Smart Kitchen

Smart Kitchen

Problem Definition

People like Bob need to eat like all other people and preferably be independent and eat whenever they wish.

Solution

As a solution, a smart kitchen will be implemented. This will feature automated appliances with augmented sensors, which will help people like Bob cook food, eat and wash dishes more independently.

How will the System Work

All automation and smart appliances will be connected to the main computer. These will feed in all the relevant signals and data to the various software applications on the main computer. Each device involved would be configurable from this computer/system.

To make life easier for Bob, lights will automatically switch on whenever he walks into the kitchen. This will also apply to the appliances, such as dishwasher, microwave oven, etc. Apart from saving on electricity bills, this will be useful to Bob as it won’t require him to use his only weak hand to turn on the appliances. The kitchen will basically make use of a heat sensor attached to the ceiling and will be used to switch on the lighting and appliances whenever it detects Bob’s presence. It will also feature a time-out feature, where the lights and appliances will automatically switch off after a predefined number of minutes (such as 10mins).

The Smart Fridge

Starting from the fridge, this will have an RFID reader or a barcode scanner on the front or a camera which uses technology similar to Google’s Goggles Technology. This enables the user to scan an object before putting it in the fridge. This way, the fridge can keep an inventory of all items in the fridge. When an item, (such as milk) gets low, it will notify Bob by sending him an email to his PC. The next time he enters the kitchen, the heat sensor will detect his presence and notify him using a voice synthesiser. He can then either order the shopping list online or go out physically and buy the items. Moreover, the fridge will be connected to the home network via Wi-Fi and accessible from a web interface which will allow the user to view its current inventory from a PC.

Automatic Coffee

Like most people, Bob likes coffee. Whenever Bob arrives home from an errand, the coffee machine will automatically switch on and makes a cup of coffee. This will be achieved by using the RFID Transceiver underneath the Welcome Mat which will send a signal to the main computer to switch on the coffee machine. Moreover, the same concept will be used when Bob is at home and wishes a cup of coffee. Instead he will be able to voice out commands to the voice recognition system implemented in the house to the coffee machine.

The Automatic Microwave Oven

To save Bob from fiddling with complicated microwave ovens, he can use an automated one which can automatically figure out the weight of the meal and cook it automatically, saving him from splitting the cooking process (such as defrosting, turning food, etc). The voice recognition system implemented in the house will also be used in conjunction with the automatic microwave oven. Since Bob needs to choose the type of food when cooking something in the microwave oven, he can use the voice recognition system to input the food type and start the cooking process. This way, he only needs to take the meal out from the fridge/freezer, unwrap it and put it in the microwave oven. (An unwrapper device can be used to help him unwrap items, considering he only has 1 usable arm.) An example of such a microwave oven is the following: http://www.sharpusa.com/ForHome/HomeAppliances/MicrowaveOvens/R820BK.aspx.

When the meal is ready, Bob can use the robotic arm to get the hot meal out of the microwave oven and place it on a plate. Similarly, to eat Bob can either use his weak hand or the robotic arm.

Furthermore, to save Bob from washing dishes, he will make use of a dishwasher and he will have the option of activating the washing programme by using the voice recognition system.

Safety

For people like Bob, safety is of upmost importance. Smoke detectors will be implemented in the kitchen together with automatic water sprinklers which will turn off any fire hazard immediately. Moreover, when the fire alarm goes off, the system will automatically call the fire department to aid Bob to safety (in case of smoke inhalation, becoming trapped, etc).

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/worlds-first-intelligent-refrigerator

Smart Bathroom

Problem Definition:

So keeping in mind Bob, a man who is physically disabled; going to the bathroom is one of the many difficulties to come across during the day and night.

Solution:

As a solution to this problem, an ‘intelligent bathroom’ should be used. In short, this will make it easier for Bob to use the bathroom by using automated appliances.

How will the system work?

First of all, all automation will be connected to the main Computer.

Due to Bob’s physical disabilities, the first step is to implement an automated door so that once Bob approaches the bathroom it will automatically on for him. Once inside the bathroom Bob could use the voice recognition system implemented in the house to lock the door if desired.

The toilet also requires some automated features to make Bob’s life easier. For the toilet, a sensor will be monitoring movement so that when Bob gets close to it the toilet seat will open. Once Bob is ready and moves away the toilet seat will automatically close and the flushing system will remove the waste and refill with new water.

