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Switchamajig IR and Insteon IRLinc Hiding in a Corner

My Switchamajig IR can learn commands to control Insteon lights and plugs, so I want to shoot a video showing how great it is to have control of so much of your world with an iPad.

If you're familiar with my videos, you know that my son Jackson typically stars in them. But for this video, I'd prefer to show an adult. If you want to be in the video, I'll meet with you to understand what will work best, install a basic system at your home, shoot the video, and leave the system behind.

I'm looking for teenagers, adults, and seniors who:
 - Live close to San Jose, California.
 - Are unable to access standard electrical switches, small appliances, and remote controls because of a motor impairment.
 - Own and are able to access an iPad, either directly or with scanning switches.
 - Are excited at the idea of controlling more of their daily lives with their iPad.
 - Are willing to sign a release that lets me use pictures and video of you and your home to market my products. In the video, I may need to explain something about your disability to show how my product helps you.

The Insteon Switch (Right) Fits Right In

Obviously I can only give away a couple of these systems, so I expect I'll have to turn people away. I apologize in advance if you're one of the people I have to turn down.


If you're interested, I need an email from you to freeir@paw-solutions.com. Please tell me how you meet the above criteria, and how great my video will be with you in it. Include a picture if you like, and I'll be in touch.

I feel like there should be some legal mumbo-jumbo associated with an offer like this. Since I'm not a lawyer, let's just say that nobody is entitled to anything as a result of my writing this post and that I alone will choose who I give free stuff to.

Oh, and I won't retain any personal information about you. Once I've got the video made, I'll delete the above email account along with everything I received for it.

I'm willing to open-source my switch-scanning code

I got my switch scanning feature working. I went with making the button grow when it is selected.

While I was writing the code, I realized that there's nothing really special about this feature. Everyone who is supporting switch scanning has similar-looking code, and there's really no reason for us all to implement this feature separately. It would be better for all of us to pool our efforts and create a standard library that can drop into any app to support scanning easily.

If anyone else is interested, I'll go first. I'm willing to release the source code for my scanning code (and the associated test code, which is actually bigger) under a relaxed open-source license.

I believe github.com will host open-source code for free, so the only real work for me will be to sort out what license I need, write some (limited) documentation, and adjust the copyright lines in my source files.

I use several open-source libraries in the Switchamajig app, and they have made my life tremendously easier. It would be great to give something back, even something as simple as the scanner. I may also end up with a better app if others want to spend some of the time they save improving the scanner.

Please leave a comment if you'd like the code. If nobody's interested, there's no reason for me to spend the time sharing it. In case you're curious, here's what the interface looks like:

enum {SCANNING_STYLE_NONE=0,SCANNING_STYLE_AUTO_SCAN=1,SCANNING_STYLE_STEP_SCAN=2};

@protocol SJUIExternalSwitchScannerDelegate <NSObject>
@required
- (void) SJUIExternalSwitchScannerItemWasSelected:(id)item;
- (void) SJUIExternalSwitchScannerItemWasActivated:(id)item;
@end
 
@interface SJUIExternalSwitchScanner : NSObject <UITextFieldDelegate>
@property (nonatomic) id<SJUIExternalSwitchScannerDelegate> delegate;
@property NSNumber *autoScanInterval;
- (void) addButtonToScan:(UIButton*)button withLabel:(UILabel*)label;
- (id) initWithSuperview:(UIView*)superview andScanType:(int)scanTypeInit;
- (UIButton*) currentlySelectedButton;
- (void) superviewDidAppear;
@end

What do you need in Switchamajig 2.2?

After running version 2.1 of my app at Closing The Gap and listening to feedback, I'm now working on Switchamajig version 2.2.

Planned improvements include:

1. Adding switch access, both auto-scan and step-scan
2. Improving the responsiveness when going back to the initial screen
3. Allowing a single button press to generate a sequence of IR codes
4. Enabling repeating IR codes

If you need items 3 & 4 sooner, let me know. The switch panels already support those features (and many more,) and there are ways to get at them using iTunes.

