Wheelchair for Quadriplegic Patient with Electromyography Signal Control Wireless

Abstract

Quadriplegia is a paralysis condition in both arms and legs so that the patient is only able to move his neck and head. Manual or electric wheelchairs with joystick or switch control as a tool for people with paralysis certainly cannot be controlled independently by quadriplegia sufferers. This study aimed to help quadriplegia sufferers not to depend on others in carrying out daily activities by developing electric wheelchairs that can be controlled independently. The bioelectric signal which has only been used for diagnostic purposes can be utilized as an electric wheelchair control system for quadriplegia sufferers. In this study, electric wheelchairs were controlled by electromyography (EMG) signals from muscle contractions that can be driven by quadriplegia sufferers, namely the neck and face muscles. The increase in EMG signal amplitude during the muscle contraction is used as a trigger for the electric motor in a wheelchair to move forward, backward, turn right, and turn left. An electronic circuit for signal conditioning was used to amplify the EMG signal leads and filter frequencies that are not needed by the system before being processed by the microcontroller circuit. The use of wireless systems was developed to reduce the use of cables connecting electrodes to patients with electronic devices that will provide comfort to the user. Based on the results of the data collection on the wheelchair system, the detectability and selectivity values were for the 100% and 94% forward commands, 94.33% and 100% reverse commands, 92.31%, and 96% right turn commands and 97.96% and 94.12% left turn commands. The electric wheelchair system with EMG signal control is expected to help the mobility of quadriplegia sufferers.