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Focus Area
AI & Health
AI & Health is a broad research theme at The Maersk McKinney Moller Institute, with more than 20 projects across several sections and centers.
Explore our approach to AI & Health research -
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Collaboration
Collaboration with External Stakeholders
We take great pride in our collaborations with companies, organizations, and institutions outside of SDU. Most of our research is carried out in partnerships, and together we develop the solutions of the future.
See our collaboration opportunities
Latest News
Robotics
04.11.2024
Researchers will use robotics and AI in cancer treatment
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), in collaboration with European partners, are working on using robotics and AI to diagnose and treat various cancers, with a solution expected ready in just a few years.
Researcher & entrepreneur
16.09.2024
New Danish drone company
Researcher Kristian Husum Laursen takes the leap from the University of Southern Denmark to the business community of Funen with the drone company CODRONE.
RESEARCH
20.08.2024
New AI technology can detect suicidal thoughts on social media
Researchers can now predict suicidal thoughts based on social media behaviour using artificial intelligence. The hope is that this technology can help save lives.
Drones
19.08.2024
5G technology can contribute to the integration of drones in airspace
If drone technology is to really take off, it requires that drones are integrated into the airspace and can fly alongside manned aviation. In the research project GENIUS, researchers from SDU, along with DTU, companies, and organisations, have shown how 5G technology could be part of the solution.
AWARD
15.08.2024
Vinay Chakravarthi Gogineni receives young researcher award for groundbreaking AI research
Yesterday Vinay Chakravarthi Gogineni, Assistant Professor at Applied Ai and Data Science (AID) unit, the Dept. of MMMI, was recognized for his research in responsible artificial intelligence with a prestigious Young Researcher Award from the H.C. Ørsted Society.
Conference
10.06.2024
SDU to host international conference on software architecture
The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) has secured a major international conference on software architecture, which will take place in Odense next year. The conference, themed "Architecting for the Next Generation of Intelligent Systems," will focus on the software development of future software systems.
Energy
03.06.2024
New sensor technology can predict faults in the power grid
In a new research project at the Faculty of Engineering at SDU, researchers and private partners will develop sensors that can be attached on the outside of power cables and detect if there is something wrong with the cables before they fail. This can lead to massive CO2 reductions and save money.
FUNDING
16.05.2024
The future of robotics: Better use of data leads to faster automation
SDU is leading the FERA project, which has received over 14 million kroner from the Innovation Fund Denmark. Collaborating with partners such as Odense Robotics, Novo Nordisk, and Universal Robots aims to improve industrial automation solutions by using data more strategically.
LSP
01.05.2024
New giant robots could revolutionize Danish shipbuilding
In the research project LSP Ship Factory, researchers from The University of Southern Denmark, together with Danish shipyards and companies, aim to automate ship production using robots and AI. The project is supported by Innovation Fund Denmark and has a total budget of 47 million DKK.
Soft robotics
24.04.2024
Researchers aim to develop new supermaterial for robots
In a new European doctoral network, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark are working to develop soft materials for robots that can change shape and structure through magnetic fields. This could be used, for example, in robot feet to significantly improve the walking robots' ability to move on different surfaces, as well as in industrial robot grippers for enhancing grasping capabilities.
Robotics
08.04.2024
Elite robotics summer school will continue to bring the world’s biggest robotics talents to Denmark
Since 2021, the International Elite Summer School in Robotics and Entrepreneurship in Odense has each year gathered some of the world's best students in robotics at the University of Southern Denmark. Thanks to support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, there is now funding for three more years.
Robotics
20.03.2024
Now robots can predict their own maintenance need
Emil Stubbe Kolvig-Raun is writing an industrial PhD for Universal Robots at the Faculty of Engineering at SDU. As part of his research, he has developed an algorithm that can predict when a robot will require maintenance and repair. This could save companies from costly unexpected breakdowns in production.
Robotics
26.02.2024
Snake robot could save lives
Researchers at the University of Southern Denmark are working on a snake robot that can move on uneven terrain and crawl through tiny passages. In the future, the robot could, for example, be used for search and rescue operations after earthquakes.
Cryptology
16.02.2024
The future's computers will crack Today's codes
Quantum computers will cut through the codes to your online banking, NemID (Danish national ID system), and email as if they were a hot knife through soft butter. Therefore, cryptologists from around the world are in a race against time. One of the sharpest in the field, Professor Lars Ramkilde Knudsen, works for the Center for Industrial Software (CIS) at the University of Southern Denmark in Sønderborg. And he says we need to keep our cool; we'll probably make it.
20.12.2023
Agave project completed
The Agave project - Embracing the future of geomodelling
Meet the researcher
15.12.2023
Honorary professor Cecilia Laschi: "For a long time I really wanted to be a dolphin trainer"
In November 2023, professor Cecilia Laschi was awarded an honorary doctorate at SDU for her outstanding research within bio-inspired robots and soft robotics. We caught her for a quick chat about why she even wanted to become a researcher, and she does when she is not, among many other things, studying the embodied intelligence of octopuses.
