INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF M ULTIDISCIPLINARY S CIENCES AND ENGINEERING , VOL . 5, NO.

2, FEBRUARY 2014

Design and Implementation of an Electric

Wheel-Chair to Economize it with Respect to
Bangladesh
Humaira Salmin, Hafiz Rakibul, Pratik Kumar Kundu, B.M. Fahmid Jahur Shuvo,
K.B.M. Nasiruzzaman and Rahman MD. Moshiour

Abstract—This paper evaluates the affordability and cost- possible directions forward, backward, left and right by using a
effectiveness of Economy Priced Electric Wheel Chairs (EWC) joystick. A 40-pin PIC18F4520 micro-controller was operated
for the disabled people of Bangladesh who are financially smoothly to ensure EWC's movement in desired direction,
challenged. After successfully upgrading a normal wheel chair
after receiving command signal from the joystick. Each rear
into a joystick-controlled electro-mechanical wheel chair, the cost
is reduced to an achievable US $400 compared to minimum US wheel of EWC is attached with a DC gear motor which
$1100 in United States according to a market survey. It is possible acquires required power from dry-cell battery connected to
for cheap and available tools found in Bangladesh which prove respective motors [1]. Among all the merits, there are a few
sufficient for the upgrading process. A microcontroller based drawbacks especially when the wheel-chair moves in reverse
control system is applied with two dc gear motors to control the direction. The EWC operation during reverse-bias is not that
rear end wheels. The prototype project indicates great success not smooth compared to other direction operations.
only in business sector but also reassures disabled people a better
life. Various technologies have been used to make this electro- II. OBJECTIVES
mechanical device, leaving room for further developments
considering the versatility of the microcontroller (PIC18F4520)
The aim of this project was to design the prototype and it is
used in it.
as follows:
Keywords— Control System, Cost-Effective Electro-Mechanical,  Collection of all the equipments and materials required
EWC and Microcontroller for overall wheel-chair enhancement setup.
 Forming of a light-weight wheel-chair structure which
would carry up to 100kg (human bodyweight plus
I. INTRODUCTION equipments).
 Successfully coding of a specific program, which would
I n worldwide context, an estimated 100-130 million people
with disabilities need wheelchairs. Experts predict that the
number of people who need wheelchairs will increase by 22
run the device directionally by using a joystick
(controlled by a micro-controller).
percent over the next ten years [1]. Wheel-chair is still the best  Implementation and connection of all the equipments
transportation means for them since its invention in 1595 like motors, micro-controller, and joystick together.
(called an invalids chair) for Phillip II of Spain by an unknown  Making the total prototype as cost-effective and less
inventor; and this is the reason why this particular chair with expensive as possible.
wheels is developing in newer shapes with additional latest
enhancements following its conversion into an electric one. III. BLOCK DIAGRAM
This paper details the project about an electric wheel-chair
(EWC) which is much more comfortable and flexible for The system block diagram is shown in Fig. 1.
movement compared to a normal wheel-chair and also costs The system block diagram shows how the command from
60-70% less compared to the available or regular the EWC user is sent via the joystick to the Microcontroller
EWCs [2]-[3]. chip. Then following the instructions coded in the chip the
In USA, almost 200,000 physically challenged people use respective optocouplers will be activated and using the H-
electric wheel-chair for their daily life needs. On the other Bridge module the DC Gear Motors are started.
hand, in Bangladesh handicap people still depend on the old
formatted normal wheel-chair as major portion of this poor IV. EQUIPMENTS AND TECHNIQUES
country cannot afford the huge cost of a basic electric wheel-
chair. The paper dictates the main objectives of the performed For this prototype to be build both electrical and electronic
project such as to run the wheelchair automatically in all components were required [1]. Some of the parts are briefly

