Comilla University Student Shakirul's Invention: Smart Wheelchair Controlled by Nose Gestures

Shakirul Bhuiyan, a student of Comilla University, has created a technology to control a wheelchair through gestures of the nose and face. The smart wheelchair made by this student of the 14th batch of the Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) department also has health monitoring and safety systems.

Seeing his uncle's helplessness up close, Shakirul began searching for a way to move without hand strength. Because of diabetes and paralysis of the legs, his uncle could not move. Even to go from one place to another nearby, he had to depend on family members.

Shakirul said: 'My uncle was ill. Alongside diabetes, his legs were paralysed. He could not move. Even for slight movement, he had to depend on family members. This caused suffering for the family members, and he himself suffered a lot. Seeing the matter up close, I felt that if I could work with my teacher's idea, it would be possible to do something good for such people.'

The smart wheelchair has been made especially with paralysed people and those unable to operate a wheelchair by hand in mind. In it, the wheelchair can be driven through movements of the face and nose instead of the hands.

To operate the wheelchair, software made in the Python programming language identifies the user's face with the help of a laptop webcam. The system activates as soon as the mouth is opened. A rectangular box then forms around the nose on the screen. If the nose is raised, the wheelchair moves forward; if lowered, backward; and if moved right or left, it moves in that direction. If the nose is kept inside the box, the wheelchair stops.

Shakirul said: 'We have made the programme in such a way that the user can drive the wheelchair only through nose gestures, without any hand strength. If the mouth is opened, the system becomes active. The wheelchair can then be controlled by changing the position of the nose.'

A health monitoring system has been added to the smart wheelchair. Through it, the user's heart rate, pulse rate and body temperature can be measured.

For safety, an additional safety limit or 'safety boundary' has been kept outside the rectangular box used to control the wheelchair. If the user suddenly turns his head or, while talking to someone, the nose's position goes outside that boundary, the wheelchair will stop automatically.

In addition, six ultrasonic sensors have been attached around the wheelchair. If an obstacle comes within 20 centimetres on the path, the sensors will stop the wheelchair automatically.

In the next stage, there is a plan to build a self-contained control system using a Raspberry Pi instead of a laptop. Alongside a camera, it will have a display where the user can see the wheelchair's movement and health-related information.

In developing the invention, Shakirul has faced a budget shortage, delays in the release of funds, and a lack of adequate laboratory space and equipment. He said that even when an allocation is received from the university, it takes a long time to get the necessary equipment because of complications in the tender process. Recently, some equipment could be bought with funding from his supervisor and a senior researcher who received an NSC fellowship. He also said the research has to be conducted in the supervisor's personal room for lack of adequate lab space and equipment.

The research project's supervisor, Dean of the Engineering Faculty and departmental head Associate Professor Dr Mahmudul Hasan, said: 'Our research journey began in 2023 from the Interactive Systems and Computer Vision Lab of Comilla University's Computer Science and Engineering department. A former student of the department first made a prototype of the technology in a toy car. Later, current student Shakirul successfully applied it to a real wheelchair.'