Man With Motor Neurone Disease Designs a Wheelchair Controlled by Eyes

A man with motor neurone disease has invented a wheelchair that can be controlled simply by eye movements. Patrick Joyce developed Eyedrivomatic technology after his condition worsened and he was left with little muscle use.

It uses innovative eye-tracking technology which allows Patrick to issue instructions to a computer and 3D printed hand that fits over any electric wheelchair joystick. It has given him more independence and he has even managed to attach the technology to a Nerf gun to fire foam darts at his children.

Diagnosis

Patrick was diagnosed with the progressive muscle-wasting disease in 2007 and was told he had just three years to live. But he defied the odds and in 2013 teamed up with friend, Steve Evans, to develop Eyedrivomatic in a bid to give disabled people more freedom.

Patrick said: “Steve and I both have MND. We both have electric wheelchairs, but while I still have some movement in my fingers and am just able to operate mine, Steve only has his eyes left and until Eyedriveomatic, had to rely on his carer to operate his.

“The Eyedrivomatic project aims to give independent mobility back to electric wheelchair users who thought they had lost it forever. A combination of software and hardware, it allows users to control their wheelchairs using only their eyes.”

“The Eyedrivomatic project aims to give independent mobility back to electric wheelchair users…”

Winners

And the invention has been so successful that the team have been awarded £128,000 prize from the Hackaday Awards, a competition to find creative new inventions. Patrick and Steve beat 1000 other entrants to win the top prize.

The team have now put plans for the Eyedrivomatic, which consists of 3D-printed parts, online so it can be downloaded for free here.