The most challenging time of the day when using the bathroom for Bob will be when he will need to have a shower. Due to his physical condition it may be hard to stand up for more than 5 minutes without support therefore a shower maybe difficult for him. An alternative to a shower could be a bath, however this poses

additional difficulties for Bob, as once seated very low it would be difficult for him to get back up with no support. The solution to this problem would be a shower with a seat that will let Bob make himself comfortable whilst showering himself.

Washing his hand is also a difficult task as a regular soap dispenser is usually requires two hands to operate. A soap dispenser with a sensor would be perfect for Bob as when he places his hand beneath the dispenser, the sensor will sense his hand and the soap will be dispensed. The automatic soap dispenser could also be used in the shower.

The bathroom system will be split in day and night “shifts”.

During the morning hours the following features will occur:

• Automated door to open, close and lock the bathroom
• Automatic lights that will go on to 100% of power
• Automated toilet seat
• Automated flushing system
• Temperature controlled water system that is set before hand to Bob's liking, and once on the seat a small button will start the water
• An emergency timer that will set off if Bob takes longer than 45 minutes in the bathroom

During the night hours (hours would be adjustable from the computer) all of the listed features above will work with and extra additional feature regarding the lighting.

Therefore, if for some reason Bob needs to go to the bathroom during the night, once he steps on the pressure pad around his bed, the lights will automatically switch on the hall and bedroom lights to 50% of illumination increasing to 100% over 1 minute and the bathroom lights instantly to 100% illumination.

After leaving the bathroom, the bathroom light automatically switches off. After the person gets back into bed the bedroom light is dimmed from 100% to 50% over one minute and then switched off.

Emergency system

An emergency system has to be implemented so as to help Bob if he requires assistance. The bathroom emergency system, as described above, consists of a timer that will set off if Bob takes longer than 45 minutes in the bathroom. As another level of security, if Bob calls out, let’s say ‘HELP’, the voice recognition implemented around the house will recognise the keyword and the emergency feature will be activated.

When the Emergency system is activated

• The door of the bathroom will unlock itself automatically so when assistance arrives the door would be open.
  
• An emergency call will inform family members, friends and an ambulance that Bob requires assistance (the contact list could be edited from the computer)

The emergency system could be used all over the house to increase safety.

What is needed?

Basically to make the intelligent bathroom everything could be bought in as such material already exists. What needs to be done is the setup and installation to make things work with the computer system. This can be time consuming however if done well will make Bob’s life much easier and safer.

Using the Computer and Moving Small Objects

Here is my gizmo for CW2. Just to point out I moved away from the initial voice recognition for calls for the simple reason that it is something standard in most phones and does not require an 800 word explanation. I talked about Bob's computer usage (because of course... he needs to use his pc!) and very briefly touched on how the arm can be used to move very small objects. Also, i must point out (because i was confused since yesterday about this) the 2D arm that i talk about for computer navigation is a virtual arm i.e. there is no physical arm but just a software.

I suggest we keep a little section at the end for rounding up other assisting technologies like the voice dialing and motorized shelves that come down for hard to reach areas and maybe label this section as "other features" that we mention briefly in a small paragraph rather than tackling them as large issues as we are doing with these big gizmos.

Let me know what you think and if its explain well because it was actually really confusing for me to understand at first :P

Cheers,

Maria :)

Using the Computer and Moving Small Objects

The Problem:

Having lost a lot of the movement in his arms Bob is found at a difficulty when managing day to day computer activities such as using the computer mouse - an activity that is so simple yet so hard for Bob. Several assistive technologies exist that provide an alternative to mouse control; with the most common being the physical joystick. Unfortunately, this may not be the best solution for Bob as his arms do not have the full control required to hold and move the physical joystick.

The Solution:

The proposed solution is to equip Bob with a vocal joystick to cater for the daily computer activities he needs to perform. House (2009) et al present a voice controlled computer-simulated arm, which is a software program that simulates the computer mouse. Although the most natural solution to control such a problem would be to have a natural speech recognition system integrated, such a system will be limited in commands and thus in smoothness of operation.

In order to provide more elaborate control, the vocal joystick works using the human voice in a non verbal manner, removing constraints caused by the natural language. House et al (2009) explain that it works with continuous vocal sounds with variations in pitch, amplitude and vowel quality for precise control of computer applications and electro-mechanical devices.

