DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A VOICE CONTROLLED SOCKET USING ANDROID PHONE AS AUTHENTICATOR
System automation plays an important role in our daily lives. The main importance of an automation system is the fact that it reduces human error and stress. With an aging population and the increasing acceptance of community-based care, there is a growing need for electronic assistive technology to support independent living, particularly among the elderly and persons with special needs. This study, Micro-controller based Voice Control Automation System using Android Smartphone aims to use simple voice commands in English to control the switching of devices. This project aims to implement a voice-controlled socket using android phone automation system for electrical appliances in the home which will receive simple voice commands such as ‘on’, ’Off’, through a mobile-phone application. While there have been other ways to create automation systems that uses voice controls like using an external microphone connected to an Arduino or Raspberry pi or even using a PIC microcontroller, this particular system was developed with a smartphone – with an android OS (Snow Cone v2) in this case. The control circuit consists of an ESP 32 micro-controller, which processes the user commands using voice via an android smartphone. The relay controls the switching of devices while the Wi-Fi Module shares signal data having established a wireless connection between the microcontroller and the smartphone. The entire system is fast and efficient because of the ESP-32 microcontroller used, a PIC micro-controller could not have given the accuracy and speed required in this project. Most similar systems built use Arduino or Raspberrypi but this system was built around an ESP-32 controller because of its availability and low cost. Tests on accuracy, speed and range and thermal efficiency of project were carried and the results were positive and desirable for the design specifications. This project will be of great help to the elderly and disabled individuals as it will enable them to easily access basic electronics. The project is however limited to the use of other Operating systems such as iOS and Windows as its application can only function on android devices.
Automation; Voice Control; Android Smartphone; ESP-32 microcontroller; Wi-Fi Module.