SOL-TECH will tackle the main issues relating to the independent living of seniors, particularly the risk of falling which is the leading cause of injury and death among the elderly population. The multidisciplinary SOL-TECH consortium proposes a socio-technical approach for co-creating with older people to rethink the existing fall prevention technologies and transforming them into a user-friendly and sustainable product powered by cutting-edge photovoltaic technology.

We will work together with older people and their carers to explore their needs and living environments as well as the fall risks and the opportunities and barriers for the use of technology that exist in their homes through ethnographic observation and in-depth interviews and architectural mapping. The proposed solutions will be developed and prototyped in cooperation with participants in co-design workshops and their homes. The usability, suitability, and acceptance of the prototypes as well as their in-situ performance will be studied in different home environments. There will be an exhibition showcasing the developed products and findings to maximise the benefits for society.