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David Fassbender

Empowering Tomorrow’s Engineers: The MORE project’s final event presents innovations in heavy-duty mobile machinery

The MORE project, an innovative initiative funded by the European Union, celebrated the culmination of its European Industrial Doctorate (EID) research and training program at a successful final event. The event showcased the achievements of 8 early-stage researchers (ESRs) who presented key outcomes from their individual projects addressing challenges in the construction, logistics, and forestry sectors.

MORE – Educating Europe`s Future Engineers in Next Generation Heavy Duty Mobile Machinery: Artificial Intelligence driven Robotisation, Energy Efficiency and Process Optimisation – is the first industry-academia partnership to jointly educate researchers on heavy-duty mobile machinery. It addresses the need for dramatic improvements in heavy-duty mobile machinery (HDMM) and fill the gap in related research and training. Over the past four years, the MORE ESRs have been equipped with a set of research skills including robotics, machine learning, energy systems, as well as transferable skills such as entrepreneurship and career management.

Held in Helsinki, Finland from 24 – 26 October, the MORE project’s final event marked a significant milestone in enhancing productivity and efficiency across key industries. Around 40 participants joined the event including HDMM company representatives, PhD students and members from the MORE network. The consortium, comprised of respected heavy-duty mobile equipment companies including J. Deere, Liebherr, Bosch Rexroth, HIAB, and Volvo CE, collaborated with four specialised academic groups to nurture a new generation of engineers equipped with cutting-edge knowledge and skills.

In addition to keynote lectures and a site visit to Aalto Robot Learning Lab, the event highlighted the accomplishments of the ESRs, unveiling innovative solutions resulting from digitalisation and artificial intelligence. The recordings from the MORE ESR presentations are available online.

Professor Reza Ghabcheloo, coordinator of the MORE project, Tampere University, shared his satisfaction with the ESRs’ journeys, stating, “This has been a very successful industrial doctorate program, we have achieved our goals, industry is happy of the results and would like to build a similar project, doctoral students are happy and wanted by industry after MORE.”

As Europe anticipates a future shaped by technology and human creativity, the MORE project exemplifies the synergy between academia and industry. This collaboration fosters a generation of engineers ready to leave a lasting impact on heavy-duty mobile machinery and the industries it serves. The ESRs have demonstrated that innovation has no boundaries when fueled by dedication and cooperation.

The MORE consortium at the final event in Espoo, Helsinki Finland

MORE final event – Empowering Tomorrow’s Engineers: Shaping Europe’s Next-Gen Heavy-Duty Mobile Machines with AI, Energy Efficiency, and Innovation – registration open

The MORE project, a pioneering initiative funded by the European Union, is gearing up to celebrate the culmination of its European Industrial Doctorate (EID) research and training program. The grand finale is scheduled for 24-25 October 2023, in Helsinki, Espoo, Finland, where the project’s early-stage researchers (ESRs) will unveil key results and outcomes from their individual research projects, bringing forth innovative solutions to challenges in construction, logistics, and agriculture sectors.

The MORE project, has proven to be a model example of collaborative excellence, combining academia and industry to nurture the next generation of engineers skilled in AI, energy efficiency, and innovation. Over the course of this project, nine ESRs have worked diligently on individual projects aimed at revolutionising the landscape of heavy-duty mobile machinery.

The event promises to be a platform where key ideas and innovations will be presented. Participants will have the opportunity to gain valuable insights into the accomplishments of the ESRs, as well as engage with expert keynote speakers. Two prominent figures in the field, Antti Kolu from Novatron oy and Prof. Ville Kyrki from Aalto University, will share their perspectives and expertise during the event.

The MORE project coordinator, Prof. Reza Ghabcheloo from Tampere University, will moderate discussions that bridge the gap between academia and industry. This collaboration has been instrumental in driving the project’s success.

One of the highlights of the event is the site visit to the Aalto Robot Learning Lab, where attendees can witness cutting-edge advancements in robotics and artificial intelligence firsthand. This visit is sure to provide a glimpse into the future of heavy-duty mobile machinery and how AI is shaping the industry.

The MORE project’s final event in Helsinki, Espoo, is not only a celebration of the achievements of its ESRs but also a testament to the benefits of collaboration, innovation, and education in shaping the future of European industries.

