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| Susan’s
Voice Controlled Solution by Mike Elder Susan credits the HomeVoice-based solution with giving her back some independence that her multiple sclerosis had taken away. Although there are many things she can no longer do for herself, such as fixing something to eat or holding a book, she no longer must ask someone to change her TV show or turn on her light. She can do it herself - just by saying so. |
Mike Elder is President of Applied Future Technologies, Inc. which offers the HomeVoice and HomeISA products. AFT can be contacted at 800-790-3353, aft@appliedfuture.com or http://www.appliedfuture.com |
Steven Schwartz attended the Abilities Expo in Edison, New Jersey last April looking for solutions to aid his wife, Susan, who was beginning to lose her dexterity due to multiple sclerosis. The Abilities Expo is a regionally conducted exposition of products and services for people with disabilities. Applied Future Technologies, Inc. (AFT) (Littleton, CO, 800-790-3353) attended the Abilities Expo to actively introduce the company’s HomeVoice software and related voice control home automation products as Assistive Technology solutions for just such users. Steven saw AFT controlling lights and TV channels by simple voice commands and knew that was what he had come to the Abilities Expo to find.
Nick Tamburri, owner of AHA & Design (New Jersey, 973-344-4616),
was contacted to design and install the system. Nick surveyed the Schwartz home and made
several recommendations for the control system. The basic system requirements were for
Susan to be able to control her living room environment where she spends most of her day.
As had been demonstrated at the Abilities Expo, the installed solution is built around
AFT’s HomeISA Kit. The Kit provided the HomeVoice voice control software, the HomeISA
card for generating the physical X-10 (.e.g., lights) and IR (e.g., TV/VCR) control
signals, and a tabletop pressure zone microphone. With this installation, Susan speaks
simple voice commands that change her TV channel or volume, switch to her stereo or
control the room lights. Nick also suggested and installed cameras for the front door and
the home’s side driveway. He added a Cartell driveway sensor that uses an X-10 chime
module to let Susan know when someone is coming up the driveway of their hillside home.
When the chime sounds, Susan can give a voice command that tunes her TV to the driveway
camera to see who is arriving. She can also voice control the outdoor driveway and walkway
lights and enjoys teasing Nick when he visits at night by turning off these lights. These
cameras have become Susan’s virtual windows. She can look outside whenever she wishes
even though she cannot get to the real windows without assistance.
Nick also modulated the PC display video to the living room TV so that the Schwartz family can share Internet browsing, email and games directly with Susan. To control the PC, Nick combined Tiger Software’s Infrared Keyboard with a Xantech IR receiver to get the keyboard’s signal to the room where the PC is located. In addition to the other automaton components, Nick added the Silencer to automatically mute the TV and stereo when the phone rings.
Susan credits the HomeVoice-based solution with giving her back some independence that her multiple sclerosis had taken away. Although there are many things she can no longer do for herself, such as fixing something to eat or holding a book, she no longer must ask someone to change her TV show or turn on her light. She can do it herself - just by saying so.
