1. International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Technology (IJECET), ISSN
0976 – 6464(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6472(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), © IAEME
36
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF A DATA GLOVE FOR THE
ASSISTANCE OF THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED
Parth Ranjan Singh, PrathiShastry, Jagadish D. Kini, FarzadTaheri
Guided by T.G.Giri Kumar
M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Electrical & Electronics Engineering department,
Bangalore-560054
ABSTRACT
This project provides a mechanism for controlling wheelchair and home appliances for
physically disabled people by way of movement of fingers.
A person suffering from paralysis or any serious injury may not be able to move around and
accomplish simple tasks such as switching on/off tube-lights, fans etc. A helper maybe required to be
present with the patient at all times. Our project serves the purpose of making the patient self-
sufficient and devices an easy way for him to go about his work.
The device is a convenient, flexible and reliable mechanism to help the patient control a
wheelchair-motion. It also includes a mechanism to control various appliances.
A hand glove fitted with flex sensors is worn by the patient. Just by bending his fingers, he
can switch on/off appliances and also control his wheelchair movement. Also, the entire setup is
wireless and therefore gives the patient control over appliances in a 30m radius.
Keywords: Flex Sensor, X Bee, Wireless, Arduino, H-Bridge, motor control.
1. INTRODUCTION
The Goose’s story by Cari Best was a story that touched our heart, when we read it for the
first time as a kindergartener. The struggle for a physically challenged goose in the story mirrors the
scene around us where the disabled were incapable of performing their daily routine tasks that are
thought normal and easy to do by others.
The preexisting technologies are insufficient or too cumbersome for a challenged person to
operate easily. The voice recognizing control of wheel chair being the easiest to master but the cost
of it easily surpasses all its benefits. The other control mechanisms of the wheelchair being tongue
operated or joystick controller are too difficult to manage.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ELECTRONICS AND
COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY (IJECET)
ISSN 0976 – 6464(Print)
ISSN 0976 – 6472(Online)
Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August, 2013, pp. 36-41
© IAEME: www.iaeme.com/ijecet.asp
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2. International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Technology (IJECET), ISSN
0976 – 6464(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6472(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), © IAEME
37
This made necessary of development of a control device which is easy to master, cheap and
portable. The paper introduces with construction of a mechanism using the bending of flex sensors to
control the wheel chair motion and which can be further added upon by adding modules like
emergency call system or appliance control wherever necessary.
2. THE BLOCK DIAGRAM
Fig 1: Block Diagram
3. COMPONENTS
Flex sensors
It is a variable printed resistor on a thin flexible substrate. When the substrate is bent,
the sensor produces a resistance output correlated to the bend radius—the smaller the radius,
the higher the resistance value.
Fig 2: Flex Sensor

3. International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Technology (IJECET), ISSN
0976 – 6464(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6472(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), © IAEME
38
ARDUINO
Arduino is a popular open-source single-boar microcontroller, descendant of the
open-source Wiring platform, designed to make the process of using electronics in
multidisciplinary projects more accessible. The hardware consists of a simple open hardware
design for the Arduino board with an Atmel AVR processor and on-board input/output
support. The software consists of a standard programming language compiler and the boot
loader that runs on the board in Fig 3.
Arduino hardware is programmed using a Wiring-based language (syntax and
libraries), similar to C++ with some simplifications and modifications, and a Processing-
based integrated development environment.
Fig 3 :Arduino board
XBee/ZigBee
XBee/ZigBee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols. It
uses small, low-power digital radios based on an IEEE 802 standard for personal area
networks. It is simpler, less expensive and covers more area than other WPANs, such as
Bluetooth. It targets radio-frequency (RF) applications requiring a low data rate, long battery
life, and secure networking. It has a defined rate of 250 kbps best suited for a single signal
transmission from a sensor or input device. AXbee pro module is shown in Fig 4.
Fig 4: XBee Pro

