An electronic wheelchair operated only by blinking eyes stole the limelight at the Robotic and Technology (Ro-Tech) 2009 exhibition at the Diponegoro University in Semarang on Wednesday.
Afar Fuady of the Nov. 10 Institute of Technology team that invented the wheelchair said the equipment was designed to facilitate people with disabilities to conduct their daily activities. Powered by a 14 volt battery, the wheelchair can move in nine directions.
“To move the wheelchair forward, a user needs only to blink his or her eye once in front of a camera which is connected to the chair’s software. The same procedure applies to move it to the right, left or backward,” Afar said.
It took Afar and his six-strong team two months to build the wheelchair, which cost them Rp 5 million.
Altogether 11 teams from state universities across Java took part in the robot exhibition, with each of them presenting two or three inventions.
Representatives from the Gadjah Mada University’s school of mechanical engineering in Yogyakarta demonstrated a water rocket launcher and a prototype of a low fuel using vehicle which they claim to need a liter of gasoline only to cover a distance of 400 kilometers.
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