Blog

  Visit the exhibition at this year’s AAL Forum The exhibition space at the forum this year will be alive with new projects, new ideas and new faces.  Eye-catching demonstrations and poster presentations from some of the world’s most prestigious research institutions and exciting SMEs are sure to provide everyone in St.Gallen with a taste of the very best of AAL technology. Find out more about the exhibitors at this year’s event.   

The AAL Smart Ageing Challenge Prize is awarding a €50,000 top prize for the best Internet of Things (IoT) innovation that enables older people to achieve the best possible quality of life, socially and independently. From a huge entry of close to 200 applicants, the field has been whittled down to five top finalists. At 11am on Wednesday morning at this year’s forum, following a keynote from Keith Baker of Philips on the potential of IoT to defend people against the onset of cognitive impairment, the top five finalists will present their prototypes, after which the overall winner of the competition will be announced. Read on to find out more about the top five finalists. Can you pick the winner?   Alzhup The first service of...Read More

At this year’s forum we want to create a vibrant interactive event, building on the creativity and the commitment of the AAL community. During the forum we want to explore the different factors that influence the availability of AAL technologies and solutions in Europe.  The interactive workshops have been divided into six themes that will act as the pillars of the AAL Forum 2016. Find out out more about the individual workshops that will be taking place this year by clicking on the individual theme pictures.   From AAL solution to market success Technological solutions that enhance quality of life for older adults are at the heart of the AAL Programme. Behind every solution is an AAL project, each of which must travel...Read More

The AAL Forum will be joining forces with the Agile Ageing Alliance (AAA) and the European Commission on Wednesday, September 28 to present Neighbourhoods of the Future, a fact finding Roadshow, which has been touring Europe over the past six months. Neighbourhoods of the Future has been bringing together a variety of influential stakeholders from the digital, construction, health/social care, finance, security and 3rd sectors to discuss the development of innovative new-build and retrofit home environments specifically designed to empower the ageing population to live more meaningful, connected lives. According to AAA founder Ian Spero, who chaired last year’s AAL Forum in Ghent : “The Roadshow is a European Commission initiative which aims to gather consensus from stakeholders working across...Read More

A new international network launched to bridge the gap between research and market-ready innovation A new living lab designed for AAL projects is being launched at the AAL Forum 2016. The IBH Living Lab AAL is a new international network of universities, social services and technology providers who are collaborating to facilitate active and assisted living for people who feel excluded from social and economic life due to physical or psychological restraints associated with ageing. The group is looking to assist these people by developing individually customised ambient technologies designed to support and enhance the work of professional and informal carers.    The IBH Living Lab AAL will offer a holistic infrastructure for research and development in the area of...Read More

AAL Smart Ageing Challenge Prize Finalists – Anne. Anne: Your personal assistant The caring face of the Internet of Things Anne is a virtual personal assistant developed in the Netherlands, who uses the power of the internet to help care for the elderly at home. Now, the friendly computer face that is able to hold a conversation, carry out simple commands and remind you to do certain tasks like call your family, has been nominated for a major award, funded by the EU, for the most innovative system that uses the Internet of Things (IoT). The prestigious award is the first ever Active and Assisted Living (AAL) Smart Ageing Challenge Prize, which is awarding €50,000 for the best product or...Read More

AAL Smart Ageing Challenge Prize Finalists – SightPlus. Innovation for visually impaired UK company creates sight enhancement kit that allows partially sighted people to see again Software for head-mounted wearables has the potential to transform the lives of millions of blind and visually impaired people across the world. Nowadays, we are spoilt for choice with books, magazine, binge-worthy tv shows, and YouTube tutorials on how to do literally everything. This is our culture, so shouldn’t everyone have equal opportunity to access it? UK Company GiveVision believes that they should. To help make this a reality they have created a sight enhancement kit called SightPlus. SightPlus is a wearable, hands-free, vision-enhancement application powering smart glasses to assist visually impaired people. The app enables...Read More

AAL Smart Ageing Challenge Prize Finalists – Visual Assistant. Visual assistant for the visually impaired Smart device screens tailored to your eye condition to enable you to see – reconnect to community, culture, learning and relaxation. The Visual Assistant has been designed to help visually impaired users to adapt the presentation of the outside world optimally to the working parts of their visual system. This allows them to understand and interpret what is in front of them, whether this is a TV, smartphone, tablet, or when navigating in buildings or outdoor environments. By magnifying subtle visual information around the contours of objects, the program is able to uncover unseen clues about shapes and expose hidden edges – enriching the image...Read More

AAL Smart Ageing Challenge Prize Finalists – RIOT Revolutionising care using the Internet of Things British company shortlisted for prestigious EU award for system that connects and protects the elderly through the Internet Alcove is a British company looking to use the power of the Internet to revolutionise care for the elderly – and it has just been shortlisted for a major award, funded by the EU, for the most innovative system that uses the Internet of Things (IoT). The prestigious award is the first ever Active and Assisted Living (AAL) Challenge Prize, which is awarding €50,000 for the best product or idea that uses IoT to empower older adults to achieve the quality of life to which they aspire,...Read More

AAL Smart Ageing Challenge Prize Finalists – Ubiquid Never lose anything again thanks to the internet Father and son French company that uses the internet of things to connect the belongings of people in retirement homes to the internet – even their teeth – to prevent them getting lost, is shortlisted for a €50,000 Challenge Prize French company Ubiquid has taken the concept of the internet of things quite literally with its new service designed specifically for retirement homes – even connecting people’s dentures to the world wide web. The innovative start-up, which was started by a father and son who were concerned about their mother/grandmother in a care home, has devised a system that connects all residents’ belongings to...Read More