Wireless systems
The advantages of wireless systems are that devices, machines and terminals can communicate with each other without the need to be physically connected. This technology is already widely applied to portable electronic devices, including mobile phones, laptop computers, digital cameras and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), using technologies such as Bluetooth or WiFi.
Environments can now be monitored using sensors that wirelessly communicate to a control centre. In applications such as smart housing, devices such as door bells, temperature monitoring systems, CCTV cameras, ventilation and safety control systems can be interconnected. Venues such as sports stadiums, entertainment complexes, hotels or conference centres can be designed to take full advantage of wireless systems to not only monitor the environments but also to monitor such things as the movement of people and control of crowds. Combined with RFID technology, wireless systems can significantly improve security.
One of the main devices that use wireless communication are mobile phones. Nearly everyone carries one, and their use in helping people connect to other devices is likely to grow considerably as designers and engineers continue to explore possibilities.
For people with disabilities, wireless systems can provide new ways to guide people, deliver specific information to an assistive device or provide instructions on how to operate a terminal or machine. For example, a wireless system that transmitted transport information to mobile telephones within a certain range could be very helpful to a blind person. This is a viable possibility that would be vandal proof and low cost. Other types of public terminals such as cash machines could also use this type of system.
Another potential application is to use a wireless enabled mobile phone handset at a sports or entertainment venue. Using their handset, disabled people could indicate that they need more time to pass a barrier, or that they need navigation guidance or information on the event.
At road crossings, a person could indicate that they want to cross the road and need more than the standard time to complete the crossing. They could also receive audio information about road junctions or the destination of trains and buses.
At a cash dispenser or ticket machine, a person with a smart card could instruct the machine to send speech output to a particular mobile phone handset. So the text on the screen of the cash dispenser would be presented as speech. This does not involve a phone call, but just uses the handset which includes a wireless interface, such as Bluetooth.
New wireless technology allows hearing aids to be used in both ears rather than just one. This improvement creates possibilities for better audio communication to people with hearing loss. Wireless technology will allow people in museums, galleries, conference centres or venues to receive audio descriptions. Their personal device could request the descriptions in their specific language.
Safety warnings can also be transmitted automatically when a sensor detects a device carried by a person with a disability. This would be particularly important for people with low vision or hearing loss.
To allow elderly people to live or travel more independently wireless technology can make their home, sheltered accommodation or hotel more easy to monitor. As well as monitoring and controlling the environment, messages could be automatically transmitted to warn the actual person or someone responsible for their care. Hotels could use these systems to provide facilities for people who needed extra care or assistance.
Universal Remote Control standards and support services have been developed to promote the use of standard household networking technologies (WiFi, ZigBee and HomePlug, for example) that can provide a means for a low cost and gradual evolution of a standard home, office or venue into an intelligent controllable environment. Further information can be found at www.myurc.com.
Go to Tiresias Wireless Systems Guidelines