The final product of the senior design project is the Smart Assistive Living Environment (SALE) system. This system is designed to support residents in a smart home by helping them manage daily tasks, maintain connections with friends and caregivers, and live more independently. The project achieved positive results, with all proposed devices completed on schedule. Throughout the development process, we gained valuable insights into the needs of individuals with disabilities, deepening our understanding of how to design more effective assistive technologies.
In user testing, most devices controlled through the Smart Mobile Device were rated as “easy to use,” with only occasional ratings of “moderately easy to use.” The only exception was the Smart TV, which required more complex navigation due to its large number of functions. To accommodate this, the Smart TV interface was divided into submenus. While functional, these submenus were less intuitive, especially for first-time users (which is why we recommend training). For example, one submenu mapped kick button inputs directly to Roku-style directional arrows, but the TV’s select button was located in a different menu. This meant that tasks like entering a search term on a streaming service required switching menus to confirm each letter. While not ideal, the Smart TV was still rated as “moderately easy to use” overall, despite the numerous different functionalities.
While the results were encouraging, there remains significant room for improvement, an expected aspect of any engineering project. Each device presents opportunities for refinement and enhancement. It’s also important to recognize that the scope of this project was relatively narrow, especially when compared to the wide range of assistive technologies currently being explored in smart home environments.
The project, while mostly complete, remains conceptually oriented and lacks polish in its current state. Several of the device’s initial requirements still require refinement to reach full functionality. In addition to finalizing the existing components, future work should explore the integration of alternative interface methods to enhance usability and accessibility. Promising approaches include Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), eye tracking, Virtual or Augmented Reality (VR/AR), and wearable or ambient sensors. BCIs could be implemented to control lights, door locks, or window blinds. Eye tracking could allow users to control lamps, TVs, and fans by gazing at specific points or locations on a screen. VR and AR technologies are gaining popularity and have shown potential in empowering older adults to interact with smart home systems, thereby promoting independence, safety, and overall quality of life. Although somewhat intrusive, wearable technology can help monitor the well-being of the user and assist with navigating interfaces.