LPRC organised and hosted the 1st ROBOMINERS Roadmapping Workshop in La Palma

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The LPRC team organised the 1st ROBOMINERS project Roadmapping Workshop on the 4th of May 2023 as part of the foresight efforts to map the future of the innovative mining technology. Participants from inside ROBOMINERS as well as external experts from robotics and raw materials-related fields had the chance to contribute with their ideas and visions for the 2030 ROBOMINERS Roadmap, which aims at future research and development towards real pilot implementation. On the 5th of May, the participants enjoyed a well deserved field trip.

The Workshop day started with introductory presentations to bring all the experts up-to-date with the project activities and goals. The three presentations focused on the project, on the efforts of Work Package 8 (Active Roadmapping and Clustering) and finally, on the Roadmapping itself, the main expected outcome of the day’s work. Then, the participants were divided into two groups, led by LPRC members, working parallelly on 4 similar exercises throughout the day. These exercises made use of a handmade canvas specifically developed for this Workshop, with post-its containing the relevant inputs from experts.

The first of these exercises aimed at bringing the participants in line with previous activities (Clustering, Focus Groups, Horizon Scanning, Delphi Survey, Visioning and Preparation for Pilots) with a review and validation exercise. To achieve this, participants were asked to approve and comment on previously collected targets gathered for ROBOMINERS, while at the same time suggesting new valid targets to take into consideration.

Exercises 2 and 3 worked in tandem. During exercise 2, participants were asked to suggest actions and pathways relevant for the main areas of ROBOMINERS: Exploration, Development, Operation, the Robot-miner and PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal). During exercise 3 participants were asked to prioritise the actions and ideas that were on the canvas, through a “funding” exercise, where each participant was allocated funds to invest in specific areas.

For the last exercise, participants worked towards a specific pilot site where ROBOMINERS could be implemented in 2030. Two mines were chosen for this exercise, one in Estonia, one in Hungary. During this exercise participants identified what actions need to be implemented for the ROBOMINERS technology to be ready for pilots in 7 years.

The working day was completed with a business workshop, led by the European Federation of Geologists.

The second day was dedicated to a field trip to two main atractions of La Palma: the astronomical observatories and the Roque de los Muchacos, both above 2000m, and to recent lava fields, a landscape made by the 2021 volcanic eruption.

The LPRC team will now process the results of this fruitful Workshop!

AIRSHIP project meeting, Brussels, March 2023

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The La Palma Research Centre team joined the AIRSHIP project consortium in Brussels, on the 22nd and 23rd March 2023, for the first physical meeting since the project started back in January. INESC TEC hosted the meeting which had as participants INESC TEC, University of Tampere, La Palma Research Centre, Trisolaris, University of Luxembourg, TalTech and the coordinator UPM.

The AIRSHIP Project envisions a new Wing-in-ground vehicle for people and goods transportation in waterways to make transporting to islands and in-land waterways more sustainable, safer and more effective. In order to achieve these goals, AIRSHIP will study and develop new technologies in zero-emission power, on-board AI and in automatic flight control that overcome the challenging technological problems that flying in ground effect poses, allowing such vehicles to become autonomous so they can be effectively used in a wide range of business applications and services, leading to new aviation business models. The aim is to lay the foundations of a new class of fully electrical unmanned aircraft system, the UWV (Unmanned WIG Vehicle) that brings together speed, flexibility and energy efficiency.

The meeting was dedicated to discussions on the implementation of the project for the next 4 years. All the Work Packages were presented, with particular focus on the tasks for the year 2023. During the meeting, the discussion topics were:

  • Communication and disseminaction actions. The communication plans for AIRSHIP were presented, with special focus on younger audiences. Also, the stylebook for AIRSHIP communications was introduced. The PO attended this session.
  • The design of the vehicle. A proposal was made on an initial design, materials and specifications of the vehicle in terms of size and capacity, with further discussion about different possibilities.
  • The propulsion of the vehicle. There was a discussion about the different types of propulsion systems that could be tested in different iterations of the vehicle.
  • The development of the autonomous navigations system for the vehicle based on artificial intelligence.
  • The use of sensors to retrieve information about the surroundings to feed information to the navigation systems.

