With one simple touch or command, researchers at the University of Guelph are opening the doors to accessibility.
Hussein Abdullah, professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences’ School of Engineering, is testing a device that allows people to open doors using an app on their handheld device.
The Smart Door Access System easily integrates into a pre-existing accessible door, eliminating the need to press a button on a wall.
Once the device’s app is installed, the system connects via Bluetooth to a user’s phone where they can open a door by touching their device or using a voice command.
Abdullah worked with a team of students and researchers to develop the Smart Door project.
"We started on this project just before COVID-19. The main focus was to help improve accessibility. What we found, especially for people in wheelchairs, is that sometimes, they still could not access a door," Abdullah said.
Depending where press buttons are found on a wall, people still struggle. Abdullah believes the key is to make doors more accessible.
“Some people face difficulties when they need to physically press a button to access a building. The app makes it easier for everyone," he said.
Abdullah has spent the past two decades working to improve the lives of people with limb impairments by researching biomedical robots and medical devices.
He said this type of work brings a 'real-world' element into his research.
“The joy you find when you design something that improves the quality of someone’s life, that’s amazing. That’s the most important part of doing research in this field,” he said.
A prototype of the Smart Door Access System was designed, built and tested in the Robotics Institute, a research lab within U of G ‘s School of Engineering, and it is currently installed on a door in the Albert A. Thornbrough building.
Users can push a button on their device to open a door, or simply say “open.” The app remembers past doors visited and allows people to customize how long a door stays open if they need more time to get through.
The Smart Door Access System app will be available for Apple and Android phones, and Microsoft systems used for accessibility devices.
Although the system was originally designed to accommodate people with physical disabilities, Abdullah discovered that after COVID-19, it could also eliminate cross-contamination in health-care settings by limiting the spread of germs.
“Physical contact allows viruses to spread. The whole scope of the project widened after the pandemic and we were able to expand our objectives to help in more settings,” Abdullah said.
"So, it's not just for those who are disabled or who have some sort of impairment. It's for everyone who wants to control the spread of potential viruses, because the user will only interact with their own device."
A Smart Door Access System pilot project is currently underway.
The City of Collingwood partnered with Abdullah to run the pilot project installing the app at Collingwood Town Hall and on doors at Collingwood Public Library.
Users can scan a QR code or fill out a form to access the app and share their experiences with Abdullah’s research team.
“If this is going to be successful, we need to know what’s working and what isn’t,” Abdullah said.
"The plan is that after we finish this trial in Collingwood, hopefully we will find other places that will try it. We will collect all of the feedback from users and find out were we can improve. Right now, people are saying it's very helpful."
After Abdullah and his team make any adjustments, the goal is to collaborate with manufacturers.
"We are looking for a manufacturer that can work with us so that the app can be used by the public," Abdullah said.
"This is something that is really rewarding for myself and my students. For us, it is about the human aspect in improving the quality of life."
