Finland: Explore State Spending

The goal of this Project was to explore a different way to use Spotify at home without a computer. As we move towards digital services, we become more dependent on computers and smartphones. Digital music has changed the way we consume music and this project brings back physicality to this type of media. The final concept is a standalone device that comes with 8 tags that can be linked to albums, playlists, artists… Once set up for the first time, the user can link music to the different tokens. This way you can easily grab a tag and start listening to it without having to navigate a screen interface. Place a tag on the device and music will start playing. Remove it, and it will stop. The device has no screen, but the LED display behind the pattern of the speaker will display relevant information when needed: low battery levels, connection problems…

TactorBots is a haptic toolkit to empower designers to explore emotional robotic touch. It contains eight plug-and-play wearable tactor modules that render a series of social gestures driven by servo motors. Our specialized web GUI allows easy control, modification, and storage of tactile patterns to support fast prototyping. Taking emotional haptics as a “design canvas” with broad opportunities, TactorBots is the first “playground” for designers to try out various tactile sensations, feel around the nuanced connection between touches and emotions, and come up with creative imaginations.

When Pearson, the world’s largest publisher, needed to redesign their textbook curriculum to meet new national standards, they did more than just write new content.

Most automaker sites are glorified car brochures. Car configurators don’t help you find your dream car. They let you build a digital car that may or may not exist, then send you to dealerships with fingers crossed.

Play is a free, explorative and iterative process to discover new meaning and is an important element for innovation. For children, it is unstructured, free and open-ended play through which they can develop their own creativity and interests. However, parents are increasingly underestimating the value of play while prioritising more structured activities and academic performance, a trend which is causing an increase in mental health issues in today’s youth.

HOAS Pasila, located in Central Helsinki, provides a home for 250 foreign students. The residents are mostly European exchange students who come to study at one of the higher education institutions surrounding Helsinki. For many of them, the building is their first home as well as their first taste of Finland. The building is a 1970’s architectural gem, which was falling into disrepair. The lack of feeling of ownership led to some problems - like misuse of the building and its facilities. Our challenge was to make this building feel like home. With a little colorful chalkboard paint and some bold typography, we made the interiors part of the architecture and a vibrant space for living. We painted the hallways from floor to ceiling, turning them into chalkboards, instead of forbidding writing on the walls, we began promoting it. As a result, the building became an interactive participant in the student community: “talking” to its residents, encouraging them to get to know each other and do things together, creating a unique environment they could call their own.

Grin is a comprehensive digital/physical orthodontic platform that provides remote monitoring solutions to bring patients the convenience and responsible care they've come to expect while keeping licensed, local orthodontists at the center of their treatment.With the Grin platform, orthodontists can overcome the current challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic by strengthening existing patient relationships and reducing chair time by virtually reaching into their patients' mouths as if they were present for an in-person appointment.

Stories play an intrinsic part of our lives, society, and culture. We all make and tell stories to connect to others, share our emotions and express ourselves. Storytelling fosters positive role in a child’s physical and cognitive development from the small age. Children use simple media like pen/paper or wooden blocks to sophisticated online software like Scratch or electronic toys like Lego Mindstorms to imagine and create stories. Stic Stac (pronounced as Stick Stack) is a new way of making stories. It is a storymaking tool that allows children in the age group 9-14 years to create unique stories using tangible blocks and augmented reality.

This is a project that explores the realm of programming and art education for young children, trying to bring these two disciplines together in a fun and playful way. The aim is to allow children to express themselves creatively and at the same time explore and understand basic concepts of coding and programming. From the idea of creating a tool for education, this project has evolved, throughout the iterative design process of prototyping and testing, into a toolbox for personal exploration and discovery of Art and technology.

Nail art has exploded into mainstream demand due to social sharing – its one of the top 5 most shared items on Instagram and Pinterest with 8.5 billion dollars a year spent on nails. Yet keeping up with this trend can challenging. A basic salon manicure averages $20, but custom art on each finger can cost more than $50. DIY techniques are cheaper but they’re messy and require lots of skill, materials, and steady hands. Off-the-shelf nail wraps offer convenience but they eliminate the opportunity for creative self expression. So for most women, personalized nail art is an aspiration rather than reality – until now.