Construction of a Voice-Operated Assistive Device for Physically Challenged Individuals Using Speech Recognition Modules

Background: Physical disability limits independent control of household appliances for many Nigerians, reducing quality of life and independence. Voice-operated assistive devices offer a practical solution enabled by low-cost speech recognition technology. Aim: This project constructed a voice-operated assistive device enabling physically challenged individuals to control household appliances using speech commands. Methods: An EasyVR 3.0 speech recognition module was interfaced with an Arduino Mega to recognise a vocabulary of 15 voice commands. Relay modules controlled five AC household appliances. The device was trained on the voices of five Nigerian English speakers across different accent regions. Functional testing involved 10 physically challenged volunteers over a two-week period. Results: Command recognition accuracy averaged 91.4% in quiet environments and 78.2% in moderately noisy conditions. All five appliance channels functioned reliably. User satisfaction ratings averaged 4.3 out of 5.0. Conclusion: The voice-operated assistive device is functionally effective and highly valued by users with physical disabilities. Noise robustness improvements through noise-cancelling microphones and refinement of the command vocabulary are recommended for the next design iteration. Keywords: assistive device, speech recognition, physically challenged, voice control, electronics.