• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.242-248
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• 2019

This study was conducted to examine the effects of a smart home (electronic control unit, ECU) on the performance and satisfaction of activities of daily living of wheelchair users. A total of 15 wheelchair users (10 patients with spinal cord injury and 5 patients with stroke) were investigated. Smart homes were equipped with ECU technology, which consisted of automation of furniture and products. The products and facilities were integrated and controlled by a smart device or voice. Performance and satisfaction of activities of daily living were measured by the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) before and after residence in a smart home. All participants showed a higher COPM (performance score ${\geq}3$, satisfaction score ${\geq}4$) during residence in a smart home compared to residence in the current home. In addition, the COPM scores differed significantly before and after residence in a smart home. These results provide evidence of the applicability of smart homes based on high technology. However, additional studies of more smart home participants should be conducted to improve the quality of the results.