Supporting the elderly to continue to move safely and independently while reducing the risk of fractures. That is the goal of care innovation 'Cloud'. This invention is being used on a trial basis by a group of independent elderly people with a risk of falling at Stichting Eykenburg, an organization for elderly care in The Hague. The trial will last six months and should show to what extent De Wolk can help prevent painful and sometimes medically complex hip fractures.

This is how Cloud works

Simply put, Wolk is a pair of "thinking pants" that people wear under their regular clothes. This hip airbag contains sensors that monitor every movement 500 times per second. If someone falls, the pants will inflate around the hip. This way the falling person lands softer. And in doing so, a text message is automatically sent to a contact.

The creator

Hans Schröder is regarded as the inventor of the Cloud and had his then 87-year-old mother in mind. The current version has been developed together with TU Delft.

Care and innovation

This trial with the Cloud is not an isolated event and is part of the action program Care and Innovation 2019-2022 of the municipality of The Hague. For this action programme, technology is not an end in itself, but a means to improve the quality of life. It is important that technology suits people and not the other way around. That is why the municipality likes to facilitate and encourage trials, such as this one with the Cloud.