The final event
The H2020 project “CAPTAIN: A Coach Assistant via projected and tangible interface” has come to an end after 4 years of activities. A final dissemination event has been organized virtually on June 28th, whose recording is still available on YouTube at the link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=avELSb62Eqk.
The objectives
The CAPTAIN project was funded within the framework of the H2020 programme and started back in 2017. The overall project goal was to develop non-invasive and user-friendly ICT solutions to support the independent living of older adults, transforming their home into a ubiquitous assistant that would provide contextualized information and intuitive interaction whenever and wherever needed. The implementation and use of the developed technologies would allow users to live independently, ensuring their safety and improving their quality of life.
The co-creation approach
The whole project has been based on the direct engagement of the end-users in the design, development and testing phases, according to the co-creation methodology. Moreover, the co-design has been combined with an “agile” approach, that allowed multiple and frequent iterations with the end-users to collect feedbacks and suggestions. This combined methodology has proved to be successful, granting full usability and acceptance of the technologies.
Covid-19 impacts and the project’s end
Covid-19 restrictions in force in the whole EU has partly affected the implementation of the project activities, especially for what concerns the planned assessment of the technologies through home pilots. However, the consortium has been able to rearrange the pilots activities by adopting a blended approach. In fact, the technologies has been assessed partly involving end-users in a virtual experience. Despite all difficulties, the consortium adapted to the challenging situation thanks to an optimal team work and collaboration and succeeded in realizing a truly innovative solution that may contribute to grant a more independent life for older adults.