Assistive Technology: Custom Devices

This post outlines the wiring for the offline Amazon Alexa device for control of the television in inpatient hospital rooms. To see how this device is connected in the hospital rooms, refer to this  post .  This outlines the wiring for the offline television device using Amazon Alexa. The following design uses the parts listed in a previous  post , along with a custom 3-D printed holder for inside of the project box enclosure. The 5V (Blue Wires) and GND (White Wires) pins on the Texas Instrument board should be wired to the 5V and GND on the barrel jack input. Additionally, the 5V and GND pins on the Texas Instruments board should be wired to the 5V and GND pins on the Arduino to power the boards. The DI05 pin (Orange Wire) and DI04 pin (Yellow Wire) should be wired to the A4 and A5 pins on the Arduino, respectively. This will allow the Texas Instruments board and Arduino to communicate over I2C.  The IR LED (Red Wire) is wired to the positive pole (5V) of the barre...

This post outlines the wiring of the Nurse Call device for offline control with Amazon Alexa. To see how this device is connected in the hospital rooms, refer to this post .  This outlines the wiring for the offline Nurse Call device using Amazon Alexa. The following design uses the parts listed in a previous post , along with a custom 3-D printed holder for inside of the project box enclosure. The two 1/4" mono jacks are wired in parallel. One is to be used as an input for a manual call light switch, and the other is to be used as an output for the call light system. One of the poles of the 1/4" mono jack is connected to the COM pin on the relay (Black Wire), and the other is connected to the NO pin (Red Wire).  The DI06 Pin on the Texas Instruments board is wired to the IN (input) pin on the relay (Green Wire) to trigger momentary closure. The 3.3V pin and GND pin on the Texas Instruments board are wired to the VCC pin (Red Wire) and GND pin (Black Wire) on the relay, respe...

This post outlines the set up of the offline Alexa devices in inpatient rooms. For more information on the design of the offline Alexa devices, see this post . The set up of these devices is based on implementation at Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute. This project was done in partnership with Courage Kenny and Cummins Inc.  Nurse Call Set Up The offline nurse call device needs to be connected to the call light system via a 1/4" male to male mono jack cord . One of the 1/4" stereo jacks on the call light device will be used for this. The additional 1/4" mono jack port is for a manual call light option, such as a sip-and-puff or tent switch. It is highly recommended that a secondary call light access method is connected for safety purposes, as voice access is only meant as an alternative option . The call light box should be secured against the wall. This can be accomplished using high strength Velcro. It is best to secure as close as possible to the call light syst...

Offline Amazon Alexa voice activated TV controller and nurse call. About this Project: Amazon Alexa devices are a very inexpensive and effective environmental control option. However, use of Alexa devices in hospital environments has been limited due to HIPPA compliance issues. Typically, Alexa devices are connected to Wi-Fi and they record all voice recordings in the cloud. Due to this, as longs as Alexa devices are connected to Wi-Fi, they are at risk of violating HIPPA regulations. The purpose of this project was to create a way that Alexa devices can be used in hospital rooms for control of the call light, television, and lights without use of Wi-Fi. This would enable Alexa devices to be used in inpatient rehabilitation centers for individuals with limited mobility for control of their environment while remaining HIPPA compliant.  Offline Alexa Call Light Device Offline Alexa Television Device   How it works: Amazon has a specific version of the Echo devices call...