Arabic speech-controlled wheelchair: A Fuzzy scenario

Abstract

In this paper, the design of a speech-controlled wheelchair is presented. The main motivation for this design came through the feedback from personal experiences of several colleagues as well as rehabilitation centers of the local hospitals that many elderly patients are unable to use the electronic wheelchairs. This is primarily due to the fact that the types of illnesses common in this group of patients render damages to the motor system of the body affecting mostly arms and feet. Hence, using a joystick type control of an electronic wheelchair is almost impossible. It was however noticed that the speech remains mostly un-altered for these patients and hence it is used in this work to be the main controlling agent for the motion of the wheelchair. However, the speech is not always very clear, specifically in a noisy environment. This brings Fuzzy Logic into the picture which tries to emphasize on the behavioral nature of various commands given to the chair rather than specific sense signal.