AAL: technology designed for improved accessibility in the home

Take a second to think about all the efforts you make to improve comfort in your home – switching lights, adjusting shading, checking that devices are turned off and more. Now rethink these tasks with mobility in mind, specifically, if you were in a wheelchair. For Mika, the son of a Loxone Partner, these everyday tasks are even more bothersome than we may fully realize. But with smart functionality, Loxone supports Mika intuitively in his everyday life. 

For example, the fact that Mika doesn’t have to go to the light switch is just one small difference in the grand scheme of benefits. The light is activated automatically when he enters a room or as it turns to dusk outside. Luckily, with his father Michael as a smart home professional (and Loxone Partner!), Mika benefits from all-around functionality and Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) features in the family home.

Elevator control with personalized alarm function

To guarantee Mike the greatest possible freedom of movement throughout the home, an elevator was installed with smart features. 

For example, if there is ever a problem or emergency in the elevator, Mika presses the alarm button to make an emergency call. This emergency call gets delivered to a designated family member.

For this purpose, the elevator’s alarm button was connected to a digital input. In combination with the “alarm chain” component, a notification chain was implemented that informs Mika’s family members about the incident by calling them in a specified order.

The home knows who’s home 

The family smart home was equipped with an intelligent, magnetic key rack. When it comes into contact with an iButton key reader, the building knows exactly which family member is home. Based on a specific family member’s presence, defined actions can be carried out such as starting the coffee machine and a favorite music playlist, for example, when mom and dad come home. Another example is if Mika or his sister come home, the automatic lawnmower “returns to the charging station”. This function is specified because they frequently play in the yard.

Personalization and User Management in the app

Whether from the table or smartphone, Mika easily accesses functions in the Loxone App. Using the simple User Management feature, it was possible to create Mika’s own user rights to be able to control lighting, shading, music and more in his room. Useful central functions and Modes such as the “Goodnight Mode” – shutting off all power consumers as he gets in bed – makes life significantly easier.