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An Integrated OCR-Based Assistive System for Visually Impaired Individuals with Enhanced Accessibility

Dubey Yogita, Wath Vijay, Vyawahare Yadhnesh, Deogade Vaishnavi, Loya Gagan, Pratape Akash, Chhatani Darshana

Journal of Machine Engineering

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2025

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Vol. 25, No. 3

97--113

EN

Mainstream technologies for assisting specially-abled individuals have evolved in both printed and digital mediums. This research paper presents a study on a system designed to assist specially-abled individuals using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). It also explores modern-day solutions for real-time data accessibility. The OCR system is integrated with a wide range of hardware to enhance accessibility and convenience. The hardware includes keyboards, displays, buzzers, controllers, actuators, and more. For real-time data access, a web server is provided for manual data input, which is then processed and recognized using the software. The input data can be digital, manually typed, or in the form of various file types. Additionally, a webcam is set up to capture and process data from the surroundings for recognition. The software extends its functionality to handwritten notes and other forms of data. It can differentiate between numerals, alphabets, and symbols. The recognized data is then translated into the required Braille format, specifically arrays corresponding to each letter. The translated data is subsequently transmitted to the hardware for appropriate feedback. This research paper also includes a comparative analysis of three widely recognized OCR models – EasyOCR, Pytesseract, and SuryaOCR. The analysis evaluates various performance aspects, including speed, processing time, accuracy, complexity, dependencies, error rate, and errorhandling capacity.

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Electromyographic analysis of upper limb muscles for automatic wheelchair propulsion control

Wieczorek Bartosz, Warguła Łukasz, Gierz Lukasz, Zharkevich Olga, Nikonova Tatyana, Sydor Maciej

Przegląd Elektrotechniczny

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2024

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R. 100, nr 11

6--11

EN

Equipping hand-propelled wheelchairs with supplementary power assistance systems combining the advantages of manual and electric wheelchairs. The study aims to develop innovative automatic steering strategies for assistive drive systems. Our approach involves regulating the intensity of power assistance using one upper arm's electromyography (EMG) signals, significantly simplifying the control system. However, the inherent asymmetry between the actions of the right and left upper limbs (handedness) poses a challenge. To address this, we set out to identify the upper limb muscle group exhibiting the least propelling asymmetry between the left and right sides, thereby determining the most suitable candidate for controlling the assistive drive of a wheelchair. The study used a standard manual-powered wheelchair and a single non-disabled research partici pant. Muscle activity in each upper limb during wheelchair propulsion was measured using EMG equipment. Eight muscle examinations were per formed on each upper limb: biceps brachii (A), triceps brachii (B), medial epicondyle (C), extensor carpi radialis longus (D), anterior epicondyle (E), posterior epicondyle (F), trapezius, middle region (G), and subscapularis (H). The mean maximal muscle EMG signal was analyzed based on six cycles of wheelchair propulsion. The asymmetry of EMG values for the left and right limbs can vary from 15% to 53%, depending on the muscle studied. Our findings reveal that the D muscle displays the least muscular asymmetry during wheelchair propulsion, suggesting that the tension signals of this muscle can effectively regulate the intensity of assisted wheelchair propulsion.

PL

Wyposażenie wózków inwalidzkich z napędem ręcznym w dodatkowe napędy wspomagające łączy zalety wózków ręcznych i elektrycz nych. Wymaga to jednak opracowania nowatorskich strategii automatycznego sterowania dla takich systemów napędu wspomagającego. Nasze podejście polega na regulowaniu intensywności wspomagania za pomocą sygnałów elektromiograficznych (EMG) jednego kończyny górnej, co znacznie upraszcza system sterowania. Wyzwaniem jest jednak asymetria pomiędzy działaniami prawej i lewej kończyny. Aby rozwiązać ten pro blem, postanowiliśmy zidentyfikować grupę mięśni kończyny górnej wykazującą najmniejszą asymetrię napędową pomiędzy lewą i prawą stroną, określając w ten sposób najbardziej odpowiedniego kandydata do kontrolowania napędu wspomagającego wózka inwalidzkiego. Badanie obejmo wało standardowy wózek inwalidzki z napędem ręcznym i jednego pełnosprawnego uczestnika. Aktywność mięśni każdej kończyny górnej podczas poruszania się wózkiem inwalidzkim mierzono za pomocą aparatury EMG. Na każdej kończynie górnej wykonano pomiary dla ośmiu mięśni: dwu głowego ramienia (A), trójgłowego ramienia (B), nadkłykcia przyśrodkowego (C), prostownika promieniowego długiego nadgarstka (D), nadkłykcia przedniego (E), nadkłykcia tylnego (F), mięśnia czworobocznego (region środkowy) (G) i podłopatkowego (H). Analizowano średni maksymalny sygnał EMG każdego mięśnia na podstawie sześciu cykli napędu wózka inwalidzkiego. Badania wykazały, że asymetria wartości sygnału EMG dla kończyny lewej i prawej może wahać się od 15% do 53%, w zależności od badanego mięśnia. Grupy mięśni charakteryzujące się małą wartością różnicy EMG najlepiej nadają się do sterowania napędem w oparciu o sygnał EMG z pojedynczej kończyny. Mięsień D wykazywał najmniejszą asymetrię mięśniową. Wyniki te sugerują, że sygnały tego mięśnia mogą skutecznie regulować intensywność wspomaganego napędu wózka inwa lidzkiego.