Using the 2D simulated arm, Bob will be able to navigate a WIMP (windows, icons, menus and pointers) interface by simply using his voice. House et al (2009) take it even further with a program called Voice Draw, which allows the vocal joystick to be combined with speech recognition for the drawing of objects on a computer. Such a functionality make it possible for Bob to explorer his artistic side regardless of his impairments.

Requirements:

To implement this non-invasive system, few hardware is needed. Mainly:

• a standard microphone

• a sound card

• a computer

The main working force behind this system is a library with all the parameters used to control the joystick. The portability of such a library make it possible to use the vocal joystick with an unlimited number of applications providing Bob with more flexibility in the programs he uses.

How it works:

The vocal joystick extracts loudness, pitch and vowel quality and maps these parameters to controls that result in the desired action or motion. In order to simulate mouse control, House et al (2009) explains that each vowel corresponds to a specific direction, while the volume of the voice projected controls the velocity of the arrow movement on screen. Such control is achieved through 2D mapping and can be seen in figure 1.0 below. Mouse clicks are also created through the use of “ck” and “ch” sounds.

Figure 1.0: Vowel mapping to cursor movement for mouse control

Robotic Arm

House et al (2009) have also expanded this vocal joystick to presente the idea of a real 3D robotic arm which allows the user to move small objects as desired in real life. The 3D arm called the VoiceBot; works in the same manner, using the same parameters and allowing the user to manipulate and control each joint of the arm through an interface between the vocal joystick and robotic arm itself.

Hardware Overview:

The arm itself has five degrees of freedom which allows it to move. These include shoulder rotation, shoulder bend, elbow bend, wrist rotate and wrist band as can be seen below. At one end there is a 2-prong gripper for grabbing small objects. Communication between the computer and the arm is done through a serial port and a microprocessor controls servos at each joint.

Figure 1.2: Joint angles of Robotic Arm

How it works:

Bob will be able to control the 3D arm in two modes:

• Position mode: this moves the entire arm using pitch and vowels for the direction, while loudness is used for speed.

• Orientation mode: the wrist motion will allow for fine tune of the grippers’ positioning.

House et al (2009) explain that the vowels [ae] and [uw] are used to alter the wrist bend, while [iy] and [aw] to rotate the wrist.

Figure 1.3: Vowel sounds associated with arm movement

Although there is no feedback mechanism or sensors for the 3D robotic arm, the current solution can be an excellent prototype for future improvement. The current robotic arm will be sufficient for aiding Bob when his arms fail him at moving small objects, such as a glass across the table. The flexibility of the vocal joystick also ensure that Bob can use the computer without any problem, ensuring accuracy in movement with some practice, all allowing Bob to live a normal life through assistive living.

Reference: http://dub.washington.edu/djangosite/media/papers/vb_chi09.pdf

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXmccs4GIqI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_cpb4fQB2k

Front Door and Security

Yo guys, my parts up on google docs, feel free to go through it, also added an appendix for the electromagnet. Will work on a fitting introduction tomorrow, and do some research for pt nu2...if anyone has any good journals about smart houses, put them up on dropbox please, thanks =)

Voice controlled robotic arm

Guys tonight ill post my part of this group work.

It is mainly targeted towards allowing Bob to use the computer and media centers and less towards mobility of his arm.

For this reason i would like to add to the persona that:

bob likes to use the computer on a regular basis :)
(and might have to make a modification to the availability of his arms)

I will post again and let you know whether i have included mobility (of objects) or not - depending on the amount of words i have left. If not, someone who hasnt got a gizmo yet can take it.

For now leave it be, ill let u know tonight :)

Cheers,

Maria.

Mobility Enhancement/ Smart Closet/Concept

Due to Bobs Condition, Mobility, which was once so easy and natural has become a burden which has left Bob wheelchair bound at all times besides when he decides to make a tremendous effort to walk using crutches for a short period of time.

Recent developments in bionics have proven to be fruitful in the study of the human bodies free form movements and custom developments in exoskeletal attachments which assist and further empower users in a system which is customizable to the user. This technology would provide Bob with a means of mobility to the extent that he could even walk at fast speeds and after customization even run.

This technology will require six parts:

1. Prosthetic leg, custom to Bobs condition and adaptable to the Exoskeleton
2. Processing hardware to calculate forces exerted and countermeasures on the exoskeleton and a voice activated control system to adjust the mount
3. The exoskeleton itself, customizable to Bobs condition
4. Heart rate and vital sign monitors
5. Compact Attachment to wheelchair
6. Battery pack

Bob will be able to carry the exoskeleton where ever he goes as an attachment to his wheelchair, offering Bob the choice to live a more comfortable and normal life through assisted living where and when he chooses to. Companies have already drafted up and started testing these exoskeletons and much of my research will be based on their results.

