h a l f b a k e r yGuitar Hero: 4'33"
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My dear old mum has dementia. With a little help, she's still
capable of looking after herself and wants to stay in her own
home. One notable exception is the use of electronic devices
which are something she has always struggled with. What I'd
like to be able to do is operate her TV and DVD
player
remotely from 300 miles away.
The Internet IR Remote would sit across the room from the TV
with a camera pointed at it (so I can see what's going on).
While on the phone my mum (she's still able to use that), I
could operate the TV and DVD player and tell her when to put
the disc in. That way, she could still enjoy a film in the
evening without scheduling home help to start the DVD
player.
(This is a bit of a short term solution as I think most home
electonic devices will become IP addressable over the next
decade, allowing me to controll them directly through a
browser.)
USB IR Transceiver
http://www.iguanaworks.net/
[piluso, Jul 14 2016]
IRCommand2
http://www.wdpsoftw...wdpsIRC2/index.html
[piluso, Jul 14 2016]
[link]
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Sorry to hear about you ma - it's a bad thing. Hope
her decline is slow and gentle, and best of luck to
you both! |
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// the use of electronic devices which are something she has always struggled with. // |
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We recommend to you our previous proposal for systematic culling of the technically inept, irrespective of age, gender or ethnicity. It's so much kinder in the long run. |
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In the absence of an enlightened programme of public euthanasia, IR emitters are available which plug into the 3.5mm jack socket of mobile phones, allowing multiple devices to be controlled from an app. So the hardware exists ... just a question of tinkering together a bit of code. |
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This is actually brilliant, I have a similar situation
with my aunt and something like this would be very
helpful |
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There are some options already available for the IR part, see link. You can connect one of these and a rotation capable camera to a PC, and control eveything via remote desktop,VNC or similar. |
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It would be neat if video call software such as skype transmitted IR along with visible light. Just point the remote at your webcam, and the signal is repeated at the other end... IR webcams would be easy enough, but adding IR pixels to an LCD display would probably be an issue. It would also need to work a lot faster than 30fps for the signal not to get butchered. |
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Have an IRDA carrier embedded in the Skype datastream ? |
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Hmm, yes. There are wifi enabled CCTV cameras with night vision / an IR torch. Presumably the IR light is switched off during daylight to save power, so it's probably controllable. If so, a firmware patch could let you build this invention from a single piece of existing hardware. |
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I think Ian's suggestion of a Raspberry Pi might be the
answer. It's got enough IO capability that it could run
an IR LED and should be possible to code it to be a
remote control. It even has a camera module. I'd also
need to rig it to receive IR too so that it can learn
the
remotes, but this is dangerously do-able. |
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piluso's suggestion could also work if I buy a teeny
tiny PC. |
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Hi my long lost friend, [st3f], I hope you are well. I am so
sorry to hear about your ma. I work as an Activity Director
at an Alzheimer's Center. I know the deep and prolonged
pain a family suffers, with a parent with dementia, all too
well. May I offer my deepest and kindest compassion. |
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If you ever want to talk, please feel free to reach out to
me. I have valuable suggestions for just about everything,
except for the quandary you seem to find yourself in. Not
being very tech savvy, I'm assuming your invention is
brilliant because [theircompetitor] said it was. So a huge
and heartfelt bun, and a wee heart to go with it. |
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@blissmiss: Thanks, that's really sweet. She's doing
remarkably well. Still in her own home (with
assistance). Still walks daily, plays table tennis and
keeps her house spotless. Phone conversations have
taken on the aspect of the riddle of the Sphinx,
though, as nouns are sorely lacking. I'm still trying to
figure out "Mine is white and you have two, do you
like it?" |
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Thinking on the idea, it could be cool to have a
telepresence robot, part local intelligence, part
remote control that could keep an eye on her, and
answer simple questions such as "Where are my
glasses/keys/purse?" as well as having an inbuilt
universal remote. I'd post it but it strays awfully close
to 'that thing in Robot and Frank'. |
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Such systems are already under development in Japan, which has a rapidly growing proportion of elderly citizens. |
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//a rapidly growing proportion of elderly citizens// |
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That's strange; I thought most people got scrawnier
as they aged. |
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No, it's like Kobe beef ... they keep them in sheds and stuff them with rich food. |
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