Bridging Continents: The Volvo CE Sugar Project Team Meets in Karlskrona
- Post by: Christian Johansson
- 28th February 2025
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In January, the PDRL at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) had the pleasure of welcoming our colleagues from the University of São Paulo (USP) for the first colocated meeting of this year’s Sugar project. This initiative brings together students worldwide to collaborate on real-world design challenges, and this year’s team is already off to an exciting start!
A global team with a shared mission
The meeting in Karlskrona brought together three students from USP—Helena Moyen, Leonardo Tavares Valente, and Murilo Lima Monteiro—with their Swedish counterparts Maja Svensson, Ahmed Mahfooz Ali Khan, and Madhav Sai Aryan Kothareddy. Despite coming from different academic backgrounds and cultures, they share a common goal: to design innovative solutions for a pressing challenge presented by an industry partner.
Tackling a Real-World Challenge with Volvo Construction Equipment
This year, the team is working on an exciting project with Volvo Construction Equipment. Their challenge is to explore how new digital technologies, such as AI, can be leveraged to develop a service or business model to enhance on-site efficiency at construction sites. This involves identifying key areas for efficiency improvements and taking a holistic site-level approach, where technical solutions optimize the overall site environment.
The students will investigate how AI technologies can support innovative operations, reduce downtime, and improve overall site performance. Additionally, the project will focus on developing a viable service or business model that integrates novel solutions while considering cost-effectiveness, scalability, and construction site productivity. The solution could preferably be brand-agnostic, facilitating communication and cooperation among all assets on-site—including machines, trucks, crushers, conveyor belts, and human operators—regardless of manufacturer. The goal is to envision a scenario with an integrated ecosystem for construction sites.
Hands-On Design Activities
One of the primary objectives of the meeting was to dive into design thinking and ideation sessions with a focus on exploring far-reaching horizons of innovation (e.g., horizons 3 and 4). Through interactive workshops, the team explored creative methodologies and sketched out early prototypes for their project. These sessions allowed the team to align their perspectives and build a common language for collaboration.
Site Visits: Learning from the Real World
A key highlight of the week was the visit to a construction site, where the students got a firsthand look at the context of their challenge in a quarry environment. Seeing real-world constraints and interacting with professionals in the field provided valuable insights that will inform their design process moving forward. By engaging directly with the industry environment, the team could better grasp the complexities and opportunities within their project scope.
Team Building for a Stronger Future
Perhaps the most critical aspect of the meeting was the team-building activities. Since the project requires seamless collaboration across continents, the students must establish trust and effective communication early on. The week was filled with social activities designed to break the ice and create strong bonds—whether through group challenges, shared meals, or simply exploring Karlskrona together.
Building a strong global team dynamic will ensure students work efficiently despite geographical distances and time zone differences.
Looking Ahead
As the team wraps up their time in Karlskrona and returns to hybrid collaboration, they leave with a shared vision, a solid project foundation, and stronger connections. The coming months will be filled with iteration, refinement, and problem-solving, starting with the Dark Horse prototype.
We are excited to see where their journey takes them and look forward to the next phases of the Sugar project!
“We are already off to a good start with the project team who explores several exciting avenues with interesting prototypes and learning”, says Christian Johansson Askling, project leader at BTH.