Concept

Having returned home from a tour in Afghanistan after an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) went off a few metres away from him while on patrol, Bob - a middle-aged army veteran is left with 1 leg and 1 disabled arm.

As a result, Bob is left unable to fend for himself for the most basic of daily tasks, such as opening the front door and going to the bathroom. Nonetheless, Bob is determined to live a life as normal as possible given his situation.

Upon reviewing Bob’s condition, a list of problems Bob encounters during everyday house life surfaced and a list of solutions were carefully researched and conceptualized. Each one of these solutions tackles a different aspect of Bob’s difficulties and together creates an integrated system catered to Bob’s needs.

Each of the rooms Bob has difficulties with is treated as a component of the system as a whole, “the smart home”. Each room is catered to facilitate Bob’s needs and reduce his daily limitations. Just like a human body, each component has a specific role in the system, and one would not be complete without the other. All processes are handled by the, “Brain” or in the smart houses case, the CPU. This integration of technologies and user input provides Bob with an ambient intelligence environment where the digital and physical worlds meet in a symbiotic relationship between user and machine.

Walk through Smart Closet

Limitation: One of Bob’s more sensitive limitations is that of clothing himself. Due to his disabilities, Bob starts his day by performing a balancing act around his closet to simply clothe himself. Being an army man, asking for assistance is both degrading and detrimental to his moral.

Extension: A smart walk through closet catered to Bob’s disabilities and designed to cut corners o Bobs morning routine and reestablishing dressing up as the fun part of his day and not simply another reminder of his limitations.

Components and Functions

1. Clothes Wrack Conveyor belt

The conveyor belt is a two level wrack system which moves in a circular motion, each with independent motion controllers, the higher one for upper body clothing and the lower wrack for lower body clothing. Each space on the wrack has its own unique value. This system is integrated to electronically select two items of clothing and for them to meet at a convenient centralized point and rotated and pulled out at the central point

2. Clothes Wrack Extension

When both items meet at the central point, this vertical extension connects with the conveyor belt at a curved 90 degree angle much in the same way as an alteration in a train’s course is altered on the rails, singling them out and rotating the clothes at more manageable angle whilst also bringing them closer to Bob in the centralized area of the closet

3. Interactive Mirror

An innovative product conceptualized by Lit Studios and Interference Inc., the interactive mirror combines touch screen technology and mirror projection to produce a novel way at interacting with ones own image. Combined with the AR door, a function to cut the projected image down the middle will allow Bob to view himself in his current attire through his reflection as apposed to the projected image of him wearing a digital version of clothing from the conveyor belt.

4. Xbox Kinnect “Augmented Fitting”

A product developed by Microsoft, and cleverly dubbed, “AR door”, this product of Xbox Kinnect will allow Bob to see how he’d look in a virtually projected image of his clothing over his reflection through the interactive mirror. This allows Bob to quickly browse into any digital clothing through gesture recognition and select it by simply touching the clothing image on the mirror. This information is then sent to the conveyor belt where the selected digital clothing is brought up to the clothes wrack extension.

References

http://epress.lib.uts.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/2100/468/Chapman%20%26%20Ostwald_Prosthesis%20Technology.pdf?sequence=1

http://storiesofhouses.blogspot.com/2005/06/maison-bordeaux-by-rem-koolhaas.html Koolhaas blog

http://wardrobeconveyor.com/wardrobe-conveyor-home.html

http://www.newlaunches.com/archives/virtual_changing_room_lets_you_shed_the_need_to_shed_your_clothes.php

http://www.likecool.com/Interactive_Mirror--Design--Home.html

House Climate Control

Currently working on this one guys :) Will post soon

New Media: Kevin, Ryan,Sean

What is the Pyramid of Vision?

“The “pyramid of vision” is the sector of the entire field of view that you have selected to represent in your picture.”

This basically means that when taking a photograph, or building a 3D scene, one will not be able to fit a whole panorama into the virtual /captured scene, the portion of the entire scope which is selected, along with any objects between the human eye, and each furthermost extremity of the selected scope, is known as the Pyramid of Vision

Speaking from a photography aspect, the Pyramid of Vision is affected by the angle and perspective which the user chooses to take the shot from.

http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2008/07/pyramid-of-vision.html

Pyramid of vision: Angle, Perspective, Shot

- Different angle shots can influence the mood of the scene.

