Hear a sound after saying “Ok Google” on Google Home device

When Google Home hears the hotword (“OK Google” or “Hey Google”), it records what you say and sends the recording to Google to fulfill your request. To hear a brief sound at the start and/or end of your request: Make sure your mobile device or tablet is connected to the same Wi-Fi as your Google Home

Siri Shortcuts stands to be a boon for people living with disability

I watched the Apple WWDC presentation this morning and was excited to see the announcement of Shortcuts. Siri Shortcuts Streamline the things you do often with shortcuts. Siri can now intelligently pair your daily routines with third-party apps to suggest convenient shortcuts right when you need them. So if you typically pick up a coffee

How a Smart Home Empowers People with Disabilities

… While advances in personal technology continue at a rapid pace, at times their designers seem to forget about the population that could perhaps benefit from it the most. Stabelfeldt says just the ability to charge a phone with a wheelchair didn’t even exist until a few years ago. But features like Apple’s “Home” app

Commodity Environmental Control – The Smart Home and Accessibility | TechCrunch

Techcrunch feature an good article on the smart home and accessibility. For over thirty years I’ve been kludging ways to control what I can around me.  There’s a whole field of rehabilitation technology centred around what’s termed “environmental control”. All this time I’ve dreamed of the day when this stuff – what you could call ‘lazy-man’ tech.

The Great Automatic Light Saga or How to control a WeMo light from your PC

Summary: Control a lamp with a script on your PC via WiFi and a WeMo Switch This is going to get a bit convoluted so try and stick with me. I moved house the end of last year and, as happens every time, I left behind all the alterations and small tweaks I’d done to

Notifying Doorbell

[wp_youtube]0IIwuAmIro4[/wp_youtube] From Notifying Doorbell by ClementStorck on YouTube “This project will help you to hack your doorbell to send Push notification and an email with an attached picture when somebody’s at the door. It use the free PushingBox service to delegate all the programming part and make things easy.” “The principle is simple, when someone rings the portal, a push

WeMo – power control via mobile

WeMo is a family of simple, ingenious products that allow you to control home electronics from anywhere. Turn them on or off, trigger them with motion, even put them on a schedule. WeMo lives on your smartphone and uses your home WiFi and mobile internet. Source: WeMo by Belkin via Lifekludger on Pinterest

Reverse Engineering for Home automation

Reverse Engineering an AC Signal Protocol for use on 240v home automation… Source: hackaday.com via David N on Pinterest

Wireless door access TI watch

Wireless door access using the TI hackable watch What seems “novelty” can often be essential in a different context. This type device could be great for access. The TI Chronos development kit will allow many great projects that cleverly exploit the resources of the Chronos watch. This video shows a hack that wirelessly unlocks a

Automated blinds controlled via computer and remote

A neat project showing automated ‘venetian’ blinds controlled via computer and remote. I once had a mod done that used a stepper motor from a hard disk that turned the blinds via the wand on the blinds. That way it was able to leave the blind in tact and could be taken with me, as