (HMM). A novel approach is proposed in this paper to impart
intelligence to a low-cost smart wheelchair based on Embedded C system

III. Stairclimbing Wheelchairs

Franco et al [8]; did work related to development of a stair climbing wheelchair that can
move in structured and unstructured environments, climbing over obstacles and going up and down
10
stairs. The wheelchair design is vividly elaborated. The wheelchair consists of a frame, seat and a
linkage mechanism connecting the same. The frame consists of a chassis embedded with two
motorized locomotion units, a support for two electrical gear-motors, two idle triple wheels’ units
and a battery pack. The seat is a tubular structure that consists of a chair and a pivoting wheel. The
linkage mechanism is responsible for relative motion between frame and seat during stair climbing
operation. To successfully climb the stairs, it is required to move the seat backwards, then reorient
it and finally lift up the pivoting wheel. When the seat is moved backwards, the center of mass of
the wheelchair shifts to a safe position, and toppling is thus prevented. A four bar linkage is
appointed for the same. The linkage mechanism is actuated by a mini-motor connected to a lead
screw device. When the seat reaches the desired position the motor is turned off and no extra
energy is required to maintain the position. The customer requirements were studied and evaluated
after referring them from the DLF (Disabled Living Foundation) factsheet. The factsheet aptly
outlines what the user needs, wheelchair features, preliminary considerations before buying a
wheelchair, wheelchair controls, how to negotiate curbs, specifications of batteries and chargers,
special features of motorized wheelchairs, accessories of different types of wheelchairs as well as
about insurance and customer requirements.

Ghani [9]; investigate the control of a stair climbing wheelchair used for indoor purposes.
This paper evaluates different stair climbing mechanisms viz crawler type, leg type, hybrid type
and wheeled type. The model of a stair climbing wheelchair based on two wheels is generated
using MSC Visual Nastran 4D (VN) design software. The humanoid model is developed using
requisite anthropometric data. Various forces and torques acting on the wheelchair while climbing
the stairs are evaluated. Preferably, the outer support assembly comprises wheels on either side of
the chair. An inner support assembly, closer to the centerline of the chair, also supports the seat
assembly.

Murray., [10]; has elaborated the background as well as recent developments in mobility
assistive mechanisms while discussing the relative importance of stairs and wheels. These various
types include 3 mobility scooters, track based stair climbers, clustered wheel concept and
caterpillar wheel based devices. A mechanism is proposed which is based on the use of four
wheels. The rear wheels are autonomously driven and front wheels are freewheeling castors. This
proposed concept is numerically modeled and power calculations for linear actuator are made.
Stair ascent and stair descent operations are described along with figures and equations. The
11
control system and the stair edge sensor system are also investigated. The stepping algorithm is
discussed in detail. The influence of external factors like cost, weight, aesthetics, range of
operation, safety, operational efficiency, comfort is evaluated. The track based stair climber is also
analyzed similarly. Some

Hence, to sum up all the reviews above illustrates some features of a smart wheelchair in
which researchers has worked on in seek of feeling some gaps,

In this specific design we are looking forward to enhance the features of a voice controlled
stair climbing smart wheelchair. Plus, add some additional mechanisms related with seat height
adjustment, Back tilt adjustment and obstacle avoidance capabilities.so as to develop a real
advanced all in one smart wheelchair which will be a big relief for the one who utilizes it.

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 1. Methodology
This thesis is intended to provide every necessary design (Mechanical, Electrical and
Software simulations) and to make the real time prototype of advanced wheelchair. The advanced
wheelchair is expected to have many modern and smart features in order to facilitate the lives of
disable people. To design and make the prototype with all the features in high efficiency, it is
planned to follow many necessary techniques and methods.

Features of the wheelchair are:

 Stair climbing capability

 Height adjustment
 Tilting action
 Obstacle avoiding
 Voice and analog controlling methods
 Voice command with two languages. (English and Amharic)

3.1. Data Survey

In order to achieve the above features, all essential information and data will be collected
by referring some previous related works, journals, literatures, and some useful files from other
sources.

3.2. Approach
All necessary mechanical designs and mathematical calculations will be done carefully and
included on the paper work. Force and stress analysis of the wheelchair will be necessarily done.

Some software is going to be used to design and simulate the work.

 Solid work for designing and simulating the structure or the whole hardware design
of the wheelchair.
 Programing IDE will be used to do the coding part of the design.
 Proteus is the last software that is going to be used to do the software simulation of
the whole system.

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 As the design must be mechanically suitable and efficient for any environment and
condition, material selection is the main thing we give such an attention.

To give the wheelchair good stair climbing capability and to make it independent of human
power we are planning to work on the wheels of the wheelchair. By mounting Belted track wheel
with suitable feature that will let the wheelchair to climb any kind of stair, we are going to make
the wheelchair stair climbing.