La Palma Research Centre leads Work Package 9 – Dissemination, outreach and roadmapping and is now implementating the tasks on Communication, Dissemination and Exploitation plan and activities, and Stakeholder analysis and clustering.

Follow the project news on the website and social media (@airship_project) to learn more about this exciting project!

LPRC joins the INTRAW Scenario Workshop and Meeting

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La Palma Research Centre joined the INTRAW (International Raw Materials Observatory), of which LPRC is a member, to participate in a meeting in Brussels on the 23 and 24th March, organised by INTRAW themselves. The meeting was divided in two days: the first, where the members discussed the current relevance of the 2050 Raw Materials Scenarios and ways to improve and adapt the outcomes, and the second, where the INTRAW General Assembly was held and strategic decisions were made.

For the first day, the agenda of the INTRAW Scenarios Workshop started with an introduction, which covered the project and scenario technique and the scenarios created in 2016. Then, participants reviewed the scenario factors and conditions, checking for the relevance of the influence factors, updating them to take into account new trends, and defining new projections for the world of raw materials in 2050. For this exercise, participants were divided into groups covering topics related to Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal and Ethical conditions (PESTELE analysis), and as a whole, added new factors/trends to be considered. The next step, will see the scenarios being updated based on the conclusions of this workshop.

For the second day, INTRAW held its General Assembly. From LPRC, Adrienn Cseko, the Managing Director, was elected as an executive member of the INTRAW board. Congratulations!

ROBOMINERS Project Meeting, Tampere, January 2023

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The ROBOMINERS Project teams joined together in Tampere, Finland, to discuss the current status of the project and next steps in the development of a unique mining technology line. The project will finish in November 2023, so it is important to discuss issues and work together to achieve the goals. This meeting was held on the 24, 25 and 26 January 2023. From the side of La Palma Research Centre, two members of the team were there to contribute to discussions.

The first day was dedicated to the presentation of the status of the 9 relevant Work Packages, which covered topics ranging from technical (Simulations, virtual prototyping, scale model experiments, Miner design and prototype development, etc) and less technical (Active roadmapping & clusters, Integrated sustainability assessment, etc). LPRC, who leads the Active roadmapping & clusters Work Package, presented the activities of 2022 and what are the next steps. The day finished with technical discussions between the partners.

On the second, LPRC hosted a Workshop with the project partners dedicated to the Preparation for Pilots. Divided between two groups lead by LPRC members, the workshop aimed at collecting information about the site selection for testing the technology in 2030 and for commercial application in 2050. A paralell objective was to gather data on future research pathways that are interesting for the ROBOMINERS technology line.  After the workhsop, more technical discussions were held. The day was complemented with a visit to a nearby museum.

The final day was dedicated to the preparation of the upcoming field activities: integration of the robot-miner between different partners, testing in laboratory conditions and demonstrations with the miner in the real environemnt.

LPRC will now process the details and information collected during the workshops and will use the data to implement the remaining Tasks: Preparation for Pilots and Roadmapping.

Follow ROBOMINERS on the website and its social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube) to learn more about and keep informed with the project!

CIRAN project Kick-off, Brussels, January 2023

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The recently started CIRAN EU-funded project held its Kick-off meeting in Brussels, Belgium, and the LPRC team was present to meet project partners, discuss the objectives and map the many implementation aspects of CIRAN, especially the ones that are most relevant to LPRC.

