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VJ

International intensive program 2014 Finland

Smart Home Project –Team 5

Villa for 5 older Persons

Joke Feijen - Belgium

Visa Tolvanen - Finland

Maria Latva - Finland

Dave Veneman - Netherlands

Sandra Klietz - Germany

Frederica Zanotto - Italy

Denis Buda - Romania

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Table of Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................................................... 4

2. Objective ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4

3. Working methods ............................................................................................................................................................. 4

4. Personas ........................................................................................................................................................................... 5

4.1. Mia .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5

4.2. Hedwig .................................................................................................................................................................... 5

4.3. Laura ....................................................................................................................................................................... 5

4.4. George .................................................................................................................................................................... 5

4.5. Yrjö .......................................................................................................................................................................... 5

5. Floor plans ........................................................................................................................................................................ 6

5.1. Floor plans before remodeling ................................................................................................................................ 6

5.2. Floor plans after remodeling ................................................................................................................................... 8

6. Technical solutions ......................................................................................................................................................... 12

7. Safety concepts ............................................................................................................................................................... 12

7.1. Fire and smoke alarm ............................................................................................................................................ 12

7.2. Burglar alarm ........................................................................................................................................................ 12

7.3. Water leak sensors ................................................................................................................................................ 13

7.4. Barrier free environment ...................................................................................................................................... 13

7.5. Contrasts ............................................................................................................................................................... 13

7.6. Induction stove with stove guard.......................................................................................................................... 14

7.7. Smart floor ............................................................................................................................................................ 14

7.8. Non-slip floor ........................................................................................................................................................ 14

7.9. Stairs ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15

7.10. Anti-scald device .............................................................................................................................................. 15

7.11. Hot water control in the shower ...................................................................................................................... 15

7.12. Sound detector alarm ...................................................................................................................................... 16

7.13. Airbag-vest ....................................................................................................................................................... 16

7.14. Heated stairs and paths ................................................................................................................................... 16

8. Health concepts .............................................................................................................................................................. 17

8.1. Toilet ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17

8.2. Shower .................................................................................................................................................................. 17

8.3. Sliding wall and sliding door .................................................................................................................................. 18

8.4. Infrared lights in bathroom ................................................................................................................................... 18

8.5. Adjustable mirrors ................................................................................................................................................ 18

8.6. Height-adjustable kitchen ..................................................................................................................................... 19

8.7. Sauna .................................................................................................................................................................... 19

8.8. Fitness room ......................................................................................................................................................... 19

8.9. Chairs in the living room ....................................................................................................................................... 20

9. Technical concepts ......................................................................................................................................................... 21

9.1. Turn on and off system ......................................................................................................................................... 21

9.2. Lock in the bedroom door ..................................................................................................................................... 21

9.3. Monitoring panel .................................................................................................................................................. 21

9.4. Switch-Box for basement ...................................................................................................................................... 22

9.5. Heating and air conditioning ................................................................................................................................. 22

9.6. IntraSonic Intercom .............................................................................................................................................. 23

9.7. Dayplanner ............................................................................................................................................................ 23

9.8. Samsung Smart TV ................................................................................................................................................ 23

9.9. Robomow .............................................................................................................................................................. 24

9.10. Elevator ............................................................................................................................................................ 24

10. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................. 25

11. Sources ...................................................................................................................................................................... 26

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List of Images

Picture 1. Fire alarm .............................................................................................................................. 12

Picture 2. Water leak sensor ................................................................................................................. 13

Picture 3. Stove guard ........................................................................................................................... 14

Picture 4. Induction stove ..................................................................................................................... 14

Picture 5. Non-slip floor ........................................................................................................................ 14

Picture 6. Winding stairs ....................................................................................................................... 15

Picture 7. Anti-scald device ................................................................................................................... 15

Picture 8. Shower .................................................................................................................................. 15

Picture 9. Airbag-vest ............................................................................................................................ 16

Picture 10. Toilet ................................................................................................................................... 17

Picture 11. Removable handle .............................................................................................................. 17

Picture 12. Stone seat in the shower .................................................................................................... 17

Picture 13. Infrared light ....................................................................................................................... 18

Picture 14. Adjustable mirror ................................................................................................................ 18

Picture 15. Sauna ................................................................................................................................... 19

Picture 16. Gym equipment .................................................................................................................. 20

