SUMMATION: Sustainable Autonomous Systems and Solutions

The purpose of the project is to increase SMEs' innovation capacity and use of advanced technologies in their operations. The project's activities include encouraging entrepreneurial processes, learning practices, and methods for advanced technologies. The common challenge that the project will address is found in the subarctic climate, which provides unique opportunities, e.g. nature tourism, but also specific challenges, e.g. for the reindeer industry, municipalities, as well as for road and rail organizations that must provide the infrastructure that is safe despite ice, snow, slippage, avalanches and floods.

The subarctic climate in the program region is characterized by cold winters, but also warm summers. From a central European perspective of four seasons, the winters are described as long, and summers short. However, when living in the area we experience eight different seasons, a categorization originating from the Sami tradition. This adds spring-winter, spring-summer, autumn-summer, autumn-winter, in between spring, summer, autumn and winter. This better describes how the climate and nature in the region gradually change over a year. Thus, providing unique opportunities, but also specific challenges. The main industries that are reliant on climate and nature are, of course, reindeer herding and tourism and hospitality. In particular, the reindeer husbandry is seeking approaches to better align tradition and growth to cope with the changes in climate. The tourism and hospitality industry is seeking more sustainable approaches for product and service development. Also, actors responsible for infrastructure like roads and railroads experience a challenge during wintertime (ice and snow), springtime (flooding, pot holes), summer (slippery asphalt due to rain) and autumn (cold nights ice forming, wet slippery leaves). Further, municipalities struggle to provide attractive milieus for their citizens to live in, for example supporting outdoor leisure time activities during all seasons. In this context, smart technologies, such as UAV technology (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and UGV technology (Unmanned Ground Vehicle, can support sustainable inspections, delivery and search/rescue services, and other technologies such as 3D scanning can support interactive maps. As initialized in the previous AA3D project (ended June 2022), drone technology can support experiences of hiking and be used for gathering reindeers instead of using, e.g., ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) that causes damages to the sensitive ground.

Project overall objective

The project objective is to progress the innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies among the target groups. Inspiration to new services will be provided by demonstrating practical use cases. The activities aim to promote entrepreneurial approaches, learning in practice and to spur reflections on innovative processes and methods based on the use of advanced technologies. The project proposal will thereby contribute to the Interreg Aurora programme priority area 1.1. by connecting technology development (UAV and UGV) and service development. Addressing specific problems related to accessibility and low carbon transport technologies. Further, since this project proposal cross-fertilize expertise in UAV/UGV technologies, weather-related applications in intelligent traffic, design and innovation processes and methods it contributes to the programme objective to drive sustainable growth and enable green and digital transition.