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INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF M ULTIDISCIPLINARY S CIENCES AND ENGINEERING , VOL . 5, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2014

order to communicate a full range of motion to the computer, a

joystick needs to measure the position on two axes- the X axis
(left to right) and the Y axis (up and down). Just as in basic
geometry, the X-Y coordinates pinpoint the stick’s position
exactly.
Voltage Regulator: it is designed to automatically maintain
a constant voltage level. A voltage regulator may be simple
‘feed-forward’ design or may include negative feedback
control loops. It may use an electromechanical mechanism, or
any electronic components. Depending on the design, it may
Fig. 1: Block diagram showing the flow of command in the EWC
be used to regulate one or more AC or DC voltages.
described as follows [3]: Crystal oscillator: it is an electronic oscillator circuit that
uses the mechanical resonance of a vibrating crystal of
DC gear motor: it is a specific type of electrical motor that
piezoelectric material to create an electrical signal with a very
is designed to produce high torque while maintaining a low
precise frequency. This frequency is commonly used to keep
horsepower, or low speed motor output. Gear motors are
track of time (as in quartz wristwatches), to provide a stable
commonly used in conveyor-belt drives, home appliances, in
clock signal for digital integrated circuits, and also to stabilize
handicap and platform lifts, medical and laboratory
frequencies for radio transmitters and receivers.
equipments, machine tools, packaging machinery and printing
presses. They reduce speed in a series of gears and in turn Heat sink: it is a passive heat exchanger that cools a device
create more torque. So it is space-saving, reliable and durable, by dissipating heat into the surrounding medium. Heat sinks
consumes low energy and has small vibrations to name a few are used with high power semiconductor devices such as
advantages. power transistors and optoelectronics such as lasers and light
emitting diodes, where the heat dissipation ability of the basic
PIC18F4520: it is the type of micro-chip we needed
device is insufficient to moderate its temperature.
because of its multi-purpose functionality. It is an 8-bit
microcontroller of PIC18 family. This is a 40 pin
V. DESIGN ALGORITHM
Microcontroller consisting of 5 I/O ports. It is an advanced
microcontroller consisting of 32 KB flash memory. In this design, two DC gear motor is connected between two
MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect H-Bridge module. The triggering pulse comes to the MOSFET
Transistor): it is a common type of transistor in which charge of H-Bridge from MCU’s Port D through Opto-coupler [1]-
carriers like electrons flow along a channel. It is a voltage [2]. Opto-coupler is used to isolate the MCU unit from H-
controlled device and there is a very thin layer of silicon Bridge module. The power is connected to the H-Bridge
dioxide for insulation to prevent the current from flowing module through another power MOSFET which is used as a
between the gate and channel. This channel is also known as switch. This switch is triggered by MCU’s controlling signal
the inversion layer. No gate current is required to maintain the coming from Port C2 pin which has a special function of CCP
inversion layer at the interface since the gate oxide blocks any (Capture/Compare/PWM) thus regulating the power of the
carrier flow. MOSFETs are useful for high-speed switching motor. Here an Analog joystick, the input device, is connected
applications and also in integrated circuits. to Port B.
BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistor): consisting of three Two-axis analog joystick has two potentiometers. So based
terminals, it is a current controlled device. It is used as current on this potentiometer’s different values MCU take different
amplifiers and also as voltage amplifiers, besides being used as actions. Joystick signals which are basically potentiometer’s
switches, buffers or impedance matching devices and value go to the MCU for processing. Potentiometer’s value lies
regulators. between 0-255 since 8bit signal is used as input.
When both axis value is in neutral position then MCU gives
Opto-coupler: it is an opto-isolator, and it is a component no triggering signal to H Bridge so the motors remain idle.
that transfers electrical signals between two isolated circuits When X-axis is in neutral position (70<x<140) and value of
using light. Opto-couplers prevent high voltages from affecting Y-axis is greater than 140(y>140) then MCU triggers signal
the system receiving the signal. Commercially available opto- through Opto-coupler resulting both motors to rotate in
isolators withstand input-to-output voltages up to 10 KV and clockwise direction.
voltage transients with speeds up to 10KV/µs. Common type When X-axis is in neutral position (70<x<140) and value of
of opto-couplers consists of an LED and a phototransistor in Y-axis is less than 70(y<70) then MCU triggers signal and
the same package. It is usually used for transmission of digital both motors rotates in counter-clockwise direction.
signals, but some techniques allow use with analog When Y-axis is in neutral position (70<y<140) and value of
(proportional) signals. X-axis is greater than 140 then the MCU triggers signal
Joystick: it is an input device consisting of a stick that through Opto-coupler resulting in motor 1 rotating in
pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device clockwise direction and motor 2 rotating in counter-clockwise
it is controlling. It is also known as the control column. In direction.

