Control solutions can help people with disabilities manage lights, curtains, air conditioners, sensors, appliances, temperature control and programmable keypads.
By Carlos Arias*
For people without disabilities, home automation may seem like something of the future, but for those facing mobility or disability issues, having automatic systems for daily tasks, such as opening and closing curtains or turning a bathroom light off and on, can mean your only chance to live in your own home.
Among the technologies available for the development of a smart home are systems and solutions for the control of natural and artificial lighting. These contribute significantly to the independence and well-being of people with disabilities and can be integrated into a home automation and control network that includes other technologies, such as monitoring systems, thermostats and alarms.
All these systems aim to increase flexibility, security and quality of life of people and can be controlled centrally from a smartphone, tablet or computer.
Identifying the immediate and future needs of the user, their habits, the environment where they live and their investment capacity, is essential to determine the right solution for each person. To define the best solution in lighting control, three key elements must be taken into account: ergonomics, automation and compatibility with other systems, so that they can talk or integrate with products of different brands.
One of the simplest and most economical solutions in lighting control that can contribute to the comfort, independence and safety of people suffering from different types of disabilities is the installation of occupancy and vacancy sensors instead of traditional on and off switches.
Occupancy sensors detect when someone uses a certain space in the home and photoelectric sensors detect the intensity of natural light in that space. Sensors can be programmed to turn on lights when a person enters a space and turn them off or dim when no one is in that space anymore. In addition, they can detect the presence of natural light by preventing the lights from turning on automatically unnecessarily.
Another option is the installation of battery-powered passive infrared Radio Powr Savr sensors that control the lights automatically via Lutron's Clear Connect radio frequency (RF) communication. These sensors, installed on the ceiling, detect the heat of people moving in a space of the home to determine their presence and then perform the wireless transmission of the appropriate commands to the devices that turn the lights on or off automatically. Being wireless, these are ideal for places where there is no electrical connection.
Privacy, temperature and lighting levels in the home are crucial to people's well-being. The integration of motorized blinds allows to effectively control natural light and reduce the absorption of heat from the sun, helping to maintain the ideal temperature and lighting in the environment. Battery-rolled blinds, for example, allow you to control natural light without having to stand to open or close them manually. Also, if the home already has blinds or curtains installed, a contact interface can make them automatic.
All these solutions can be installed individually or integrated into a total lighting control system. This level of control includes lights, curtains, air conditioning equipment, sensors, appliances, temperature control and programmable keypads. It is important to note that the system offers an open communication protocol, allowing it to be integrated into other systems that are already installed, regardless of their brand.
A person who has a wheelchair that activates screens, such as a tablet or smartphone, and can control different elements such as a thermostat through movements such as blinking, will also be able to control the internal and external lighting of their home in the same way.
An integral lighting control system allows from programming the intensity of the lights of certain spaces during certain hours of the day or night, to the configuration of complete scenarios, such as, for example, that from the car a command can be given so that the lights outside the garage and the entrance hall are turned on, the alarm is disconnected, the blinds are opened, and the temperature is automatically adjusted.
The possibilities are endless and, in addition to helping to create an ideal environment for people with disabilities and their families, helping them to easily and efficiently control the lighting in any space, they also result in significant savings in energy consumption.
*Carlos Arias is an engineer at Lutron Electronics.
