How to Boost Accessibility in Buildings Using IoT
Only 3% of buildings in India are fully accommodating to people with disabilities, according to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities. This is why the government now requires buildings to be retrofitted with ramps, modified toilets and other features, which can be a slow and expensive process. If you need to enhance a building’s accessibility within a shorter period of time then installing IoT devices is a better plan. Unlike physical features that have to be built into the building, IoT devices are wireless and only need to be synced with other devices using various protocols.
IoT for Easy Navigation
To make a building easy to navigate, location-based service technologies such as Wi-Fi, Li-Fi, RFID/NFC, GPS, BLE and Beacon can be used. It is often Beacons that are used to build and navigate indoor maps. They are ideal for this because they continuously transmit low energy signals that Bluetooth enabled smartphones can scan and display.
These beacons can be placed in strategic areas to help people who are visually impaired to navigate a building as long as they have a smartphone. Apps on the smartphone can translate these signals into voiced directions for people with visual impairment. There are companies already using beacons to broadcast advertisements and notifications during public events, in real estate properties and parks. There are also companies working on GPS-like technologies that help anyone find their way in complex buildings.
IoT for accessible homes
Another area that IoT can be used to improve accessibility or independent living is the home. Already there are smart home devices such as smart speakers that allow you to control cooking appliances, electronics and other devices using only your voice. Even though Google Home and Amazon Echo smart speakers are already available in India, only a few people with disabilities may be able to afford them.
These devices may be expensive but the technologies used to make them can be accessed easily in India. In fact, students of NSS College of Engineering in Palakkad Kerala built a low-cost voice controlled wheelchair in 2018 according to Mathrubhumi. The students did this using the motor of a car wiper and a small chip called a voice module that was installed on the microcontroller of the wheelchair. The small chip could translate voice directions from a student that was wearing a headset fitted with a microphone into various actions.
Wearables and affordable smart devices
Several other cheap smart devices that can automatically turn off the lights, thermostats, ceiling and standing fans can be made using arduino boards. Other smart devices that can be made using arduino boards include smoke detectors, security cameras, alarms and more. These types of boards can be used to make cheaper smart devices targeted at people with disabilities.
People with disabilities can also use wearables for enhanced independent living especially in contexts where smartphones are not efficient. For example, there are hearing aids that use various EQ and advanced audio effects to provide a studio level sound quality for users. Another example is smart watches that track your fitness or health everyday and everywhere you go, and can also call a doctor if it detects you have fallen down.
Smart devices and wearables are eventually going to get cheaper as more units get shipped to India as the demand grows. In the future, probably every street and home will be fitted with these devices to help with accessibility.
