Disconnected Controller
Homes are becoming evermore connected as technology in the smart home IoT sector improves. For most devices at home, there is now a ‘smart’ version on the market, which is meant to make the life of users easier, by allowing them to communicate with each other and being controlled via apps.
The goal of this controller is for the user to retain the functionality of remote controlling functions of the ‘smart’ home, whilst allowing them to disconnect from the digital world. By using ArUco markers, the controller can adjust the settings of the ‘smart’ devices without having to contain any technology.
Project Type : Individual Project
Contribution: As it was an individual project, I completed every step of the process myself.
Date: Nov/2023 – Feb/2023
Form Exploration
The first step in the design process was to determine the controller’s form and shape, which would offer the best user experience. For this reason, I brainstormed multiple ideas of which a few can be seen.
Considering important values for this project such as comfort and ease of use, the controller resembling a doorknob was chosen. Firstly, the controller was designed to resemble a doorknob to make use of developed mental models, in which users associate a doorknob with a twisting motion. Secondly, by having a flat bottom and a spherical top, users would be more likely to set it down on the flat part, to prevent accidental inputs when not in use.
CV markers & Prototyping
As this project had a relatively short timeframe, the demonstration was not realised with the actual ‘smart’ devices connected to a home network. Instead, an Arduino was used to visualize how the adjustments made with the controller would affect the ‘smart’ devices. The prototype consisted of a computer running the ArUco marker detection, an external 1080p camera, and an Arduino.
A Python script detects the ArUco markers and creates a server that provides information regarding the ID of the markers, their position on the X, Y and Z axes and their rotation around these axes. The controller itself was 3D printed using white PLA with the ArUco marker already extruded into it.
Final Concept: Universal Controller
From this exploration, it appears that such a controller could indeed be used to allow users to disconnect from the digital world. This prototype proves that adjusting ‘smart’ device settings with this controller is intuitive and easy to use, without the need for a smartphone or several remote controls. Therefore, this could be a desirable addition to the smart home of many in the future.
The use of ArUco markers to make adjustments to the settings of smart devices in the home environment appears to work quite well. The brightness and temperature levels are easily adjustable and since with these smart devices, there is visual feedback about the changes that are being made, it should be intuitive to the users as there is immediate visual feedback.
To read more about this short project read more in this paper: