Solutions

A key goal of this website is to help those living with limited mobility regain independence through technology, specifically voice activated solutions. It should be pointed out that even someone who has no voice can benefit from these solutions provided they use an eye gaze device which can speak the voice commands on their behalf. What you will find below are some real life examples of regaining independence through voice activated solutions. 1. Robbie Ivey – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 2. Holly Payne – Spinal Muscle Atrophy 3. DeAnn – Spinal Muscle Atrophy 4. Stephanie – Mitochondrial Cytopathy 5. Michael Currier – Quadriplegic from Vehicle Accident 6. Sloane - Multiple Sclerosis 7. Greg Anger (Cerebral Palsy) and Rebecca Anger (Quadriplegia from post-viral infection) 8. Robert - ALS 9. Robbie Ivey - College Dorm Room Project 10. Mike Loftus – Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis 11. Kurt Larsen– Service-Disabled Veteran: Navy – Spinal Cord Injury (C 5/6 complete) 12. George Gregory – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 13. Doron – ALS 14. Dominic - Disabled Army Vet - Quadriplegic 15. Sam Gold – Cerebral Palsy 16. Catherine – Multiple Sclerosis 17. Vik – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 18. “Lilly” – Elderly, difficulty pushing buttons 19. Steven – Progressive Multiple Sclerosis 20. Vicki – Multiple Sclerosis 21. Shyla - Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome 22. Lexi – Quadriplegic from Motor Cycle Accident 23. Caden – Spinal Muscle Atrophy 24. Dave - Multiple Sclerosis 25. Jay – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 26. Dave A. – Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy 27. “Gail” – CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy) 28. Andy Keller – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 29. Holly VonWald – Spinal Muscle Atrophy 30. Tommy Vilardo – Progressive Multiple Sclerosis 31. Laureen Kramer – Limb Girdle 32. Michael Huhn – Cerebral Palsy 33. Lee Diehr – ALS 34. Dominic – Disabled Army Vet - Quadriplegic (LOGICDATA) 35. Tom S. – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 36. John D. – Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis 37. George H. - Multiple Sclerosis 38. John C. – Quadriplegic 39. Deb – Charcot-Marie-Tooth 40. Emigdio – Quadriplegic from accident 41. Milan Patel – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 42. Tom P. – ALS 43. Theanna – ALS 44. Howard Eitzen – Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) 45. Brady Enklat – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 46. Vance Schiller – Quadriplegic 47. Wyatt Keeley – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 48. Cecilia Beane – ALS 49. Will White – ALS 50. Gordy Foster – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 51. Bill Osad – Progressive MS 52. Miki Tate - ALS 53. Farzad – ALS 54. Cary Lea – Quadriplegic 55. Brett – Wounded Warrior 56. James Brennan - ALS 57. Heather Butz - Quadriplegic 58. “Clarence” - ALS 59. Jana - Quadriplegic 60. Gina - ALS 61. Scott Catron – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 62. Ross M. – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy 63. Saeed Rahni - Guillain-Barré Syndrome 64. Debbie W. – Multiple Systems Atrophy 65. Jim K. - ALS 66. “Karen” – ALS 67. DebbieWR – ALS 68. Donell - Quadriplegic 69. Chuck K. - ALS 70. Patrick – ALS 71. Lindsey E. – Cerebral Palsey 72. Terry - ALS 73. Robert Cook – ALS 74. Wendy B. - ALS 75. Lanie R. - ALS 76. Nancy - ALS 77. Shane K (aka Ragnar) - ALS 78. Thomas - ALS 79. Brittany - Quadriplegic 80. Howard F. – ALS 81. Edward – Quadriplegic 82. Roger Loewen – ALS Project #1 Robbie Ivey – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his bed (Assured Comfort with a Linak HB22 wireless remote) 2. Make phone calls 3. Watch NCIS on Netflix and other Netflix Programs 4. Watch cable TV a. Be able to call up the Guide Button, Page Up, Page Down, and Select 5. Watch DVD and Blu-ray movies that are placed in his Blu-ray player 6. Control the lights in his room – turn on/off and dim 7. Turn a tower fan on/off Solution – High Level: 1. Installed an Amazon Echo and a custom developed bed controller to allow Robbie to control his bed using voice commands 2. Utilized the Alexa Calling and Messaging feature in the Amazon Echo to provide voice phone calling 3. Installed a Google Home, Chromecast Ultra and a Logitech Harmony Hub to enable Robbie to watch his NCIS program on Netflix 4. The Google Home and the Logitech Harmony Hub also enabled Robbie to watch Cable TV and control his Blu-Ray player 5. We replaced Robbie’s recessed light bulbs with Lifx BR30 bulbs enabling him to turn on/off/dim/change color through voice commands using Amazon Echo 6. We installed a WeMo Mini WiFI Smart plug to give Robbie control over his fan

