Microcontroller Based Wireless Obstacle Detection System for the Elderly

Assistive technology has not yet reached an acceptable level of success in addressing the needs of the elderly to navigate safely, comfortably, gracefully, and independently. This paper discussing on the development of microcontroller based wireless obstacle detection system for the elderly, which attached at shoes to facilitate safe navigation and mobility of the elderly. Microcontroller and a wireless module are a key component in the processing and transmission of data. Buzzer, vibrator and speech synthesizer are used as alerting signal when the obstacle is detected by the system. Working principle of the system is based on two main functions: sensing the environment and also detect obstacles through IR sensor and the US sensor and provide an alert to the user during walking when the obstacle is detected. Both microcontrollers at the transmitter and receiver units have been programmed through MP Lab software packages with the intelligent control algorithm to meet the user´s requirements. This system can identify obstacle´s distance within the detection range at more than 95% of accuracy. The proposed system make the users feel comfortable to walk seamlessly without imposing upon them any physical or cognitive load.