Abstract
Due to advances in technology, particularly wireless technology, the "Home of the Future" is now not only a possibility but a reality. Smart home technology is a collective term for information- and communication technology (ICT) as used in houses, where the various Multi-Agent Systems are communicating via a local network. The technology can be used to monitor, warn and carry out functions according to selected criteria by the disabled people. Smart home technology also makes the automatic communication with the surroundings possible, via the Internet, ordinary fixed telephones or mobile phones. Persons with disabilities may have impairments that prevent them from using common household items. A light switch, for example, may be a convenient way for most individuals to control lighting within their home. However, some persons with disabilities may have mobility constraints or limited use of their hands, have difficulty to control light switches. In these situations, it would be ideal that other alternatives be available to these persons with disabilities so that they would be able to enjoy the same comfort of controlling the lights in their home. In the daily living of people with disabilities, they have to use lots of home appliances by them limited motor function. There are Environmental Control Systems which are operated by voice for people with disabilities. To overcome this problem a multi-modal interface system is suggested that allows use of voice and gesture commands for controlling distributed home appliances used by people with disabilities. The main objective of this study is combined with Non-verbal and verbal interface for intuitive and efficient control that uses hands-free operation. The pointing gesture by facing as Non-verbal interface represents selecting one of the home appliances. The voice commands as verbal interface represent button operation of the remote controller such as the power on/off, the channel select and the volume up/down. The prototype system can provide a hands-free remote controller for people with quadriplegia who do not have to send verbal commands for selecting home appliances.