ICT-based services aimed at supporting safety, autonomy and effectiveness of feeding daily activities are proposed, either home-based (in the kitchen environment) or internet-based. The FOOD system relies on a technical infrastructure, made of sensors, smart kitchen appliances and user’s interaction tools (interfaces), thus building a kitchen networked environment. The kitchen is therefore connected to external physical and digital networks (i.e., neighbourhood community, shops and to the web), enabling service aimed at increasing safety, at providing help and guidance in food preparation and at fostering exploitation of inherent social and cultural implication of feeding. End-users (which include elderly people as well as their supporting network) are involved in system and service design since its earlier phases, exploiting participatory design tools.
Services supporting independent and rewarding kitchen activities will be made available and tested on a 18 month pilot phase, in 3 European countries.
Users and market perspectives will be assessed through evaluation tools, also exploited for iterative trimming of devised
solutions.

http://www.food-aal.eu/

• Eastern Europe
• Western Europe and North America

• Older persons

The aim of FOOD project is the development of specific AAL (Ambient Assisted Living) services, dedicated to the kitchen environment, to support elderly people in carrying out food-related daily living activities and interacting with home appliances in a much simpler, safer and rewarding way. The proposal addresses elderly people with a sufficient level of autonomy for independent life, if suitably supported. It aims at preserving and enhancing independence of elderly people in all aspects of daily life (addressing activities at home, security, health care control), to guarantee them the possibility of taking active part in the “self-serve” society (ability to access information and negotiate and or be supported for getting necessary items if mobility out of the house is a problem), and to secure social contacts and/or support, when necessary.