3D Cameras Help Wheelchair Users Move via Facial Expressions

Many medical conditions can leave people with a very restricted range of movement. Some conditions are so severe that sufferers may not be able to produce the motion required by standard wheelchairs. The question of how to best restore independence in such situations has long vexed medical professionals – but now, new help is on the way in the form of machine vision systems.

Manual Wheelchairs Are Being Replaced With Advanced Robotic Ones

Machine vision is truly essential for any robotic system that needs to operate in a fully-realized 3D environment. Without it, systems are restricted to very structured and repetitive tasks. When machine vision and human input are combined, astonishing things become possible.

The Wheelie is a new, high-tech wheelchair system that recognizes a user’s facial expressions to help with movement. Since many people with impaired movement still have a substantial range of facial expressions, this system can serve individuals for whom standard wheelchairs are not effective.

The wheelchair is capable of recognizing dozens of expressions, and each of these is customizable to suit the needs of the user. The system uses the same facial recognition technology present in today’s sophisticated law enforcement technology.

3D Machine Vision is Almost as Good as “Reading Your Mind”

Originally, researchers behind the Wheelie hoped to develop an advanced brain-computer interface for wheelchair users. Although that’s still a long-term aspiration, they soon realized a simpler solution could be almost as effective for the time being.

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The Wheelie’s on-board camera identifies more than 70 facial locations clustered around the mouth, the nose, and the eyes. A single, intentional movement of any of these defined areas is enough to communicate a command to the wheelchair.

In this way, it’s possible for the user to direct the wheelchair to execute any element of its full range of movement – forward, backward, right or left, and of course, stop.

Wheelie Points the Way to Amazing Future Developments

Because the technology is designed to be so flexible, it can be applied to patients with ALS, cerebral palsy, and more, no matter how far a condition progresses.

As the Wheelie and systems like it become more commonplace, the effect on patients is expected to be profound. Millions of people who might have been fully reliant on caregivers in the past could now have an opportunity for greater independence.

And this is only the beginning: Experiments in brain-computer interface are continuing that could expand the system’s functionality. Researchers at the University of South Florida, for example, have used the concept for a brain-controlled robotic arm.

Through the integration of complex robotic systems facilitated through 3D machine vision, it may be possible for technology to help patients overcome many physical limitations.