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Project #2 Holly Payne – Spinal Muscle Atrophy Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control her bed (Drive Delta 1000 – hard wired remote) 2. Control the ceiling lights in her room – turn on/off and dim 3. Be able to intercom with caregiver whose bedroom is at opposite end of the house Solution – High Level: 1. Installed an Amazon Echo and a custom developed bed controller to allow Holly to control her bed using voice commands 2. Installed (2) Lifx Mini (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED bulbs in ceiling fixture enabling Holly to turn on/off/dim/change color through voice commands using Amazon Echo 3. Installed an Echo Dot in caregivers room and together with the Amazon Echo in Holly’s room, they enabled the “Drop In” feature to set up intercom between their two rooms

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Project #3 DeAnn – Spinal Muscle Atrophy Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control opening her front and back doors 2. Have the ability to voice control her thermostat 3. Be able to intercom with caregiver 4. Turn on lamps and ceiling lights by voice Solution – High Level: 1. Developed a voice activated controller that works with the existing Open Sesame product to give DeAnn the ability to use voice commands to open her front and back door 2. Added an Amazon Echo-enabled Nest thermostat to enable DeAnn to control her thermostat by voice 3. Installed an Echo Dot in DeAnn’s room so she can ‘Drop-In’ on the other Amazon Echo device to serve as an intercom to her caregiver 4. DeAnn had already installed some devices which allow her to control the various lamps and ceiling lights in her house. (See solution details)

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Project #4 Stephanie – Mitochondrial Cytopathy Requirements: • Be able to voice control her bed (Tempur-Pedic with Reverie RC-WM-101 (433mhz) remote) Solution – High Level: • Designed a microcontroller based Voice Activated solution that provided the desired functions of Head Up, Head Down, Feet Up, Feet Down, Massage On, Massage Off.

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Project #5 Michael Currier – Quadriplegic from Vehicle Accident Requirements: • Be able to voice control his bed (Invacare model 50001VC with 1115290 pendant). Solution – High Level: • Designed a microcontroller based Voice Activated solution that provided the desired functions of Head Up, Head Down, Feet Up, Feet Down, Raise Bed, Lower Bed

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Project #6 Sloane – Multiple Sclerosis Requirements: • Be able to voice control her bed (Leggett and Platt s-Cape with Raven industries control/remote KSMBR20543T) Solution – High Level: • Designed a microcontroller based Voice Activated solution that provided the desired functions of Head Up, Head Down, Feet Up, Feet Down, Flat and MR

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Project #7 Greg Anger (Cerebral Palsy) and Rebecca Anger (Quadriplegia from post-viral infection) Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control their door 2. Be able to voice control their Flex-A-Bed Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a microcontroller-based Voice Activated solution that enables Rebecca to open their door hands free 2. Designed a microcontroller-based Voice Activated solution that enables them to voice control the 6 functions of their Model FLEX185 Flex A Bed Hi Low Queen Adjustable Bed. (Head Up, Head Down, Feet Up, Feet Down, Lift, and Lower)

