\u201cWe know that the product works, but now we need to take those next steps. We\u2019re thrilled to be working with Innovation Central Perth to get this technology out to the people who need it,\u201d says Mike Hamilton, TADWA<\/a> Sales and Partnerships Manager.<\/p>\n In August, TADWA won<\/a> a share of the Western Australian Government\u2019s Innovation Vouchers program, to access Innovation Central Perth capability, to turn the tailor-made technology into an off-the-shelf product.<\/p>\n Ash Roberts, Innovation Central Perth Operations Manager, says the grant will provide TADWA with access<\/a> to a collaborative team, who will support with rapid prototyping and commercialisation.<\/p>\n This includes Curtin students and academics in entrepreneurship and international business<\/a>, who will conduct market analysis and develop a business strategy, and in engineering<\/a>, who will help TADWA technicians investigate how the voice recognition can work offline.<\/p>\n \u201cThis unique collaboration will build an expert team around TADWA to support their innovative idea,\u201d Roberts says.<\/p>\n \u201cIt will enable them to engage with Perth\u2019s innovation ecosystem to achieve project success through customer discovery, feasibility testing and proof of concept.\u201d<\/p>\n TADWA provides bespoke home modifications and custom technological solutions for people with disabilities and age-related challenges.<\/p>\n The voice controller was initially designed two years ago to help a man in his 40s with a degenerative neurological condition, who is immobile each morning until he takes his prescribed medication.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked with the customer and recognised we could give him the ability to move his bed into positions to take medication that he had strategically placed on his mattress the night before,\u201d Hamilton says.<\/p>\n The technology was built by Senior Electronics Technician Ralf Schneider, who wanted to ensure that it could recognise simple commands so that users could make their desired adjustments as efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n \u201cSay they said, \u2018Hey Google, move my bed head up 25 degrees\u2019. This demonstrates four things: that Google knows the instruction is for their bed, that they would like to adjust their upper body angle through the bed head, that they would like to raise their position and the number of degrees of movement,\u201d Schneider says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have also implemented macro commands so that customers can record positions such as \u2018meals\u2019, \u2018transfer\u2019 and \u2018wash\u2019, as well as safety measures to stop all commands if a sensor is unplugged or fails to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n Once commercialised, Hamilton hopes that the voice controller will be able to help thousands of Australians with their specific needs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe anticipate that the voice controller will assist many older adults and people with disabilities to live independently at home.\u201d<\/p>\n Do you want to find realistic solutions for your business or industry?<\/p>\n Curtin University can provide assistance, from product testing and benchmarking, to translating new ideas into remarkable products. You\u2019ll have access to specialised facilities and expertise backed by groundbreaking research.<\/p>\n![\"Innovation](\"https:\/\/www.curtin.edu.au\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Innovation-Central-Perth.jpg\")
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