Articles and whitepapers

Smart Home Technology for Disabled People (4/1/2010)

By Dr Guy Dewsbury, SMART Thinking

Smart home technology in the UK has tended to focus on the market sector of audio visual technologies and technologies for larger corporate buildings or very rich people. In many ways this is the natural order of things from a free market perspective. What is interesting, to me, is that there is a sector which might be the growth point for the future, namely disabled people.

In the UK, technology is currently being used to support older and vulnerable people to remain independent in their own homes. The use of Telecare devices, such as sensors that detect falls, floods, heat, smoke or movement etc., are used throughout the UK as preventative aids that can and do enable people to retain independence.

Many of these sensors are called smart technology, which is a debateable term, since they differ from many smart homes which feature bus technologies, as they do not have the two-way handshake between devices. This means that devices cannot communicate with each other apart from to sending an open/closed or on/off signal. The implication of this is clear: the design of smart systems which depend on the states of a device for a resulting action are currently not possible with a unidirectional protocol.

True smart technology

True smart home technology enables two-way protocol and identification of states within the devices, so it is easier to set up complex interactions such that if a device is in X state, then another device should do Y, but only if a further device is in the state of Z etc. These complex interactions between devices are commonplace for AV designers who want to switch lighting moods according to music styles or depending on who is in the room. Smart home technology can also be reconfigured as a person’s requirements change.

These facets of smart technology have a further and possibly greater importance, supporting people with disabilities to retain a level of independence that Telecare cannot currently provide. Smart home usage for people with chronic disabilities has been researched for over fifteen years, with a number of smart homes in Scotland being built to demonstrate the application of the technology to this user group, but each has fallen down, and the cheaper and simpler Telecare systems have replaced these homes. That said, the market is ripe for interventions into this sector from real smart systems. Possum, an Assistive Technology manufacturer, has realised this potential many years ago and designed many devices to support people with chronic disabilities. Similarly in Scotland, a number of homes have been built for real people, using KNX. These are not test sites but real smart homes that have people with chronic disabilities to live in.

The Possum Primo controller works with Electronic Assistive Technology (EAT) via infra-red and RF to control, security (alarms, intercom systems and door locks); communications (telephone operation, nurse/warden call systems, pagers; comfort (power sockets, lights, curtains/blinds, multifunction beds and chairs); entertainment (TV, satellite/digital TV, DVD, music systems, radio, page-turners); access control (door/window openers, lifts); and personal computers (business, email, Internet).

The Possum Primo controller attached to the user's wheelchair.

Aim of smart technology for disabled people

The purpose of the smart home for disabled people is to ensure that the technology sits in the background, is unobtrusive, and functions in a specific bespoke manner that the individual requires of it. This means that the installers of the technology require a level of understanding about the needs of the person and their expectations from the technology. The siting and properties of the technology are critical, as a door opener can easily be rendered useless if placed in the wrong position. This means that the installer has to work with the person with disabilities or their advocate to ensure the designs function in the manner expected.

A development of homes in Scotland that were designed for people with severe autism.

Smart home technology is not limited to physical disabilities; it can have the same application for people with learning difficulties, people with chronic conditions and long-term illnesses. Moreover, as we move into the wireless powerline version of smart homes, the ability to configure devices together to produce complex systems increases the functionality of the devices and can provide more support at a cheaper price.

Conclusion

It is exciting to see that some manufacturers are beginning to consider some of these issues and are producing two-way handshake devices for Telecare systems such as the Possum EAT system, but we are still in a position where smart homes are often the best alternative to meet the needs and expectations of a disabled person. The other difficulty that exists in the UK is that the people designing and installing smart homes for disabled people don’t shout about it and therefore they go unnoticed.

We are at a time when it can pay to diversify into new markets; certainly health is one such market in which high profits are possible. Veering away from the easy money of the traditional smart home could seem a big gamble, and in many ways it is, but the potential rewards are high. The evidence exists that smart homes have a great influence on people’s ability to live independently.

Dr Guy Dewsbury is the CEO of SMART Thinking, a consultancy that specialises in technology to help disabled people.

www.smartthinking.ukideas.com