Eye Gaze technology and home automation working together to enable and empower

Do you have a loved one whose daily living is impacted by impaired communication and/or coordination? Or, are you employed in the disability or aged care sector and are trying to find innovative, accessible ways to improve the lives of your patients?

There are many barriers that impact people living with a disability, which can make everyday tasks like communicating and living independently difficult. Through non-conventional methods in the form of assistive technology, we can help them pursue their goals and provide them with more options to independently control their environment.

This is where the integration of assistive technology and home automation can provide new control solutions for systems and components in the home.

Controlling home automation systems using Eye Gaze technology is just one of the many ways people living with a disability can live a richer and more empowered life.

So, how important is Eye Gaze technology and how can this innovation be incorporated into home automation systems?

Read more from the leaders in Perth home automation, Intelligent Home, to find out.

What is Eye Gaze technology?

Eye Gaze technology allows people living with physical and communication impairment to access touchless control and communication methods using only their eyes.

Essentially, it’s a touchless tablet communication system ‘driven’ by the eyes. It tracks eye movement to enable computers to know precisely where users are looking.

Eye Gaze technology would typically allow the user control of a mobile phone, control through infra-red (changing TV channels) and face to face communication. But, when integrated with a home automation system, the number of devices and systems controllable by Eye Gaze increases. The integration of home automation and Eye Gaze technologies creates more choices for control than have been previously available using Eye Gaze alone, giving the individual more options to independently customise their home environment.

If you’re looking to improve the quality of life for a patient or loved one, assistive technology can help.

At Intelligent Home, we’re proud to be registered NDIS providers, and are fully committed to making lives better through assistive technology.

Our caring, knowledgeable, and compassionate industry experts are here to work with you to enable independence and accessibility for everybody in the home.

Want to see for yourself how Eye Gaze technology can control a home automation system?

Watch these videos below.

 Empowerment starts at home

Innovative assistive technology solutions, such as Eye Gaze home automation control, have the ability to improve the lives of many in the community.

Who benefits from Eye Gaze home automation control?

People within the community who are living with:

• Brain injury or stroke
• Motor Neuron Disease (MND) or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
• Cerebral Palsy
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Spinal Muscular Atrophy
• Rett Syndrome
• Werdnig Hoffmann
• Huntington’s Disease
• Spinal cord injuries and other conditions which impact communication and coordination.

Our very own Doug Crockett, Assistive Technology Manager puts what we do, perfectly:

“Technology isn’t only about putting a widget on a wall.

It’s about enabling everyday Australians to have a better lifestyle, more independence and greater security.”

Making life at home easier - it’s what we do best

Intelligent Home are leaders in home technology, successfully integrating Eye Gaze technology with a home automation system.

It’s this very innovation that can allow assistive technology users the ability to control their environmental systems and devices.

These include:

• Lighting
• Curtains and blinds
• Air conditioning (heating and cooling)
• Televisions, music and other entertainment systems
• Doors and gates
• Home and personal alarms
• Reticulation
• Sensory and therapy room activation
• Security camera (CCTV)operations
• Intercoms
• Nurse and carer call systems.

Eye Gaze technology, when combined with a home automation system can help an individual achieve a higher quality of life through the flexibility of control.

Home automation systems can activate a sequence of commands when triggered by a single action, such as an eye gaze. For example, users can go to bed safely, by simply gazing at a ‘goodnight button’ to turn off all the lights, shut the blinds, switch off the TV and lock all the doors.

We’ve been thankful to be endorsed and supported in the industry through collaboration with companies like Technology for Ageing and Disability WA (TADWA) and Amy Litton, a Speech Pathologist from Link Assistive.

It was while working with Amy Litton and her team at Link Assistive, that our integrators investigated possible control solutions using Eye Gaze technology. We successfully demonstrated that our automation systems could be controlled natively using Eye Gaze platform Grid 3.

“As humans, we all want choice and control over our lives.

Imagine not having the ability to turn the TV and lights off when you just want to go to sleep or have to always have someone with you to open the door out into your garden.