Height adjustment is one feature of the advanced wheelchair which is going to be achieved
by mounting flexible chair mechanism through a motorized screw jack system for its upward and
downward movements. This feature will let the siting part of the wheelchair to have vertical
movement (upward and downward). This action will be done through voice or analog (or push
button) command.

To help the user of the wheelchair to lean back and forth we will let the wheelchair to have
tilting action with voice or push button commands. By making the back and bottom side of the
chair with highly accurate and flexible mechanism we can achieve this tilting action of the
wheelchair. And also The wheelchair is planned to be obstacle avoiding in all four directions. This
will be done by mounting as many ultrasonic sensors as needed to have obstacle detections in all
directions.

The whole actions and movements of the wheelchair is aimed to be controlled through
voice command and using analog. To control the wheelchair with voice command a microphone
is going to be embedded with the wheelchair to receive a voice command from the user and by
manipulating the command, any command will be executed as it is given to the system. However,
to control with analog a joystick is used to give direction command. If it is possible it is planned
to integrate both Amharic and English languages for the voice command system of the wheelchair
in order to spread the scope of the wheelchair to let the user to choose their suitable language for
their own comfort.

As we tried to describe above briefly, this thesis is to design and develop a real time
prototype of an advanced wheelchair. The frame or structure of the prototype is going to be
developed by using materials which are available in our environment like simple metal, Aluminum
and others. To have smooth and efficient movement we are planned to use different types of
motors, sensors and some microcontrollers with their suitable software implications.

14
 4. Work Plan and Time Schedule
Time being our valuable resource in the process of performing this thesis, it should be
utilized wisely. Therefore, a planned and scheduled time line is must.

Month
Feb Mar April May June
Activity

Detail conversation about title

Project Proposal writing

Documentation

Final report writing

Implementation in each workshop

Final presentation

Table 1: Proposed Time Schedule

The above table is a demonstration of our tasks that we plan to accomplish throughout our
thesis with a corresponding time plan classed in week intervals. And these tasks contain
implementation of each workshop visits, preparation of documentation, project proposal writing,
final report writing and final presentation performances in each months.

15
 5. Budget
Though making budget breakdown pre product development is a bit difficult. we will try
to set an estimated budget range needed for design, Prototyping and also fabricating the particular
product making our base line the current market situation. Currently the cost of smart wheelchairs
on a market is bases on their type, size, purpose and different features. Making the cost ranging in
between 20,000 ETB up to 45,000 ETB.

Hence our project’s main concern is to design all in one wheelchair with reduced cost, high
accuracy, greater efficiency and additional features. The table below illustrates estimated
prototyping cost.

Cost in
NO Part Name Material Quantity Availability
Birr
Speech synthesizing
1 1 Scarcely available 1710
module
2
Joystick(analog) Mild steel 1 Available locally 200

3 Motor drive 1 Available locally 6000

4 Arduino board 2 Available locally 1100
Ultrasonic sensor
5 2 Available locally 700
module

6 Servo motor Cast steel 1 Available locally 200

7 Mechanical component Available locally 1000

8 Bluetooth module 1 Available locally 350

9 Jumper wires Available locally 120

10 Battery 12V,22Ah Lead acid 1 Available locally 1500

11 Resistor 30 Available locally 25
12 Capacitor 5 Available locally 30
13 Oscillator 1 Available locally 60
14 Relay 4 Available locally 48

Total 13033
Table 2: Estimated Prototyping Cost
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 6. Excepted Output
As tried to mention in the objectives of this paper the aim of this thesis is to design and
develop an advanced smart wheelchair with a different feature listed in preceding sections. And at
the end of the design we expect a documentation with indications of the safest working
specifications and conditions of the wheelchair.

And by finalizing the prototype we expect a real functioning voice commanded, simple
seat and back position adjustable wheelchair with stair climbing capability and obstacle avoidance
feature.

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 7. Reference
[1]. Deepak Kumar Lodhi, Prakshi Vats, Addala Varun, Prashant Solanki, Ritakshi Gupta, Manoj
Kumar Pandey, Rajat Butola.2003. “Bluetooth remote controlled car with Arduino”

[2]. Lockton D., 2004 Wheelchair Drive 241 (1) 5-68 5. Factsheet for choosing a power wheelchair
(Source: Disabled Living Foundation).

[3]. Peizer Edward, Wright D W., Five years of wheelchair evaluation., Veterans Administration
Prosthetics Center

[4]. “Voice controlled wheelchair using Arduino” by Kharka Bahadur Rai, Jeetendra Thakur,
Nirmal Rai

[5]. Mohammed Asgar, Mirza Badra, Khan Irshad and Shaikh Aftab,” AUTOMATED
INNOVATIVE WHEELCHAIR”, International Journal of Information Technology
Convergence and Services (IJITCS) Vol.3, No.6, December 2013. Issue 1, January 2016.

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