Researchers at the University of Guelph are looking for ways to improve accessibility, one door at a time.
Dr. Hussein Abdullah, professor in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences’ School of Engineering, is developing a device that allows people to open doors using an app on their handheld device.
The Smart Door Access System easily integrates into pre-existing accessible doors, eliminating the need to press a button. Once the device’s app is installed, the system connects via Bluetooth to a user’s phone and they can open the door by touching their device or using a voice command.
“Some people face difficulties when they need to physically press a button to access a building,” Abdullah says. “The app makes it easier for everyone.”
Improving lives through biomedical research
Abdullah has spent the last two decades working on projects to improve the lives of people with limb impairments by researching biomedical robots and medical devices. He says this type of work brings a real-world element into what he and his teams create in the lab.
“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 says. “Engineers study math and graphics and design, but the human aspect is so important.”
Abdullah worked with a team of students and researchers to bring the Smart Door project to life, including Zeyad Ghulam. Ghulam, who received the Lincoln Alexander Chancellor’s Scholarship as one of U of G’s top entrants in 2018, joined Abdullah’s lab in 2019 to complete the summer research assistantship he was granted as part of the scholarship. He has stayed on at U of G for his master of applied science in engineering.
Ghulam says he was drawn to the biomedical space due to relatives with physical limitations and wanted to be part of projects promoting user’s independence.
“We hope the developed system will improve people’s lives by allowing them to access different places without having to struggle to open a door or ask someone to open it for them,” he says.
Open doors with a simple command
A prototype of the Smart Door Access System was designed, built and tested in the Robotics Institute, an advanced research lab within U of G ‘s School of Engineering. It’s 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.
While the system was originally designed to accommodate people with physical disabilities, it became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic that it could also eliminate cross-contamination in health-care settings by removing the need to directly touch doors.
“Physical contact allows viruses to spread,” Abdullah says. “The whole scope of the project widened in the pandemic and we were able to expand our objectives to help in more settings.”
Pilot project underway in Collingwood
The City of Collingwood partnered with Abdullah to run a pilot project of the app, installing it at Collingwood Town Hall and on doors at the Collingwood Public Library. Interested users can scan a QR code or fill out this 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 says.
After Abdullah and his team make any necessary updates, he hopes to collaborate with manufacturers to make the system widely available and bring more students to his team to work on further development of the project.
Abdullah says he’s already seeing positive results. “You can see the joy from people who used to struggle to access a building or needed help to open a door.”
Contact:
Dr. Hussein Abdullah
habdulla@uoguelph.ca