Sarathi – The Smart Wheelchair

Sarathi is a smart wheelchair system designed to empower patients with independent navigation and seamless caregiver connectivity. It combines ESP32-based motor control with a Mobile Application for patients and guardians, enabling both manual control and automated room-to-room navigation, along with real-time alerts, reminders and texts.

Features

Wheelchair Prototype

• Bluetooth-controlled navigation (via Flutter app).
• Manual driving using directional commands (F, B, L, R, S, U).
• Automated single-hop room-to-room navigation using predefined 2-letter codes (e.g., LS = Living → Study).
• Safe turns with reduced speed (no PWM required).
• Delay-based timed navigation (customizable for different paths).

Mobile Application

• Patient Dashboard:

  • Manual joystick-style control.
  • SOS button for emergencies.
  • Chat with guardian.
  • Profile page with editable details.
  • Medicine reminders with local notifications.

• Guardian Dashboard:

  • Receives patient SOS alerts.
  • Reads patient profile & medicines from Firebase.
  • Chat with patient in real-time.

Backend

• Firebase Firestore for storing patient & guardian profiles, medicine reminders, and chat messages.
• flutter_bluetooth_serial for Classic Bluetooth communication with ESP32.
• flutter_local_notifications + timezone for reminders.

Installation

Hardware Setup

1. Flash ESP32 with the provided Arduino code (esp32_wheelchair.ino).
2. Connect motor driver to ESP32 GPIO pins.
3. Map valid room-to-room routes inside the code.
4. Power the system and pair ESP32 with your phone.

Flutter App Setup

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/<your-username>/Sarathi-smart-wheelchair.git
   cd Sarathi-smart-wheelchair

2. Install dependencies:

   flutter pub get

3. Setup Firebase:

   • Create Firebase project.
   • Add Android apps.
   • Replace google-services.json / GoogleService-Info.plist.

4. Run the app:

   flutter run

Usage

• Manual Mode: Use arrow buttons on the patient app to drive (F, B, L, R, S, U).
• Room Navigation: Select predefined route (e.g., LB for Living → Bedroom).
• SOS Alert: Tap SOS button to notify guardian.
• Medicine Reminder: Add medicines in Patient Profile → Guardian can view them.
• Chat: Patients and guardians can communicate in real-time.

Repository Structure

Sarathi-smart-wheelchair/
│── hardware/
│   └── esp32_wheelchair.ino        # ESP32 motor control code
│── app/
│   └── lib/                        # Flutter app source
│── docs/
│   └── report/                     # Design & research documentation
│── README.md