3

Influence of a hybrid manual - electric wheelchair propulsion system on the user's muscular effort

Wieczorek Bartosz, Warguła Łukasz, Kukla Mateusz

Acta Mechanica et Automatica

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2023

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Vol. 17, no. 1

28--34

EN

Self-propelled wheelchairs favour the rehabilitation process, forcing the user to be physically active. Unfortunately, in most cases, the manual propulsion is not adapted to the individual needs and physical capabilities of the user. This paper presents the results of operational tests of a wheelchair equipped with a hybrid propulsion system in which the muscle strength generated by the user is assisted by two independent electric motors. The research aimed to investigate the influence of the applied control algorithm and the assistance factor (W) on the value of the muscular effort (MA) while propelling the wheelchair with the use of push rims. A modified ARmedical AR-405 wheelchair equipped with two MagicPie 5 electric motors built into the wheelchair’s hubs with a power of 500 W was used in this research. The tests were carried out on a wheelchair test bench simulating the moment of resistance within the range of 8–11 Nm. Surface electromyography was employed for the measurement of MA, specifically, a four-channel Noraxon Mini DTS apparatus. The research was carried out on five patients from the group of C50 anthropometric dimensions. The effort was measured for four muscles: deltoid–anterior part, deltoid–posteriori part, and triceps brachii and extensor carpi radialis longus. The effectiveness of the hybrid propulsion system was observed based on the extensor carpi radialis longus muscle. In this case, for the standard wheelchair, the MA ranged from 93% to 123%. In contrast, for a wheelchair equipped with the hybrid propulsion system, at W = 70%, the MA was within the range of 43%–75%.

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Modern technology assists disabled competitors: the first “Cybathlon” special competition in Zürich

Erdmann Włodzimierz S., Aschenbrenner Piotr, Giovanis Vasilios

Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics

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2020

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Vol. 22, no. 3

69--75

EN

Purpose: The purpose of the study was presentation of modern bioengineering technology in order to help people with severe disabilities. Methods: Bioengineering industry can offer severely disabled people several devices in order to enable them to take part in the competition different than Paralympics. The first international competition for people with disabilities supported by modern assistive technology, such as sensors, motors, displays were allowed to compete in Cybathlon held in Zürich in 2016. About 70 athletes and their teams from 25 countries appeared at the event. Results: There were six disciplines (races): 1) Powered Arms (Upper Extremities) Prostheses Race, 2) Powered Legs (Lower Extremities) Prostheses Race, 3) Powered Wheelchair Race, 4) Powered Exoskeleton Race, 5) Functional Electrical Stimulation Bike Race, 6) Brain-Computer Interface Race. About a quarter of the teams represented industry and the rest represented university laboratories. Conclusions: The competition was a success. The organisers have decided for it to be organized every four years, just like the Olympic Games for able bodied competitors. The main inventor of the event professor Robert Riener from Zürich Polytechnic (ETHZ) said assistive technology should: a) be user-friendly b) to function well, c) be affordable, d) to be used within the barrier-free environment.

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Bydgoski egzoszkielet na rękę – aspekty mechaniczne

Kopowski Jakub, Mikołajewski Dariusz, Macko Marek, Rojek Izabela

Mechanik

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2019

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R. 92, nr 4

271--274

PL

Przedstawiono własną konstrukcję egzoszkieletu na rękę. Omówiono ją z mechanicznego punktu widzenia: wychodząc od ograniczeń narzucanych przez biomechanikę zdrowego człowieka poprzez możliwe deficyty funkcjonalne i ich kompensację z użyciem mechaniki egzoszkieletu aż po ograniczenia materiałowe i technologiczne. Opisano wykorzystanie inżynierii odwrotnej w celu zachowania indywidualizacji własności mechanicznych przy silnym zindywidualizowaniu mechaniki ręki, zwłaszcza patologicznej.