- Example: Close shot only captures part of the subject (ex: face) - gives more emphasis to the facial expressions.

- A Shot (view point) at a low angle will make the subject appear huge.

- A shot from far away will capture more of the scene and will involve not only 1 subject but also the other subjects (ex: Trees, Sun, animals, etc). The animator can use these to create the scene and mood he wishes to convey.

http://books.google.com/books?id=5G-5iyasSk8C&pg=PA185&lpg=PA185&dq=pyramid+of+vision+animation&source=bl&ots=68qXX6iE28&sig=FAW6p8rYhnt0XPk_rMSt_6mSE20&hl=en&ei=wjjdTc_FKIPxsgaOw7nxDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&sqi=2&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=pyramid%20of%20vision%20animation&f=false

Human Field of Vision

The human’s capacity to pick up visual stimulation isn’t limited to a pyramid of vision, such found in digital pyramids of vision. A single human eyes field of vision span over 120 degrees and both eyes combined span over 180 degrees as seen in the above image.

A human’s Perceptual span of vision is the concentrated human field of vision which adds focus to visual stimuli making it possible to perceive details such as text. This works much in the same way as the digital pyramid of vision.

Kevin Bamber, Sean Bianco, Ryan Pace

Rough Plan for Report (to be discussed tonight)

1) Quick Introduction...who is Bob, what is his condition, what are his limitations (Possibly include some info about IED victims) (circa 200 words)

2) Introducing Smart Houses... what are they, how do devices communicate via the Internet of Things (single CPU at the center)...may refer to this journal: http://www.hiit.fi/~oulasvir/58307110/smarthomes.pdf (500 words?)

DIVING INTO OUR GIZMOS (I have a feeling SWOT comes into this)

3) Welcome Mat and Security Camera Gizmos (Kevin) (circa 800 words)

4) Smart Kitchen (Ryan) (circa 800)

5) Voice Recognition for calls and Motor Shelf (Maria) (circa 800 words)

6) Other Gizmos? (Sean/Daryl/Andrew)?

7) Diagram of Our CPU, highlighting all inputs (eg microphones for voice recognition), and outputs (eg motor shelf, robotic arm for door, Electromagnetic locks, etc) (max 50 words?)

8) Conclusion: what have we achieved, what is Bob able to accomplish now, that he could not do without our help? (circa 200 words)

9) Any further articles we come up with regarding technology used (eg how does a robotic arm work) could be placed in appendixes which we can refer to from our articles, so as not to affect our word count.

n.b. if we stick to the word limits, it should leave us 1,650 words available for other technologies which Sean, Andrew or Daryl may want to describe. Note that i had mentioned two or three other gizmos which i have not been able to write about due to word restrictions (you guys are more then welcome, but not forced to write about any of them : House Climate Control, Giant Wall Mounted Kindle, Shower which alters water temp according to voice recognition)

Useful Journal

read this journal guys, will be good to refer to (as an introduction of smart homes mebbe) http://www.hiit.fi/~oulasvir/58307110/smarthomes.pdf , also talks a bit about how devices communicate with one another (for whatever gizmos we will make use of, we will need a CPU directing current and controlling the various devices)

Therefore devoting a chapter to the CPU (defining its inputs and outputs) may be useful

gonna write a second post with a possible plan and word estimate...

Kitchen for Physically Challenged People

People like Bob need to eat like all other people and preferably be independent and eat whenever they wish.

Starting from the fridge: This will have a barcode scanner on the front or camera (similar to Google Googles Technology) which enables the user to scan an object before putting it in the fridge. This way, the fridge can keep an inventory of all items in the fridge. When an item, (such as milk) gets low, it will notify Bob by sending him an email to his PC. The next time he enters the kitchen, sensors will detect his presence and notify him by voice. He can then either order the shopping list online or go out physically and buy the items. Going beyond that, the fridge can be networked and accessed using a web interface which will allow the user to view its current inventory from a PC.

The automated microwave oven: To save Bob from fiddling with complicated microwave ovens, he can use an automated one which can automatically figure out the meal type and weight. This way, he only needs to take the meal out from the fridge/freezer, unwrap it and put it in the microwave oven. (An unwrapper device can be used to help him unwrap items, considering he only has 1 usable arm.)

