TV remotes can be hard to see, hard to understand and hard to access. They often contain a large array of buttons to control features that are rarely used with symbols that are sometimes obscure. If you are challenged in any way, they will be even more difficult to use.
A number of manufactures have luckily tried to solve this problem by producing remotes such as this one from Sony with a larger button size and a more ergonomically designed layout. It can be configured to control a particular TV. Even the AV enthusiast will appreciate its clear layout.
Going further with this to suit individuals who have difficulties in accessing remotes a few manufacturers have design accessible remotes that enable even the most challenged to control their devices within the home.
The following three remotes the Pico8, HousemateLite and Relax are all remotes that will learn the signal directly from another remote, which means that any infrared controlled device can be control by the these remotes. These remotes could be setup to control some features of a TV and maybe also open a window or door opener.
To make access easier, these remotes are also switch accessible. External switches can be plugged into a 3.5mm jack on the side of the device which activates the scanning of each button in turn.
Pico8
- The Pico 8 comes with 8 keys.
- Learnable remote.
- Single switch control.
- There are 2 levels for new signals to be stored.
- Is programed via web interface or Android App.
- Size: W54-L120-H21 [mm], weight: 80 gram.
- Internal rechargeable battery
http://www.picomed.no/products/ir-transmitters/1067.html
HousemateLite
- Learnable remote.
- Single switch control.
- Auditory feedback using recorded speech.
- Single or two level operation
- Slide-in pocket for keypad label
- Runs on 3 x AA batteries
http://www.click2go.ie/blog/housemate-lite/
Relax
- Learnable remote.
- Single switch control.
- Control up to eight functions
- Weight: 213-g
- 187 L x 74 W x 27-mm
- Internal rechargeable battery