A European Regional Development Fund is financing an initiative which aims to transform Riihimäki as the “Capital of Robotics”, in which EfVET Member Hyria Education Oy is taking part.
Hyria Education Oy (Finland)
The initiative counts with three working packages:
- robotics in the manufacturing industry
- robotics in well-being and services
- business incubator, robotics events, communications and administration
The goal is to profile Riihimäki as the “Capital of Robotics”, young people in the region’s educational institutions have succeeded well in the Finnish, European and World Robotics Championships in 2018. Not only that but also to find robotics startup companies, which will be supported based on the needs of each aspiring company. Parties involved in the initiative are Hyria Education Oy, Häme University of Applied Sciences and the City of Riihimäki. The duration of the initiative is three years, and it will continue until the end of 2020.
The action creates a basis for robotics collaboration between secondary and higher-level educational institutions as well as businesses and service providers. Being customer- and user-oriented guides the development of robotics. This includes the following sectors: Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence, wellness technology, automation, programming, machine learning, machine vision and the social effects of robotisation. One idea is to develop it with further actions where, for example, “a wellness technology learning environment would be constructed in a nursing home in Riihimäki. This would be a place where students could study and experiment with robotics in practice and together with the customers. Likewise, it would also enable multi-professional collaboration between practical nurse and healthcare students”.
Thanks to this project partners could organise many events where it is possible to get to know robotics on a wider scale in the region. The events present the different areas of robotics, for example, within workshops and showcase different companies and collaborative pilot initiatives. Robotics-related education in Vocational Education and Training institutions are also exhibited at the events., including basic and further education.
The initiative is carried out in close collaboration with other robotics-related initiatives in the region and operates in national and international networks. As for Robo Riksu, it will collaborate with robotics education and clubs from early education through to upper secondary school.