EN

The own study on hand exoskeleton is presented. It is described from mechanical point of view: starting from constraints caused by healthy human biomechanics, through possible functional deficits and their compensation by exoskeleton’s biomechanics, up to material and technological limitations. There is described an application of the reverse engineering aiming at personalization of the mechanical features taking into consideration huge individualization of the hand mechanics, including pathological changes.

6

An Electrooculography based Human Machine Interface for wheelchair control

Choudhari Ajit M., Porwal Prasanna, Jonnalagedda Venkatesh, Mériaudeau Fabrice

Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering

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2019

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Vol. 39, no. 3

673--685

EN

This paper presents a novel single channel Electrooculography (EOG) based efficient Human–Machine Interface (HMI) for helping the individuals suffering from severe paralysis or motor degenerative diseases to regain mobility. In this study, we propose a robust system that generates control command using only one type of asynchronous eye activity (voluntary eye blink) to navigate the wheelchair without a need of graphical user interface. This work demonstrates a simple but robust and effective multi-level threshold strategy to generate control commands from multiple features associated with the single, double and triple voluntary eye blinks to control predefined actions (forward, right turn, left turn and stop). Experimental trials were carried out on the able-bodied and disabled subjects to validate the universal applicability of the algorithms. It achieved an average command detection and execution accuracy of 93.89% with information transfer rate (ITR) of 62.64 (bits/ min) that shows the robust, sensitive and responsive features of the presented interface. In comparison with the established state of art similar HMI systems, our system achieved a better trade-off between higher accuracy and better ITR and while maintaining better performance in all qualitative and quantitative criteria. The results confirm that the proposed system offers a user-friendly, cost-effective and reliable alternative to the existing EOG-based HMI.

7

Comparison of muscle activity during hand rim and lever wheelchair propulsion over flat terrain

Błażkiewicz Michalina, Wiszomirska Ida, Fiok Krzysztof, Mróz Anna, Kosmol Andrzej, Mikicin Mirosław, Molik Bartosz, Marszałek Jolanta

Acta of Bioengineering and Biomechanics

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2019

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Vol. 21, no. 3

67--74

EN

The aim of this study was to compare the activity of upper limb muscles during hand rim wheelchair propulsion and lever wheelchair propulsion at two different velocity levels. Methods: Twenty male volunteers with physical impairments participated in this study. Their task was to push a lever wheelchair and a hand rim wheelchair on a mechanical wheelchair treadmill for 4 minutes at a speed of 3.5 km/h and 4.5 km/h in a flat race setting (conditions of moving over flat terrain). During these trials, activity of eight muscles of upper limbs were examined using surface electromyography. Results: The range of motion in the elbow joint was significantly higher in lever wheelchair propulsion (59.8 ± 2.43°) than in hand rim wheelchair propulsion (43.9 ± 0.26°). Such values of kinematics resulted in a different activity of muscles. All the muscles were more active during lever wheelchair propulsion at both velocity levels. The only exceptions were extensor and flexor carpi muscles which were more active during hand rim wheelchair propulsion due to the specificity of a grip. In turn, the examined change in the velocity (by 1 km/h) while moving over flat terrain also caused a different EMG timing of muscle activation depending on the type of propulsion. Conclusions: Lever wheelchair propulsion seems to be a good alternative to hand rim wheelchair propulsion owing to a different movement technique and a different EMG timing of muscle activity. Therefore, we believe that lever wheelchair propulsion should serve as supplement to traditional propulsion.

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The services delivery ecosystem for users of public transportation

Periša M., Ignjatić A., Jerneić B., Musa M.

Zeszyty Naukowe Wyższej Szkoły Technicznej w Katowicach

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2017

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nr 9

101--112

EN

Current possibilities of wireless technologies for informing users (visually impaired) should be explored and defined according to the models of assistive technologies and e-business systems. The goal of this research is to choose a wireless technology whose characteristics can raise the level of the life quality for target user group, and propose guidelines for the development of informing services. Characteristics of wireless technologies will be explored according to user requirements, with the purpose of providing accurate and real-time information to the end user. User requirements are defined on the basis of the research results conducted among the target group of users moving through traffic network on a daily basis. Based on the results the architecture of the system for informing users and service delivery model whose main task is the fulfillment of customers’ requirements was presented. The proposed solution represents a concept with all elements of assistive technologies and possible can be applied in the Internet of Things environment.

