Head gesture recognition for hands‐free control of an intelligent wheelchair

Abstract

PurposeThis paper presents a novel hands‐free control system for intelligent wheelchairs (IWs) based on visual recognition of head gestures.Design/methodology/approachA robust head gesture‐based interface (HGI), is designed for head gesture recognition of the RoboChair user. The recognised gestures are used to generate motion control commands to the low‐level DSP motion controller so that it can control the motion of the RoboChair according to the user's intention. Adaboost face detection algorithm and Camshift object tracking algorithm are combined in our system to achieve accurate face detection, tracking and gesture recognition in real time. It is intended to be used as a human‐friendly interface for elderly and disabled people to operate our intelligent wheelchair using their head gestures rather than their hands.FindingsThis is an extremely useful system for the users who have restricted limb movements caused by some diseases such as Parkinson's disease and quadriplegics.Practical implicationsIn this paper, a novel integrated approach to real‐time face detection, tracking and gesture recognition is proposed, namely HGI.Originality/valueIt is an useful human‐robot interface for IWs.

INTELLWHEELS - A Development Platform for Intelligent Wheelchairs for Disabled People

“…Some projects presented solutions for people with tetraplegia, by using the recognition of facial expressions as the main input to guide the wheelchair (Jia, 2006), (Pei, 2001), (Adachi, 1998). Another method of control is by using the user "thoughts".…”

“…With the increase in the number of senior citizens and the increment of people bearing physical deficiencies in the social activities, there is a growing demand for safer and more comfortable Intelligent Wheelchairs (IW) for practical applications. The main functions of IWs are (Jia, 2005) (Faria, 2007a) (Faria, 2007b):…”

IntellWheels: Modular development platform for intelligent wheelchairs

“…proposed a hybrid wheelchair equipped with two legs in addition to its regular four wheels, enabling the wheelchair to climb over steps and move through rough terrain [7 ]. Some projects present solutions for people with te traplegia by using the recognition of facial expressions as the main input guiding the wheelchair [8][9][10]. Others control IWs with user "thoughts."…”

Adaptive Kalman Filter Applied to Vision Based Head Gesture Tracking for Playing Video Games

“…This requires fast and precise recognition, in which any tiny head movements are spotted before interruption [1]. The method proposed by Jia et al [13] could not spot small head movements, since it works based on nose position in the center of the face, and this needs to be large enough. Furthermore, the face detection approach is very dependent on head pose.…”

“…A visual HMI was developed by Jia et al [13] to manipulate an electrical wheelchair using head gestures. They built a combination of nose template matching, Camshift object tracking and face detection.…”