Persons with Disabilities Archives

Suomen Digitaalinen Tehdas Oy – Pressure ulcer prevention

Challenge: How to prevent pressure ulcers in wheelchair patients?

Suomen Digitaalinen Tehdas Oy – Pressure ulcer prevention for wheelchair patients

An estimated 55,000-80,000 patients per year have a pressure ulcer in Finland. Almost nearly 2-3% of total healthcare spending is used on prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pressure ulcers although pressure ulcers are avoidable.

Suomen Digitaalinen Tehdas Oy and Touchlab Limited aim to reduce the pressure ulcer formation with their innovation. In Helsinki, they pilot a pressure ulcer mat, which can be integrated into wheelchair seat pillows using a sensor solution.

The solution helps the healthcare professionals, organisations and units with their daily routines. With an app, clinicians can set custom pressure thresholds, unique to each patient. When a pressure threshold is met and held for a period of time an alert will be sent to the clinician, allowing for redistribution to occur, and preventing a pressure ulcer.

Riesa Consultative Oy – Crowdsourced accessibility survey

Challenge: Helsinki: How to generate pedestrian route information with participative data collection?

Riesa Consultative Oy – Crowdsourced accessibility survey for two districts in the City of Helsinki

Riesa Consultative Oy, in collaboration with Crowdsorsa, conducted a pilot in Helsinki and Tallinn to test a new method for collecting accurate, up-to-date accessibility data for individuals with accessibility needs. The pilot aimed to collect information specifically on the accessibility of pedestrian crossings and the condition of routes.

The Crowdsorsa mobile game encouraged users to move around the city in various predefined areas and take photos along the way in exchange for a small monetary compensation. The photos provided information on how the routes work from the perspective of visually impaired and wheelchair users. Riesa Consultative Oy analysed the photographic material.

The pilots conducted in Helsinki and Tallinn demonstrated that the game works well as a method for data collection. Additionally, the pilots proved that there is a need for more up-to-date information on routes and accessibility. In Tallinn, the game has since been used to map the accessibility of public transport stops

Superflash Technology Oy – Sampo

Challenge: How to enhance the quality of life for citizens with severe disabilities through digital innovations?

Superflash Technology Oy – Sampo – The ultimate smart autonomous wheelchair solution

A new wheelchair system called The Sampo addresses limitations of traditional joystick controls. To simplify the operation of electric wheelchairs and bolster their safety, Superflash Technology Oy’s system is enhancing controls with machine learning. The solution encompasses two core components. First, eye-tracking integrated for navigation offers a more innovative and intuitive Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) experience than traditional joysticks. Second, SLAM technology for environmental perception identifies potential movement risks to ensure heightened safety.

The wheelchair control system integrates with traditional joystick-operated electric wheelchairs. It is drawing from mature technologies in the gaming and car industries, placing a particular emphasis on addressing the unique needs of individuals with disabilities and ensuring their safety.

Ai2Ai Oy – PALL0

Challenge: Helsinki: How to enhance the quality of life for citizens with severe disabilities through digital innovations?

Ai2Ai Oy – PALL0 – using all senses for communication and improved quality of life

Individuals with severe intellectual disabilities often require support for communication and service use. In the spring of 2024, Ai2Ai Oy piloted whether the PALL0 technology could assist individuals with severe disabilities in communication and provide new activation methods for the Helsinki’s day activities. The ball-shaped PALL0 combines movement expression, sensors, and artificial intelligence with gamification and interaction.

In Helsinki, the technology was piloted at the Sofianlehto Activity Centre, which offers day activities for the city’s residents with disabilities. The team piloting PALL0 co-developed the solution with Sofianlehto’s physiotherapists, instructors and clients. During the pilot, the solution’s user-friendliness, technical functionality, and suitability for both day activity clients and to the use of activity center staff were evaluated. The collaboration yielded promising results.

Inclusiverse

Challenge: How the disabled can improve their skills by using virtual technologies?
InclusiVerse

InclusiVerse is a VR-based application from CTRL Reality for Meta Quest headsets that aims to enhance the social and digital skills of adults and young adults with developmental disabilities. The application provides a safe and motivating virtual environment that allows users to engage in social interactions, develop digital skills, and practise daily routines and new situations. The application includes both real time collaboration and pre-recorded situations, as well as engaging environments that have been specifically designed to facilitate communication and socialisation among disabled individuals. The application is based on in-house XR content development platform that is easy to use and allows for the creation of customisable environments to suit the specific needs of each target group. The ultimate goal is to prevent marginalisation and promote the inclusion of disabled individuals in society, with expected impacts including improved social and digital skills, increased confidence, and a greater sense of community and belonging.

Fonetic

Challenge: Amsterdam: How to include the deaf and hearing impaired in broadcasting info on public transport?

Fonetic

Did you know that 1.5 million people in the Netherlands are deaf or hearing-impaired? With this in mind, CommuniCity invited tech providers to explore ways to improve accessibility in public transport communication. Fonetic is an app that runs in the cloud, using AI to translate spoken messages into chat messages. That way you can read instead of hearing urgent messages at stations and in transport, receiving them on your favorite chat app, in your own language! The app was developed in a design sprint in Amsterdam, on board a tram and at the offices of the GVB, the regional transport company. The testers were deaf and hearing-impaired volunteers who had indicated a desire to co-create an innovative solution to more accessible and inclusive public transportation service.

Co-creating & piloting assistive robot FLOo

Challenge: Wildcard – Propose any technological solution for any marginalised community
Co-creating & piloting assistive robot FLOo for parents with disabilities

Together with the open call and co-investment of youthcare organization Levvel, Garage2020 will pilot the co-designed assistive robot FLOo in Amsterdam for parents with intellectual disabilities in vulnerable positions in society. The project aims to improve the self-esteem of parents, enhance family life, promote self-reliance in parenting, and break the cycle of problems by utilizing the services of the FLOo robot, which provides easily accessible and always available care and support without judgement.

The project is focused on marginalized families in Amsterdam, where one or both parents have intellectual disabilities. These families are in vulnerable positions, have poor access to good healthcare and parenting support, and often live at or below the poverty line. In the pilot we will focus on three families in Amsterdam (already in care with Levvel) with in-depth piloting of additional support of FLOo and use co-creation methods to customise FLOo to the needs of every specific family. There are about 23000 – 46000 parents that face challenges in child rearing because of these disabilities in the Netherlands. Between 2000-3000 children are born within vulnerable families every year. Many of them live in cities like Amsterdam (exact numbers are not publicly accessible).