About the project

Objective
Our objective is to understand the digital innovation gap in the Swedish Water and Sewerage sector in order to increase the speed of digital transformation of the sector.

Specifically, our goals are to:

Background
Information-driven decision-making for asset management and maintenance of water infrastructure holds great potential for efficiency gains. Yet, the uptake of digital innovations appears to be slow compared to other sectors. As large-scale water infrastructures are exposed to transformation pressure from ageing assets, demography, societal digitalisation, security risks and resource scarcity, identifying the innovation barriers – but also enabling factors – will be crucial. Our findings will also be relevant for other infrastructure-oriented organisations yet to make the digital leap.

Our approach is interdisciplinary and based on the social sciences and humanities, with an orientation towards the field of science and technology studies (STS). Method-wise, we use a case study approach, focusing on contemporary and recent historical cases of innovation in ICT and digital technologies in the sector. With this approach, we can analyse long-term sector experience of innovation and change.

Photo credit: Horst Gutmann, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/#

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
Our team of researchers covers engineering, industrial dynamics, STS and history (PI, Co-PI and a post-doc researcher). We collaborate with a range of industrial and societal actors in this project, notably with DHI Sverige AB, Kungsbacka kommun, and Kommunalförbundet Norrvatten.

About the project

Objective
To understand how generative AI tools can be used by staff and students in the context of higher education. The project addresses three areas:

Background
The sophistication of the latest generation of AI tools far exceeds that of previous generations, and from an educational assessment perspective the output is both sophisticated, and hard to detect. The realistic nature of the output is a product of the complexity of the systems and the scope of the data upon which they have been trained. Like many tools before them generative AI will transform our approach to education.

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The project combines Human Computing Interaction and Education research competence from KTH and SU to address societal and technological aspects of the integration of generative AI into educational practices. By taking a multi-disciplinary approach the team is able to explore in depth both technological and educational dimensions of the use of AI, helping to craft the educational experience of the future.

About the project

Objective
This project consists of three work packages (WP). Together, they will support a discussion of how Digital Futures should work in the area of Smart Society and support project proposals and possibly other measures to develop Smart Society within Digital Futures strategically. The second and third WP feeds into the first. This supports Digital Futures’ vision –“to shape a sustainable society through digital transformation”.

The first WP develops an Agenda for Smart Society for Digital Futures, in line with what is described in the Digital Futures’ strategic plan.

In the second WP, we explore the collection and distribution of information related to urban energy modelling and how this can be developed to be used and useful for cities. The potential of a single, transparent platform for many stakeholders who aim to automate and accelerate the energy transition is investigated. The research questions focus on the decision-making utility of such a platform for society. In summary: who needs information, when, and how should they receive it?

The third WP collaborates with the KTH Climate Action Centre and works directly with some ongoing projects financed by Digital Futures. The role is to assess the potential effects of greenhouse gas emissions from some existing projects. This way, it becomes a test of introducing a societal assessment of Digital Futures’ projects.

The intention is that there will be connections between WP2 and WP3 and that they can mutually support each other since the questions on information use and need in WP2 are likely also crucial for WP3.

Background
To a great extent, the project is directed towards the Working group Smart Society and how to develop the field within Digital Futures. The project relates directly to several parts of Digital Futures’ strategic plan, specifically:

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The researchers represent several departments at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology.

Watch the recorded presentation at the Digitalize in Stockholm 2023 event:

About the project

Objective
This project develops two key areas of smart societies related to the role of digital technologies in academic research and practices and society at large. These two areas concern ethics, norms, and values around digitalization in society and digitalization research that supports deep transition, including how research conferences can be part of such transitions. These aspects form the two work packages in the project: (1) Public culture, public space and digitalization in society, and (2) Organization and sustainability of the ICT4S 2024 conference. In this work, the project combines knowledge from architecture, philosophy, media technology, and environmental strategies and future studies.

