>
>>PR.com (Press Release)
>>Tuesday, February 28, 2006
>
>>KELVIN Talking Thermostat is Introduced at Chicago AHR Expo
>>
>KELVIN, a fully programmable voice-interactive talking thermostat, was
>>introduced last month at the AHR Expo, the world's largest heating and air
>>conditioning trade show.
>
>Jericho, NY, February 28, 2006 --(PR.COM)-- KELVIN, a fully programmable
>>voice-interactive talking thermostat, was introduced last month at the AHR
>>Expo, the world's largest heating and air conditioning trade show. KELVIN
>>was developed as a talking thermostat to meet the special needs of people
>>who are blind or sight impaired, and who cannot visually control the
>>temperature settings in their homes. The patented technology of the
>>programmable thermostat enables temperature in the home to be adjusted
>>either manually or with verbal commands. Then the talking thermostat
>>verbally confirms the adjusted temperature.
>>
>>KELVIN is a product of Action Talking Products LLC, a company formed by the
>>inventor, Scott Flood, Independent Living Aids, Inc., and the National
>>Federation of the Blind. Independent Living Aids, located in Jericho, NY, is
>>the country's oldest privately-held company supplying products nationally
>>for people who are blind or visually impaired. The National Federation of
>>the Blind, located in Baltimore, MD, is America's largest membership
>>organization of blind people, with more than 50,000 members. It has been
>>estimated that there are currently over 30 million Americans who are
>>visually handicapped or physically challenged, to whom standard programmable
>>thermostats are not accessible. The KELVIN programmable thermostat is
>>available to the public through http://www.actiontalkingproducts.com.
>>
>>Marvin Sandler, President of Independent Living Aids, has said, "A
>>considerable amount of assistance, input and testing was provided by the
>>Rehabilitation and Engineering Research Center on Technology Transfer
>>(T2RERC) at the State University of New York at Buffalo, which is a
>>federally sponsored and funded program. The federal government has taken a
>>particular interest in assistive technology projects such as this in an
>>effort to encourage compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act."
>>During tests and with the input of focus groups organized and conducted by
>>T2RERC, voice interactive speech was added to accommodate people in
>>wheelchairs, and those who aren't able to get close enough to their
>>thermostats to operate them manually.
>>
>>KELVIN programmable thermostat has been successfully tested by, and marketed
>>for more than a year to blind people, and has been enthusiastically
>>received. This programmable thermostat was one of the devices selected to be
>>included in the ABC television show "Extreme Makeover: Home Improvements" in
>>a 2-hour special on the construction of a home for a man who had been
>>blinded during a random shooting spree by a deranged individual.
>>
>>KELVIN is a fully programmable thermostat with automatic temperature
>>adjustments for morning, daytime, evening and night. Heating or air
>>conditioning settings can be programmed individually for each day of the
>>week, resulting in energy savings during days, such as weekends or
>>vacations, when the home is unoccupied. Thermostat settings can also be
>>adjusted by saying "raise" or "lower," but before saying "raise" or "lower"
>>the user must first speak the activation word: "thermostat." During tests
>>and work with focus groups, it was found that without the activation word, a
>>poker game with players shouting "I raise" could result in a really hot
>>game.
>>
>>In the usual course of events, technology in the "big world" market is
>>modified and adapted to the special needs of people who are handicapped. In
>>a turnabout, though the KELVIN thermostat was originally developed for
>>people who are blind or visually impaired, it is now breaking out into the
>>general home heating and air conditioning market. The interactive speech
>>function makes KELVIN ideal for use by baby-boomers, the elderly, residents
>>of retirement communities, designers of accessible hotel rooms and even for
>>young "techies" who want to be the first in their neighborhood to own the
>>latest technological advance in home heating controls.
>>
>>###
>>
>>Independent Living Aids is the oldest privately-held mail-order company in
>>the United States of products for individuals who are blind or visually
>>impaired. ActionTalkingProducts is an Independent Living Aids partner. For
>>more information: Contact us at (800) 537-2118 or e-mail us at
>>can-do@independentliving.com.
>>
>>
>>Contact Information
>>Independent Living Aids Inc.
>>Marvin Sandler
>>(516) 937-1848
>>marvin@independentliving.com
>>www.independentliving.com
>>You can see the Talking thermometer in action at
>>
>>www.ActionTalkingProducts.com
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