Combining Mindwave, MPU6050, Ultrasonic, and Internet of Things for a reliable, safe, and monitored wheelchair control system

Abstract

This paper proposes the development of a wheelchair control system by combining a Mindwave EEG (electroencephalogram) sensor, an MPU6050 inertial sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and IoT technology. Stroke survivors often face challenges in controlling their wheelchairs due to cognitive and physical impairments, requiring specific solutions to ensure their safety and comfort. The integration of the Mindwave EEG sensor captures the user's cognitive state, such as level of attention and focus, while the MPU6050's inertial sensor monitors physical movement and changes in head orientation. Additionally, the ultrasonic sensor is incorporated to detect obstacles and provide proximity information for safe navigation. This wheelchair control system is also linked with IoT technology to enable monitoring of the user's cognitive, physical, and environmental condition and remote assistance. In this paper, to implement this wheelchair control system, a T-BEAM with an ESP32 controller is used, which is equipped with GPS to provide wheelchair location data and LORA radio communication for remote data transmission, and a TTGO LORA32 to forward the data to Arduino IoT Cloud service over Wi-Fi. The results of the development show that the wheelchair control system is safer and more monitored, and users are easier and more flexible in operating wheelchairs.