CIRAN – CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas – is an EU-funded Horizon Europe project that aims at reconciling two societal objectives and needs: protecting environmentally sensitive areas and increasing socio-economic resilience. The project that just started on the 1st of January 2023 and that will last until 31st December 2025, counts with 13 partners from 11 European countries. The project partners met for the first time in Brussels, Belgium, on the 10th and 11th of January 2023 for the Kick-off meeting, organised by INTRAW, the project coordinator. The total list of consortium members includes:

  • International Raw Materials Observatory (INTRAW)
  • MacCabeDurneyBarnes (MDB)
  • Geologian tutkimuskeskus (GTK)
  • Telos Aleff (TAL)
  • Sveriges Geologiska Undersökning (SGU)
  • Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA)
  • Regione Emilia-Romagna (RER)
  • La Palma Research Centre (LPRC)
  • Geologia e Geotecnia Consultores (GGC)
  • Generator (GEN)
  • Proman Consulting (PRM)
  • Petronavitas (PN)
  • Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA)

The agenda of the meeting focused on connecting and engaging with project partners, generating trust and a collaborative environment for the project implementation. From this perspective, the work plan for the project was detailed and discussed. LPRC attended to present the planned work for Task 3.3 – Nexus between policy decisions and drivers of change and Task 7.1 – Communication and outreach. LPRC leads these two tasks where it will implement foresight-based exercises to collect data from experts on the connection points between policy and drivers of change that affect policymaking and develop, create and implement communication tools such as the website, social media, brochures and other material to connect the project with the relevant stakeholders.

Project work will now continue and more news will follow.

LPRC joins four new Horizon Europe projects

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Together with the start of the year, La Palma Research Centre is also starting its participation in four new innovative and exciting Horizon Europe-funded projects in the fields of natural sciences, social sciences, engineering and technology. These four projects are:

  • CIRAN (CrItical RAw materials extraction in enviroNmentally protected areas) – CIRAN will develop, test and validate processes to arrive at systemic policy-making, balancing environmental protection and societal needs for accessing critical raw materials (CRMs).
  • FIREFLY (FlexIble, predictive and Renewable Electricity powered electrochemical toolbox For a sustainable transition of the catalyst-based European chemicaL industrY) – FIREFLY rises to the sustainable evolution of the catalyst-based chemical industry, towards its electrification and reduced third-party dependence on metals and fossil energy.
  • AIRSHIP (Autonomous Flying Ships for Inter-Island and Inland Waters Transport) – AIRSHIP envisions an innovative use of a known transportation mean: flying ships. Such vehicles are designed and built to take advantage of the ground effect, that allows these crafts to fly with enhanced lift and reduced drag.
  • TRIDENT (Technology Based  Impact Assessment Tool for Sustainable, Transparent Deep Sea Mining Exploration and Exploitation) – TRIDENT aims to contribute to a sustainable exploitation of seabed mineral resources, by developing a reliable, transparent and cost-effective system for prediction and continuous environmental impact monitoring of exploration and exploitation activities in the deep sea.

These projects will have their first meetings throughout January 2023. Once they happen, there will more news to share!

LPRC leads the SEAWINGS project!

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La Palma Research Centre is the coordinator of a recently-funded EDF (European Defence Fund) project that has just started – SEAWINGS (Sea/Air Interphasic Wing-In-Ground Effect Autonomous Drones). The project was submitted to the Call “Open call dedicated to SMEs for development of innovative and future-oriented defence solutions”. The project will last for 42 months and has received a total funding of almost 4 Million Euros.

The SEAWINGS project will develop a new class of military surveillance drones to operate in the sea/air interface giving rise to a new type of unmanned craft, Unmanned Wing-In-Ground Vehicles, capable of very high payloads, inexpensive, long range that do no require infrastructure or launch vehicle for departure and landing.

