Assistant System For Paralyzed Person | IDEA | PRODUCT

ASSISTANT SYSTEM FOR PARALYZED PERSON

Mentor: Dr. Amit Kumar Ahuja, Head of Department | Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering

©Copyrights: Amit Kumar Yadav, B. Tech. ECE | [email protected] | Donate 

Paralysis is a loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. So we are trying to develop a device which will help the paralyzed person in communicating with their surroundings. Communicating with surroundings means he/she will be able to control all the gadgets around him like Wheelchair, Fan, and Television etc. This will be done with the help of movement of his tongue and the name of the device will be TDS (Tongue Driven System). The limitation of this device is that it will not work in some cases like damage of Hypoglossal Nerve, Vagal Nerve, and Glossopharyngeal Nerve. But the occurrences of these problems are approximately 10%. So this device will be able to help around 90% of the patients who are suffering from paralysis.

TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE PRODUCT

Here we are going to use a very basic electronics concept of simple electrical contact that triggers a circuit. For receiving an input from the user we are providing a push button of size around 2 mm inside the mouth which will be controlled only by Tongue pressure. Hence, the user will be able to give the desired command by moving his or her Tongue on a particular button.

The final product will have a voice module present that will guide the user in accessing the various predefined available command and present status of operations. Once the user confirms the input, a signal will pass to a microcontroller via aXbee Pair which can communicate amongst each other and which will process the signal according to a specific algorithm and hence drive the required electromechanical system.

This system will/may contain:

1)  Wheelchair

2)  Room Lighting System

3)  Fan/Temperature Controlling System

4)  User Specific Demand

5)  Emergency Alert  Sound System

At present, there is no such reliable and efficient system in the market. Few systems are being tested which are based on Hall Effect Sensors, Air Pressure and Movement of Face Muscle but their reliability is very low and is using quite sophisticated circuitry. 

Block Diagram

MODULE 2

Here XBee receives the input commands and sends it to the MSP430 for processing. The Output is controlled via a relay which is connected to a fixed TRIGGER POINT which has all other devices such as fan, light etc. Also, a speaker is connected to MSP for assisting the user and also to be used as an emergency alarm system if the user hits the desired key. 

In this TRIGGER POINT MODULE, various outputs can be connected directly to the supply board as those board points will be connected directly to the relay and hence no mechanical switching will be required here.

 

Picture of the model tested in the lab of college

FUTURE INNOVATION

This product will contain all the components from India and will be assembled in India. It will be used in every part of the world by any person. So it will help in meeting the demands of Make In India Initiative. Developing this product will help the paralyzed person to become self-dependent and self-sufficient. They will be able to fulfill their basic needs to communicate with their surroundings.

We will develop this product from minimum components of electronic circuits to get the desired output. There is no such product right now in the market but there are some products which are currently under testing based on Hall Effect Sensors, Air Pressure, and Movement of Face Muscles. These products have complex circuitry and hard to understand.

MARKET AND GROWTH

1. Customer Need Identification –

Here is some statistical information on paralysis from around the world:

• 1 percent of paralysis cases happen due to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident
• 7 percent of the paralysis cases happen as a result of a fall
• Almost 7.5 percent of cases of paralysis happen due to injuries sustained while playing some type of sport
• About 15.1 percent of paralysis cases happen as a result of some or the other type of injury sustained in a violent interaction

We went through the data on Christopher Reeve Foundations and also consulted local doctors and patients and they supported our idea of the device and gave various relevant details about the intricacies that will occur.

Various Paralysis types are-

2. Serviceable Addressable Market (SAM) Identification & Justification –

The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Paralysis:

• 14% (18,478) of hospital episodes were for cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 77% of hospital consultations for cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 52% of hospital episodes for cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 48% of hospital episodes for cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 40% of hospital admissions for cerebral palsy and other paralytic syndromes required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)

(Source: http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/p/paralysis/stats.htm)

 

So, going by the figures of the market research, market for the product will be almost everywhere in the world as 1 of every 1000 people suffers from some symptoms of paralysis somehow or the other. General Market will be Patients and also other distributors and Doctors through which the product can be made available to the user.

3.Product Differentiation w.r.t. Competition & Justification –

 At present, there is no such reliable and efficient system in the market. Few systems are being tested which are based on Hall Effect Sensors, Air Pressure and Movement of Face Muscle but their reliability is very low and is using quite sophisticated circuitry.  Thus this is a completely different and new product from what is already available in the market. Already existing products are only able to relieve the user from pain but do not provide them a sense of freedom and independence.

4. Understanding of your customer & user.

 Our customer and user both are same, only the mode of availability of product differs. The primary users will be patients suffering from any form of paralysis. As per the data available on the Reeves Foundation,

5. Distribution Channel Identification –

Distribution Channel will majorly be-

• Medical Facilities counter
• Medicine Shops
• Rehabilitation Clinics
• Doctor Referrals and Tie-ups
• Tie-up with Government to distribute the device under subsidized rates so as to reduce the effective customer price

Kindly Contact with Author for Project Funding or Donations

Wheel Chair Image Courtesy: rallisolicitors.co.uk