INTRODUCTION

By definition, a person who has some condition that markedly restricts their ability to function
physically or mentally or socially termed as handicapped. This project is especially designed for
those individuals who are physically handicapped, i.e individuals who have certain
disadvantages that make it more difficult for them to succeed in doing things they would like to
accomplish. For example war veterans, who have lost both their hands during wartime. There are
also individuals, suffering from physical handicap situations such as Carpel Tunnel Syndrome,
Rheumatoid Arthritis or Quadriplegia.
In such cases, handicapped individuals do require constant assistance from another person to
perform some day-to-day activities which may include switching off a television set or turning
on a fan or other electrical appliances within the house. These purposes can be served without the
need of another human interaction. Technologies that involve controlling using gestures can
come to the aid of such handicapped individuals.
This project is a prototype through which a handicapped individual is able to operate several
home appliances with gesture control employing MEMS based sensors, thereby eliminating the
need of another individual. Here Accelerometer sensors are attached on to a handicapped
individual especially on those places where there is partial movement of limb.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BLOCK DIAGRAM:

MEMS based Accelerometer Sensor is placed on to an arm of a partially, physical handicapped

person. Depending on the motion or action of the arm, the Accelerometer sensor bends and
corresponding to that particular action the sensor generates an output voltage. Since the output of
the Accelerometer is analog in nature, the signal is passed to the microcontroller via ADC.
Depending on the variations of the digital output of ADC the micro-controller performs the task.
The program embedded into the microcontroller chip helps in computing the digital output of
ADC. The computed data of the microcontroller then interacts wirelessly with the external world
(i.e home appliances) via zigbee. The microcontroller transmits the computed data
asynchronously to the external world via zigbee.
Zigbee is utilized at both ends. At one end i.e user end, zigbee is used as a transmitter, while at
the other end i.e external world, zigbee is used as a receiver.
At the receiver end, the output of the zigbee is passed to another microcontroller. The
microcontroller performs the required computation on the data that is passed by zigbee in an
asynchronous manner. Depending on the computed data, appliances are controlled in an efficient
manner within the home.

APPLICATIONS
Gesture control finds a wide range of application in todays day-to-day life. Some of these areas
of application are mentioned below.

Sign language recognition

For socially assistive robotics
Directional indication through pointing
Control through facial gestures
Alternative computer interfaces
Virtual controllers
Affective computing

ADVANTAGES

Enables a handicapped individual to cope with the world independently.

Encourages independent living by making life easier and safer.
Gesture control helps a handicapped individual to perform day-to-day activities smoothly
without any trouble or problem and makes them feel at ease.

DISADVANTAGES

Breakdown in the mechanism may render a handicapped individual helpless.

Confusion and reasoning difficulties may restrict a handicapped individuals ability to get
the most out of the technology.