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Sensespace – Diverse immersive transforming spaces

The SENSESPACE project explores how combining physical and virtual spaces with multisensory elements affects human well-being and user experience. It is carried out in collaboration with a broad network of Finnish SMEs. The project generates multidisciplinary research data on immersive environments to support the development of innovative well-being solutions.

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Sensespace – Diverse immersive transforming spaces

Funders

Project information

Implementation time

1.5.2026 – 30.4.2028

Funder

Business Finland

Research programme

Sustainable and versatile social and health care

Project type

National RD

Themes

Pedagogy and Co-creation

Project Manager

Minttu Räty

Background

The SENSESPACE project aims to explore how combining physical and virtual spaces with multisensory elements impacts human well-being and user experience. Immersion and multisensory design are rapidly growing trends in wellness services and cultural sectors, yet little is known about their combined effects.

Partners

The project will be implemented through an extensive collaborative network comprising ten Finnish small enterprises in the technology, wellness, and creative industries, the medium-sized company Genelec, major corporations Berner and Mehiläinen, and international research partners.

Goals

To produce research-based information on how combining physical and virtual space with multisensory and immersive elements affects user experience and well-being.
To find out how different sensory elements, such as sound, image, smell and touch, work individually and together as part of an immersive spatial experience.
Identify what kind of solutions support calmness, mood, inclusion, and experiential experiences in different user environments.
To produce research-based information for project partners to support product development, customer understanding and new business opportunities.
To provide practical information on what kind of immersive solutions are effective, supportive of well-being and commercially interesting.

Activities

The project’s research uses several methods in several immersive environments, such as Laurea’s Senses space, Berner’s multi-sensory exhibition space, and co-built spaces. The project collects data through user interviews, surveys, physiological measurements, and brain research to provide a comprehensive picture of how different sensory elements and spatial solutions affect the user experience and well-being.

The research is carried out in close cooperation with business partners to ensure that the results support practical development and the utilization of solutions.

Brain research (fMRI) data is collected in collaboration with Laurea’s NeuroLab Docent Jyrki Suomala, who works as a senior researcher in the SENSESPACE project. NeuroLab solves problems in companies and society by applying an understanding of human behavior based on human behavioral and neuroeconomic sciences. Our goal is to understand human behavior and use scientific knowledge to solve practical problems in companies and society at large.

“A theory cannot be considered complete until you have made it so clear that you can explain it to the first person you meet on the street.” Joseph-Diex Gergonne

Results

The project will generate multidisciplinary research data to support Finnish companies in R&D and product development using a mixed-method approach, including qualitative analysis, physiological measurements, and neuroscience-based insights (fMRI)
The study examines how immersive environments influence relaxation, mood, and social inclusion.
The outcome will include extensive research data, business development models, and a globally relevant knowledge base for designing well-being-enhancing solutions.