I'm also aware of a bug that crashes the app if you tap the IR learning selector before learning any IR codes. I have fixed that bug, but will wait for 2.2 to release it since it doesn't seem like a big deal. Please let me know if you find other problems.

I'm currently on the fence about a turn-taking feature. This is designed for children with autism, and it will allow only one iPad to play with a toy at a time. There will be a way for a child to ask for a turn, and to relinquish control. I need to work out the details, but I'm thinking that settings will let you specify how long each turn can be, etc.

One feature I'm planning to pass on for 2.2 is adding AAC symbols to the app. Several companies sell such symbols, so I won't be able to provide them for free. Instead they'll be an "in-app purchase." I'm thinking you'll need to enable the purchasing in the Settings so that my app doesn't keep popping up "buy this feature" dialog boxes.

I'm really interested to get feedback from you about whether or not I'm working on the right stuff. If you think I've got my priorities wrong, or I'm missing a feature you really need, please leave a comment or drop me an email.

Cool Stuff at Closing The Gap

Everything at Closing The Gap is great technology that helps people, so I feel a bit odd listing what really struck me at the show. Still, it's my blog, so here's what I thought was especially cool:





BeyondAdaptive This company makes iPad mounts and key guards. It was great meeting the family who runs the business, especially Brea (follow the link for a picture - I couldn't find one that fit). They can custom-cut keyguards, so if you've created your own Switchamajig panel and want a keyguard for it, contact either them or me and we'll get you set up.

Mount'nMover I've seen this company at several shows. They make mounts for iPads and other devices. The mounts are fairly expensive, but they are designed to take a lot of abuse and still be extremely easy to set up and move from one station to another. Dianne, who runs the company, has amazing product design skills and has a lot of assistive technology experience. If your iPad is a critical part of your life that you always want to have with you, the investment in her mounts could be well worth it.

ZipZac This is a wheelchair for really young children. It was created by an engineer with a connection to a child with spinal bifida, and it requires skills that my own son didn't have that the age the chair is designed for, but I loved seeing these tiny kids zipping around in wheelchairs.

Switchamajig IR Video - I want YOU in my videos!

Here's my latest video on the Switchamajig IR. I believe the IR will be a valuable tool for people who want independent control over items they use every day.

One concern I have is that the preschool-aged, white male with cerebral palsy demographic is a bit over-represented in my videos, and the IR in particular can work for a wide range of ages and conditions.

If you want to be in my video, let me know at info@paw-solutions.com. The intro scenes are about 10 seconds long each, and I'd love to show somebody else taking advantage of my products!

Switchamajig IR Now Available For Pre-order

I've mentioned the new Switchamajig IR before. Now I have them in inventory and will be ready to ship shortly (beta testing is progressing well.)

I'm excited about the IR. Just about everyone has a TV, so accessing it independently is important. TVs and other home theater equipment are also getting more and more capabilities, but those capabilities also mean that their have more buttons. And more buttons usually means smaller buttons.

Works like a universal remote

You can buy very inexpensive remotes with a few big buttons, but they offer access to just a few functions and can't be customized. The IR can control anything that came with an IR remote, and the iPad app has infinite possibilities for customization. You can put a lot of buttons on one screen to make a universal remote, or set up just two buttons to make it really easy to control. Even if you're just using two buttons, you can navigate among several panels to access a lot of functions. I've included several built-in panels that are super easy to set up, but you can change anything around to suit your own needs.

Jackson using two buttons to choose scenes in a DVD

The IR is very unobtrusive, so it can seem like magic. Ours lives in a plant in the corner of the room, but it's always on and ready to control the TV on the other side of the room. We just grab an iPad, start the app, and have full control over our TV, Tivo, and Blu Ray player.

Switchamjig IR
hiding in the (fake) plant

You can pre order the IR now, and we won't charge your card until we are ready to ship. That should be in a couple of weeks.

Check out the Switchamajig IR here!

Speech Therapy: Switchamajig - A Free AAC App

I just finished a video showing how to use the app for AAC, even if you don't have any Switchamajig hardware. There's a lot of capability for a free app, and it's probably all you need if you're just starting with AAC.