Design and Development of a Smart Wheelchair using Voice Commands

Development of a voice recognition based intelligent wheelchair system for physically handicapped people who are unable to drive the wheelchair by hand is represented in this paper where the patient can operate the wheelchair using voice commands. Physically challenged persons those who are suffering through different physical disabilities face many challenging problems in their day to day life for commutating from one place to another and even sometimes they need to have to be dependent on other person to move from one place to another. People with certain lifelong disabilities brought on by accidents, paralysis, or old age sometimes rely on others for assistance. There are a lot of disabled people in the world today who have trouble moving around or going about their daily lives. These people are primarily reliant on other people for support. But they can become self-independent and accomplish some everyday activities on their own with the support of assistive gadgets. The system integrates Arduino Uno as the primary controller, interfacing with an HC-05 Bluetooth module to receive voice commands from a smartphone. The movement of the wheelchair is controlled by geared DC motors, which are driven by an L293D motor driver. The wheelchair can move forward, backward, left, and right based on user commands. To ensure safety, an ultrasonic sensor is incorporated for real-time obstacle detection, preventing collisions by stopping or redirecting movement when an obstacle is detected. This voice-controlled smart wheelchair provides an affordable, user-friendly, and efficient alternative to conventional powered wheelchairs. By integrating voice control with obstacle detection and wireless communication, the system enhances user independence and safety. Future improvements may include AI-based navigation, GPS tracking, and IoT integration for advanced mobility solutions.