Device operated aid for patients using head movement

Abstract

Background: Patients who are bed-ridden or paralyzed from neck down often rely on human assistance for their daily basic needs. Their life is a struggle even to do simple every day task. Now a days there are many assisted devices in making them do their daily task a simpler one. Methods: Famous scientist and physicist Stephen hawking who suffers from a rare paralysis disease uses a speech generating device to communicate. The main causes of paralysis are myopathy a diseases that affects the muscles, neuropathy they are caused by damages in the nerve, spinal cord injury or strokes in the brain the events that follow after this can be severe. In some cases paralysis can be permanent. Patients with paralysis have to often call out for help for switching on the light, fan or any other electronic devices. There must be a standee near to them every time. Findings: This paper aims in helping the bed-ridden patients to control the electrical appliances and basic switching on and off of lights, fans etc. without the help of by standee. The patient can totally depend upon him or herself. With the movement of head, patients can control fan, light and basic electronic devices. Improvements: This device works on the principle of an accelerometer which helps in detecting the head motion. A buzzer is also present in the device which helps the bedridden patients to call out for a human assistance. The device is tied to the patient's neck. Moving the head towards left or right and up or down can switch on and off light, fan etc.