ACANTO · Project

Smart Robot Walker That Keeps Elderly Active and Socially Connected

healthTestedTRL 5

Imagine a walking aid that doubles as a personal trainer and social companion for older adults. The ACANTO project built a smart robotic walker — called FriWalk — that guides seniors through physical exercises disguised as everyday activities like shopping or strolling through a park. It learns what each person likes, connects them with others for group walks, and lets therapists and family members keep an eye on progress through a tablet app. Think of it as a fitness tracker, GPS navigator, and social network rolled into a walking frame.

By the numbers

EUR 4,295,755

Total EU funding for development

Consortium partners involved

Countries in the consortium

Total project deliverables completed

Industry partners in consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Most older adults do not exercise regularly despite known health benefits, leading to faster physical and cognitive decline, higher care costs, and social isolation. Care facilities struggle to motivate residents to stay active, and existing mobility aids are passive devices that do nothing to encourage movement or social engagement. There is a gap for smart assistive technology that makes physical activity compelling and social rather than clinical and solitary.

The solution

What was built

The project built the FriWalk — a robotic walking assistant that acts as a personal trainer, navigation aid, and social connector for elderly users. Key deliverables include a user profile repository that learns individual preferences, a social activity repository that harvests data from social networks and open data services, and a CyberPhysical Social Network platform with a dedicated tablet interface (FriPad). In total, 40 deliverables were completed covering hardware, software, cloud services, and user validation.

Audience

Who needs this

Senior living facility operators looking to reduce inactivity-related health costsMobility aid manufacturers wanting to upgrade from passive to smart walkersDigital health companies building remote rehabilitation monitoring platformsMunicipal authorities running elderly activity programsInsurance companies investing in preventive care for aging populations

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Elderly Care & Assisted Living

mid-size

Target: Operators of senior living facilities and care homes

If you are a care home operator dealing with residents who are physically inactive and socially isolated — this project developed a robotic walker (FriWalk) that embeds physical training into daily activities while connecting users through a social network. The system monitors well-being, flags risks in the environment, and lets therapists set prescriptions remotely. With 10 consortium partners across 6 countries validating the approach, it was designed for real-world care settings.

Assistive Technology & Medical Devices

SME

Target: Manufacturers of mobility aids and rehabilitation equipment

If you are a mobility aid manufacturer looking to move beyond basic walkers — this project created a cloud-connected robotic walker with navigation support, user profiling, and group coordination capabilities. The FriWalk was designed for low cost with advanced features by offloading computing to cloud services. A consortium of 4 industry partners contributed to making this commercially viable.

Digital Health Platforms

any

Target: Companies building telehealth or remote patient monitoring platforms

If you are a digital health company seeking to expand into physical rehabilitation monitoring — this project built a CyberPhysical Social Network that creates user profiles, organizes group activities, and generates personalized recommendations. It connects patients, relatives, and therapists in one platform. The system includes a dedicated tablet interface (FriPad) for permanent connectivity.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

The project received EUR 4,295,755 in EU funding across 10 partners over 3.5 years. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated with the coordinator (University of Trento). The FriWalk was explicitly designed as a low-cost device that offloads processing to cloud services to keep hardware affordable.

Is this ready for industrial-scale deployment?

The project completed extensive user validation but was a Research and Innovation Action (RIA), meaning it focused on proving the concept works rather than mass production. Scaling to commercial manufacture would require a product engineering phase and regulatory certification for medical devices.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP is shared among the 10 consortium partners across 6 countries, coordinated by Universita degli Studi di Trento in Italy. Licensing arrangements would depend on which components you need — the robot hardware, the social network platform, or the recommendation algorithms.

Does it comply with healthcare regulations?

The project was designed under EU research guidelines with user involvement in all development phases. However, as a research project closed in 2018, regulatory certification as a medical device (EU MDR) would still need to be pursued for commercial deployment.

How long would integration take?

The system has multiple components — the FriWalk hardware, the FriPad tablet interface, cloud services, and the CyberPhysical Social Network. Based on 40 deliverables completed during the project, the technology stack is substantial. Integration into existing care facilities would likely require customization and pilot testing.

What evidence exists that it actually works?

The project conducted extensive validation with users involved in all phases of development. Demo deliverables include a working user profile repository and social activity repository. The system was tested for navigation, cognitive support, and group coordination capabilities.

Can it work with existing care infrastructure?

The FriWalk was designed to connect with other assisted living devices through its cloud service architecture. The FriPad tablet provides the user interface and maintains permanent connection to the social network platform, which could potentially integrate with existing care management systems.

Consortium

Who built it

The ACANTO consortium brings together 10 partners from 6 countries (Austria, Greece, Spain, France, Italy, UK), coordinated by the University of Trento in Italy. With 4 industry partners (40% industry ratio) and 1 SME, the project had meaningful commercial input alongside 3 universities and 2 research organizations. This balanced mix suggests the technology was developed with real-world deployment in mind, not purely academic research. The multi-country spread also means the solution was designed to work across different European healthcare systems and cultural contexts.

UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTOCoordinator · IT
INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE EN INFORMATIQUE ET AUTOMATIQUEparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI SIENAparticipant · IT
IDRYMA TECHNOLOGIAS KAI EREVNASparticipant · EL
SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT OESTERREICHparticipant · AT
SERVICIO MADRILENO DE SALUDparticipant · ES
ATOS SPAIN SAparticipant · ES
UNIVERSITY OF NORTHUMBRIA AT NEWCASTLEparticipant · UK
TELECOM ITALIA SPA O TIM SPAparticipant · IT

How to reach the team

Universita degli Studi di Trento, Italy — contact through university technology transfer office

Order a report on this consortium See UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTO profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the FriWalk technology or the CyberPhysical Social Network platform for your elderly care business? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the research team and help navigate the partnership.

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