bobparadiso
New member
- Joined
- Jun 16, 2015
- Messages
- 6
- Reason
- Learn about ALS
- Country
- US
- State
- NY
- City
- Brooklyn
Hello, it's been a while since my last post here. Since then I've designed and built many different pieces of electronics for people with ALS and other MND's. One common device I've built for people is alternate bed controls, usually voice activated. So even if you can't press the buttons on the controller, you can still move the head or foot of the bed up or down with your voice for example.
The most important thing I want people to know if they don't already is that the tech is out there, it works, people are currently using it, and there are several individuals and companies that can set you up with one. If you search YouTube for "amazon echo controlled bed", "voice activated bed", or "alexa controlled bed" you find some video examples and more information. You can also search with those terms on Google and you should see some good info.
The second thing to understand are the limitations. Anything that is voice controlled can mishear you or hear something like the TV and respond mistakenly. Further if it's based off a WiFi device like Amazon Echo then it won't work while your internet is out, or while Amazon is sending out a firmware update. That said, if your situation can tolerate an occasional incorrect bed movement, but would benefit from being able to more independently control your bed, then it can really be worth it. Alternately eye-gaze and other mechanisms can easily be leveraged to control a bed if your voice is getting too weak or if there are other issues.
Interfacing with the bed is often either wiring into the handheld bed control or plugging into the connector under the bed. Some beds have a wireless remote. In those cases the RF signals can be captured and played back at the appropriate times. It's often very important to make sure there's still a controller around with physical buttons that can still be used so that others in the room can control the bed without voice if necessary. All solutions can accommodate this need.
If anyone has any questions about how a very handy person would go about doing this themselves or wants to know about companies and organizations doing this kind of work for people, feel free to send me a message.
The most important thing I want people to know if they don't already is that the tech is out there, it works, people are currently using it, and there are several individuals and companies that can set you up with one. If you search YouTube for "amazon echo controlled bed", "voice activated bed", or "alexa controlled bed" you find some video examples and more information. You can also search with those terms on Google and you should see some good info.
The second thing to understand are the limitations. Anything that is voice controlled can mishear you or hear something like the TV and respond mistakenly. Further if it's based off a WiFi device like Amazon Echo then it won't work while your internet is out, or while Amazon is sending out a firmware update. That said, if your situation can tolerate an occasional incorrect bed movement, but would benefit from being able to more independently control your bed, then it can really be worth it. Alternately eye-gaze and other mechanisms can easily be leveraged to control a bed if your voice is getting too weak or if there are other issues.
Interfacing with the bed is often either wiring into the handheld bed control or plugging into the connector under the bed. Some beds have a wireless remote. In those cases the RF signals can be captured and played back at the appropriate times. It's often very important to make sure there's still a controller around with physical buttons that can still be used so that others in the room can control the bed without voice if necessary. All solutions can accommodate this need.
If anyone has any questions about how a very handy person would go about doing this themselves or wants to know about companies and organizations doing this kind of work for people, feel free to send me a message.