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INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF M ULTIDISCIPLINARY S CIENCES AND ENGINEERING , VOL . 5, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2014

When Y-axis is in neutral position (70<y<140) and value of needs one step to finish the process which is to connect the
X-axis is less than 70 then motor 2 will rotate in clockwise PIC with computer and the microcontroller, then program it.
direction and motor 1 will rotate in opposite direction. PICKit2 has been designed with following capabilities and
features:
 It works under multiple platforms. Linux, Mac OS X and
Windows are tested.
 Its speed for the programming is up to 5kBytes/sec.
 Its option is supported to the targets with low clock speed.

PICKit2 software is used to burn/download HEX file to

desired MCU. The procedure is being illustrated next.

Fig. 2: Flow Chart of the instructions given to the microcontroller

The notations used in the flow diagram are given below:

(A) 140<x, 70<y<140
(B) x<70,70<y<140 (a)
(C) 70<x<140, 70<y<140
(M) Microcontroller unit, MCU
(D) 70<x<140y>140
(E) 70<x<140, y<70
(H) H-Bridge Module
(I) Motor Idle
(O) Opto coupler
(P) Motor 1 (+) ve, Motor 2 (-) ve
(Q) Motor 1(-) ve, Motor 2 (+) ve
(R) Motor 1, 2 (+) ve
(S) Motor 1, 2 (-) ve

The flow chart shows how the Microcontroller unit is

programmed and the instructions that it can follow. It also
depicts the decisions that must be made by the microcontroller
when commands are passed from the joystick to it. The motor
bi-directional movement is controlled by these instructions.

VI. PROGRAMMING PROCEDURE

PICKit2 Burner is a USB in-circuit programmer and it can

be used to program most of the PIC microcontrollers. It simply
consists of a PIC18F2550 and a couple of passive components
such as resistors, capacitors, LEDs etc. The programmer uses a
firmware only USB driver and there is no need of a special
USB controller. Using PICKit2 is easier and simpler. It just (b)

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INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF M ULTIDISCIPLINARY S CIENCES AND ENGINEERING , VOL . 5, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2014

VII. STRUCTURAL DESIGN

A locally produced normal ‘X’ shaped foldable wheelchair

was used to start as the basic infra structure of the prototype.
The two front wheels of this wheelchair can be moved in any
direction whether the rear wheels are moved or not by pushing
them manually. It has manual braking lever.
The main components or parts of the bought wheelchair are
the spindle, bearing, bushing, chain and sprocket.
 Spindle helps to rotate the back wheel on which the
bearing and wheel is mounted.
 Bearing is a ‘O’ shaped structure which allows the shaft
or spindle to rotate smoothly.
 Bushing is also ‘O’ in shape but its main purpose is to
isolate vibration. It can be made of rubber or metal.
 The Chain is used to convey mechanical power from one
position to another.
 The Sprocket is a toothed wheel which is used to transmit
rotary motion in shafts. It is a simple, and reliable and
efficient means of power transmission from motor to
spindle or shaft.
Major change is done in this structural design. Instead of
(c) using common shaft, two modified Spindle is used in the
EWC’s wheels which are not connected. Available wheel chair
in present market has got 6 inch long and 12 mm diameter’s
spindle in each rear wheel. But this design has got 12 inch 12
mm spindle. In EWC 4 bearings is used in each wheel. Two
are 14 mm in diameter and two are 20 mm. The 14 mm
bearing is used in pivot joint and 20 mm bearing is used in
wheels. A Sprocket is mounted on the modified spindle.
This Sprocket is joined with chain which is connected with
another smaller cassette that is mounted directly on motor
shaft. Whenever the motor shaft rotates then the sprocket of
rear spindle starts rotating and thus the wheel starts moving. In
EWC the chain is used to transmit power to drive wheel from
the dc gear motor. It consists of a series of short cylindrical
rollers joined with each other by side links. In EWC the ‘X’
shaped rod is removed. An aluminum tray is soldered
underneath the seat to mount the dc gear motor and battery.
Two dry cell batteries are used for power. The control circuitry
is placed underneath the seat which is covered in a box.
(d)
The joystick is mounted on the right handle of EWC. The
power is coming from the battery which is distributed through
wire. This wire goes to Control unit and is then connected to
the motor. After completing the connection of the electro-
mechanical equipments, the structure which is implemented in
the wheel chair is given in Fig. 4.

