Digital technologies are becoming increasingly important in care and healthcare. They can make everyday life easier, relieve the burden on care professionals and relatives and help people to live independently for longer. The Maker & Education Lab, which will be opened by Anhalt University of Applied Sciences on January 23, 2026 at Wallstraße 6 in Köthen, will provide an insight into these developments. The lab serves as an open place for exchange, information and practical testing.
Digital solutions and innovative approaches to care and healthcare will be presented in the Maker & Education Lab. "The focus is on practical applications. At the same time, the aim is to strengthen the exchange between nursing practice, science and companies," says Professor Dr. Thomas Karbe, head of the new lab. Interested citizens will find a place in the new lab where they can actively participate in the development of smart products for everyday life.
The following example shows the range of topics that the Maker Education Lab will cover in the future:
Recognizing and supporting loneliness at an early stage
One of the first projects to be presented by the Maker Education Lab is PräEinsamAltKI. The core element is a model apartment in Köthen that is equipped with digital technology. Sensors, AI algorithms and assistance systems are designed to detect changes in everyday life, such as when social contacts become less frequent or people hardly ever leave their homes. The system can also have a positive impact on living comfort and efficiency, for example by helping to save energy.
"The aim is to detect loneliness at an early stage and support older people in living independently in their familiar surroundings for as long as possible - without patronizing them," says Prof. Dr. Stefan Twieg from Anhalt University of Applied Sciences.
On this basis, the system can also have a supportive effect, for example by providing information on events or facilitating social contacts. A large number of sensors have currently been evaluated, selected and installed, and concepts for system integration are now being developed. The final implementation is then to be achieved through optimization with the future users in the home. The project is being scientifically supported by the Institute for the History and Ethics of Medicine and the Care Research Group at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg.
Learning, trying things out, networking
The Maker & Education Lab is aimed at healthcare and medical professionals, companies, developers and interested members of the public. A variety of participation formats are planned: In addition to lectures, there will also be workshops in which people can try out and develop. In the labs, people can get to know the technology and receive support in its application if required.
"With the Maker & Education Lab, we are creating an open place where technological innovation, social responsibility and regional cooperation come together. The aim is to work with local people to make digital solutions understandable and usable in practice - especially in nursing and healthcare," says the President of Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, Prof. Dr. Jörg Bagdahn.
Transformation in nursing and healthcare
The Maker & Education Lab in Köthen is part of the Innovation Region for Digital Transformation in Nursing and Healthcare (TPG). A total of five innovation labs are being set up in this network in southern Saxony-Anhalt - in addition to Köthen, also in Halle, Merseburg, Sangerhausen and Zeitz. The TPG is coordinated by the Faculty of Medicine at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space as part of the Structural Strengthening Act.
Contact:
Thomas Karbe
Head of the Maker & Education Lab
Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
Phone: +49 (0) 3496 67 2563
Email: thomas.karbe@hs-anhalt.de
Prof. Dr. Stefan Twieg
Project Manager PräEinsamAltKI
Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
Phone: +49 (3496) 67 2322
Email: stefan.twieg@hs-anhalt.de
