In Italy the market of home technologies has grown significantly over the last few years. A
new word has been recently created in the Italian language: “domotica”, composed by the
Latin word “domus” (house) and the Italian word “automatica” (automatic). However
“domotica” doesn’t only mean “home automation”, but generally indicates the knowledge and
all innovative technologies (properly integrated) that can make a house “intelligent”.
In this report the technical solutions to achieve an “Ambient intelligence”, aiming at better life
conditions of elderly and disabled people, are briefly named “AAL Technologies”.
As from 2001 some important initiatives have been carried out in Italy on Ambient Assisted
Living, concerning the development of smart homes for elderly and disabled people.
The consumers’ associations are highly interested in these opportunities, but so far the use
of new technologies by elderly and disabled people has been rather limited
