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. attended the Abilities Expo to actively introduce
the company's Home Voice software and related voice control home
automation products as Assertive 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.
President of A.H.A. & DESIGN Nick
Tamburri (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 Home ISA Kit. The Kit provided the
Home Voice voice control software, the Home ISA 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 Home Voice-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.
