Design and Development of A Brain Computer Interface Controlled Wheelchair Prototype

Wheelchairs are the most prominently used assistive devices. They are used for different kinds of disabilities which can include entire lower body paralysis, multiple sclerosis, or for elderly people who have degenerated mobility. This work attempts to enhance the life’s quality of people with locomotive disabilities by providing automotive control to the wheelchair using the non-invasive Brain Computer Interface (BCI) module instead of applying manual force. The EEG signals are processed and converted into mental command by the NeuroSky MindWave headset. The system acquires and analyzes the alpha and beta waves produced by the brain to determine the attention and meditation level of the user along with eye blinks being recognized as disruption to the signal. These parameters are used to frame an algorithm and command the movements of the wheelchair which are forward, backward, left, and right.