SAMHand – Sustainable Autonomous Material Handling

In the Arctic region, there are several crucial value chains utilizing natural resources such as forestry, agriculture, mining, fish farming, and more. While essential for the well-being of the region and beyond, there is a need for these industries to transition to more sustainable practices.

However, transitioning to climate-friendly and circular economy -based practices poses numerous challenges, including those related to material handling.

Advanced technologies such as sensors, artificial intelligence, perception systems, navigation, and data processing enable the autonomy of utility vehicles. New machine technology based on fossil-free powertrains and autonomy presents a significant opportunity to enhance sustainability. However, implementing such solutions requires not only new autonomous vehicles but also a well-functioning surrounding infrastructure. This fundamentally changes the starting points of utility vehicle concepts and opens possibilities for much more sustainable and diverse material handling operations.

The SAMHand – Sustainable Autonomous Material Handling project aims to demonstrate how a sustainable material handling system, based on fossil-free autonomous mobility, should be configured. To validate the concept, the project will showcase selected autonomous material handling activities.

The project is funded by the European Union through the Interreg Aurora program.

The project is administered by Luleå tekniska universität, with SINTEF Narvik managing the Norwegian component. Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the University of Oulu, and UiT – The Arctic University of Norway are also involved in the project’s implementation.