(e)

Fig. 3: (a),(b),(c),(d),(e) Burning process of HEX files for microcontroller

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INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF M ULTIDISCIPLINARY S CIENCES AND ENGINEERING , VOL . 5, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2014

TABLE 2
COST INCURRED TO BUILD THE EWC PROTOTYPE
Parts Quantity Unit Price Subtotal Subtotal
(BDT) (BDT) (USD)
Normal 1 5,500 5,500 70.72
Wheel Chair
DC Gear 2 7,500 15,000 192.87
Motor
Battery 2 3,000 6,000 77.15
MCU 1 250 250 3.21
MOSTET 8 100 800 10.29
Joystick 1 600 600 7.72
Others 600 7.72
Fig. 4: Electro-mechanical structure parts consisting of Batteries, Motors, Mechanical 2,240 28.80
Joystick and Circuit Board Equipments
Mechanic’s 1500 19.29
fee
VIII. TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION
Grand Total 32,490 417.76
Technical specifications of the wheel chair are given in
Table 1:

TABLE 1
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF THE PROTOTYPE
Parameters Value
Battery 2 X 12V, 30Ah
Motor 2 X 24V DC Gear
Charging Time 7 Hours
Max. Driving Speed Forward: 7km/h
Backward: 4km/h
Max. Weight Capacity 120 Kg
Total Weight of EWC 41 Kg

After thorough market research the mechanical devices were

selected and trial and error testing was done to find the
maximum weight capacity. The driving speeds were obtained Fig. 5: All Equipments placed in wheel chair
by driving the EWC in different directions.

IX. COST OF MAKING EWC PROTOTYPE

The components that were used and the services obtained,

incurred an expense. The following Table 2 shows those
charges of various equipments, and electromechanical devices.
It also portrays the results obtained to justify the claim of
reducing the price and hence economizing the EWC.

X. FINAL PROTOTYPE

After successfully placing all parts into the EWC as shown

in Fig. 5, the system works remarkably within expectations.
The final prototype is shown in Fig. 6, which can successfully
carry a disabled person with a body-weight of maximum 100
Kilograms (Kg).

Fig. 6: The completed prototype

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INTERNATIONAL J OURNAL OF M ULTIDISCIPLINARY S CIENCES AND ENGINEERING , VOL . 5, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2014

