Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Refrigerators and Heat Pumps01:07

Refrigerators and Heat Pumps

3.1K
Refrigerators or heat pumps are heat engines operating in a reverse direction. For a refrigerator, the focus is on removing heat from a specific area, whereas, for a heat pump, the focus is on dumping heat into one particular area. A refrigerator (or heat pump) absorbs heat Qc from the cold reservoir at Kelvin temperature Tc and discards heat Qh to the hot reservoir at Kelvin temperature Th, while work W is done on the engine’s working substance.
A household refrigerator removes heat from...
3.1K
Control Systems: Applications01:25

Control Systems: Applications

1.2K
Electrical engineering plays a pivotal role in our daily lives, with control systems at the heart of many applications, from home appliances to sophisticated space shuttles. Control systems manage and regulate the behavior of devices and processes, ensuring they function safely, correctly, and efficiently.
In modern vehicles, control systems manage various functions to enhance performance and safety. The steering wheel and accelerator are primary inputs in a car's control system. The...
1.2K
Insulation Coordination01:23

Insulation Coordination

593
Insulation coordination is the process of matching electric equipment's insulation strength with protective device characteristics to protect the equipment against expected overvoltages. This selection is based on engineering judgment and cost. Equipment can generally withstand short-duration high transient overvoltages, but repeated tests with identical waveforms can yield inconsistent results. As a result, standard impulse voltage waveforms are used for testing, defined by specific times...
593
Heating and Cooling Curves02:44

Heating and Cooling Curves

28.2K
When a substance—isolated from its environment—is subjected to heat changes, corresponding changes in temperature and phase of the substance is observed; this is graphically represented by heating and cooling curves.
For instance, the addition of heat raises the temperature of a solid; the amount of heat absorbed depends on the heat capacity of the solid (q = mcsolidΔT). According to thermochemistry, the relation between the amount of heat absorbed or released by a substance, q, and its...
28.2K
Control Systems01:10

Control Systems

1.9K
Control systems are everywhere in contemporary society, influencing diverse applications from aerospace to automated manufacturing. These systems can be found naturally within biological processes, such as blood sugar regulation and heart rate adjustment in response to stress, as well as in man-made systems like elevators and automated vehicles. A control system is essentially a network of subsystems and processes that collaboratively convert specific inputs into desired outputs.
At the heart...
1.9K
What is Homeostasis?01:16

What is Homeostasis?

59.6K
Maintaining homeostasis requires that the body continuously maintain its internal conditions. Each physiological condition has a particular set point, from body temperature to blood pressure to levels of certain nutrients. A set point is the physiological value around which the normal range fluctuates. A normal range is a restricted set of values that is optimally healthful and stable. For example, the set point for normal human body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F).
59.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Congenital duodenal diaphragm.

Digestive endoscopy : official journal of the Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society·2011
Same journal

How do environmental control systems affect mental health and psychological well-being? A pilot study.

Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology·2026
Same journal

Design and development of a dual-power stroke lever-propelled wheelchair in limited resource setting: a pilot user evaluation.

Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology·2026
Same journal

Educational technology and cognitive diversity: exploring attitudinal responses of autistic students.

Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology·2026
Same journal

Assistive device prescriptions in multiple sclerosis: a cross-sectional study of disability distribution.

Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology·2026
Same journal

Online survey of wheelchair service providers' opinions about the usefulness of a new rear anti-tip device for manual wheelchairs: a cross-sectional study.

Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology·2026
Same journal

Hybridising feature subset selection with enhanced Deep Belief network for Human Activity recognition to Support Disabled Persons using internet of things-edge-cloud continuum.

Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
11:21

Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data

Published on: July 27, 2018

8.9K

Google Home: smart speaker as environmental control unit.

Kenichiro Noda1

  • 1a Department of Rehabilitation , Port Kembla Hospital , Warrawong , Australia.

Disability and Rehabilitation. Assistive Technology
|August 24, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Smart speakers offer an affordable and accessible alternative to traditional Environmental Control Units (ECU). These voice-activated devices enhance independence for individuals with disabilities by enabling hands-free control of home appliances.

Keywords:
Environmental control unitIoThands-freehome automationvoice activation

More Related Videos

Asthma Detection Research Based on Voice Signal Processing and Machine Learning
04:04

Asthma Detection Research Based on Voice Signal Processing and Machine Learning

Published on: July 22, 2025

1.1K
Production and Measurement of Organic Particulate Matter in the Harvard Environmental Chamber
09:46

Production and Measurement of Organic Particulate Matter in the Harvard Environmental Chamber

Published on: November 18, 2018

7.7K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 24, 2026

Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data
11:21

Methodology for Establishing a Community-Wide Life Laboratory for Capturing Unobtrusive and Continuous Remote Activity and Health Data

Published on: July 27, 2018

8.9K
Asthma Detection Research Based on Voice Signal Processing and Machine Learning
04:04

Asthma Detection Research Based on Voice Signal Processing and Machine Learning

Published on: July 22, 2025

1.1K
Production and Measurement of Organic Particulate Matter in the Harvard Environmental Chamber
09:46

Production and Measurement of Organic Particulate Matter in the Harvard Environmental Chamber

Published on: November 18, 2018

7.7K

Area of Science:

  • Rehabilitation Engineering
  • Assistive Technology
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Environmental Control Units (ECU) are crucial for enhancing independence and quality of life for individuals with physical or functional disabilities.
  • Traditional ECUs can be expensive and require specialized user training, limiting accessibility.
  • The emergence of inexpensive, voice-activated smart speakers presents a potential new avenue for environmental control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the potential of commercially available smart speakers as an alternative to traditional Environmental Control Units (ECU).
  • To assess the feasibility of using smart speakers for environmental control for individuals with disabilities.
  • To evaluate smart speakers as a more accessible and affordable assistive technology.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on Environmental Control Units and smart speaker technology.
  • Analysis of smart speaker features (voice recognition, far-field microphones, wireless connectivity) relevant to environmental control.
  • Comparison of cost, ease of setup, and user accessibility between traditional ECUs and smart speakers.

Main Results:

  • Smart speakers provide hands-free voice control capabilities suitable for environmental control applications.
  • Features like far-field microphones and wireless connectivity facilitate seamless integration with home appliances.
  • Smart speakers present a lower-cost, user-friendly alternative to conventional ECUs, potentially broadening access to assistive technology.

Conclusions:

  • Smart speakers have the potential to function as effective, modern Environmental Control Units (ECU).
  • Their affordability, ease of use, and versatility make them a promising assistive technology for enhancing independence in clients with disabilities.
  • This technology can reduce the burden on caregivers and empower a wider range of users to control their environment.