  1. Public culture, public space and digitalisation in society
    For digitalization to be “good” in the broader, societal sense (i.e. where good is shorthand for increased well-being, quality of life, justice, fairness, democracy, and sustainability), the development and implementation of the technology need to be informed by ethical analysis and sensitive to stakeholder values. In short, it must be developed to be compatible with an open, democratic society. Digitalization processes, therefore, need to engage with norms, values, habits, perceptions, and practices in society. Engaging with public culture is a way both to find acceptance and to increase uptake. We will begin by conducting an in-depth investigation of how digitalization is both forming its own public space and affecting existing public spaces as sites of negotiation of public culture. Approaching these issues through the lens of “public culture” enables the researchers to acknowledge that while these perceptions are entangled, inter-subjective and negotiated in character, they can and should inform and complement the more abstract analysis of societal ethics and values.
  2. Organization and sustainability of the ICT4S 2024 conference
    Currently, there are few arenas for interdisciplinary research meetings on digitalization for sustainability (D4S or Information and Communications Technology for sustainability, ICT4S). Even if there is a growing interest among digitalization researchers, research tends to focus on certain solutions or specific areas, whereas a broader take on how digitalization can support society in a sustainable direction is rare. The ICT4S conferences are an attempt to create such an arena. This part of the project aims to support the ICT4S 2024 conference in Stockholm and to make the conference relevant for a larger part of Digital Futures and a larger digitalization for a sustainable society. Moreover, the aim is to explore how research conferences, in general, can be more sustainable from mainly an environmental perspective.

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The project is a collaboration between the School of Architecture, Philosophy and History, Strategic Sustainability Studies and Media Technology and Interaction Design (MID) at KTH.

About the project

Objective
This Seed project allows three groups – Prevent, Nano and Trauma – to prepare one larger grant application each, preferably to the ERC ( European Research Council) Synergy program.

Background
Prevent: A key to improving global health is to prevent diseases, but even for those with a known high risk, it remains a challenge to intervene before an illness arises. The purpose of our project is the creation of molecular home-sampled digital diaries to enable the prevention of diseases using the case study of Type 1 diabetes. We propose to build these diaries on frequent blood micro-sampling and reveal the changes in the circulating proteome during the pre-symptomatic stage. Applying artificial intelligence (AI) to such data will uncover the mechanisms behind the onset and possible interventions of T1D. While this project is focused on T1D, we expect our results to apply to many more diseases and provide a unique bridge for clinical care at home.

Nano: Detecting and identifying biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins at the single molecule level have exciting applications for biology, medicine, and data storage. Solid-state nanopores (ssNPs) have emerged as powerful electrical devices for detecting biomolecules at the single-molecule level. However, the realization of solid-state pores with sub-10 nm diameters remains a major obstacle to practical applications. The translocation of biomolecules through solid-state nanopores is too fast to permit reliable molecule sensing. To address these limitations, we aim to push the frontiers of solid-state nanopore sensors for detecting, fingerprinting, and sequencing biomolecules. For scalable manufacturing of nanogaps and pores with controllable diameters ranging from 1-20 nm, we will utilize an original crack-lithography methodology conceived by our teams (Stemme and Herland) [1, 2]. We will explore dynamic protein interactions of different existing affinity pairs (Hober) using our pores. Furthermore, we will develop novel model-based machine learning methods to classify biomolecules from the noisy nanopore sensor signals (Jaldén).

Trauma: Abusive head trauma (AHT) (also called Shaken Baby Syndrome) is a leading cause of fatality in infants who experience a non-accidental injury. The financial cost of AHT is substantial, not to mention the tragedies for the surviving infants facing life-long disabilities. Its diagnosis is often subjective and highly controversial. It has challenged clinicians and forensic practitioners during the past 60 years, often arousing heated debates that are ongoing today, including an intensive debate in Sweden. This project aims to bring multidisciplinary expertise to develop innovative tools toward an objective diagnosis of AHT by integrating computational biomechanics, biomedical sensors, advanced imaging, and legal aspects.

