Chinese wheelchair lets ALS patients move independently

BEIJING: A research team from north-western China has developed an intelligent wheelchair that allows patients with diseases that restrict movement like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to move, turn around and control devices in a smart home by reading the movement of the user’s eyes.

The device, developed by a team from Xidian University in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, incorporates technologies such as artificial intelligence and the internet of things (which involves connecting devices through a network) and includes a tablet and camera in front of the user’s face.

By looking at the screen, patients will be able to command the wheelchair to move forward or backward, turn around and avoid obstacles.

The tablet also provides smart home functions such as moving curtains, switching lights and air conditioners on and off, locking doors, playing movies and music and adjusting the volume, giving patients with immobilising diseases much more independence.

It was designed for the type of impairments caused by ALS, a progressive condition also called Lou Gehrig’s disease that attacks nerve cells that control muscles, making patients unable to move, talk or even breathe.

The renowned physicist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS in 1963 and began to rely on a wheelchair more and more for the rest of his life.

As his illness progressed, Intel Corp made him a custom wheelchair that cost more than US$900,000 (RM3.75mil).

“Hawking’s wheelchair is extremely costly and cannot be mass-produced. Not every ALS patient has access to such assistance, so we wanted to produce an affordable substitute,” said Sun Long, a doctoral student who took part in the wheelchair’s development.

The device uses sensors to identify eye movements and process the information through algorithms before initiating functions corresponding to the user’s wishes.

Sun said it is somewhat as easy as using a smartphone. — China Daily/ Asia News Network