Welcome
to the design of smart housing for people with disabilities site
Smart
home technology can allow
people with disabilities
and older people to retain a level of independence within their
home which previously would have been impossible. Simple everyday
tasks such as opening windows, drawing curtains or even opening
doors, might appear to commonplace but for many individuals these
functions are almost impossible due to their impairments.
This site outlines some
of the features of smart housing and describes the software tool
that is being devised by The
Robert Gordon University, Scotland, in conjunction with:-
The
University of Porto (Portugal)
The University of Reading (UK)
Edinvar Housing (Scotland)
The Tayside Consortium (Scotland)
European Installation Bus Association [EIBA] (Brussels)
The software
is devised to design smart houses, so that the needs of the potential
occupant are considered throughout the whole design. The tool
can be used to illustrate how the devices that make up a smart
house work. It allows the user to activate or deactivate individual
devices and demonstrates the consequences of the activation or
deactivation on other devices in the network.
Smart homes or automated
homes cannot and should not replace the requirement for carers
to be present but can allow individuals to actively interact
with their environment so that they are able to control some
features that were previously impossible to control. Smart homes
can also be used to monitor the health
of the occupant and report abnormalities or emergencies to
the relevant authorities. The occupant of a smart house can also
receive alerts or warnings when a problem within the home is
detected.
In the future smart homes
will become more intelligent and be able to respond to the individual
actions of an individual preguessing their actions and providing
the appropriate responses. The future is Smart homes and so it
the present.
Smart Thinking: Socio-Medical and
Assistive technological Research for Today
The
Independent Health Research Consultancy
