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

The pilot project aims to collect accessibility information, specifically concerning voice-guided pedestrian crossings, the quality of pedestrian paths, and road crossings through crowdsourcing using a mobile game. The target audience for the project consists of individuals with visual or mobility impairments, a group that requires accessibility information for planning their movement in the urban environment.

For data collection, the Crowdsorsa mobile game is utilised, allowing participants to take photos and receive a small compensation for their contributions. The collected photos are analysed by Riesa Consultative Oy. Initially, the project will focus on 1–2 districts in Helsinki.

The company behind the project is Riesa Consultative Oy which has extensive expertise in accessibility within the built environment. Riesa has strong connections with various associations and organisations that support the implementation of the project.

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

Ai2Ai Oy created PALL0 to empower those with limited communication abilities. By using sophisticated sensors and communication technology, the solution offers an assistive technology that enhances intuitive ways to communicate. 

In Helsinki, the solution is piloted with healthcare professionals. In hospitals and rehabilitation centres PALL0 can help with various types of rehabilitation. It is versatile, with potential in the digital therapeutic market, and open for integration by software developers. Using one technology instead of multiple different ones would ease the burden of cognitive demands on learning to use new technologies.

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. 

Project Phonetic

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

Project Phonetic

Project Phonetic is an app that runs on mobile devices using AI to translate spoken messages into chat messages. Public service announcements are sometimes difficult to understand in public transportation, especially for individuals who are deaf or have impaired hearing. The Phonetic app allows users to read urgent messages at station and in transport instead of hearing them. Users will also receive the messages in their language in their favourite chat app.

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).