Since Bob only has 1 usable arm, an automatic unloader built-in the oven takes care of taking out the hot meal out onto a plate. All he needs to do, is to open the microwave oven door and the meal will then be moved automatically using a short ramp/rail out of the oven onto a plate.

Bathroom Difficulties For Physically Challanged Persons

So keeping in mind Bob, a man who is physically disabled; going to the bathroom is one of the many difficulties to come across during the day/night.

Solution-

Morning Hours:

• Automated door to open/close bathroom
  
• Automated toilet seat
  
• Automated flushing system
• For a bath maybe a temperature controlled water system that is set before hand to Bob's liking, and once in the it starts to fill

Night Hours:

• A pressure pad around the bed, once activated follows:
  
• If Bob gets out of bed between the hours of 10pm and 8am then lights in the bedroom and hall come on at 50% of illumination increasing to 100% over one minute, the bathroom light is switched on at 100%
• After leaving the bathroom, the bathroom light automatically switches off. After the person gets back into bed the bedroom light is dimmed from 100% to 50% over one minute and then switched off
• If Bob does not leave the bathroom after a specified time, say 45 minutes, an alarm is activated
• Between the hours of 8am and 10pm anyone stepping on the pressure pad will not activate this functionality

References for later use:
http://www.tiresias.org/research/guidelines/smart_home.htm
(last accessed May 24)

CW2 Suggestion 2

I like the initial idea that Kevin came up with for Bob's persona... however does Bob necessarily need to be wheelchair bound? The idea of assisted living is to allow Bob to have a more normal life in spite of his impairments.

Using the same persona (Bob) I propose we move away from the idea of the wheelchair, and towards a more ambient type of assisted living i.e. providing the assistance through several day to day objects in the home, in such a way that Bob can live a normal life without being bound to a single machine for assistance.

Apart from this, there are also issues with the inevitability that Bob will have to leave his wheelchair at some point, for example to use the bathroom or to shower. In the event that he fell, he would not be able to call for assistance.

My suggestion is to have Bob's house wired with voice recognition devices and gesture sensors that will allow Bob to maneuver around his house (maybe, if he wishes with the use of, but not limited to - a wheelchair). If Bob needs to make a phone call, there will be specific points in his house that have this voice recognition and will allow him to call out "DIAL" and the name of the person in his address book to make a call. Using augmented reality with voice recognition, Bob will be able to call out "LIST" or "ADDRESSES" and numbers in his address book will be displayed on the nearest surface.

Gesture cameras can also be embedded on certain appliances or furniture to aide Bob in using them. For example for high to reach places (such as a top shelf) Bob can make an arm gesture such as "pulling rope down motion" which will send a signal to this motor operated shelf to be lowered. If you dont know what i'm talking about when i say motor operated shelf being lowered I will show you a similar example at my house. I have a very high to reach clothes rail on the top part of my wardrobe (that not even Sean would reach - so no short jokes here:P) ... it has a lever that I can pull down on to lower the rail to my height. Same concept - except without having Bob lower it down himself, seeing as how he has 1 arm.

What do you think? Its a lot harder I think... but imagine designing a house in this manner!

CW2 Suggestion (Basic Version)

Novel Assistive Technology Suggestion

Meet Bob, Bob is a US Army war vet who got hit by shrapnel from an IED while serving in Afghanistan, losing his left leg, hand and most of the movement in his right arm/hand.

Being left-handed, this has left him in a situation where he cannot write, finds it hard to use a remote control for his television set, finds it hard to send a text message, and most of all, considers moving a few metres to be an arduous task.

Conventional crutches work, however the lack of sensitivity in his left arm makes it challenging and it often winds up being a balancing act.

Solution:

A multi-purpose voice-controlled wheelchair, which will take him to different locations in his house via voice recognition software combined with GPS tracking software (to determine where he currently is compared to where he wants to go).

But voice recognition does not stop there, Bob will be able to contact his friends, family and carers via text message, by speaking to his wheelchair, which will compose the message, and send it to the desired recipient via a SIM Card embedded in its rear-mounted computer/processor.

The SIM Card could also allow Bob to call anyone on the pre-set phonebook through voice recognition, and a microphone/speaker system installed within the right arm-rest

A smart-wheelchair requires battery power, and thus, a bottom chargeable battery is located right under the seat, with a power extension on the right hand side (so whenever the chair is low on power, Bob may use his functioning right hand to plug his chair into a power-outlet)