Living lab as a base for wellbeing technology loan process

By project NOTRE

Published on 21 February 2025

Finland

About this good practice

At the SeAMK Seinäjoki Home of Wellbeing (SeiHoW) living lab, various wellbeing technology devices are displayed and tested. These devices are used for purposes such as supporting living at home, remote care and guidance, physiotherapy, and rehabilitation. Additionally, the SeiHoW showcases robots and other technologies that have not yet been widely used in healthcare.
The SeiHoW living lab is used to test and develop both new and already established technologies. SeAMK’s partners may use this environment for development and testing projects together with a multidisciplinary team of wellbeing technology experts.
The use of different wellbeing technologies is constantly increasing. At SeAMK, wellbeing technology is taught in all healthcare and social services degree programs. Through these projects, SeAMK has also trained its partners in wellbeing technology. SeAMK offers wellbeing technology equipment for loan on a case-by-case basis for test use.
Using the living lab SeiHoW as a base for loaning wellbeing technology equipment, we may also utilise a wide array of professionals from our University of Applied Sciences, offering a hotline for insight. With a wide partner ecosystem, we have the capability to support loaners in finding new solutions for their issues, while providing feedback to the wellbeing technology companies.
The equipment loaning process is simple and free of charge. The loaners provide verbal feedback (a written feedback form is also provided).

Expert opinion

The SeiHoW living lab is used to test and develop both new and already established technologies in the field of wellbeing. Compared to other such living labs, the university affiliated living lab has two noteworthy features: First, being connected to an university, it not only provides access to the hardware but also to a multidisciplinary team of wellbeing technology experts. This is useful for other research teams or startups seeking to innovate in the sector. Secondly, the living lab is offering a novel equipment loan service which is useful for the borrower who considers the purchases of a device as well as for the lab team that learns from each loan case, can further develop the technologies based on the feedback and can assist new customers in considering the benefits of each technology.

Mart Veliste

Works at Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform

Resources needed

Infrastructure:
- Facilities for the living lab
- Equipment
- Loan process
Human resources:
- Technology support
- Multidisciplinary knowledge to support loaners

Evidence of success

The wellbeing technology equipment loan service has been running for 2.5 years. Equipment has been loaned over 60 times, with around 20 different devices available. The total loan days exceed 600 (average 11 days). The most popular devices have been the VR headsets (19 times). Other popular choices were Paro the seal robot and Magic Carpet.
The loaning ecosystem has been utilised by individuals and organizations alike, delivering information and experience to our region through various vectors.

Potential for learning or transfer

Our loan process is transferable to other regions. The model of SeiHoW living lab has been transferred to other regions in the past. Loan process added to the living lab model is fairly simple to build.
Awareness and adoption of technology is growing, raising the need for technology loans. The more technology is loaned, the more the multidisciplinary team learns from loan cases and can recommend and assist new customers in considering the benefits of the technology. This way, the borrower can see the device's functionality.
There is potential to learn about the functionality of the technology and transfer this knowledge to customers who have challenges with individual diseases or, for example, living at home.
In the South Ostrobothnia wellbeing area, the use of digital services and technology is constantly increasing. Based on the experiences of this process, general regional development can also be supported.