Picture 17. Massaging chair ................................................................................................................... 20

Picture 18. Armi chair ............................................................................................................................ 20

Picture 19. Turn on and off system ....................................................................................................... 21

Picture 20. Monitoring panel ................................................................................................................ 21

Picture 21. Switch-Box for basement .................................................................................................... 22

Picture 22. Hot water radiator .............................................................................................................. 22

Picture 23. Intercom .............................................................................................................................. 23

Picture 24. Dayplanner .......................................................................................................................... 23

Picture 25. Smart TV .............................................................................................................................. 23

Picture 26. Robomow ............................................................................................................................ 24

Picture 27. Elevator ............................................................................................................................... 24

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1. Introduction

There’s an increasing number of aging people and people with special needs. This means that there’s

an increasing need for these Smart Home technologies. The main goal of Smart Home is to have an

independent life as long as possible in peoples’ own homes. Smart Homes include everything from

barrier free environment to safe equipment and technologies for monitoring people.

In Smart Home intensive program course 2014 we learned a lot about user centered design, smart

homes and about senior people and people with limitations in general together with the illnesses

they might have. We have to use this information in our project to design a house for such people.

2. Objective

Our task was to design a house for 5 senior people which do not have any disabilities at the moment,

but may have in the future. Things we have to keep in mind are that their muscle strength is fading

and their hearing and vision are decreasing. Dementia is also something that we need to be aware of.

It is not necessary to have all of the features now, but we should be able to add more in the future.

The house is an old villa which has a basement, ground floor, second floor and roof floor. The owner

of the villa wants to invite four of her friends to live there together. We need to rebuild the villa so

that each one of them has an own en-suit room including a bathroom. Her friends had a few wishes

concerning their future home. For example the ground floor should have winter garden and a dining

room for all residents and guests connected with a kitchen. The second floor should have a living

room which is big enough for playing games and watching TV for example. There also should be a

fitness room in the basement, an elevator going from basement to second floor and a roof floor

apartment. The residents also want to feel safe in their new home and they would like an easy to use

connection to the doctor if needed. The villa is located in Finland so we also need to take the Finnish

weather into consideration.

3. Working methods

We started working by discussing our objective together and talking about what really needed to be

done. At this point we already came up with some ideas, but we decided to wait a little bit longer

with the technical solutions. First we made a basic floor plan by putting post-it stickers on the big

paper and changing their order to see which would fit best for five older people. After this we

invented the personas and started working on the technical solutions together with finishing the

floor plans. For technical solutions we used the MoSCoW-method to see what we really need and

made them our priority. We compared different solutions by discussing about them together and

tried to come up with the best solutions for these five.

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4. Personas

The five people living in the villa don’t have any disabilities yet so we decided to make five characters

with all kinds of problems which may lead to disabilities in the future. We wanted to be safe so the

personas we made might have a little bit more problems than an average senior. With these

personas it was easier for us to think what we need to take into consideration when designing a

house for older people.

4.1. Mia Mia, a 67-year-old woman, is the owner of the house and used to be a family doctor so she is able to

take care of others at least for a time being. As a doctor, Mia is used to technology and is able to use

modern devices decently. She has some heart problems and her hearing is decreasing so she needs

headphones for TV so the sound in the TV doesn’t need to be unnecessary loud and she also might

need a hearing device in the future. If she goes totally deaf it is important to have light indicators to

tell her if an alarm goes off. Because of her hearing problem she likes to read a lot.

4.2. Hedwig Hedwig is a 68-year-old woman who used to be a chef at the restaurant and likes to cook. She is

overweight and her muscle strength doesn’t really compare to her weight. She has diabetes and

might have some problems in the future because of it. Her vision is also decreasing so she wears

glasses for reading. Because of her we need to be aware of sharp things and it would be good to be

able to adjust the toilet’s height.

4.3. Laura Laura is 67 years old and was a music teacher at high-school. She smokes a lot and has some

problems with her heart. Her vision is also decreasing which is why she wears glasses all the time,

needs to have devices with big enough numbers and good color contrasts in general.

4.4. George George is a 76-year-old man who used to be an electrical engineer. Being an electrical engineer he is

rather good with technology. He has Alzheimer dementia and he likes to walk around with his cane.

