Dutch company Smart Floor is on a mission to significantly reduce the risk of falls among the elderly with its innovative technology. In January 2025, the solution launched its pilot at the Aarhus Municipality site as part of the ACE pilot support programme.
Smart home technology is revolutionising the way seniors live independently. With an ageing population and increasing demand for senior care services, smart homes offer practical and innovative solutions to support older adults in maintaining their independence, safety, and quality of life. From fall detection systems to remote health monitoring, new technologies are transforming senior care.
One such innovation comes from Smart Floor, a Dutch company specialising in fall risk prevention. Their portable sensor-equipped flooring system provides objective insights into walking patterns, helping prevent falls before they happen. Thanks to a match made on the ACE Community Platform, Smart Floor is now expanding beyond the Netherlands and is being piloted in Aarhus, Denmark. We spoke with Smart Floor founder and CEO Frans Lefeber to learn more about their technology, their journey with the ACE project, and the impact they hope to achieve.
Can you briefly introduce Smart Floor and explain how your technology works?
FL: Smart Floor is based in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. We developed and validated our product ‘Smart Floor’ along with our fall risk prediction software, between 2016 and 2023. We introduced Smart Floor Fall Prevention to the Dutch market in July 2023, and introduced it in Aarhus, Denmark, in January 2025, where our ACE pilot was launched.
The Smart Floor system consists of a portable floor measuring 6 meters long, 1 meter wide, and just 2mm thick, weighing only 7.5 kg. It can be easily rolled up and carried in a bag. The floor contains 300 passive sensors that communicate with an active sensor worn around the ankle. When a person walks over the floor, the Smart Floor system measures various walking parameters. This objective data helps create a fall risk profile, enabling proactive measures such as fall prevention programs, balance training, medication review, and promoting an active lifestyle to reduce the likelihood of falls.
Your solution is being tested in a healthcare institution in Denmark through a match made via the ACE Community Platform. How did this collaboration come about?
FL: We were invited to join the ACE Community Platform by Dutch organisations, the Brabant Development Agency (BOM) and the Brabant Care Innovation Centre (CIC). Aarhus was also part of the platform and showed interest in the Smart Floor product. BOM and CIC facilitated an online meeting between a delegation from Aarhus and Smart Floor, leading to our collaboration.
In January 2025, my wife and I drove to Aarhus with two Smart Floor products. We conducted a 1.5-hour training session for physiotherapists from Aarhus' Fall Prevention Centre and a delegation from DOKK1. After that, we had a very nice lunch together. My wife and I also took the opportunity to enjoy the city of Aarhus for a couple of days!
What inspired you to develop Smart Floor and focus on fall prevention for older adults?
FL: Initially, Smart Floor was developed for professional sports applications, such as basketball, handball, and volleyball. However, in 2018, Dutch healthcare organisations and later the Dutch Ministry of Health inspired and encouraged us to explore applications for fall prevention in older adults.
Our team includes multiple human movement scientists who immediately saw fall prevention as a very interesting and highly relevant challenge. We believe that preventive care will be crucial in the future to address increasing pressure on healthcare staff in ageing societies.
What impact do you hope to achieve with your solution, and how is the ACE project supporting this ambition?
FL: We hope to create a meaningful impact in Aarhus, Denmark, and across other Scandinavian countries, just as we have in the Netherlands. A recent independent research paper by Dutch institutions Vilans and VeiligheidNL confirmed that Smart Floor not only provides a validated fall risk profile but also increases older adults’ awareness of their vitality. With this, we aim to contribute to a healthier and more independent society.
The ACE project has enabled us to launch a pilot in Aarhus and continues to support us throughout the process. For example, ACE produced a fantastic video showcasing the introduction of Smart Floor at the Aarhus Fall Prevention Centre. This video can help generate interest in other European countries.
What have been the biggest challenges in introducing your solution into a foreign healthcare system?
FL: One major challenge was creating a stable, reliable product. Every day, more than 100,000 footsteps must be measured accurately at different locations across Europe. The data must then be transferred to our cloud system (AWS), analysed, and sent back as actionable information to smartphones, tablets, and laptops.
Beyond the technical aspects, our success depends on healthcare providers and municipalities that are willing to invest in the well-being and vitality of older adults. The Netherlands has a strong policy of promoting independent living for older adults by encouraging vitality. We believe Scandinavian countries share this approach, which is why we chose to introduce our solution in Denmark first.
Your product has already been successfully implemented in over 200 municipalities in the Netherlands. What insights from those deployments have been most valuable for expanding to other countries?
FL: Smart Floor measurements are conducted by a wide range of professionals, including physiotherapists, sports coaches, and welfare workers. By maintaining close communication with our customers and the professionals using the system, we have gained valuable insights into the best ways to integrate Smart Floor into municipal healthcare systems. We constantly improve our application based on the feedback and demands of our customers so they can use the product in the best way.
Would you recommend the ACE Community Platform and project to other companies or innovative care stakeholders? If so, why? What value has it brought to you so far?
FL: I would highly recommend the ACE Community Platform to all innovative companies and those interested in international expansion. Simply by presenting your product on the platform, valuable matches can be made, opening up new opportunities.
Also, the personal attention provided by local knowledge partners—in our case, Dutch organisations—has been incredibly helpful.
Thanks to the ACE Community Platform, Smart Floor is now making a difference in fall prevention beyond the Netherlands. With its innovative approach and growing international reach, this technology has the potential to enhance the well-being and independence of older adults across Europe.
To collaborate with SmartFloor or explore similar solutions, join the ACE Community Platform for free.