Development of Motorized Wheelchair Bearing Safety Feature in Electronic Control Module

The work aims to model the intelligent electronic control module (ECM) for a motorized wheelchair that can affect guided rearward movement on detection of obstruction, often people who get hurt by colliding, and therefore a remedy is devised by instituting speed adjustments. Again, this is purported to be incorporated economically to keep to affordability, bearing particular safety features in the control unit. It meets the changing demands of people with restricted mobility for the purpose of safety, independence, and overall user experience, which is currently being missed. Rearward alarms can be found in automotive and heavy-duty construction equipment, however, the movement speed control in the reverse direction is practically unavailable in the assistive technology domain. The proposed design integrates an infrared sensor-based speed controller and power unit. In order to clinch affordability, the customized configuration of the wheelchair is considered by adapting modular design tenets with varied motor sizes, power sources (electric battery), and drive units depending on the weight of the user, while the microcontroller and the firmware remain interpretable and common [31]. Intelligent control units and signal systems make real-time environmental awareness possible, enabling flexible and effective navigation in various environments [2] while user-centric design provides a customized and easy-to-use experience. A flowchart illustrates the process for the control of a developed prototype of the motorized wheelchair inlaying an Arduino Mega-2560 embedded functional circuit [17]. The variation in speed data of rearward movement for safety purposes is tabulated based on experimental results, and the design would be useful for the manufacturers and industry as well as the users due to its usefulness and affordability.