The consortium for this innovative project includes:

  • La Palma Research Centre SL (Coordinator) – Spain
  • Universidad Politecnica de Madrid – Spain
  • INESC TEC – Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Tecnologia e Ciencia – Portugal
  • Trisolaris Advanced Technologies, Lda. – Portugal
  • Zanasi Alessandro SRL – Italy
  • Porvalor – Ativos de Engenharia Lda. – Portugal

More information can be found on the following images:

LPRC presents itself to the TIMREX MSc programme students

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La Palma Research Centre (LPRC) was present at an event to introduce the non-academic partners to the students of the TIMREX MSc programme. The Partner Introductory Event was an opportunity for students to learn about the activities and added value from industry partners in TIMREX with regards to innovations in mineral exploration and the opportunities for students to join their activities.

LPRC presented the company, its mission and vision for the geosciences and sustainable development. The presentation then focused on the TIMREX work on mapping Innovation and Entrepreneurship-related skills and competencies, how these are considered in TIMREX and how students can benefit from acquiring certain skills for professional and personal development alike. The title of the presentation was “Defining future skills and competencies needs for the raw materials sector”.

Work will continue with the integration in the TIMREX curricula of means to deliver the selected skills and competencies.

 

LPRC joins the INCORE meeting in La Reunion

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The INCORE partners met in the Island of La Reunión (France) on the 21-23 November 2022. LPRC was present there contributing to the representativenes of the Canary Islands as an Outermost Region – which is one of the company’s main missions.

The first day of events happened on 21 November 2022, hosted by the partner École Supérieure d’Ingénieurs Réunion Océan Indien – ESIROI (Université de La Réunion). In this opportunity, external stakeholders from the island attended the open event to deliver high level presentations. In addition, the event counted with contributions from members of the Regional Council, companies, and representatives of local research & innovation initiatives. A roundtable discussion on the INCORE project, Innovation and Entrepeurship completed the day.

The second day of meetings was dedicated to consortium’s discussions. Here, the Work Package leaders presented the progress and future tasks of their work, followed by feedback and discussions on how to align the work plan for the upcoming months, including the following topics:

  • Coordination activities
  • Training programmes for young entrepreneurs and start-ups
  • Development of new modalities for HEI-SME cooperation
  • Development of joint and individual actions for transformational change
  • Communication and dissemination management (lead by LPRC)

The final day started with Rosanna West, who conducted EIT HEI Initiative workshop and ecosystem, from which recommendations were collected. The next section was led by Dr. Oliver Schwabe, the leader of the Call for Start-ups and SMEs to receive high level mentoring from INCORE expertise.

Follow the INCORE project news on the website and social media channels for more information on how the project is changing Innovation and Entrepreneurship in the Outermost Regions!

LPRC organizing the UNEXUP Final Conference!

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The UNEXUP project, funded by EIT RawMaterials, held its final conference in Brussels – Belgium, on 18th November 2022. This event was organized by the La Palma Research Centre.

With the objective to present the project’s outcomes, robotic development, field missions and commercialization of the unique technology, participants also had the opportunity to watch the UX-1Neo robot in action inside the pool of Nemo33. LPRC chose Nemo33 as the venue for the event, which is a diving school with the necessary facilities to deploy UX-1Neo underwater.

The event kickstarted with welcome words given by the project coordinator (Norbert Zajzon), followed by a presentation about the overview and progress of the UNEXUP project during the last three years. The next presentation was dedicated to the complete evolution of the robotic technology: from the UX-1 that was built during the UNEXMIN project, to the UX-1Neo – developed during UNEXUP. After that, the CEO of UNEXMIN GeoRobotics (UGR) covered the field missions and main results that were achieved, as well as the commercialization of the spatial and geoscientific surveying missions beyond the UNEXUP lifetime. The final talk was about the post-processing & geological interpretation of the data collected by the robot. Finally, for the last session of the conference, the demonstration of UX-1Neo performing underwater autonomously in Nemo33 pool, was done.

The UNEXUP Final Conference was a successful event for the consortium to present to the audience what was accomplished in the past three years, and to discuss about the future of the technology and the consortium. LPRC is glad to be part of this project and to have organised such a successful event!