Another important focus of this project naturally connected to the work on AHT is to develop two innovative devices: (1) a new approach to prevent pre-term neonate intracranial ventricular haemorrhage (IVH); (2) a new protective headband for babies at the learn-to-walk stage.

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The researchers in the team represent the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University from Digital Futures Working Group Rich and Healthy Life.

About the project

Objective
The Responsible Digital Assessment Futures in Higher Education (REFINE) project aims to envision digital assessment futures by unpacking the opportunities and challenges that digital assessment brings to higher education for students’ improved learning. It specifically focuses on stakeholders directly and indirectly involved in the design and implementation of effective and responsible digital assessment practices. The project addresses the following research questions:

  1. What are teachers’ experiences of digital assessment in higher education?
  2. Which are the key opportunities and challenges (e.g., legal, ethical, organizational, technical, and pedagogical) of trusted digital assessment?

In this project, a mixed-method human-centred approach will be undertaken. An online national survey will be distributed to educators across several higher education institutions in Sweden. Two workshops will follow this with stakeholders – educators, lawyers, managers, and system developers – involved in designing and implementing digital assessment in higher education. By adopting a multi-stakeholder perspective, we aim to address several key challenges of digital assessment and suggest ways forward for students’ improved learning, improved learner support and teaching in the post-pandemic higher education setting.

The project will be a collaborative effort by a group of researchers from KTH and Stockholm University, representing the departments of Digital Learning, Media Technology and Interaction Design, Network and Systems Engineering at KTH and the Department of Computer and Systems Science at Stockholm University. All project members have much-needed complementary expertise and knowledge in technology-enhanced learning, organizational aspects of higher education, assessment, learning analytics and responsible approaches related to the use of digital tools and student data in higher education.

The outcomes of this seed project will contribute to digital assessment research and practice.

  1. First, it will enhance our understanding of current digital assessment practice and their associated challenges and opportunities in the setting of Swedish higher education.
  2. Second, based on this understanding, a set of recommendations for sustainable future digital assessment practices will be offered.
  3. Third, it will provide a foundation for creating and advancing competitive research proposals on digital assessment futures.

Background
Effective assessment practices are central to student learning and academic achievement. Whereas online assessment forms have to some degree, been present prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional examination forms had a stronghold within higher education and have often been the preferred way of assessing students. Restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic increase in the use of digital assessment, including formative and summative digital assessment practices in higher education.

In this regard, scholars and practitioners have shown some of the advantages of adopting digital assessment tools, such as personalized and accurate assessment, but also concerns, including issues of ethics, privacy, fairness, trust and security associated with the use of digital assessment tools (e.g., proctoring software).

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The researchers in the team represent the KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Stockholm University.

About the project

Objective
The overall goal of this seed project is to lay the groundwork for a comprehensive EU and national research proposal aimed at advancing Industry 5.0, focusing on promoting a green transition through digitalization, fostering collaboration between specialists and stakeholders in industrial systems, and facilitating innovative business transformations. The project aspires to make a significant impact on sustainability and resource efficiency across various industries by exploring how digitalization can support CO2 and waste reduction through a circular transformation.

Based on this goal, we propose the following objectives:

Background
Industry 4.0 has shifted the manufacturing industries significantly towards digitalization. It uses cyber-physical systems to integrate information and communication technologies into production and automation. This has transformed industrial practices greatly, but it has lacked focus on social aspects. In addition, industries will have to meet the climate and sustainability targets. Industry 5.0 – or Society 5.0 – aims to address social and sustainability challenges with the help of the integration of physical and virtual spaces that would be achieved by Industry 4.0. Together with technological evolution, the societal characteristics of the social generations have evolved, too. Now, we put the attention to the industrial transformation from the technology-centric view of Industry 4.0 towards a socio-technical and sustainable view of Industry 5.0.

Crossdisciplinary collaboration
The project will engage a mix of experts and stakeholders through workshops and funding proposal development. It is designed to unite various disciplines in driving forward the vision of Industry 5.0 and the green transition.