Self-Driving Wheelchair

Today, motorized wheelchairs are very popular because of the vast improvements on the maneuverability they provide for the mobility impaired. However, even with this improvement, some people continue to have trouble maneuvering around, such as people with Parkinson's disease or Arthritis due to the inability to control the joysticks with dexterity. More importantly, seniors with Alzheimer may become lost even in their nursing home. The objective of our project is to develop a stand-alone wheelchair equipped with an auto-navigation system to help the wheelchair user maneuver through their surroundings. The system will also map the surrounding environment and transport the passenger from one place to another. RFIDs are used to identify the locations, while a microcontroller is implemented to maneuver the wheelchair. An automated navigation system for wheelchair will improve passenger's mobility and maneuverability within buildings. This navigation system also includes a homing feature to help passengers with Alzheimer's disease to find their way back to their room.