XI. LIMITATION Needs of Disabled and Aged Populations, Rehabilitation

Engineering, Tan Yen Kheng (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-307-023-
This project’s EWC prototype costs BDT 32, 490 (around 0, INTECH, Singapore, 2009. (79-108)
US$ 400) which is evidently less than commercially available [2]. Ding, D, Cooper R.A., Electric powered wheelchairs, IEEE,
EWCs price tagged at US$ 1100 in the least. Still, there are Control Systems, April 2005, 25(2), (22-34).
[3]. M. Dechrit, M. Benchalak and S. Petrus, Wheelchair
opportunities to reduce the total cost of this project by
Stabilizing by Controlling the Speed Control of its DC Motor,
undertaking it for8mass8production. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology,
The total expense of this automated electro-mechanical Vol: 58 2011-10-25
device gets reduced by around BDT 10,000 when it is taken [4]. K. Sudheer, T.V. Janardhana Rao, C.H. Sridevi, M.S. Madhan
for mass production of 100 units of EWC. For 100 units of Mohan, Voice and Gesture Based Electric-Powered
EWC, per unit cost of DC gear motor comes near BDT 4,500 Wheelchair Using ARM, IJRCCT, Vol: 1, No.6, 2012
and per unit cost of Battery will be BDT 2,000 whereas DC [5]. K. Arshak, D.Buckley, K.Kaneswaran, Review of Assistive
gear motor and Battery costs BDT 7,500 and BDT 3,000 Devices for Electric Powered Wheelchairs Navigation, ITB
respectively for just the production of a single EWC. Journal, Issue 13, May 2006, 13-23.
Purchasing the required mechanical equipments in a whole, the
project developer can reduce the mechanical expenses by 60%
and mass production gives the authority a chance to build a F. A. Humaira Salmin is a lecturer at the Department of Electrical
wheel-chair structure in reduced price as well. and Electronics Engineering (EEE), American International
Therefore, the reduction in total expense occurs with the University-Bangladesh (AIUB), Bangladesh. She has completed her
greater numbers of EWC units during mass production. Masters in Telecommunication in 2011, and her Bachelors in
Science, discipline EEE in 2009 from AIUB.
One of the largest limitations with regards to Bangladesh is
(Email: [email protected])
the lacking of proper infrastructure available for disabled
people. Seldom private and public buildings are seen having
ramps, local transport do not have any scope for a person using
a wheelchair to board the vehicle, unlike some countries (i.e., S.B. Hafiz Rakibul is a lecturer at the Department of Electrical
Singapore or United Kingdom)[1]. Also for a physically and Electronics Engineering (EEE), American International
challenged person to move around freely on the streets of University-Bangladesh (AIUB), Dhaka, Bangladesh. He finished his
graduation in Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) from
Bangladesh is again difficult due to road conditions, traffic and
American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB).
weather. During rainy season most roads become quite muddy
(Email: [email protected])
and the EWC owner would require attaching specialized type
of tires for better grip and arranging some kind of a hood to
prevent rainfall.
T. C. Pratik Kumar Kundu did his graduation in Electrical and
Electronics Engineering (EEE) (2013) from American International
XII. FUTURE WORK
University-Bangladesh (AIUB). (Email: [email protected])
There are plenty of scopes to upgrade this EWC prototype
by adding features like Voice & Gesture recognition which F.D. B.M. Fahmid Jahur Shuvo did his graduation in Electrical
provides ease of operation in the system that will be more user and Electronics Engineering (EEE) (2013) from American
friendly [4-5]; Heart beat monitor which can detect the heart International University-Bangladesh (AIUB).
beat rate of the user as well as the sign of heart attack; GPS (Email: [email protected])
tracker to find out users exact location; and many more
optional features can be added according to user’s need.
F. E. K.B.M Nasiruzzaman is currently doing his graduation in
Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) from American
XIII. CONCLUSION
International University-Bangladesh (AIUB).
(Email: [email protected])
This project resulted into a successful prototype of an
Electric wheel-chair which costs around US$ 400 (BDT
32,490), where the minimum cost of an available EWC is S. F. Rahman MD Moshiour did his graduation in Electrical and
around US$ 1100 in USA. This minimized expense is pretty Electronics Engineering (EEE) (2013) from American International
affordable for most of the people of Bangladesh and it can be University-Bangladesh (AIUB).
even cheaper when taken for mass production. (Email: [email protected])
This project can also be counted as a brilliant initiative for
the betterment of physically handicapped and disabled people's
lifestyle.

REFERENCES

[1]. Y. K. Tan and S. Sasidhar, Engineering Better Electric-

Powered Wheelchairs to Enhance Rehabilitative and Assistive

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