Acknowledging the World Health Organization’s report that approximately 1.3 billion individuals face significant disabilities [1], the value of accessible and cost-effective technological solutions cannot be overstated. PARATEC envisions an economical electric wheelchair combined with a 3D-printed 6DOF robotic arm, aimed at enhancing the independence of paralyzed individuals.  Throughout the development process, we have focused on the assembly of the robotic arm, integrating sensors and actuators to ensure precise control and user safety. Interaction with the system is facilitated through a screen-based interface, incorporating an RGB camera and supporting our web application, which allows for control via eye movements using the WebGazer AI model. The robotic arm’s operations are orchestrated through the Robot Operating System (ROS), with object recognition powered by a custom food detection dataset and the YOLOv5

model, further refined by Oculi’s SPU to improve food detection accuracy while reducing latency and bandwidth. This proposed system aims to autonomously identify and retrieve food items for users and respond to facial cues for feeding, thereby enhancing user autonomy. The overall design goal is to offer a viable and empowering solution for individuals with mobility challenges, potentially setting new standards in assistive technology and demonstrating the significant impact of engineering innovations on quality of life.