An internet of things enabled interactive totem for children in a living lab setting

Abstract

Hospitalization can be an extremely distressful experience, especially for children. Healthcare institutions are striving to create hospital environments that respond to patient needs and promote their well-being and recovery. The San Raffaele Scientific Institute of Milan has embraced this challenge and through its eServices for Life and Health unit is striving to ideate, develop and deploy eServices in its City of the Future Living Lab, which truly meet user needs and foster innovation. In such a context, an Interactive Totem has been placed in a paediatric ward offering services aimed at educating, entertaining and empowering hospitalized children. This Totem is part of an Internet of Things platform and is being used to understand the impact of these services, achieve their fine-tuning with the collaboration of children, and at the same time to explore the role of an Internet of Things System in the Living Lab process.