He can’t walk the stairs and will be in the wheelchair in couple of years. If the dementia advances

further it’s needed to have a curtain to cover the front door and a fence to prevent him from falling

to the stairs.

4.5. Yrjö Yrjö is 73 years old and he hasn’t worked during his life. He’s an alcoholic and he has Korsakov. He

smokes and likes to use a computer a lot so he’s good with technology. Because of using the

computer for so long his vision has decreased and now he wears glasses. He likes gardening but no

one knows why. He might require some alcohol control and his smoking is one of the reasons the

smoke detectors are required.

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5. Floor plans

5.1. Floor plans before remodeling Ground floor

Second floor

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Basement

Roof floor

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5.2. Floor plans after remodeling

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Ground floor:

6.2 Burglar alarm 7.2 Shower

6.4 Barrier free environment 7.3 Sliding wall and sliding door

6.6 Induction stove with stove guard 7.4 Infrared lights

6.7 Smart floor 7.5 Adjustable mirrors

6.9 Stairs 8.3 Monitoring panel

6.10 Anti-scald device 8.4 Switch-Box for basement

6.11 Hot water control 8.6 IntraSonic Interom

6.12. Sound detector alarm 8.7 Dayplanner

6.13 Airbag-vest 8.9 Robomow

6.14 Heated stairs and paths 8.10 Elevator

7.1 Toilet

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Second floor

6.1 Fire and smoke alarm 7.9 Chairs in the living room

6.3 Water leak sensors 8.1 Turn on and off system

6.5 Contrasts 8.2 Lock in the bedroom door

6.8 Non slip floor 8.5 Heating and air conditioning

6.11 Hot water control 8.8 Samsumg Smart TV

7.6 Height-adjustable kitchen 8.10 Elevator

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Basement

7.7 Sauna 7.8 Fitness room

Roof floor

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6. Technical solutions

When we were deciding all of the following solutions we kept in mind that the people with special

needs want to look normal and independent even though they need assistive devices in their daily

activities. This is why some of the smart home technology is good to have out of the way or

camouflaged as something normal when not needed.

7. Safety concepts

7.1. Fire and smoke alarm Fire and smoke alarms are really important in every house, not just in the houses that are meant for

older people or people with some limitations. Senior people don’t smell as well as they used to so it’s

an absolute must for them to have an alarm to tell them if something is wrong. Especially people

with dementia are susceptible to accidents, because they might forget to turn off the stove, oven or

ironing device for example. Having good amount of fire and smoke alarms in the house is also

important if the residents want to feel that they are safe.

In addition to having these alarms in the default spots like kitchen and living room, we decided to

include alarms in everyone’s own room, because there are couple of smokers and fire can spread fast

from a cigarette.

We included a flashing red light on the living rooms so people with hearing problems will know that

something is wrong when an alarm starts ringing. We also wanted to make sure that an error in the

system doesn’t prevent the alarm from going off so we have a backup system. [Fire alarm]

Picture 1. Fire alarm

7.2. Burglar alarm Burglar alarm is an absolute must in every villa, because they tend to attract all kinds of thieves. The

alarm does an emergency call when needed and it’s important that the alarm covers all doors and

windows. The alarm is also possible to put on for the night to notice if someone tries to break in

during the night. This feature can also be used to prevent people with dementia from wandering off

on their own without being noticed. [Burglar alarm]

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7.3. Water leak sensors We also wanted to add water leaking systems. The system is composed by water sensors, electro

valve and a central unit. This system is perfect for the early warning of leaky pipes, faulty water

heaters, washing machines & hoses, dishwashers, icemakers or any other cause of water

incursion. The water sensors can be placed near appliances, bathtubs, toilets, beneath sinks, or can

be used as a basement water alarm for early notification of flooding, leaky pipes or seepage. So when

a leak occurs the water sensors transmit an electrical signal to the central unit which commands the

electro valve to close the water circuit. Also the damage is indicated with a visual and audible signal

at the control panel. [Water leak sensors]

7.4. Barrier free environment To have barrier free environment means that is easy to get everywhere even in a wheelchair. This

means that we had to make corridors at least 1220mm wide. There also has to be enough room to

turn around before and after the doors. We removed all the doorsteps in the entire villa to prevent

the residents from falling and to make the villa more accessible for wheelchairs. [Barrier free

environment]

7.5. Contrasts In the house we will use contrasting colours to make sure that people with visual problems are able

to distinguish some devices from the background. In the kitchen we use dark sockets in front of a

lighter painting or tiles. In the bathrooms there will be dark toilet seats on white toilets.

