Today’s returning wounded soldiers have a wide range of injuries whose repercussions reach deep and impact the soldier’s physical abilities, emotional state, sense of security, and mental skills.

To help soldiers along their journey of rehabilitation and adjustment to their new "normal", the U.S. Army, Clark Realty Capital (developer), Michael Graves & Associates (architect), IDEO (design) and numerous consultants, including Acentech, designed two prototype homes, called Freedom and Patriot, designed specifically for "wounded warriors" returning to active duty.

Acentech proposed, evaluated and selected home automation and healthcare technologies to assist wounded soldiers in their homes. Prime design considerations included an easy-to-use operating system, Web and smart phone interfaces, and flexible features that allow the soldier to program the system to fit their needs.

Our final design incorporated a central home automation system programmable to control the multi-zone heating system, entrance door video-intercom, therapy room video conferencing, and door and window position sensors. Synthesized voice announcements inform the home’s occupants of the arrival of guests and any change to window and door status. We also included lighting and pre-programmed scene controls to implement light therapy.