The Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Center AIRE is waiting for Estonian industrial companies to submit their ideas to the round of ideas opening on November 1. We welcome companies that have an idea or a bottleneck that can be solved using artificial intelligence or robot technology, or that need to make work processes more efficient, but there is no ready-made solution on the market.
The AIRE center is looking for cooperation with industrial companies to implement artificial intelligence and robotics demo projects in the amount of up to 50,000 euros per project. According to Kirke Maar, head of the center, the center does not provide financial support, but companies are offered university teams to help them test a specific solution or solve some challenges using artificial intelligence or robotics.
Otto Mättas, head of the center’s field of artificial intelligence, added that researchers can participate in the idea round with an already existing idea or solution that has been waiting on the shelf until now. “Now it is possible to test and validate it within six to nine months in some companies,” said Mättas and noted that ideally the researcher should already have contact with some industrial company. The idea round also enables the researcher to further develop some of the ongoing projects, in which he can involve both students and non-university partners.
“If it is not immediately possible for a researcher to involve an industrial company, I still encourage them to submit their ideas. The AIRE center’s idea round remains open throughout the year, submitted ideas are evaluated 3-4 times a year, and the next one will take place already in the spring of 2023. So we can be helpful in finding a suitable cooperation partner, evaluate the idea in the next round so that it comes to life,” said Mättas.
The documentation of the demo project round will be available on the AIRE website from November 1. Until then, you can familiarize yourself with the spring season demo projects.
For example, in the spring round of demo projects, we solved the following challenges:
Purpose: To solve the logistical bottleneck. Solution: we automated the movement of goods in the packing area of the Kulinaaria OÜ factory in order to increase the logistical speed and production capacity of the factory;
We worked with an artificial intelligence-based support solution to optimize the production process at robot-based workplaces at Alise Technic OÜ;
Purpose: To have an overview of where goods are located in the company’s warehouse and when and where they move. Solution: We developed an artificial intelligence system that can track products stored on pallets and associate them with actual labels at Valdek AS;
Purpose: To reduce foot pain for hospital staff when moving between the laboratory and patients. Solution: We developed smart robots that could safely navigate crowded indoor spaces;
Background information
Based on the preliminary round of the competition for the creation of the European Digital Innovation Hub, or EDIH center, Estonia was the candidate for the final round of EDIH in 2022. In Estonia, the center was named AIRE (AI & Robotics Estonia), whose seven-year period began on July 1, 2022, and the budget for three years, or 36 months, is 6 million euros. The European Commission announced the positive funding decision on June 1, 2022.
The AIRE center, which has been piloting services since October 2021, has already supported the digitization and increased competitiveness of 75 Estonian industrial companies. The center has advised, trained and brought together the company’s needs and the high-tech solutions offered by Estonian researchers. Any small or medium-sized company that needs a development leap or is looking for robotics or artificial intelligence solutions is welcome to AIRE.
The center has six parties – the state representative and co-financier is the Ministry of Economy and Communications, the lead partner is Tallinn University of Technology and the University of Tartu, the Estonian University of Life Sciences, the science and business campus Tehnopol, the Tartu Science Park and the competence center IMECC.
AIRE was created to increase the competitiveness of Estonian industrial companies. Here you can find both inspiration and practical university-born knowledge on how to test and implement artificial intelligence and robotics solutions in your company.