Wireless from start to Finnish

The Finnish city of Oulu, situated about 400 miles north of Helsinki, has always found ways to reinvent itself.

During the 1850s, as traffic on the high seas grew, ships came to rely more heavily on Oulu tar. As the world began to read more newspapers, the demand for Oulu pulp and paper increased.

When the age of telecommunications was born, Oulu transformed itself into a city of technology with the help of Nokia, which began operating there in the 1970s.

To ensure it stays at the forefront of technology, the city is addressing new challenges through what its mayor calls "a quantum leap into the future".

The Oulu Growth Agreement is a €300m (£200m) initiative to encourage businesses, research institutes, training organisations and public bodies to work together to develop applications that are useful in everyday life.

A key principle of the agreement is that technology for mobile applications has to be practical, quick to market and easy for the consumer to obtain and use.

The projects funded by Oulu provide a glimpse of some possible uses for wireless technology.

A major part of the Oulu initiative is Octopus, a business network and support group that offers an advanced platform for testing mobile applications and services in a real-life environment.

Nokia provides the technology, servers and software; the Oulu Telephone Company administers and maintains the test network; and Oulu Polytechnic is responsible for training.

Facilities and operational support are supplied by Technopolis, a provider of operating environments in Finland.

Jari Pirkola, programme manager at Octopus, says the network has been set up to promote the growth of mobile business and to advance new services through providing a reliable testing environment.

There are numerous innovations already supported by Octopus.

Helping children with disabilities
Software developer InCode has created BravoTango, which is based on Bluetooth technology and allows a mobile phone to control electronic equipment.

The system is being used at Oulu's Lohipato School and Resource Centre. The school provides training and rehabilitation for children with neurological illnesses, and focuses on methods and tools that encourage learning and self-development.

Pupils use mobile phones to control objects such as doors, windows, lights and lifts from long distances, without a direct visible connection. This is different from traditional infrared-based applications, where a direct line of sight is needed.

To use the system, the children need a mobile phone with Bluetooth support and BravoTango receivers that work with existing electronic devices.

The advantages of this approach lie in the cost efficiency and daily use of mobile phones. All the control appliances installed on a wheelchair can be replaced with a mobile phone with an easy-to-use graphical user interface.

"The Lohipato School has played an active part in defining and testing BravoTango," says Lauri Haapanen, chief executive of InCode.

"One fundamental point when designing the system was the improvement of the everyday living environment of physically impaired children without any extra visible controlling devices."

"A mobile phone was the natural choice because most of the children use them in their everyday lives."

Fishing licences
Mobile applications provider Sonera has developed a system that uses SMS messages to issue fishing licences.

Previously, fishing permits for the Oulu region could be obtained only during office hours.

Once a fisherman buys a licence they receive a code on their phone within 15 minutes, which can be shown to the fishing inspector. The inspector uses his phone to see if the number is valid.

In the first two months of the project, it was used by almost 1,000 people and fishing licence sales rose by 50 per cent.

Mobile gaming
"Mobile software production needs to be done fast," explains Ville Haaramo, director at Sumea, which develops downloadable mobile games.

"Gaining a time advantage of just one week over your competitors in bringing a new product to market can lead to international success.

"The requirements affecting the production of mobile software are very different from those of conventional software. The application must be able to function well on dozens of different mobile phones.

"The buyer of our product wants a good game experience regardless of the power and screen size of the mobile device, while the game must not interfere with the handset's basic phone functions."

Sumea can develop games from concept to market within two weeks.

Selling cars
Mobile applications company MSG Software is piloting a method of using mobile phones for car sales.

The system offers conventional data handling as well as image and voice transmission between mobile phones and databases.

Buyers enter search criteria such as brand, model or colour, and a list of cars is sent to the phone, along with images of the vehicles.

The user can then browse the cars and request more information. The prospective vehicle purchaser can contact a salesperson easily by voice or by text message.

Understanding hand gestures
VTT, the Technical Research Centre of Finland, is another organisation involved in the development of applications in the mobile environment.

Senior research scientist Petteri Alahuhta says the development of mobile systems can be divided into three areas: daily life, business and entertainment.

"I believe that the biggest impact of mobile applications will be in daily life, with opportunities for information and knowledge-sharing such as using mobile terminals as an entry pass or a ticket," he predicts.

VTT has developed a technology that operates through hand movements, called a gesture interface.

The concept is being used at Italian car designer Italdesign Giugiaro and for user interface research on wireless terminal equipment at Philips' HomeLab in the Netherlands.

It uses a small object called a SoapBox, which is about the size of a hotel soap bar.

SoapBox incorporates a micro-powered radio and a number of sensors, which identify gestures and use the data to direct devices and objects wirelessly.

An individual can use hand movements to control a television or an internet connection from anywhere in the house. For example, an acceleration sensor attached to the hand can interpret movements, recognise gestures and control nearby equipment wirelessly.

Watch your weight
Another system from Octopus - a mobile weight-watching tool - is due to reach the market at the end of April.

Called Mobile Calories, it consists of a diary on a mobile phone that can record how much and what someone eats, as well as the amount of exercise they take.

The product is expected to appeal to men, who are often embarrassed to write down such information.

FURTHER READING

www.oulu.ouka.fi/kasvusopimus/english

www.hightechfinland.com