First-of-its-kind "smart living home" opens in Washington County
A first-of-its-kind smart living home has opened its doors in Washington County, offering assistive technology to help people with disabilities live independently.
The home in Canonsburg opened in May, offering tours and hands-on experiences to families and individuals to see what they could install in their own homes.
"So, what we try to do is invite people here so that we can sit with them, understand their goals, and what's more, you know what's most important to them, and help them to find the technology that works for them," Craig Douglass said, the chief administrative officer of Arc Human Services.
Arc Human Services is a nonprofit that is dedicated to improving and supporting people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and mental illness.
"We think this will really help them. It will help them become more independent. It will help them to be able to stay in their home longer and will help keep them safe in their home and the community," Edward Picchiarini said, the CEO of Arc Human Services.
The smart home appears to be any other home, but it contains numerous smart technologies to help individuals live independently.
"One of the things we have in the house is a panic button. We call it our 'stranger danger' button," Douglass said.
The button can be installed in each room of a home for assistance, like if someone unexpected shows up at the front door.
"We tell them that they can hit this red button," Douglass said.
Once the button is activated, Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant technology will begin talking and giving instructions.
"They'll get a verbal prompt that says, 'Don't open the door,'" Douglass said. The front door will also automatically lock.
"Then we'll get a call from a caregiver that will help provide support to that individual," Douglass said.
Other options include sensors to detect when a person gets in and out of bed to either turn the lights on or off. Douglass said that in the smart home, a pathway of lights from the bedroom to the bathroom is set up to show what options are available based on an individual's needs.
"This is designed to help somebody who maybe gets up in the middle of the night and they have to go to the bathroom. This is a way for us to couple, again, visual prompts to help them navigate to the toilet safely," Douglass said.
Each room in the home also has a sensor to ensure safety and support.
"It has an AI feature built in that learns what people are doing and is expected," Douglass said. "So, if, like, somebody was, you know, hadn't been up for two hours, and we usually see them up at eight o'clock in the morning, a caregiver will get an alert to let them know something's up."
The wide range of technology can also assist in the kitchen.
"One of the things we have is a smart microwave. For example, a person with autism may struggle with buttons. So instead of putting a meal in for three minutes, they might accidentally hit an extra zero, and that can be a fire hazard," Douglass said. "So this is tied with an Amazon device, and you can announce to Alexa to turn the microwave on, and it'll set the timer for you automatically."
Douglass said you can also ask Alexa to assist in making macaroni and cheese.
"Get your pot out of the cabinet beside the stove. The light on the cabinet should be changing colors," Alexa could be heard saying. "Fill the pot with six cups of water. The measuring cup is in the cabinet to the right of the stove. The light where it is located should be changing color."
"Alexa will walk them through this routine of making macaroni and cheese," Douglass said.
Picchiarini said the technology can be personalized for individual needs to support independence.
"Right now, people may have staff with them 24 hours a day, and if they're able to even have a few hours on their own or short periods of time, we think that would be really great for them to be able to experience some independence like that," Picchiarini said.
To set up a tour in the smart living home or for more information about ARC human services, click here.
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