Voice Activated Call Bell

Written By Enabling Engineering

Designing and implementation of a voice- activated bell system for The Boston Home

The Need

The Boston Home is a wheelchair accessible community for adults with advanced Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and other progressive neurological disorders. However, the community faces accessibility challenges with its manual push-button nurse call system. In response, our project aimed to develop a voice-activated bell that would integrate seamlessly with the existing nurse call system. This would benefit residents like Beth and Margaret, who had limited mobility due to MS, with Beth also being blind. The system was required to provide automation for turning on and off, incorporate a feedback mechanism to confirm activation, and be resistant to background noise interference within residents' rooms.

The Solution

The Voice Activated Bell (VAB) focuses on system integration, ensuring compatibility with The Boston Home's current infrastructure. The voice activation feature is crucial for residents like Beth and Margaret, providing a convenient and accessible way to trigger the nurse call system. Additionally, the system's automation capabilities enhance user experience by eliminating the need for manual activation. Visual feedback mechanisms, such as through LEDs and small liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), provide reassurance to users that their call had been successfully triggered, enhancing the overall usability of the system. Noise interference was a key consideration, and our design incorporates features to mitigate background noise, ensuring reliable operation in various environments within The Boston Home.

The Team

  • Sam Berlind

  • Jordan Stewart

  • Rajani Tabor

  • Cassidy Zeng

Enabling Engineering
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