Competition finalist Arboair is rapidly scanning and mapping forests with artificial intelligence
Arboair is one of six finalists in our international innovation competition What Wood You Do. Their groundbreaking technology to scan the forest makes the industry significantly more efficient and takes Arboair all the way to the final on 24 September, with a chance to win EUR 25,000.
Arboair has developed a scanning method for detecting infected or stressed trees. With the help of drones that take pictures of the forest and color shift analysis with the help of AI, the inventory of the forest can be done up to ten times faster than with traditional methods on foot. It also gives access to very remote areas, often inaccessible for forest owners. The data is stored and can be used for future analyses of the forest. A revolutionary idea with great potential and a worthy finalist in the competition.
Hi Josef Carlson, Marketing Director at Arboair. Why is your innovation needed?
“Last year, the Swedish forest industry lost SEK 4 billion in timber value as a result of damage caused by bark beetles. Compare this with the major fires in 2018 which cost 800 million, which is significantly lower. The biggest bottleneck in minimizing bark beetle damage is efficient forest inventory. Something we can do with our technology in 40 minutes instead of ten hours.”
How does it feel to be in the final?
“It feels incredibly good, and we see this as an important milestone towards the goal of making our solution available on a global scale. We look forward to learning from all the other talented finalists and experts at the final.”
How will you pitch on September 24th?
“As engineers we are used to talking numbers. In this pitch, we will explain what these figures mean for the forest owners and the authorities we work with on a daily basis and how we can help them.”
How will you use the money if you win?
“Right now, we are customer funded. If we win, we will among other things, be able to work with research and technology development this winter. It would enable us to develop an even more efficient solution that is crucial for the next bark beetle season. If we win, we can continue our work on the transition to digitized, sustainable forestry.”
Join the final
We wish Arboair best of luck in the final, which will be broadcast online, live from Karlstad on September 24th. Of course, we want you to join and listen to Arboair’s and the other finalists’ pitches. A unique opportunity to interact with the finalists and the jury and learn more about each competing innovation. Register and participate online at whatwoodyoudo.eu/thefinal.
Curious about the other finalists? We will publish articles about them too. Read them here:
Wood Tube – paper studs for sustainable construction
Nordluft – super drones for a more environmentally friendly forest industry
Biosorbe – purifies water and air from oil and bacteria
FineCell – turns cosmetics and paint green
About the competition
Paper Province announces the competition together with Gunnar Sundblad’s Research Fund, Stora Enso and Sveaskog. The winner will receive EUR 25,000 to develop their idea and a possible place in the Sting Bioeconomy start-up incubator. Second to fifth place are rewarded with EUR 2,500 each. Read more about the six finalists and the competition here: www.whatwoodyoudo.eu.
Text: Helena Wannstedt
Photo: Arboair
