Kelaniya undergrads produce low cost home automation solution

Home automation is not a new technology and there are automation solutions from reputed companies. But the cost of such imported solutions is huge and not affordable for the majority of the people.

Four students Migara Aberathna, Indika Udayapriya, Surimal Dinesh and Pasan Buddhika studying in the electronics stream Science faculty of the Kelaniya University of Kelaniya attempted to provide a low cost home automation solution as their final year project.

The course coordinator and the senior lecturer of the Department of Physics N.W.K.Jayatissa said that their attempt has been successful and they have invented a low cost home automation solution with commercial viability.

Home automation systems can integrate electrical devices in a house and enable to control their activities.

It includes centralised control of lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning appliances and many other systems. Any device can be automated using this system and it can be used for security systems and motion detection as well.

The advantages of such automation solutions are; convenience, comfort, energy efficiency and security. This kind of automation systems makes the lives of the elderly and disabled more convenient and enable them to work independently with less support from others.

“In a home automation system, all these devices are connected through a computer network and can be controlled by a computer within the premises or remotely through internet. In this system too, students have included all these features”, Jayatissa said.

The product has been designed using USB communication port to connect the computer. USB port is used in all modern communication systems. There are a number of advantages in the use of USB interface. Here the computer acts as

the host and up to 127 devices can be connected to the host. Individual USB cables can run as long as 5m with hubs, devices can be up 30m away from the host. USB 3.0 has a maximum data rate of 450 MB and can transmit data in both directions simultaneously. Many USB devices can be put to sleep by the host computer when the host computer enters a power saving mode.

- GW