Picture 2. Water leak sensor

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7.6. Induction stove with stove guard We compared different kind of stoves for the kitchen and we ended up with induction stove. The

reason for choosing this kind of stove is that an induction stove is more faster that an electric one

and also is a lower risk of burning because only the ferromagnetic vessels get heated and the surface

remains cold. For security we also thought that a Stove Guard mounted in the front of stove will

reduce burning accidents. [Induction stove]

7.7. Smart floor We compared a several ways to know if a person has fallen in his or her private room, because there

it can happen without anyone really noticing. We ruled out cameras for example because we felt like

they would disturb everyone’s privacy. We chose smart floor because it is a convenient way to know

if person is lying on the floor. Smart floor also sends a message to the set mobile phone so the nurse

will know right away if something is wrong.

Smart floor is a floor that can sense people standing on it. Sensors are right below the floor and they

work similar way as touchpads. Sensor foil that is installed beneath the floor is fully protected and it

has a long life time. [Smart floor]

7.8. Non-slip floor Non slip floor is necessary in the bathrooms where floor can get really slippery when wet and if a

senior loses his/her balance on the hard floor it could be really dangerous if not even fatal. Non slip

floor is a coating that is added on top of the floor and visually it’s almost impossible notice. [Non slip

floor]

Picture 5. Non-slip floor

Picture 4. Induction stove Picture 3. Stove guard

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7.9. Stairs Stairs have non slip stickers near the edges to prevent people from slipping. These stickers are also

necessary for people with decreased vision, because it gives the staircase more contrast and this way

they are much safer especially for senior people.

Picture 6. Winding stairs

7.10. Anti-scald device Anti-scald device prevents people from burning themselves with water. It’s an extra valve that is

attached directly to the faucet to control heated water. When the water temperature exceeds 47.2º

an internal metal alloy expands and prevents the flow of the water.

We thought that this would be good method to prevent residents from burning themselves with water,

because especially people with dementia might start using really hot water. [Anti-scald device]

Picture 7. Anti-scald device

7.11. Hot water control in the shower We have mixed batteries like in common use, but with a special feature to change the temperature

up to a certain level. The maximum temperature for the normal use is 40 °C, so there are no risks of

burning. If you like to have more hot water you could push the button on the fitting and rotate them

in an easy way.

Picture 8. Shower

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7.12. Sound detector alarm In the common spaces there will be a sound detector alarm. It’s a device, connected to a computer,

that recognizes different sounds. It’s able to recognize the sound of screaming or the sound of a

person who falls on the ground. When there is a sound like that, an alarm will be send to other

rooms. If there is no reaction from the other residents, the alarm will be send to a caregiver after 3

minutes.

The alternative option was to install cameras in the villa. We had some questions about the privacy

of the residents if we would install cameras. At first we thought the sound detector alarm would not

be able to recognize a fall on the floor because it used to work with decibel levels. Nowadays the

system is enabled to recognize the sound of a person who falls on the floor.

7.13. Airbag-vest We also decided to have an airbag-vest for people who wanted to wander around in the yard. When

the residents are going outside they will have an option to put on a vest with an airbag function for

safety. In the jacket will be an accelerometer that notice if someone will fall in the garden. When a

person is falling the airbag function will be automatically activated. While the airbag is activated also

an alarm will start to sound in the villa. This vest will prevent the inhabitants from getting hurt while

they are outside.

Picture 9. Airbag-vest

7.14. Heated stairs and paths Especially in the winter it can get really cold and slippery outside and with the heated ground system

we ensured that people won’t have any trouble walking outside of the building. With this we also

made sure that the residents don’t have to do unnecessary work when shovelling the snow.

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8. Health concepts

8.1. Toilet The bathrooms with the shower and the bathtub will be shared by the five residents in the house.

Therefore we will use a toilet that is adjustable in height for ergonomic reasons. In the private

bathrooms, the toilets will be adjusted to the resident of that room. We use this kind of toilet instead

of a normal toilet because of its ergonomic benefits. A person can sit down and stand up more easily

when he has a good positioning to start with.

