Wirelessly secure
GFaI and lesswire develop energy self-sufficient components for technical building systems
Primarily for elderly people and those in need of care, the technological solutions offered by Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) can provide support and safety. Companies from Adlershof take on a leading role in developing such systems.
At first glance, all you see is a normal light switch. But – how can that be, when in fact the switch is attached to a glass door and there is no way that it could be connected to electric wiring? The answer: it is an energy self-sufficient sensor which wirelessly sends out a radio signal. The receiver of the light bulb decodes this signal – and then there is light.
The sensor is presented by Alfred Iwainsky, chairman of the Society for the Promotion of Applied Computer Science (GFal), at the show apartment AMINA at Sunpark Neukölln. At this retirement home of the Lutheran Foundation of St. Johns Berlin, the GFal, together with its partners, showcases the possibilities energy self-sufficient components bear for technical building systems. This is not about gadgetry, but about making life at home more pleasant and safe especially for elderly people.
Such a component – it resembles a little box – is attached, for example, to a window. If a resident opens the window, a signal is sent out to the heater, automatically turning it down to the lowest level. Simultaneously, a message appears on a screen letting you know that the living room window is now open. If this remains unchanged for a suspiciously long time, the nursing staff knows they should check if everything is allright.
Specialists refer to these kind of systems as Ambient Assisted Living (AAL). “The great advantage of our solution is that it doesn’t involve laying any cables and the settings can be programmed via the software,” Alfred Iwainsky explains. This way, the light can be switched on, for example, by clicking on the light bulb symbol on the screen. And if the resident has to go to the bathroom at night, the recessed floor lights, which can be turned on by using a mobile device, lead the way to the restrooms. Likewise, the carer can wirelessly run a bath in the tub even if he is still busy doing something else.
Located in Adlershof just like GFal, the company lesswire works on wireless solutions for more convenience, security and energy efficiency in a home environment. To this end, lesswire has developed a small box, measuring 80x135 millimetres, called HWC Open Wireless Platform. “It is a platform which joins together various wireless and communication technologies such as KNX-RF, Wireless M-Bus, WLAN and Bluetooth,” explains Ralph Meyfarth, chairman of lesswire AG.
Being an open platform, any software developer can develop the applications desired by his customers. The possible applications are manifold – in energy management as well as house automatisation or medical technology. The lesswire chairman envisions a particularly great potential for home care: “Solutions like these are much better than being placed in a retirement home.”
“It takes time for these innovative systems to penetrate the market,” says Meyfarth. “But they will establish themselves.” This is also the opinion of the head of GFal Iwainsky: “In ten years, this technology will have been established everywhere.”
by Christian Hunziker for Adlershof Special