For more information about the MORE project and the upcoming event, please visit: www.more-itn.eu/final-event

David Fassbender becomes the first early stage researcher to successfully defend his PhD in the MORE project

In a groundbreaking achievement, David Fassbender has become the first early stage researcher to successfully defend his PhD in the MORE project. We held a short interview with David to find out more on his project, his time as an early stage researcher and plans for the future. We would like to congratulate David and wish him all the best.

What has your research project focused on and what are your key results and innovations coming from your research project?

The focus in my project was on finding ways for improving the energy efficiency of heavy-duty mobile machines, which is currently very low on average. However, my goal was to keep also aspects such as cost effectiveness and feasibility in mind in order to come up with concepts that can be compatible on the market today. 

What impact does your research project and your outcomes have?

On the one hand, I’m optimistic that my findings will change to a certain extend how researchers in academia approach the task of finding more efficient concepts – considering also costs and feasibility. On the other hand, I hope that my research points out to OEMs how they can electrify their machines in a more efficient manner, reducing emissions and costs.

What were your personal highlights over the course of your research project?

My highlights definitely involved the conferences and MORE workshops that I could attend in various countries, but definitely also my defence at which I could present all my accomplishments, discuss them, and feel appreciated for them. 

Are there any elements of the training you received that you find should be integrated in local doctoral programmes?

I think I benefited a lot from the exchange at numerous international events that I was able to attend and from the exchange with network partners that work in different but related fields (automation, in my case). If possible, local doctoral researchers should be encouraged and supported as well in visiting conferences frequently and exchanging also with researchers from neighboring fields.

How did the MORE network impact your doctoral experience?

The network and the frequent meetings were great for receiving input and feedback of high quality and from very different perspectives, which would have been hard to obtain otherwise. Furthermore, the social bonds between us ESRs grew very strong, and I’m sure they will remain far beyond the time of our doctoral studies.

What are your plans for the future?

In March, I already started my follow-up position at Bosch Rexroth in Elchingen. With a good mix of follow-up and new tasks as well as great colleagues around, I’m very optimistic that I can have an impact on the future of the heavy-duty mobile machine industry while further developing myself and supporting the company. 

First Future innovations and MORE newsletter published

Hot Topics for Heavy-Duty Mobile Machines

What’s going on and what can we expect?

In this newsletter, we want to have a closer look at the trends that define the current developments in the heavy-duty mobile machine (HDMM) sector. This way, you will get to know what is influencing as well as motivating our work in the MORE project. David will start by elaborating topical powertrain technology with a focus on construction machinery, and Tyrone will highlight some developments within automated and autonomous HDMMs.

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knowMORE: FAQ video series online

Have you ever wondered what our early stage researchers (ESRs) were are talking about when they mention optimised power management or what exactly perception sensors means? Have we ever used acronyms such as HDMM or BAGEL which just are not clear? Or have you ever wondered what the daily tasks or our ESRs are?

Our ESRs receive questions or are asked to explain parts of their research on a daily basis which may seem obvious to researchers in heavy duty machinery but for all us others can be overwhelming or difficult to follow. Based on this, the MORE ESRs have recorded the knowMORE series, a frequently asked question in video format answering the main FAQs they receive in an easy to follow way.

Second annual MORE network event held in Sweden

The second annual MORE network event was organised by Örebro University in Sweden from the 18.-20. May 2022. During the annual network events the focus is to give all the MORE early stage researchers the opportunity their research results and work progress and to obtain valuable input from their supervisors, industrial collaborator and external experts.

The annual events are always combined with other activities, such as technical sessions about relevant topics, onsite visits as well as social networking activities. During this annual event, we received a lab tour through the AASS lab at Örebro Universtiy as well as a visit to Munktell Museum. Time was further devoted to the training of the MORE early stage researchers from partners within the network. This included sessions on Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities in MORE: As open as possible, as closed as necessary (Julia Götz, accelopment); Towards robot-, task- and environment-agnostic multi-robot fleet control (Federico Pecora, Associate Professor at Örebro University); and Ethics for Robotics & Automation (Masoumeh Mansouri, Assistant Professor at the School of Computer Science, University of Birmingham).

We would like to thank Örebro University for hosting the meeting and for all participants for their active contributions and engagement during the meeting.