Success story · University

Enriching the educational experience of the students of the University of Helsinki

The craft science and education department of the faculty of educational sciences opened its new premises in 2021. Bitwards provides easy and secure access throughout.

The department’s wood workshop, with a planer and a panel saw and floor markings around each machine — The new premises opened in 2021: three floors of workshops, equipment rooms and machines.

The department welcomes students who need to work on their projects at varying hours. Staying in the lab for a short while, or spending hours there to finish a project on time, can be critical — and needs access that is both easy and secure. These students will one day graduate to become class teachers in primary and secondary schools in Finland, where technical work is part of the curriculum.

It was clear that granting access to hundreds of students every year by handing out physical keys was impossible. The department occupies three floors and is served by a lift. There are several sizeable machines that students learn to operate and need to reach. The question was how to ensure that only authorised people could enter the premises and use the machines safely and independently.

Making access easy and secure

Erno Vähänen, the senior laboratory technician, cares for the machines, works as a supervisor, and administers the Bitwards platform, assigning access rights to the students.

“From the first year, students get access rights to the doors so they can freely get acquainted with the spaces. When their study progresses, they have to pass theory and practice tests to operate the machines. These tests are strict, because many of the metal and woodwork machines can be dangerous if not operated appropriately. Once the students pass, they get access rights to the machines of the department. Thanks to Bitwards, they get to practise on their own.”
Erno VähänenSenior laboratory technician

Security above all

In case of need, he or another supervisor is always there. The Bitwards solution is aimed specifically at high-risk machines, such as the planer, the band saw and the circular saw.

“The best thing for me is that I can feel safe when the students are working with the machines. I know that only authorised people can access them, and that those people know what they are doing. Bitwards gives me a sense of security.”
Erno VähänenSenior laboratory technician

A user in a face shield and ear defenders unlocking a machine with the Bitwards app — The high-risk machines — the planer, the band saw, the circular saw — unlock from the phone, and only for someone who has passed the tests.

Senior lecturer Antti Hilmola finds the platform straightforward: “I particularly enjoy the fact that we can grant easy and secure access rights to anyone. And that we can decide on the timeframe. I think this system could be particularly suitable for vocational schools or universities of applied sciences.”

Students and modern access control

During a visit to the campus we interviewed a few students, touring the premises by opening doors with the Bitwards app.

“The biggest plus is that we can move freely on the campus; once the app is on our phone, we do not require any keys to open doors or cards for the lift,” says Inka Hissa, a first-year student.

We followed two students, Melissa Lynch and Kreetta Uusitalo, to the material storage room in the basement, taking the lift and opening the doors with the app. There is no internet reception down there. Bluetooth lets the app work all the same — even underground.

“The connection might be a bit slower sometimes underground, but it always works and we think it’s great,” they say. The app has charmed students who, at first, wondered how it was possible to open doors and unlock machines with a touch on a phone screen.

The Bitwards app listing the department’s machines: band saw, router, CNC plasma cutter, pillar drill, laser station, circular saw — Every machine is its own access point in the app.

Text: Katariina Benedetti. Originally published by Bitwards, 19 December 2022.