CAPTAIN · Project

Smart Home System That Helps Elderly Live Independently Using Projected Guides and AI

healthTestedTRL 6

Imagine your grandparent's home could gently guide them through daily tasks — projecting reminders on the kitchen counter, showing exercise steps on the living room wall, or alerting them to a tripping hazard on the floor. CAPTAIN built exactly that: a system of micro-projectors and sensors that turns ordinary rooms into a kind of helpful assistant, without forcing anyone to wear gadgets or learn new devices. It watches (non-invasively) for signs of confusion or physical difficulty using cameras and AI, then projects simple visual instructions right where they're needed. The goal is to keep older adults safe and active at home instead of moving them into care facilities.

By the numbers

EUR 3,990,200

EU funding for development

consortium partners

countries in consortium

SME partners

53%

industry participation ratio

total project deliverables

demo deliverables including final system demonstrator

The business problem

What needed solving

Europe's aging population is driving institutional care costs through the roof, but most older adults want to stay in their own homes. Current smart home technology scares or confuses many elderly users — especially those with memory impairments — because it requires learning new devices, apps, or interfaces they were never designed for.

The solution

What was built

The team built a complete integrated system demonstrator and a finalized hardware prototype with custom casing that blends with home furniture. The system includes micro-projectors that display instructions on walls, floors, and tables; 3D sensors for room understanding and behavior monitoring; speech analysis; facial micro-expression reading via deep learning; and a motivational coaching engine for nutrition, exercise, cognitive training, and social participation. In total, 38 deliverables were produced including low-level software components and multiple hardware prototype iterations.

Audience

Who needs this

Home care service providers looking to reduce staff visits while keeping clients safeSmart home and IoT companies wanting to enter the senior living marketHealth insurers seeking to delay costly institutional care admissionsAssisted living facility operators wanting to offer tech-enhanced independent living unitsMunicipal and regional elderly care departments managing aging-in-place programs

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Elderly Care & Assisted Living

mid-size

Target: Home care service providers and assisted living facility operators

If you are a home care provider struggling with rising costs and staff shortages while trying to keep elderly clients safe at home — this project developed a full hardware-and-software system that projects contextual instructions onto walls, floors, and tables, using 3D sensing and deep learning to monitor behavior and promote correct nutrition, physical activity, and risk avoidance. The system was designed with 17 partners across 9 countries and tested with real older adults through co-design.

Smart Home & IoT Technology

any

Target: IoT platform companies and smart home device manufacturers

If you are a smart home company looking to expand into the senior living market — CAPTAIN developed projected augmented reality hardware with a finalized prototype including custom casing designed to blend with furniture. The system integrates 3D sensing, speech analysis, and facial micro-expression reading through deep learning, all delivered as 38 project outputs across a consortium with 53% industry participation.

Health Insurance & Wellness

enterprise

Target: Health insurers and corporate wellness platform operators

If you are a health insurer facing escalating institutional care costs for aging policyholders — this EUR 3,990,200 EU-funded project built a motivational coaching engine that promotes physical activity, cognitive training, correct nutrition, and social participation for elderly users at home. The technology reads emotional states from facial micro-expressions and adapts coaching in real time, potentially delaying expensive facility admissions.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to deploy this system in a home or facility?

The project does not publish per-unit pricing. The EU invested EUR 3,990,200 across 17 partners to develop the full system including hardware prototypes and software. Any commercial licensing or deployment costs would need to be negotiated directly with the consortium partners.

Can this scale from a single home to hundreds of units in a care network?

The system was built around standard components — micro-projectors, 3D sensors, and deep learning software — which are inherently scalable. However, the project delivered a demonstrator of the final integrated system, not a mass-production-ready product. Scaling would require additional engineering for manufacturing and deployment logistics.

Who owns the intellectual property and can I license it?

IP is held by the 17-partner consortium led by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece. The consortium includes 7 SMEs and 9 industry partners, suggesting commercial exploitation was part of the plan. Licensing terms would need to be discussed with the coordinator or relevant partners.

Has this been tested with real elderly users?

Yes. CAPTAIN followed a user-centered co-design philosophy with constant involvement of older adults in design, development, and testing stages. The project delivered a demonstrator of the final integrated system and a finalized hardware prototype with custom casing.

What exactly does the hardware look like?

The finalized hardware prototype includes micro-projectors and 3D sensors with a specifically developed casing designed to aesthetically blend with furniture. It projects information directly onto walls, floors, and tables without requiring the user to wear or carry any device.

Does it comply with health data regulations like GDPR?

The project used non-invasive sensing including facial micro-expression analysis and body pose detection via cameras. Based on available project data, specific GDPR compliance documentation is not detailed in the deliverable descriptions, but the EU funding context and European consortium suggest regulatory awareness was built in.

How does it compare to existing smart home assistants like Alexa or Google Home?

Unlike voice-only assistants, CAPTAIN projects visual instructions directly onto physical surfaces where actions happen — like showing cooking steps on the counter or exercise moves on the floor. It also reads emotional and physical states through 3D sensing and deep learning, making it purpose-built for elderly care rather than general consumer use.

Consortium

Who built it

The CAPTAIN consortium is unusually strong for commercialization: 17 partners across 9 European countries with a 53% industry ratio and 7 SMEs, meaning over half the team comes from the business side. Led by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), the project spans Switzerland, Cyprus, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Spain, France, Ireland, and Italy — giving it broad market access across Europe. The mix of 4 universities, 2 research organizations, and 9 industry players suggests the technology was developed with real-world deployment in mind, not just academic publication. With EUR 3,990,200 in EU funding and 38 deliverables produced, this was a substantial and well-resourced effort.

ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKISCoordinator · EL
NVISO SAparticipant · CH
NIVELYparticipant · FR
DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITYparticipant · IE
TRILOGIS SRLthirdparty · IT
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND MAYNOOTHparticipant · IE
WITA SRLparticipant · IT
FUNDACION CENTRO DE TECNOLOGIAS DE INTERACCION VISUAL Y COMUNICACIONES VICOMTECHparticipant · ES
SOCIALIT SOFTWARE E CONSULTING SRLparticipant · IT
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTOparticipant · IT
FUNDACION INTRASparticipant · ES
AZIENDA PROVINCIALE PER I SERVIZI SANITARIparticipant · IT
INI-NOVATION GMBHparticipant · DE
ADHERA HEALTH SLUparticipant · ES

How to reach the team

The project is coordinated by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece). SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction to the right team members.

Order a report on this consortium See ARISTOTELIO PANEPISTIMIO THESSALONIKIS profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore licensing the CAPTAIN technology or integrating projected AR coaching into your elderly care services? SciTransfer can connect you with the consortium partners who built and tested it.

Order a report on this topic More in Health & Biomedical