Connecting people with the environment: A new accessible wireless remote control

The ability for a person with a disability to independently control appliances within the home environment (such as a TV, video, DVD player, etc) is not only satisfying, but also empowering. Traditional remote controls are based on infrared communication, which requires line-of-sight operation. In many every day situations line-of-sight issues arise and communication between the remote and the device becomes blocked. A new wireless technology that doesn't have this issue, ZigBee, has emerged as a standard for home automation purposes, due to its low power consumption and long range of operation. This presentation will discuss the development of a new ZigBee-based accessible wireless remote control that incorporates Universal Design principles. The control uses a Pocket PC, a commercially available personal digital assistant, and features switch scanning, high contrast buttons, flexible software, and audible output capability. It was developed in less than a year and was demonstrated to control a TV and DVD player. This project represented a partnership between Flinders University and NovitaTech, where a group of students worked in consultation NovitaTech staff to incorporate accessibility features at the specification stage of the project. Hence, retrofitting or the need to re-design the product to make it accessible was avoided.

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