Article published Human machine interfaces
The sound which makes a house intelligent
Acoustic interfaces offer another dimension to a house. They can accurately control lighting and heating or detect when people are in distress at home.
Touch sensitive, plastic or metal casings, floors capable of monitoring or even controlling lighting and heating of a house as well as automatic activation of door opening etc. are among the many applications based on acoustic-technology which are being developed by CEA LIST. "In the field of sensory interfaces and the intelligent home, we have developed a new technology called "Second Touch", explains Jean-Pierre Nikolovski. It makes it possible to localize a touch, pressure or point of impact, using low cost sensors distributed around the periphery of the interface. This technology, which we have patented, can be adapted to take various forms: protective casing of robots, household appliances, games, photograph frames, etc. They accept multiple touches". Its major advantages are its competitiveness and it's small overall dimensions. By using a second patented process, the LIST team can also grant functionality to tables and windowpanes, or even to the floor of an apartment to detect steps. Locating movements in the house These acoustic interfaces have various sizes, from several square centimetres to more than 100 m2. They can detect the weakest signals, such as those produced by touch. With a signal handling algorithm, using an approach analogous to seismic detection, it is possible to follow the movements of people around the inside of the building. Key advantage: controlling heating and lighting according to need, or even providing advice to a user who wishes to optimise the use of his domestic appliances. The acoustic interface can also be used as a sonometer to measure noise pollution. Other potential offers for industry include sensors for detection and analysis of acoustic activity, with the intention of identifying distress calls from elderly, handicapped or vulnerable persons in their homes. In this case, a software platform coupled to a map of the accommodation would make it possible to locate a person, to describe the automation (entering the kitchen, switching on the light, opening the refrigerator, lighting the oven, etc.) or to classify changes in living activities; unusual behaviour or an abnormally prolonged period of inactivity could then cause a signal to be sent to a security service, via the web for example. It would be sufficient to have between one and three sensors per 50 m2 of apartment. This is a much less intrusive solution than cameras, less demanding in terms of processing power and with several benefits, such as monitoring of infants. "This is very high-performance technology, according to Jean-Pierre Nikolovski, thanks to its very high detection sensitivity, its signal selectivity and its algorithms for interpretation". Today this technology is sufficiently mature for us to envisage producing pre-industrial demonstration models.