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Project #8 Robert - ALS Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his Serta Motion I Series bed 2. Be able to voice control his TV Solution – High Level: 1. Robert installed an Amazon Echo. 2. Limited Mobility Solutions started down the path of designing a voice activated bed controller for Robert’s Serta Motion I Series bed, but then discovered a solution from Ergomotion, the maker of the linear actuator control system in this new bed. They are among the first to offer an Alexa Dongle that plugs into the bed that provides voice support 3. Robert installed a Logitech Harmony Hub and after enabling the Alexa skills he now can control his TV by voice

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Project #9 Robbie Ivey – Dorm Room Project - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his bed (Assured Comfort with a Linak HB22 wireless remote) 2. Make phone calls 3. Watch NCIS on Netflix and other Netflix Programs as well as Youtube 4. Watch programs on the campus version of xfinity 5. Be able to navigate the Roku by voice and select programs 6. Control the lamps in his dorm room 7. Turn a tower fan on/off Solution – High Level: 1. Installed an Amazon Echo, a Google Home Mini, and a custom developed bed controller to allow Robbie to control his bed using voice commands from either smart speaker 2. Updated the Google Gmail contact list with those names Robbie will want to call 3. Installed a Google Home, Chromecast Ultra and a Logitech Harmony Hub to enable Robbie to watch his NCIS program on Netflix 4. Use Google Home and the Logitech Harmony Hub and the Roku Streaming stick to enable Robbie to watch programs on the campus version of xfinity 5. Use the Google version of Quick Remote to enable Robbie to navigate the programming on the Roku stick by voice, specifically the campus version of xfinity 6. We installed WeMo Mini WiFi Smart plugs for voice control of two lamps 7. We installed a WeMo Mini WiFI Smart plug to give Robbie control over his fan

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Project #10 Mike Loftus – Primary Progressive MS Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his bed (Invacare bed with 1115290 pendant). 2. Be able to voice control lamp next to bed 3. Be able to voice control heating blanket 4. Be able to turn off bedroom TV by voice before going to sleep 5. Be able to fully voice control living room TV 6. Be able to make phone calls via voice Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a microcontroller-based Voice Activated solution that provided the desired functions of Head Up, Head Down, Feet Up, Feet Down, Raise Bed, Lower Bed 2. Installed (3) WeMo mini smart switches to give Mike voice control of his Lamp, Heating Blanket, and TV (For the bedroom, the only necessary control of the TV was to power it down at night) 3. Installed a Google Mini, Google Chromecast, and a Logitech Harmony Hub to give Mike the ability to voice control his living room TV 4. Phone calls can be made with Google Home.

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Project #11 Kurt Larsen– Service-Disabled Veteran: Navy – Spinal Cord Injury (C 5/6 complete) Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his Leggett and Platt Prodigy 2.0 bed Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a voice activated bed controller which will give Kurt voice control over four functions that are important to him. a. Raising the Head of the Bed b. Going to Zero Gravity Position (A preset that raises the feet to the same level as the heart) c. Returning the bed to the Flat position d. Sitting up in bed to the TV position

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Project #12 George Gregory – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his Drive bed 2. Be able to use voice for making phone calls and have his phone number on receiving caller ID 3. Be able to voice control the ceiling lights 4. Be able to voice control his TV/Netflix/YouTube Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a voice activated bed controller which gave George the ability to control all desired functions of his adjustable bed 2. Set up Google Home Mini so George can use voice commands to call people in his Google contact list and they will know he is calling because we configured Google Home to show his cell number on their Caller-ID 3. Installed 2 Lifx Mini (A19) Wi-Fi Smart LED Light Bulb, which are dimmable and can change colors 4. Installed an Amazon Fire TV Cube so George can voice control his TV/entertainment

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Project #13 Doron – ALS Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his Invacare bed 2. Be able to use voice for placing and answering phone calls and have his phone number on receiving caller ID 3. Be able to voice control the lamp 4. Be able to voice control two Cable TVs/other apps 5. Be able to voice control the Amazon Camera Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a voice activated bed controller which gave Doron the ability to control all desired functions of his adjustable bed. He can control the bed using Alexa and Google 2. Installed an Amazon Echo Connect so Doron can make and answer incoming phone calls 3. Installed in lamp a Philips Hue light bulb which is voice controlled 4. Installed two Amazon Fire TV Cubes so Doron can voice control his TV/entertainment 5. Installed a WeMo Smart Mini switch so Doron can voice control his Amazon camera

