Co-creation Workshops to Envisage Integration of Design Innovation and Material Science in Smart Footwear Design Concepts. The MATUROLIFE project supporting well-being in older adults

Assistive Technology (AT) can provide older adults with the security that will enable them to liveindependently, and without the need for care for longer. However, there are high abandonmentrates of AT, and products are often not regarded as being attractive or desirable to the user. TheHorizon2020 funded MATUROLIFE (maturolife.eu) builds on existing technological advances inmaterials, which have produced a highly innovative selective metallization process that utilizesnanotechnology, electrochemistry and materials science to encapsulate fibres in textiles with metaland thereby provide conductivity and electronic connectivity. In this way, better integration ofelectronics and sensors into fabrics and textiles will be possible. The resulting materials will be a toolthat designers can utilise to produce AT for older adults that is not only functional, lighter and morecomfortable, but also easy to use, and accepted by the end user. Over 3 years, the MATUROLIFEproject will involve 20 partners in 9 countries to develop three prototype product-AT basedsolutions: (1) Footwear, (2) Clothing, and (3) Furniture.