Viudetta Oy and Turku University of Applied Sciences co-developed a technology that facilitates nursing

According to project engineer Tero Vahanne, an application programme utilizing cloud services, which can be used in conjunction with a toilet bidet, was developed in collaboration with Viudetta at Health Tech Lab. The device collects data about the functions used and their duration, based on which the application creates a profile of normal use for the user.

According to Viudetta Oy's Jari Viitanen, similar sensor technology has not been applied in bidet equipment in Europe before. The pilot has been tested at the Turku University of Applied Sciences’ Kunnonkoti visitor centre, where solutions for barrier-free and safe living are presented.

“In the health technology laboratory, an IoT monitoring spout was installed in Viudetta Oy's Jasmin Care bidet, which was located in Kunnonkoti. The goal of the health technology laboratory was to study the data sent by the device and to build a wireless data connection from the device to Turku UAS’ system. The information system demo was coded in the laboratory, which visualizes the device's data in a more understandable format”, says Vahanne.

Kunnonkoti serves as a test platform for companies' solutions that aim to support independent living in the home or home-like environments.

The data can be used by home care and nursing home staff

The data obtained can be used, for example, by home care staff. Staff can remotely monitor data from multiple customers and detect any anomalies.

“Such anomalies include, but are not limited to, fewer visits to the toilet or none at all. In this case, the system will alert the nursing staff, who will assess whether an additional visit to the site may be necessary”, Viitanen explains.

According to Viitanen, the technology helps nursing staff to prioritize resources and detect potential need for help, even proactively.

“For an older person, toilet visits can be one factor in determining whether they can continue living at home. A washing and drying bidet combined with monitoring data allows you to live at home for longer. This is both a saving for society and more comfortable for the elderly themselves”, Viitanen explains.

The goal is to develop and implement a pilot

Vahanne says the use of IoT technology and equipment has exploded in recent years. The use of sensor technology in homes is becoming commonplace, and IoT solutions are already being considered in the design phase of new buildings.

“We have now started to notice that the number of IoT solutions to be installed afterwards and the number of actors providing them have also increased”, Vahanne says.

According to Viitanen and Vahanne, the next step in the cooperation is to extend monitoring based on user data to, for example, door and motion sensors. Vahanne says this will happen in the coming weeks.

“In the case of Health Tech Lab, the project will continue as student work on the development of our own demo or application at Kunnonkoti”, Vahanne explains.

Viudetta also aims to try to implement the developed technology in the field.

The operating environment of the Health Tech Lab is part of the activities of the Health Technology Research Group .

“This could be an opportunity for healthcare professionals in the field to say that they are up to date”, Viitanen suggests.

A kick to the cooperation from the TERTTU platform

The cooperation between Viudetta Oy, Kunnonkoti and the Laboratory of Health Technology was made possible by the ERDF-funded Terva project, which is coordinated by Turku University of Applied Sciences. As part of the project and the operations of Health Campus Turku, an operating model of the TERTTU broker platform has been created, through which customer contacts are forwarded to a suitable test platform service.