Presenting Kuopio Health members: Peili Vision Oy
Peili Vision Oy – A health-tech frontrunner in identifying neurodevelopmental challenges
Peili Vision Oy, based in Oulu, is a health-technology company founded in 2015 by Joonas Pöllä and Jussi Auvinen. The company’s origins lie in speech therapy and the interest in utilizing virtual reality and gamification in rehabilitation. In its early stages, the development focus was on supporting the rehabilitation of aphasia and other brain injury deficits. The goal was to create solutions that allow patients to practice from home and reduce burdensome travel to therapy.
“The first demos sparked interest among patients and some therapists. The rehabilitation product was brought to market, but challenges tied to healthcare processes and resources hindered broader adoption. This later led to shifting the focus to assessing executive functions in children and supporting ADHD diagnostics,” says Mikko Kontio, CEO of Peili Vision.
Diagnosing ADHD is a multi-phase and slow process, and children may have to wait for the diagnosis for years. This also delays access to support and assistance.
Enter EFSim
Peili Vision’s key innovation is EFSim, a browser-based gamified test that simulates a child’s daily environment. In the test, the child performs everyday tasks—such as morning routines—while the software measures how the child copes with demands on memory, attention, and executive control.
What sets EFSim apart from traditional methods is its realism and objectivity. While many existing tools rely on subjective questionnaires or simple pen-and-paper tests, EFSim offers a more realistic and quantifiable measure. This helps healthcare professionals, school staff, parents, and teachers better understand a child’s potential difficulties and identify tailored support strategies.
“EFSim accelerates access to support, leverages professional expertise, and is both user-friendly and reliable. For the child, the test is a fun and pleasant experience—with guidance from a friendly dragon named Laura,” explains Sales Development Representative Essi Piltonen.
The path to a medical device
Although Peili Vision developed its solution on a foundation of academic research, meeting the demands of the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) and obtaining CE-marking has been a significant undertaking. Achieving medical device CE-certification has been a multi-year project requiring substantial resources. While the regulatory work slowed development, it also ensures that the solution is safe and reliable.
“Though regulation work was arduous, the real moments of success come from users. The purpose becomes visible when a therapist or teacher understands how a child perceives everyday situations and can build better support from that insight. That is at the heart of our mission—ultimately, it is always about the person for whom this is done. Our core aim is that no child needs to wait for the help they need,” Kontio emphasizes.
Eyes on solution development and internationalization
Currently, Peili Vision’s solutions are used, among others, in the Wellbeing Services County of Central Finland to support school welfare services. Now that the CE mark has been secured, the company’s focus is shifting toward promoting uptake and sales.
Next development steps include gradually expanding the solution’s scope to identify autism spectrum conditions, learning challenges, and, in the long term, support for neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
In internationalization, attention is already turning especially to the United Kingdom, where large population bases and nationally steered pilot processes offer promising opportunities. The company currently has one major pilot underway in the UK, and the country has well-established processes to support pilot initiatives.
“Our future goal is to become Europe’s most widely used and beloved test in the field of neurochallenge diagnostics for children. Of course, we also hope to gain a foothold in the U.S. market someday,” Kontio continues.
Kuopio Health membership and collaboration
“Peili Vision joined Kuopio Health after two Kimmos—Kuopio Health’s Kimmo Solehmainen and Peili Vision’s Kimmo Sainio—met in Copenhagen and began a discussion around the ADHD theme. Out of that conversation emerged the idea of collaboration and membership,” Piltonen explains.
Kontio and Piltonen see networking and strengthened cooperation as essential for the company. Finding the right people and innovation-driving collaborators alone is difficult, as organizations are complex. Kuopio Health’s ecosystem has provided new contacts, such as opportunities to showcase their solutions to regional health and social services experts. Events like Kuopio Health Insights have opened doors to conversations and new possibilities.
Although no direct collaboration project with other members has yet been initiated, the potential is evident. To Peili Vision, being part of ecosystems where innovators and healthcare developers meet is already valuable in itself.