Above all, the new learning environment based on digital twins helps to ensure the diversity and ecological management of forests.
“In recent years, the importance of forest biodiversity has become much better understood. Furthermore, more attention needs to be paid to climate change during logging operations,” notes Uusitalo.
The digital twin used for training was created based on three real stands. Trees appear on the simulator screen, tall and thick just like in the forest. The tree species and their locations also correspond to reality. Gemini shows both living trees and dead and decaying wood, which is important for biodiversity.
“We used drone imagery and a deep learning-based method developed at the University of Helsinki to identify species and determine the location of trees,” says Uusitalo. The objective of the three-year research project is to develop methods that allow harvesting to be carried out taking greater account of natural characteristics.
The goal is to bring decision making about which tree to cut and which management method to use to the microsection level. The method called “Targeted Harvesting” is also being studied at the Chair of Forestry Technology and Wood Supply at the University of Helsinki, which initiated the project.
In addition to the University of Helsinki, the partners of the Luomuhakkuu project are the companies Arbonaut and Ponsse and the Tampere Vocational School. The college offers training leading to the basic and special professional qualification of harvester operator.
“The digital twin significantly enriches simulator training and takes it to a whole new level. It offers real-world experience on how to cut in a targeted way,” says Janne Ruokonen, a Tredu lecturer, in a video showing how to thin a pine tree to improve its growth and resistance to climate change.
The video shows the collaboration between the digital twin of the forest and the simulator. The view on the simulator screen corresponds exactly to the view from the harvester cab. In the foreground is the felling head of the harvester, controlled by the operator, which gives a very realistic impression of felling, lapping and cutting the selected trees.
VR glasses enhance the realistic impression. The map application contains a map of the terrain, but also, for example, information on the best way to get around the area. You can also vary the lighting conditions to simulate operation in the dark.
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2023-12-16 05:05:00
metsas-digital-twin-teaches-harvester-drivers-to-take-nature-into-account