NFA and partners have been awarded Vinnova funding to develop next generation operator support for harvesters

Through funding from Sweden's Innovation Agency within the programme Advanced Digitalisation, NFA together with Sveaskog, Södra Skogsägarna (Södra), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Skogforsk, Chalmers Industriteknik (CIT) and BOID AB will develop the next generation of operator support over two years. The aim of the project is to lay the foundation for a general sensor-based operator support for harvesters, which supports the operator in several forestry decisions, including tree selection in traditional and alternative management methods and improved grading based on stem shape.

The new project is based on NFA's machine-mounted sensors and AI technology, which are currently installed on five harvesters in Sweden and which collect large amounts of data on a daily basis that are used in the development of new functions.

Lars Svensson, CEO of NFA and project manager:
"Our long-term goal is to make the work less strenuous for the operators, while at the same time enabling forestry to be carried out with greater precision. This project is the next step in our long-term development plan. We also continue our good cooperation with Södra and Sveaskog and have also managed to gather a new group of experts from SLU, Skogforsk, CIT and BOID for this project"

The total contribution from Vinnova to the project is 9.4 million SEK and the project will last until July 2026. For more information, please see https://www.vinnova.se/en/p/ai-based-harvester-operator-support/  

About the project partners:

NFA is a leading company in AI technology for forestry, specialising in perception technology to create real-time digital representations of forest environments. The company was founded in 2021 and is based in Lund.

Sveaskog is Sweden's largest forest owner and owns 14 per cent of Sweden's forest land. Sveaskog is owned by the Swedish state.

Södra Skogsägarna is Sweden's largest forest owners' association with almost 53,000 forest owners as members. Södra is also an international forest industry group.

Chalmers Industriteknik works to develop the technical solutions of the future in collaboration with industry and research organisations to meet global challenges.

Boid is a design studio with expertise in user experience and interface design, and has extensive experience in visualising complex technology and social systems.

Skogforsk is the Swedish forestry research institute, funded by the forest industry and the state, with about 140 employees, of which 80 are researchers.

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is a world-class university with research, education and environmental analysis in the sciences for sustainable living.