BEFORE

AFTER

A gentle tilt of the head to avoid the dazzle of sun bouncing off the deep blue wave tops, 200 meters away, brings a 135 cm rear projector screen into line of vision. Out of the corner of one eye, it's possible to monitor activity from various parts of the building via a bank of video monitors. A curt instruction triggers a soft whirring as a giant screen winds down from the ceiling. A further flurry of commands, and a website flickers into life, three meters across. Another series of orders, and a customized menu pops up into view on a jumbo video monitor alongside. Commands are issued and relayed to a central processor. The floor-to-ceiling curtains hiss shut, and moody lighting adjusts to suit the setting sun. Up on the big screen, international markets trends are flickering away. The telephone interrupts. "Hey Anthony. How is it going?" The conversation is animated. You almost expect gestures. But there aren't any. The solitary watcher in bed hasn't changed position, lifted a handset, pressed a button. He can't. He is a quadriplegic. His voice acts as his hands and fingers.

Welcome to the wired home.

Quadriplegia has restricted this South African man to his 140 m/square apartment in a coastal suburb. But thanks to an array of gadgetry that seems to have stepped out of the world of science fiction - or the military - his world extends far beyond his physical constraints. A horrific accident eight years ago left him paralyzed from the neck down. Still a young man, he has directed his pent-up inner drive towards pushing the boundaries of home automation. A substantial accident insurance settlement has helped ease the daunting transition from mobile to largely static world. What also helps is his single-minded determination to make the most of what he can control in his world.

It starts with an order.

Using Dragon dictate and Dragon Naturally speaking software was a starting point. With this software one is able to accomplish the obvious task of dictating and, say, dialing out via telephone using a dedicated address book.

But things have been taken much further in the process of working towards integrating conventional home automation and voice activation. The concepts, which have evolved over a period of eight years, have been realized and implemented with the expertise and assistance of Mark Breetske of Constructive Audio Visual (www.cav2.com)......

POPULAR MECHANICS
May 2003