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Project #14 Dominic – Disabled Army Vet - Quadriplegic Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his Tempur-Pedic Ergo bed Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a voice activated bed controller which gave Dominic the ability to control the four desired functions of his adjustable bed. He can control the bed using Alexa. We will add a Google mini in the near future

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Project #15 Sam Gold – Cerebral Palsy Requirements: 1. Be able to use voice for placing and answering phone calls and have his phone number on receiving caller ID 2. Be able to voice control the lamp near his bed 3. Be able to voice control his Netflix and Youtube over internet 4. Would like to control his sound machine Solution – High Level: 1. Installed an Amazon Echo Connect so Sam can make and answer incoming phone calls 2. Installed WeMo switch to control the lamp near his bed 3. Installed an Amazon Fire TV Cube, Google Mini, and Chromecast so Sam can voice control his TV/entertainment. 4. The Amazon Echo uses a Skill to replace the need for the sound machine

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Project #16 Catherine – Multiple Sclerosis Requirements: 1. Be able to use voice commands to control her Medline bed 2. Be able to use voice commands to control her TV Solution – High Level: 1. Developed and provided a voice activated bed controller so Catherine could control her Medline bed using both Alexa and Google 2. Provided an Amazon Fire TV Cube so Catherine can use voice commands to control her TV

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Project #17 Vik – Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Requirements: 1. Be able to use voice for placing and answering phone calls 2. Be able to voice control a recessed ceiling light 3. Be able to voice control the TV 4. Be able to use voice commands to control his Invacare bed Solution – High Level: 1. Provided an Amazon Echo Dot Gen3 and an Amazon Echo Connect so Vik can make and answer incoming phone calls 2. Installed a Lifx BR30 multi-color bulb in the ceiling fixture 3. Installed a Logitech Harmony Hub to control his TV 4. Developed and provided a voice activated bed controller

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Project #18 “Lilly” – Elderly, difficulty pushing buttons Requirements: 1. Be able to use voice commands to control her full electric Drive bed Solution – High Level: 1. Developed and provided a voice activated bed controller so “Lilly” could control her full electric Drive bed using both Alexa and Google

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Project #19 Steven – Progressive MS Requirements: 1. Be able to voice control his Drive bed 2. Be able to voice control the lamps in his bedroom and living room 3. Be able to voice control two TVs/Amazon Prime, Sling TV Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a voice activated bed controller which gave Steven the ability to control all desired functions of his adjustable bed. He can control the bed using Alexa and Google 2. Installed two WeMo Smart Mini switches so Steven can control both lamps 3. Installed two Amazon Fire TV Cubes so Steven can voice control his TV/entertainment

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Project #20 Vicki – Multiple Sclerosis Requirements: 1. Be able to use voice commands to control her Drive hospital bed 2. Be able to use voice commands to control her TV Solution – High Level: 1. Developed and provided a voice activated bed controller so Vicki could control her Drive hospital bed using both Alexa and Google 2. Provided a Logitech Harmony Hub so Vicki can use voice commands to control her TV

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Project #21 Shyla - Ehlers–Danlos Syndrome 1. Requirements: 2. Be able to voice control her Ashley Furniture model MX9X432 bed which has functions Head Up and Head down 3. Shyla would like to be able to use a voice command to simply turn off the TV before going to sleep Solution – High Level: 1. Designed a voice activated bed controller which gave Shyla the ability to control the Head Up and Head Down functions of her adjustable bed. She can control the bed using Alexa as well as the Google mini 2. Shyla does not need all the capabilities of a Logitech Harmony hub for her TV, she just needs to be able to power it off at the end of the day, so we installed a WeMo Smart Mini switch