Project information:
Official name of the project: HUMan-AI Interaction and Innovation Nexus
Duration of the project: 1.1.2026 - 31.12.2028
Project coordinator: Åbo Akademi
Project partners: VAMK, University of Vaasa, Novia UAS
Funding: Academy of Finland
Budget: 700 000 €
Contact person in VAMK:
Mirja Andersson, Senior Lecturer (School of Technology)
tel. +358 207 663 686, mirja.andersson@vamk.fi
Project description
HUMAIN is a collaborative research infrastructure initiative by four higher education institutions in Vaasa, Finland: Åbo Akademi University, the University of Vaasa, Vaasa University of Applied Sciences, and Novia University of Applied Sciences.
Goals
Tavoitteena on luoda yhteinen infrastruktuuri, joka mahdollistaa huipputason tutkimuksen, kehityksen ja innovoinnin robotiikan, tekoälyn (AI) ja ihmisen ja teknologian vuorovaikutuksen alueilla. HUMAIN tukee alueen siirtymää kohti kestävämpiä, automatisoidumpia ja ihmiskeskeisempiä toimialoja vahvistamalla yhteistyötä akateemisen maailman, yritysten, kuntien ja julkisen sektorin välillä. Infrastruktuuri tarjoaa työkaluja ja asiantuntemusta, jotka auttavat alueellista teollisuutta parantamaan tuotannon tehokkuutta, turvallisuutta, kestävyyttä ja resilienssiä samalla kun tuetaan julkisia palveluja soveltuvan tekoälyn ja robotiikan avulla.
Results
The project includes significant investments in physical AI and interaction technologies, such as humanoid and socially assistive robots, extended reality (XR) equipment, motion capture systems, biometric sensing, teleoperation platforms, and local computing resources for running and fine-tuning AI models. These resources will enhance and complement existing infrastructure at each institution, supporting shared use across research, education, and innovation activities. HUMAIN enables interdisciplinary research in areas including socially assistive robotics, industrial automation, AI ethics, and sustainable technology. It supports simulation-based development using both real and virtual environments, enabling rapid testing of new concepts while ensuring safety and usability. The infrastructure will also promote co-creation, lifelong learning, and regional knowledge transfer, strengthening the innovation capacity of Ostrobothnia and positioning the region as a national leader in responsible, humancentered AI and robotics development.