Toilets we have in the villa won’t have bars yet unlike in the picture, but the structures around the

toilets are strong so the bars can be added later if necessary. Toilets will also be coverless to ensure

that someone with dementia won’t have an embarrassing accident. [Toilet]

Picture 10. Toilet

8.2. Shower There will be a big shower without any thresholds so wheelchairs can go easily in. There will also be a

stone seat for sitting if necessary. The seat is durable and is less stigmatizing than a plastic seat.

When the residents don’t use it for sitting on, they can use it to put on their products as shampoo

and soap. We also wanted to include a removable handle for showering that the residents are able to

use if they want. [Shower]

Picture 11. Removable handle

Picture 12. Stone seat in the shower

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8.3. Sliding wall and sliding door In every private bathroom there will be a sliding wall. The main idea is that the wall looks like a

normal wall when it’s closed but it can be slid to the side if needed. When it’s open there will be

more space for a nurse or for a patient lift. When the wall is closed, there is a sliding door in it that

can be used as the normal door to the bathroom. We used a sliding door because it is easy to open

for people in a wheelchair. The toilet is visible for the resident when he/she is in the room. When

there are problems in the future like dementia, the toilet can be a trigger to remind the resident of

going to the toilet.

Another possibility was to enlarge the private bathrooms but then we probably wouldn’t have

enough space left for the other rooms. By using the sliding wall, it’s possible to enlarge the bathroom

when the situation requires it.

8.4. Infrared lights in bathroom An infrared heat lamp is a lamp that uses a special form of incandescent light bulb primarily for the purposes of heat production rather than to generate light. These lamps do produce some light, but most of the energy that they consume is directed towards heating the room. We chose this lamp, because it gives a high degree of comfort when the inhabitants are using the

bathroom for a certain amount of time. This system is also present in the big bathrooms on each

floor. The heat lamps use the same method for turning on and off as the normal lamps. [Infrared

lights]

8.5. Adjustable mirrors We will install mirrors that can be turned a little bit to the ground. This allows everyone to get good

view from the mirror regardless of their height or position

Picture 13. Infrared light

Picture 14. Adjustable mirror

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8.6. Height-adjustable kitchen Because the inhabitants are all seniors and some of them don’t have so much muscle strength left,

we thought to design both kitchens with height-adjustable drawers and tables for possible

wheelchair use. The kitchen closets are moveable in vertical and horizontal direction. This kind of

movement is ensured by electrical actuators and mechanical transmission that are installed in the

back of the kitchen closets.

8.7. Sauna In a Finnish villa a sauna is good thing to have so people can get some warmth after a long cold day

and in the same time it keeps people clean and hygienic. There are also other health benefits

concerning sauna than just cleaning the skin. Sauna improves cardiovascular performance, burns

calories, can help fight faint illnesses, can induce a deeper sleep, flushes toxins from the body and

also soothes pains in both muscles and joints by releasing the tension in them. Going to the sauna is

also most of the time a social and entertaining event where people can relax with friends.

When having older people going to the sauna it’s important that the sauna is safe. That means non-

slip floor is required in the sauna as well as in the shower room. The heater needs to be behind a

fence and hard to reach. It is also good to have a system that turns off the sauna after it has been out

of use for a while.

We felt like the sauna should be big enough for guests and we added an elevator chair so even

people with some limitations could enjoy the sauna to its full potential. We were also comparing if

we should put an automatic switch or a timer to turn off sauna when it’s not use. In the end we felt

that an automatic switch would be a little bit too complicated, because sauna needs to warm up

after it is turned on and even after it has heated, it probably won’t be used for another ten or twenty

minutes. We chose a timer that starts automatically when sauna is turned on and the timer is 2 hours

by default, but can be adjusted. [Sauna]

Picture 15. Sauna

8.8. Fitness room It is important to keep care of physical condition especially when you get older. It will make daily life

an easier and independent life at home possible. In Finland it is good to have indoor place where can

do some sport in the winter time. Equipment of the fitness room is working by pneumatic

resistance. Pneumatic resistance is safe and comfortable to use and have stepless resistance

adjustment and the minimum resistance is zero. This makes them suitable for everyone. There is an

opportunity to use equipment of fitness room also for wheelchair. Pneumatic resistance machines

are silent and controlled with touch screen.

