Whether bedroom, living room, bathroom or kitchen, all the equipment of the laboratory can be used and the rooms could be lived in. The starting position for the conversion was the same as that in which many flat and house owners find themselves as they transition into retirement: Financial resources are only available for minor conversions and investments in technical support systems, but not for a complete conversion of the home. What is needed, therefore, are modular, retrofittable and needs-oriented expandable solutions for support in everyday routines.
The IDEAAL flat closes the gap between the development of technology under laboratory conditions and real use in existing flats. It thus also offers an excellent environment for user studies. The prototypes enable intensive testing and thus create close cooperation between senior citizens, doctors and caregivers on the one hand and the developers and technicians on the other. Problems during real use, which are not always recognisable during development, are thus identified at an early stage with the help of feedback from the different users. With the guided tours in the IDEAAL flat, we promote the acceptance of AAL technologies through knowledge transfer and education.