Teachers and students from the computer science school at Fudan University claim to have developed a cellphone app that enables people with limited mobility to operate household appliances using only speech.
The "human-centered computing system" has been in development since 2012, and trials of it were held last year, the university said.
The app, which is available only in Chinese, is currently being used by several people with motor neuron disease, but in the future will be made available to all disabled people, Gu Ning, head of the development team, told Shanghai Daily.
While he declined requests for an interview with a user of the new app, Gu claimed an elderly woman in Yangpu District uses it to control her television and air conditioners, and to switch lights on and off.
The app, which is linked to remote-control devices on the various appliances and switches, is designed to "improve the quality of life" of people with debilitating conditions, Gu said.
The university will work with the city's disabled people's federation to work out how to make the app available to anyone who might benefit from it, he said.
About 200,000 people in China suffer from various motor neuron diseases, all of which are neurological disorders that destroy the body's ability to control muscle activity. Common symptoms include stiff limbs, and muscle twitching and wasting, which can lead to difficulties in moving, speaking, swallowing and breathing.
