Together with the ÄlyPilot project, NIHAK is launching the Game of Drones – Real World Challenge, a challenge competition that seeks new solutions to everyday problems by utilising drone technology. In the competition, companies, municipalities and investors in Southern Northern Ostrobothnia act as challenge owners, while drone operators and technology experts develop the solutions.
Game of Drones – Real World Challenge offers companies and municipalities a concrete way to develop their operations without heavy development processes. In the challenge competition, real-life operational problems are opened up for experts to solve, and in return, participants receive multiple new perspectives and solution proposals that can lead to cost savings and the creation of new business.
The core idea of the competition is simple: first, a problem and a real need are identified, and only then is the most suitable technological solution sought. This ensures that development work is based on genuine everyday situations and produces knowledge that can be practically applied.
– Often, technology develops separately from real needs. In this challenge, the approach is the opposite: first the problem is identified, and only then is the best possible solution sought, says Timo Liimatainen, Startup Specialist at NIHAK.
The challenge competition is aimed at organisations with identifiable development needs, for example in infrastructure, real estate, safety and security, production, logistics, environmental monitoring, or agriculture and forestry. A good challenge arises from everyday operations, is clearly definable, and is meaningful.
A low-threshold entry to new technology
The threshold for participation has been kept low. The challenge owner is not required to have technological expertise or ready-made solution models. It is sufficient to identify an area where operations could be made safer or more efficient.
Drone technology does not only refer to aerial unmanned systems, but also to autonomous systems operating on land, on water, and underwater. These technologies can be utilised, for example, in inspections, measurements, monitoring, and data collection in environments that are difficult or risky for humans to access.
Participating in the challenge competition gives the challenge owner an opportunity to become familiar with regional expertise and technological capabilities, and to assess whether a solution could be further developed, for example through piloting. However, participation does not commit the challenge owner to any follow-up actions.
Each challenge is linked to a monetary prize defined by the challenge owner, signalling the importance of the development need and encouraging experts to focus on the specific problem.
Timo Liimatainen emphasises that control remains with the challenge owner throughout the competition.
-You define the problem and evaluate the solutions. The competition provides options and future perspectives, but decisions are made based on your own starting points, Liimatainen explains.
The submission of challenges closes on 28 February.
You can find the invitation to the challenge competition here.
Further information
Timo Liimatainen
Tel. +358 44 445 7001
timo.liimatainen@nihak.fi
Game of Drones – Real World Challenge is implemented as part of the ÄlyPilot project funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The project is coordinated by Centria University of Applied Sciences, with NIHAK and the Haapavesi–Siikalatva Region Development Centre as project partners.
