With inputs from Radhamani and Mamatha Bhat
KVG College of Engineering, Sullia

Mangalore, Jun 20: In what can be deemed as a real boon for the physically challenged persons, a wheelchair devised and developed by some final year computer students of the KVG College of Engineering, Sullia is indeed a marvellous creation.

It will certainly bring about a lot of relief for the physically challenged persons confined to a wheelchair. The one devised by the final year computer science students - Kusuma H, Mamatha Bhat M, Shwetha K and Srikripa S M is called the "Voice-based Vehicle Control".

Project guide Yashoda M B, co ordinator Shashikala S V, students Srikripa S M , Mamatha Bhat M, Kusuma H,Shwetha K,HOD of computer science Prof S S Balakrishna, principal Dr S G Gopalakrishna.

It is a motorized one in that it moves in response to the voice commands of the physically challenged person, removing the physical strain needed to operate it.

All that needs to be done is to sit in the chair and call out 'right', 'left', 'forward' and 'backwards'. The wheelchair user can even adjust this device to a comfortable position, if the supporting hardware is present.

The device eliminates any physical efforts to move the chair around.T he human interface is very friendly and it requires no training or configuration. Also commands in any language could be fed into the system.

The project was exhibited for the first time at "Expo-2006" held in the college recently and won the first prize.Lecturers Yashoda M B and Shashikala S V guided the students.