- Tampere seizes creative economy

Tampere aims for the leading edge
in REMOTE OPERATION and
VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGIES
Construction work for the international Remote Operation
and Virtual Reality Centre, ROViR, is currently underway
in Tampere to serve research and industry. The centre’s
establishment was triggered by a decision by the EFDA, the
coordinator of the European fusion programme, to locate the
DTP2 development and test facility for the maintenance of the
ITER experimental fusion reactor in Tampere.
With the DTP2 facility, ROViR will also serve companies
in addition to the fusion programme. The aim is to
transfer virtual technologies that enhance productivity and
competitiveness, as well as competence in remote operation
created during the design of the fusion reactor’s maintenance,
into industrial use.
Remote operation has numerous applications. It
is particularly well suited to production in demanding
conditions, such as offshore oil drilling activity, the mining
industry and power plants.
EUROPEAN FUSION PR
ROViR’s
International fusion research took a
giant leap forward in June when the EU,
Japan, Russia, the United States, China
and South Korea reached an agreement
after years of deliberation over the location
of the International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor, ITER. The world’s
fi rst experimental fusion reactor will be
built in Cadarache, France. The competing
location was Rokkasho in Japan.
News of the decision was received
with enthusiasm at Tampere University of
Technology and VTT, which have been
selected to design and implement ITER’s
maintenance.
“Research and development related to
the fusion reactor’s maintenance and the
establishment of the ROViR centre would
have continued regardless of which way the
decision fell. However, as our work is based
on the fusion programme, things becoming
more tangible naturally added momentum
to our activities too,” says Development
Manager Arto Timperi, who is responsible
for the ROViR centre.
Tampere is in a good state of readiness
to launch the construction of the fusion
reactor’s maintenance test facility.
“We called for tenders already last spring
for the construction of the DTP2 equipment
to be located at ROViR. There are three
large elements in the equipment and the
supplier for one of these has been chosen.
The metal structure will be supplied by the
Tampere-based company TP-tekniikka Oy.
We are advancing according to a schedule
that has ROViR completed by the end of
2006,” he says.
Setting off across a broad front
The European fusion programme will be
ROViR’s fi rst customer. It will link the
centre’s activities to one of the world’s
largest research initiatives and to an
international network of top research.
The EU will provide funding of 10 to
15 million euros for the DTP2 facility and
ROViR centre over the course of fi ve years.
In addition to the EU, VTT and TUT, the
contributors include the City of Tampere,
the Tampere Region Centre of Expertise
Programme for Mechanical Engineering
and Automation, and the national funder of
demanding technology projects, Tekes.
“Our own funding ensures that we will
be able to utilize the basic equipment outside
the ITER project for the needs of industry in
general. The implementation of the ITER
maintenance is an enormous pilot and the
accumulated expertise will in the future be
transferred to benefi t companies that wish
to enhance their competitiveness through
remote operation and virtual technologies,”
Timperi says.
“A company forum is being established
in connection with ROViR and has already
attracted a great deal of interest. The forum
comprises well-known companies that have
development aims in the fi elds of remote
operation and virtual modelling. The
objective is to be a partner for companies
particularly in their innovation processes
and provide support during the early stages
which are known to be laborious,” Timperi
explains.
An investment in the future
Research into remote operation and virtual
technologies is on a high level in Finland.
For example, the DTP2 maintenance
equipment is one of the world’s most
demanding applications of remote operation.
10 Tampere Business • Science • Life