MARDAN: Two students of University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Mardan have developed a prototype of electroencephalogram-based wheelchair for quadriplegic patients to be controlled through brain.

Mohammad Dawood and Mohammad Faizan Akhtar, students of UET Mardan, in the supervision of Dr Jawad Ali developed the prototype of EEG-based brain controlled wheelchair.

The model includes an electroencephalogram (EEG) headset and a battery-powered wheelchair that can carry load or a human being of up to 250 kilograms with its powerful motors. The headset picks signal from the brain when the person thinks about moving in forward, backward, left and right directions. The signals transmit to Arduino (microcontroller) to give command to motors for moving according to thinking of a patient.

The wheelchair has a physical joystick besides brain signal processing Bluetooth gadget for forward, backward, left and right movement. It can be used by any brain, wearing the electroencephalogram (EEG) headset.

Mohammad Dawood told Dawn that wheelchairs were used by disabled people in daily life. “Mostly the wheelchair is used by elders and partially disabled people. They face difficulties to move electrical and mechanical wheelchairs.

He said that they tried to overcome those difficulties of wheelchair-users to a great extent. “Our goal is to design a system that receives a signal from brain and moves accordingly. By the system, we mean accumulator sensor. The sensor converts the raw form of a signal into an electrical signal. We can control the wheelchair through different waves such as alpha, beta, gamma, delta and theta, produced in the brain,” he added.

The other student, Mohammad Faizan Akhtar, said that the wheelchair would make life of patients easier. He said that the wheelchair could be used by any person with an active brain.

UET Mardan Vice-chancellor Prof Imran Khan appreciated the efforts of students. He said that such projects required very little efforts to become a commercial product.

He claimed that the university administration was committed to providing maximum facilities to students.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2023