Hyderabad: A team of students from Osmania University have developed a prototype designed to assist individuals with full-body paralysis. The device enables users to control wheelchair movement, request emergency assistance, and operate household appliances independently.Their project, Integrated Assistive Technology System for paralysis patients, earned first prize at the Hack-A-Board Hackathon finale, showcasing the innovation of final-year biomedical engineering students. They made use of facial recognition software, the Internet of Things (IoT), and an externally attached screen to make this possible.“The only options for patients who have lost muscle function and movement from the neck down are to hire a full-time caregiver or be entirely dependent on a family member. We wanted to help such patients and came up with a product that can be attached to any wheelchair or even a bed,” said K Harika, one of the students working on the project.The students explained that the system works by tracking the position of the tip of the user’s nose, enabling various actions — including wheelchair movement — to be performed.“There is a screen attached to the wheelchair which uses facial recognition. When the user moves their head or face and pauses at a point for about three seconds, that specific action is selected. It also allows the user to call a few pre-saved numbers to request help,” she added, noting that the product can significantly reduce dependency on others.They also highlighted the system’s accessibility and affordability, saying it can be operated with basic training and could be made available in the market for approximately 8,000 to 10,000 — offering a cost-effective alternative to the expensive products currently available.“If someone has a speech disability, they can also use it for basic communication, such as requesting water or food, or assistance to go to the washroom. The system supports communication in nine different Indian languages, along with English,” said M Venkata Jaideep Datta, another student on the team.
