Today was a nearly free day, allowing for some last free exploring of Oslo. While some groups went out,exploring on their own, others worked hard on the presentation for tomorrow’s companies. Some also took the liberty to sleep in after being roughly awoken by a fire alarm at 3.40 AM from another building.
At noon, we visited PlayPulse, a start-up company that works on making working out more fun through gamification. Their game bike with high precision pedal sensors is connected to a set of games and workout sessions, which allow the user to stick to a workout routine while playing.
We received an explanation of the product as well as the startup. They are currently receiving pre-orders for their first bike; a lot of customers have already expressed interest for the product. Before COVID, PlayPulse mostly focused on selling to other business such as gyms, but during the pandemic they realized that there was a lot of potential in individual customers as well. Right now, they are working with important investors in the gaming field to develop their product.
All of this was very interesting to hear, since the idea for PlayPulse started as a Master thesis. One that could have easily been a thesis for CreaTe or I-Tech, so some students also expressed their interest in an internship somewhere in the future. During the visit Ben and Sebastiaan even got to try the bike out! Ben even almost got a high score in their game Helios, but lost his last life in the last seconds…
In the afternoon, everyone was free to go wherever they liked. Seizing the moment, many groups ventured out into the city to see the last hotspots of Oslo, like the Aker fortress, the Royal Palace, and an interactive exhibition about salmon and Oslo’s fishing industry.
Dinner was spread out throughout the city, with one group visiting an All you can eat Sushi Buffet, another going to a local burger place, and another one to another burger place with milkshakes.
When we were back at the hostel, the fire alarm suddenly went off! We all had to go outside… Even the fire department came to out aid with blazing sirens, but fortunately it was a false alarm. So who left the door open when cooking this time???
Luckily mother nature provided some compensation for the rough evening with a beautiful sunset!
Tomorrow is the last day in Oslo already, where we will be visiting the last two companies here. Time flies when you’re having fun ☹