Home automation technology that can be operated via eye gaze and other alternatives gives people their independence, safety and security.

The Link Assistive Team is excited to be involved in this next step in giving people full control of their home,”

– Amy Litton.

Together, we:

• Established a clear understanding of how people use eye gaze technology.
• Brainstormed what we could add to the system to provide the end user with greater independence.
• Worked out what automation systems would be compatible and what is achievable.
• Communicated with the Eye Gaze platform developers to investigate ways we could integrate our own systems.
• Used programming skills to create automation controls.
• Tested additional software required and fine-tuned controls to ensure a positive user experience.

Resulting in exciting outcomes:

• Integrated environmental control in the home via eye gaze.
• Potential for control not only with eye control but any access method including switch control, head mouse, joystick and alternative touch.
• Eye Gaze control solutions that can integrate with mainstream home automation technologies.
• Greater independence and privacy for users.
• Faster control and fewer actions to achieve outcomes.
• Robust solutions that use a stable, reliable internal home network, not dependent on the internet.
• An increase in user self-confidence that can reduce the number of hours required by carers or family members.
• Increased peace of mind knowing that people can call a carer using their eyes.
• Happier family members who know their loved ones are now living a more connected life.

Does the idea of assistive technology intrigue, yet scare you?

The thought of assistive technology can be a little scary and overwhelming, but that’s what we’re here for.  Whether for yourself, a patient or loved one, our services and systems are designed for ease of use, making daily living simpler and safer.

Our solutions can be perceived as more expensive or complex, when compared to low cost, do-it-yourself retail devices, and there's often fear associated with understanding the technology. Fortunately, though, as technology evolves and the demand for reliable and adaptable solutions increases, there's a growing acceptance that integrated tech solutions can deliver life changing, long-term results.

Although integrated solutions can be more expensive upfront, the lifestyle benefits, including the potential to create more independence for the end user, reducing costs associated with labour and carers, instantly offsets this.

Arguably, the most rewarding benefits are psychological, with many clients who get to, sometimes for the first time, experience greater levels of confidence, self-expression and independence. Now, that’s empowering!

Working together to improve the lives of many

Technology is forever advancing and enriching the lives of many – there’s simply no denying it.

For over 20 years, our team of technology-minded individuals grew from data cabling and home integration to entertainment and technology.

Now, we’ve grown substantially to offer home network and automation systems to Perth homes.

But we haven’t stopped there. We decided to utilise our passion for technology to improve the quality of life of people in the community. That’s when we realised there was a real need for accessible and high-quality home automation technology in the disability and aged care sector.

We work together with:

• Organisations who refer National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) participants in need of assistive technology solutions at home and at work
• Occupational therapists and carers
• Specialist Disability Accommodation (SDA) providers and builders for both residential and commercial developments
• Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers
• National organisations to provide consultancy services for SDA design and NDIS retrofit solutions
• Family members who care for family members living with a disability, and of course, assistive technology users themselves.

Combining technology and disability is a rewarding venture for us, and an invaluable addition to the people of Perth who need it most.

You can count on our co-operative and collaborative technology team to provide professional, industry leading solutions without all the confusing tech jargon.

Assistive technology and home automation for your Perth home

The ability to integrate different control options into home automation systems is game changing and life changing.

Through the integration of Eye Gaze technology and home automation, individuals can have a wider variety of systems to control their lives and live more independently.

For some of us, such as the people in Perth living with a disability and some aged care residents, communication doesn’t come easy. This is where assistive technology solutions are a welcome addition to homes and other places of care.

At Intelligent Home, we’re on a mission to simplify assistive technology.

We advise and provide, install and service a wide range of innovative and easy-to-use home automation systems that can integrate with Eye Gaze technology.

Enabling greater independence and empowering our clients is very important to our team. And Eye Gaze technology, is just one of the many ways technology is improving the lives of people living with a disability and in aged care.

To find out more about Eye Gaze technology, contact Doug Crockett at Intelligent Home.

Alterntively, click here to attend an accessible smart home information session hosted by Intelligent Home and Link Assistive on Monday 15th August 2022.