Fixing back problems and improving hygiene at music festivals: innovative ideas by this year’s undergraduate student projects

Students tackled the theme of health and well-being with a pragmatic approach, utilising automation, intelligent systems, mobile applications and sensors.

Tarmo Asikainen, Markus Hirvensalo, Miikka Runolinna, Hannes Karppila, Unna Lauranto, and Alvar Kallio developed a smart chair solution called ‘No worries’, which uses sensors to monitor the user's sitting position and provides advice on improving their position or when it is time to get up and stretch their legs.

The smart chair is actually a mat that can be placed on any chair. During the development of the smart chair, the team interviewed physiotherapists, athletes, consultants, and researchers. Four out of five participants who tested the smart chair said they would purchase the product for themselves.

The smart chair application collects data over a long period of time and provides verbal feedback based on the collected data. The data can be used, for example, by a physiotherapist.

Another group of students - Lauri Lappalainen, Tommi Jäske, Bent Harnist, Elmer Bergman, Pontus Heir and Jaakko Pere kept an open mind when they started to seek solutions for improving the hygiene conditions at festivals and other mass events. They interviewed many festival organisers including the team behind Tuska Festival.

Their solution is a colourful attraction for the festivals; a water balloon throwing game where the festival-goers’ hands are washed without much effort when they scoop up the balloons from water. The water has added hand washing liquid and it is also recycled.

The throwing game has been tested by festival-goers and has been deemed to be an easy, fun and effective way to wash your hands.