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We wanted to add a possibility to measure your weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol

to the fitness room. So there’s a place where you can take care of your health and control it by

yourself or with the help from a nurse. [Fitness room]

Picture 16. Gym equipment

8.9. Chairs in the living room It can be difficult to get up from the chair when muscle strength is decreasing. Chairs have to be

sturdy and high enough. In the villa there are Armi activating chairs. Armi chairs are Finnish

innovations and they are designed for senior people. Those chairs help the person, who is sitting, to

get up without any effort. The armrests and the chair`s back can lean forward so it is easier to get up.

There are also chairs which the user can control by remote control. The user can lie on the chair or

sleep without having neck pains. There are also a few special massage chairs for luxury and relaxing.

The user can set the height of the chair and choose what massage he or she wants. Remote control is

easier and simple to use. [Chairs]

Picture 18. Armi chair Picture 17. Massaging chair

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9. Technical concepts

9.1. Turn on and off system For turning on and off the electricity in the bathroom we designed a system composed by two

resistive sensors. The sensors are put on the floor as in the image below. They are more like a carpet

that could be fitted also under a laminar floor. We chose this design because if they break, they

would be easy to change. The turning on and off electricity depends on the right order of activation

of the sensors. As in the picture sensor 1 is placed in the bedroom and sensor 2 is placed in the

bathroom. If the person goes from the bedroom to the bathroom first sensor 1 will be activated then

sensor 2, that makes the electricity and the other utilities go on. When the person leaves the

bathroom, first is sensor 2 activated then sensor 1, and within a small period of time (2 minutes) all

the utilities from bathroom goes off.

9.2. Lock in the bedroom door The locks on the doors of the private bedrooms can always be opened from the outside with a key.

The residents will be able to lock their own door if they want to, but in case of emergency someone

can open it from the outside. We wanted to add the locks to give residents a little privacy and to

prevent people with dementia from wandering into wrong rooms.

9.3. Monitoring panel The control panel represents a smart solution to monitor the utilities from the house. This panel is

situated at the main entrance because as that when an inhabitant leaves the house he could check if

any utilities are in use. The utilities cannot be operated from this panel, to switch them off the

inhabitant should go and switch them by a manual way. We decide for this system because it is

easier for the inhabitants to see all the active utilities on one monitor instead of complex control

system.

Picture 19. Turn on and off system

Picture 20. Monitoring panel

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9.4. Switch-Box for basement For the basement we thought that a main switch-box would be useful to turn off and on all the

electricity and utilities like sauna or ventilation or laundry room. The switch, situated in the living

room, could be also programed to start the utilities at a certain time, for example the sauna could

start one hour before the inhabitants want to use it. Also the switch box has a display with a timer

that indicates for how much time a utility is working. From this switch the air conditioner from the

living room could even be controlled. [Switch-box]

9.5. Heating and air conditioning We were comparing different methods for heating and because Finland is a cold country without

much sunlight our only options were radiant heating, electric resistance heating and hot water

radiators. We ruled out electric resistance system because we thought that it would be unnecessarily

expensive. In the end we chose hot water radiators because we have smart floor in the bedrooms

and it is impossible to have smart floor together with the radiant floor heating.

In hot water radiators the water circulates through pipes by gravity feed or a pressure pump. Then

the heat is just transferred from the hot water to the room. In larger homes and villas it is possible to

save energy by installing zone control for multiple areas. Automatic valves can also be installed on

the hot water radiators, controlled by thermostats in each zone of the house. After that it is possible

to automatically heat and cool off different areas of the house.

We also chose to include an air conditioner in both living rooms just for the fresh air, because in

Finland it rarely gets so hot that cooler air is needed. [Heating]

Picture 22. Hot water radiator

Picture 21. Switch-Box for basement

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9.6. IntraSonic Intercom For more comfort we decided to install an intercom in every bedroom, living rooms, dining rooms

and the basement. Through this device each inhabitant can independently respond to calls from the

door and make calls to other people. Also this intercom is connected to the emergency system so

with a push of a button it will send a signal to the emergency unit that can intervene in the shortest

time. The central unit of this intercom is at the main entrance and in each bedroom has an interface

with buttons, a screen and an LED light which is handy for people with hearing problems. Also the

main entrance video camera is connected to this intercom. So when someone rings the doorbell the

intercom will flash and it will display a view of the main entrance. [Intercom]

