Using gestures to interact with home automation systems

Homes and working spaces are considered significant contributors to the top percentage of energy consumption and carbon emissions worldwide. Previous studies in the field of home- and building automation have demonstrated the sustainability gain brought by smart home solutions, in terms of energy-efficiency, economic savings, and enhanced living and working conditions. A major barrier, however, to the adoption of these solutions is the complexity and poor usability of user interfaces. In addition, various modes of interactions for the control and automation of residential environments are an emerging area of study within Human-Computer Interaction. As a response to these challenges, this study investigates the use of gestures as a natural way of controlling and interacting with home automation systems. After a survey of available motion capture technologies (Microsoft Kinect and LEAP Motion) and studies related to both, a gesture dictionary will be defined as a set of meaning actions in free form in-air movements. A socio-technical study t will be conducted to measure the resulting aspects such as acceptability, ease-of-use, and culturability. Lastly, the study will present the analysis and effects of gestures control for a higher up-take of smart home solutions towards designing and maintaining buildings of the future that are both user-centric and resource efficient to reduce our overall carbon footprint.