SANTTUTo reduce stress from machine & operator

“The combination of simulation and AI technologies provides the technological basis for autonomous and sustainable Finnish-made machines. The SANTTU operator assistance system protects both machine and operator from excess stress, increases productivity and enables data-driven services.”

Non-Road Mobile Machines (NRMM), heavy machinery, and their customer industries are significant contributors to both the economy and to combating climate change. NRMM and heavy machinery are currently operated nearly exclusively by humans, and the customer’s operational performance is thus directly related to the skills and experience of the operator. Taking full advantage of the machinery potential requires advanced user training and experience, inadvertently creating a market barrier. The dual pressure of environment and economy pushes innovation in the direction of digitalization and electrification to deliver more autonomous machines, powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

SANTTU project focuses on simplifying the control and operation of the machines with semi-autonomous operator assistance systems. This can be used to reduce the complexity and cognitive stress on the operator as well as the stress on the machine, thus extending machine life, availability, and productivity and  performance and consistency of working processes. By combining physics-based simulation, digital twins and AI technologies, we can develop semi-automated systems that provide collision prevention, stress reduction, improved accuracy, automation of work routines, and a human-centric user interface design. These lower the competence requirements for the efficient use of the machine, which expands the market opportunities.

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WHAT? WHY? HOW?
Simplification of the control and operation of the machine through semiautonomous operator assistance systems
Decrease both the cognitive stress of the operator and the mechanical stress to the machine to increase the lifetime and usability of the machinery
Combining beyond state-of-the-art physics-based simulation models, digital twins and artificial intelligence techniques to reach higher levels of autonomous features
RESULTS

Model-based AI assistant that provides collision and stress prevention, improved accuracy, automation of experiential routines and human-centric HMI design

SANTTU project is implemented as a part of Sandvik Shift ’25 ecosystem, and is funded by Business Finland

 

project partners

Contact information

Aki Mikkola,
Responsible leader

Professor of
Machine Design
LUT University

aki.mikkola@lut.fi

Kirsi Kokkonen,
Project manager

Post-doctoral researcher in Innovation and Technology Management
LUT University

kirsi.kokkonen@lut.fi

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