4. International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Technology (IJECET), ISSN
0976 – 6464(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6472(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), © IAEME
39
H-BRIDGE
An h-bridge is an electronic circuit that enables a voltage to be applied across a load
in either direction. These circuits are often used in robotics and other applications to allow
DC motors to run forwards and backwards [2]. H bridges are available as integrated circuits,
or can be built from discrete components. An H bridge is built with four switches (solid-state
or mechanical). When the switches S1 and S4 (according to the Fig 4) are closed (and S2 and
S3 are open) a positive voltage will be applied across the motor. By opening S1 and S4
switches and closing S2 and S3 switches, this voltage is reversed, allowing reverse operation
of the motor.
Using the nomenclature above, the switches S1 and S2 should never be closed at the
same time, as this would cause a short circuit on the input voltage source. The same applies
to the switches S3 and S4. This condition is known as shoot-through.
Fig 5. H Bridge
Fig 6 Fig 7
The H-bridge arrangement is generally used to reverse the polarity of the motor, but
can also be used to 'brake' the motor, where the motor comes to a sudden stop, as the motor's
terminals are shorted, or to let the motor 'free run' to a stop, as the motor is effectively
disconnected from the circuit.
The following table summarizes operation, with S1-S4 corresponding to the two
operating modes can be represented as in Fig 6 switches S2 and S3 are open and hence the
motor rotates left. While in Figure 7 when switches S1 and S4 are open the motor rotates in
the opposite direction.
Fig 5 shows the actual picture of H–bridge. We have used the L293D chip in the H-
bridge supposed to drive the motor

5. International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Technology (IJECET), ISSN
0976 – 6464(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6472(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), © IAEME
40
Fig 8: H-bridge Driver Chip L293D
Relays
A relay is a switch which is operated by electricity .It is usually electromagnetic
device. When a small trigger voltage is applied to a relay, power supply to the device is
switched on. When the trigger voltage is removed, the power supply for the device is also cut
off. Some relays can be triggered directly by a microcontroller output.
4. ADVANTAGES
• No need for a person to remain with the patient at all times
• Can also be used for patients paralyzed neck down (who can’t even use their fingers),
by simply replacing the hand glove with a head mask
• Additional functions like sounding an alarm etc. can be added easily.
• ZigBee covers more distance compared to transmission using IR rays (which is used
in remote controls)
• Easy to use
• Cost effective
5. CONCLUSION
Our prototype adheres to all afore mentioned specifications. Test results indicate that the
sensor is not too sensitive to the input which means that the probability of the user unintentionally
triggering the device is very low.
6. REFERENCES
[1] Towards a Body Sensor Network - based gesture interface for intelligent home applications
dated AUG 2009 V-risJaijongrak ; Chantasuban, S. ; Thiemjarus, S. ; School of Information,
Computer & Communication Technolgy (ICT), Thammasat Univ., PathumThani, Thailand,
ICCAS-SICE, 2009

6. International Journal of Electronics and Communication Engineering & Technology (IJECET), ISSN
0976 – 6464(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6472(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), © IAEME
41
[2] Design and development of a hand-glove controlled wheel chair dated May 2011 Akmeliawati,
R.; Tis, F.S.B.; Wani, U.J.; Dept. of Mechatronics Eng., Int. Islamic Univ. Malaysia, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia,Mechatronics (ICOM), 2011
[3] Arduino.cc
[4] Information on flex sensors from
http://www.imagesco.com/sensors/flex-sensor&http://devices.sapp.org/component/flex/
[5] Nazrul H. Adnan, Khairunizam Wan, Shariman Ab and Juliana A. Abu Bakar, “Principal
Component Analysis for the Classification of Fingers Movement Data Using Dataglove
“Glovemap””, International journal of Computer Engineering & Technology (IJCET),
Volume 4, Issue 2, 2013, pp. 79 - 93, ISSN Print: 0976 – 6367, ISSN Online: 0976 – 6375.
[6] Neeraj Tiwari, D. Bhagwan Das and Prabal Pratap Singh, “Design, Development and Hardware
Realization of X-BEE based Single Axis Solar Tracking System”, International Journal of
Electrical Engineering & Technology (IJEET), Volume 3, Issue 3, 2012, pp. 8 - 20,
ISSN Print : 0976-6545, ISSN Online: 0976-6553.
[7] Vinesh Kapadia and Dr. Hina Chandwani, “Comparison of Modulation Techniques for
Cascaded H-Bridge Type Multilevel Current Source Inverter”, International Journal of
Advanced Research in Engineering & Technology (IJARET), Volume 4, Issue 2, 2013,
pp. 181 - 190, ISSN Print: 0976-6480, ISSN Online: 0976-6499.
7. AUTHORS
[1]Parth Ranjan Singh, B.E.,
[2] PrathiShastry, B.E.,
[3] Jagadish D Kini, B.E.,
[4] FarzadTaheri, B.E.,