ºÚÁÏÍø

News

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

The theme of this year’s annual SCI course project was health and well-being
Vesi-ilmapallojen heittopeli. Kuva: Matti Ahlgren.
A water balloon throwing game. Image: Matti Ahlgren.

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.

  • Updated:
  • Published:
Share
URL copied!

Read more news

Person in black top stands in a sunny garden with tall white flowering bushes and brick buildings behind.
Studies Published:

Summer School at Aalto: a sneak peek of campus, student life and Finland

Berrak from Turkey joined the Summer School course Nordic Design Futures to get a first-hand introduction to the future of design and learn more about Aalto University as a potential option for her master’s studies.
Person in orange coat and large scarf posing on lakeside path between bare trees and reeds
Studies Published:

Student Tonya Yastrebova explores her interests through a broad engineering degree

For Tonya Yastrebova, choosing a broad degree meant keeping the door open to different possibilities while exploring a passion for mathematics, programming and modelling. At Aalto, the freedom to tailor studies has allowed her to discover new interests, build technical skills and shape her own path towards the future.
Abstract close-up of colourful glass with swirling patterns in orange, blue, and purple hues.
Research & Art, Studies Published:

Start using the new DPSP tool – attend support clinics in September

New digital DPSP tool for preparing and handling doctoral personal study plans available for all doctoral students in MyStudies.
Summer course participants, photo taken by Ezgi Turtgut
Cooperation, Studies Published:

TUM + Aalto SGT summer course brings participants closer to the complexities of governing West African countries through interactive simulation

Returning for a second consecutive year, the TUM (Technical University of Munich) + SGT summer course was hosted at Aalto University on 3-5 June 2026. The three-day course brought together students and staff from different disciplines to explore political, economic, and environmental decision-making through an interactive simulation.