9.7. Dayplanner In each room there is one dayplanner which is beneficial to senior inhabitants to organize the day

and eventually at what time they should take the medicines. This system is in a tablet with internet

connection, comes in help also for caregivers to send reminders to the senior user. This Dayplanner

system is available for monthly subscription for a little sum of money. [Dayplanner]

9.8. Samsung Smart TV Because residents are seniors and as we all know they often have problems with both hearing and

sight, we thought it would be much easier to install in the living room a smart TV with voice

recognition and motion control. This TV operates via well-known application Siri, so it can be

controlled by voice command, which makes the use of remote control not necessarily required. Also

this TV has internet access but it can easily attach other devices such as speaker system or wireless

headphones that come in help for the persons with hearing problems. [Smart TV]

Picture 23. Intercom

Picture 24. Dayplanner

Picture 25. Smart TV

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9.9. Robomow Grass cutting robot would come in use in the care of the garden of the villa. Because some of the

senior inhabitants love gardening, but most of them like to spend as much time outdoors, the garden

must be as neat as possible. This robot works independently covering an area of approximately 2000

square meters. [Robomow]

9.10. Elevator The elevator is the most important improvement in a villa for senior inhabitants. Because all

inhabitants have muscle problems, we’ve decided that this lift should move from the basement to

the 2nd floor, it can also be accessed from outside with an access card. The elevator is big enough for

5 people but also for a wheelchair. [Elevator]

Picture 27. Elevator

Picture 26. Robomow

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10. Conclusion To summarize this project we had to rebuild an old villa for five seniors with their special needs

including the ones they might have in the future. We discussed about every person’s problems and

requirements. Because of the individual needs and limitations not every technical solution fits every

person. We tried to find the best solution for each individual need so that every resident has a

chance of living his life in the way he or she wants and in some cases we had to compromise and use

the best solution that was best for everyone in general.

The main goal of the smart home solutions is an independence life as long as possible. The effect of

the devices we have installed is that the residents are able to live longer in the villa and to feel safe

there. It’s important to search for solutions which can be accepted by the residents and which can

increase their quality of life while looking as normal as possible.

Although we have tried to consider all the possible needs for now and for the future, it’s hard to

provide a solution for every possible problem.

26

11. Sources Fire alarm - http://www.homerepairtips.com.au/2013/fire-protection-devices-in-your-home/

Burglar alarm - http://www.verisure.fi/?gclid=CNL8xon8jr0CFeEGcwod2i4A4w

Water leak sensor - http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/2013-WATER-BUG-ALARM-horizon-

mechanical_630358928.html

Barrier free environment - http://suntran.com/pop_access_measurements.htm

Induction stove - http://theinductionsite.com/proandcon.shtml

Smart floor - http://www.elsitechnologies.com/index.php/en/how-it-works/how-elsi-technology-

works

Non slip floor - http://www.ndclean.com/no-slip-floor.html

Anti-scald device - http://www.thiscaringhome.org/products/anti-scald-device-screw-on.php

Toilet - http://www.viega.nl/xchg/nl-

nl/hs.xsl/Viega_In_hoogte_verstelbaar_wc_element_Viega_Eco_Plus_genomineerd_voor_VSK_Awar

d_2014_7820.html

Shower - http://www.jaapraat.nl/badkamers.php &

http://shop.oz.be/nl/producten/bad%20en%20douche/handgrepen%20-%20beugels/19

Infrared lights - http://www.bathroomheater.org/bathroom-heat-lamps.html Sauna - http://www.finnleo.com/pages/health-and-wellness.aspx

Fitness room - http://www.hur.fi/tuote/ea9125-dipshrug-easy-access & http://www.hur.fi/

Chairs - http://www.beurer.com/web/en/products/massage/shiatsu-

massagesessel.php?pid=3833&pvid=3833

Switch-box - http://gajitz.com/map-your-lights-out-say-yellow-to-the-geekiest-light-switch/

Heating - http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/heat-distribution-systems

Intercom - http://www.exzelsmarthome.com/products/intercom-surveillance/

Dayplanner - http://www.memotouch.com/About-Us

Smart TV - http://bitshare.cm/post/15622686620/the-samsung-smart-tv-with-voice-motion-control-

and

Robomow - http://www.robomow.com/en-USA/

Elevator - http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/home-elevator.html