PL

Aktualne możliwości technologii bezprzewodowych dla informowania użytkowników (niedowidzących) należy zbadać i zdefiniować zgodnie z modelami technologii wspomagających i systemami e-biznesu. Celem tych badań jest wybór technologii bezprzewodowej, której cechy mogą poprawić poziom jakości życia dla docelowej grupy użytkowników oraz zaproponowanie wskazówek do opracowania usług informacyjnych. Cechy technologii bezprzewodowych zostaną zbadane wg wymagań użytkowników, w celu dostarczania użytkownikowi końcowemu dokładnych informacji w czasie rzeczywistym. Wymagania użytkownika są definiowane na podstawie wyników badań prowadzonych wśród docelowej grupy użytkowników poruszających się codziennie w sieci ruchu. Na podstawie tych wyników przedstawiono architekturę systemu informowania użytkowników oraz model świadczenia usługi, których głównym celem jest spełnianie wymagań użytkowników. Proponowane rozwiązanie prezentuje koncepcję ze wszystkimi elementami technologii wspomagających i przypuszczalnie może być zastosowane w środowisku Internetu Rzeczy.

9

Gesture interface for the blind using the Leap Motion controller

Dobosz K., Pomocnik R.

Studia Informatica

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2017

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Vol. 38, nr 4

79--88

EN

The aim of described preliminary studies was the evaluation of prototype gesture user interface using the Leap Motion controller. Provided experiment used a modified version of the file explorer that was supported by gesture controller and synthesized voice feedback. Obtained results shows that visual disability does not have a significant influence on the correctness of controlling the application using the proposed contact-free interface.

PL

Celem opisanych badań wstępnych była ocena użycia prototypowego gestowego interfejsu użytkownika wykorzystującego kontroler Leap Motion. Przeprowadzony eksperyment wykorzystywał zmodyfikowaną wersję eksploratora plików wspieranego przez interfejs gestowy oraz głosowe sprzężenie zwrotne. Otrzymane wyniki pokazują, że niepełnosprawność wzrokowa nie ma znaczącego wpływu na poprawność sterowania aplikacją z proponowanym, bezdotykowym interfejsem.

10

Possibilities of implementing Ambient Assisted Living concept in traffic environment

Peraković D., Periša M., Bukljaš Skočibušić M.

Archives of Transport System Telematics

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2015

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Vol. 8, iss. 1

30--34

EN

Demographic trends at national levels, caused by the aging of the population, raise the barriers to the possibilities of higher quality of living of the people when their working part of life comes to an end. The contribution to increasing the quality of life can be mostly realized by using customized information-communication solutions and services within the concept of “Ambient Assisted Living” (AAL). The AAL concept uses the advanced available technology to enable new products, services and processes that help ensure higher quality of living for the elderly, the disabled and persons of slow mobility. It also supports enhanced social connectivity, access to the outside world and it should provide inclusion and mobility (autonomy) to all persons. By applying the AAL concept in everyday movements and lives of the users allows the creation of the user base of all relevant information. With synergic action of several technologies the AAL concept becomes even more complex. In order to present this complexity, the paper describes the capabilities of individual technologies depending on the users’ needs, and the models of establishing the possible solutions. The application of the AAL concept in the traffic environment can contribute to significant increase in the quality of life also outside the basic environment (flat, house…). It is necessary to explore also the challenges of the interoperability and the area of coverage of services based in this way because of the sensitivity of the target users to the reliability of the system operation.

11

Noise as a useful signal within the nervous system in neurorehabilitation

Mikołajewska E., Mikołajewski D.

Bio-Algorithms and Med-Systems

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2013

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Vol. 9, no. 4

209--213

EN

The nervous system is one of the most complex known dynamical systems; thus, its disorders are among the most severe. Scientists and clinicians look for the best possible methods allowing for comprehensive understanding and for reliable assessment and treatment of human nervous system disorders. Noise may be perceived as a useful control signal for particular nervous system functions, including further development of neurorehabilitation and clinical applications of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), neuroprostheses (NPs), deep brain stimulation (DBS), etc. The awareness of associated chances and limitations allow for the wise planning and management of further clinical practice, especially in the area of long-term neurorehabilitation and care. This article aims at investigating the extent to which the available knowledge and experience may be identified and utilized, including potential future applications.

12

Development of interfaces for impaired users

Moita F., Oliveira R., Santos V., Silva M.

Przegląd Elektrotechniczny

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2012

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R. 88, nr 1a

127-131

EN

This paper presents EyeSEC, a project being conducted in DEE/ISEC in the area of Assistive Technology, which aims to create alternative technologies to compensate for functional limitations and facilitate the independence of elderly and impaired users. The main goal is to merge the data from eye-tracking, provided by vision sensors embedded in eyeglasses, with head movement’s data, provided by inertial sensors. This non-invasive interface that uses low cost sensors can be used to drive electric wheelchairs or as an interface with the computer.

PL

Zaproponowano technologię interfejsu dostosowaną do możliwości użytkowników niepełnosprawnych. Zastosowano czujniki w obudowie okularów umożliwiające śledzenie ruchu oczu. System może być pomocny przy używaniu wózków inwalidzkich, ale także w obsłudze komputera.