Elderly care in focus for new 5G technology

At a retirement home in Övertorneå, Luleå University of Technology has opened Sweden’s northernmost test bed for 5G. The purpose of the test environment is to facilitate the use of new technology in the care and nursing area. The first two innovations to be tested is a video conferencing system and a robot for digital home care.

– We hope that the test environment will stimulate innovation and new ideas, that companies will have the opportunity to test and demonstrate groundbreaking 5G-based products and services that can contribute to better and more quality care, says Karl Andersson, Professor of Pervasive and Mobile Computing and project manager for 5G at the department for health and social care in Upper Norrland.

Safe and fast

Initially, there are two companies that will test their technical solutions in Övertorneå. The Luleå company Compodium will test a video communicationssolution, Vidicue, used in care contacts, and the care company Camanio will test a supervision robot that makes virtual visits to residents. 5G can contribute with a secure and fast connection, two factors that are extra important when human interaction takes place via technology. – We are used to testing and implementing welfare technology in the area of health and care. 5G gives us the opportunity to test new technology in a safe way, technology that aims to allow our users to maintain or increase their security, activity, participation and independence, says Aina Bleikvassli, e-coordinator at Övertorneå municipality.

Increased quality of life

The test bed in Övertorneå has been developed in close collaboration with Telia. The test bed and investments such as the one in Övertorneå are important catalysts for the development of new services in order to be able to take advantage of the opportunities 5G offers for both people and society. – The 5G network in Övertorneå is the first in an environment like this. Together with the municipality, the region, Luleå University of Technology and local technology companies, we get the opportunity to explore how new digital aids can help healthcare to work smarter and contribute to increased quality of life for the elderly, says Magnus Leonhardt, Innovation Manager at Telia Sweden.

For Region Norrbotten, 5G can contribute with innovative solutions in a sparsely populated county. – New 5G innovations are important for tomorrow’s smart services for digital care, not least for places outside urban areas. In a county as large as Norrbotten, it can compensate for the increased strain on health and care services that an aging population entails, says Staffan Lundberg, former regional digitization coordinator at Region Norrbotten.

Computer vision will identify material types on conveyor belts

The company Optimation Advanced Measurements AB and Luleå University of Technology enter into cooperation to identify material types.

Specifically, the work is about identifying properties of materials in the process industry. Examples of use are found in the mining, pulp and paper and steel industries and the focus is on improving the sensing system. With the solution, it is hoped to be able to ensure that the correct material is on, for example, a conveyor belt and to be able to identify if deviations such as boulders or rock bolts enter the belt. Lars Lindqvist, CEO of Optimation Advanced Measurements AB, says:

- With the help of the Applied AI DIH North project, we hope to be able to improve our products both in the long and short term. We also see it as an opportunity to deepen our own competence in the area. At the same time, we hope to be able to contribute with a good connection to the industry’s needs, with its challenges in data collection.

Michael Nilsson, project manager, says:

- Luleå University of Technology will carry out applied research in computer vision to find a new method for solving material type classification. The competence of the university’s machine learning group will in a good way complement Optimation’s domain knowledge to work with this issue and thereby accelerate the innovation process. Our hope is to develop an adaptable solution that can be practiced for educational purposes. The work takes place within the framework of the project Applied AI DIH North. The project aims to create a strong innovation system for growth in the AI industry. It runs for three years and is funded by the EU Regional Development Fund (Tillväxtverket), Luleå University of Technology, Luleå Municipality, Skellefteå Municipality and Region Norrbotten. Read more at: http://www.aidih.se

Digital platform for a living countryside

To meet the great need for labor in northern Sweden, more people need to choose to move here. Residents of the village of Vuollerim, in collaboration with researchers and students at Luleå University of Technology, have designed a service that is based on the user’s needs and will match people with the right village to settle in. Suggestions for different interfaces and prototypes of functions have been developed. The service is under development and will be a digital platform in the form of a mobile application.

In the coming years, multi-billion sums will be invested in various projects in northern Sweden where the region can become a world leader in the green transition towards a fossil-free society. The need for labor is therefore great. The urbanization that took off in the middle of the 20th century and then accelerated at an ever faster pace, has meant that the countryside has for a long time struggled against a declining working-age population. The trend, however, is that more and more people want to live in or move to rural areas, not least as an effect of the current corona pandemic. Moving from the city’s pulse to the calmer life with security and proximity to nature and outdoor life is nevertheless a big step.

Digital help finding the right village

Researchers at Luleå University of Technology, in collaboration with students and residents in the village of Vuollerim, in the municipality of Jokkmokk, have designed a digital service that will be developed based on the user’s need to match people with their “dream village”. - For more people to dare to move, information and knowledge about what functions and services are available in each village is needed, says Johanna Lindberg, doctoral student in the research area information systems at Luleå University of Technology, and adds that schools, outdoor activities and job opportunities are all important components to create a life in the countryside that one thrives on.

Good start for lasting well-being

The digital platform will be developed so that people can make decisions about where they want to live in the country. Making a move as smooth as possible creates better conditions for getting a good start in the new place of residence, which increases the chance that well-being will be lasting in the long term. - There is often talk of “soft landing” when it comes to companies establishing themselves in a new place, i.e. landing calmly and softly. With the help of a digital tool, those who move here for work can land safely, says Johanna Lindberg.

Populated, active and growing rural areas are important to society, and modern technology creates good conditions for development. One of the biggest challenges for rural areas is to have a sufficiently large population to be able to maintain and develop commercial services on site. - We want to contribute with knowledge about digital technology that helps people live a sustainable life, so that more people dare to take the step to move to, live and work in rural areas, says Johanna Lindberg. - Vuollerimbygden’s grassroots root entrepreneurs, who have initiated the idea, have driven several social innovations over the years, and they have collaborated with, among others, Luleå University of Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Learning Society, says Evalena Skalstad, chairman of Lapland Vuollerim.

In Vuollerim, there is, among other things, a welldeveloped infrastructure to welcome entrepreneurs and families who want to move to the area. - We have a service point that can physically receive and be a contact point for information about the area’s offer, says Elisa Echeverria, chairman of Vuollerimbygdens Economic Association.