Startup
01.12.2023
TEK entrepreneurs win world championship – again
Mikkel Bytoft Rasmussen and Mads Lorentzen, who graduated in 2022 in Software Engineering and Robotics, respectively, from the Faculty of Engineering, aim to make it easier for deaf and hearing individuals to communicate with each other. In November, they won the university world championship in entrepreneurship for the second time.
Inauguration
24.11.2023
Mærsk 2 building officially inaugurated
On Thursday, 23 November, the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute's new building was officially inaugurated by rector of SDU Jens Ringsmose and chairman of Den A.P. Møllerske Støttefond Ane Mærsk Mc-Kinney Uggla.
Artificial Intelligence
23.10.2023
End of Traffic Jams? SDU Professor Develops AI-Controlled Traffic Signal to Reduce CO2 Emissions, Noise, and Fuel Consumption
Today, traffic lights are typically set to change at fixed time intervals, but this can be significantly improved with artificial intelligence that can continuously predict traffic developments and adjust the lights accordingly. Professor Sadok Ben Yahia from the University of Southern Denmark has developed a new system that yields remarkably positive results in a simulated test.
New Book
10.10.2023
The book The Ethics of Drone Design hits the shelves
Dylan Cawthorne, drone scientist at the University of Southern Denmark, has just published the book The Ethics of Drone Design: How Value Sensitive Design Can Create Better Technologies, discussing the ethical dilemmas of drone technology's extraordinary potential to change the world we live in — for better or for bad.
22.09.2023
SDU Researchers to Develop Robots to Assist Nurses
There is an urgent shortage of nurses in several parts of Europe, and a new project led by the University of Southern Denmark aims to address this issue. The eight partners, in total, have received a grant of over 12 million to build and test a range of new hospital robots. These robots are intended to take over some of the mundane tasks currently performed by healthcare professionals, allowing them to dedicate more time to patient care and treatment.
18.09.2023
New Technology Aims to Make Production Cheaper and Smarter
At the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), there is a wide-ranging collaboration underway that, with the assistance of modern technologies, aims to kickstart a minor revolution within the manufacturing industry.
17.08.2023
16.08.2023
Big Data Study Challenges the Effectiveness of Legislation on Screen Time
Chinas efforts to limit children and young people's computer gaming does not seem to have had the wished effect. That is the result of a study that SDU Professor Anders Drachen and his colleagues published in Nature Human Behaviour. If you want minors to spend fewer hours in front of the screen, it seems you have to confront the issue much more nuanced, the Professor says.
08.08.2023
Have you talked to your robot today? A new AI project will teach humans and robots to communicate through words, gestures and other intuitive cues.
SDU Robotics is participating in a new research project to strengthen communication between humans and robots in manufacturing companies. In particular, the robot must be trained to understand how we feel during work, just as a human co-worker would.
28.04.2023
Can art make robots better?
Engineers don't just work with mathematical calculations, model drawings on chequered paper and thick reference books full of tables. They also work with art, increasingly so, and this is also the case at the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Southern Denmark. But why exactly?
LSP-building
18.04.2023
The winner of the architectural competition for the new Danish robotics centre at Lindø has been found
The architectural firm Christensen & Co is set to design the new Danish robotics centre, the Center for Large Structure Production (LSP), at Lindø. A project to which the A.P. Møller Foundation has allocated DKK 90m.
10.04.2023
Follow minute by minute: Danish students send a satellite into space
Danish space history will be written when the first satellite in the student satellite program DISCO is sent up in collaboration between four universities. The satellite contains a microcomputer and must, among other things, test artificial intelligence in space. Help send it off on Tuesday, April 11, when AU and SDU broadcast live.
Drones
24.03.2023
Large-Scale Research Network Receives 3.7 Million Euros to Revolutionize Wildlife Conservation Practices with Drones
We are in the middle of a biodiversity crisis, and the consequences may very well be unmanageable. Now, a group of universities and organizations have launched the interdisciplinary research network WildDrone to find out how autonomous drones can be used for wildlife conservation.
Noise
03.02.2023
Researchers find a link between traffic noise and tinnitus
There is a correlation between traffic noise and risk of developing tinnitus, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have found. They point to a vicious cycle involving stress reactions and sleep disturbance as a potential cause.
01.02.2023
Emad Samuel Malki Ebeid has been appointed Head of Unit for SDU Digital and High-Frequency Electronics
SDU is establishing a new section with a focus on digital and high-frequency electronics. Emad Samuel Malki Ebeid, Professor at SDU, will be the head of the section.
Interview
26.01.2023
Database project at SDU is a potential gamechanger in robotics
If you could reuse robot data, it would be much easier to improve existing or set up new robot solutions. This has been the aim of the ReRoPro project. Here are six questions for Professor Norbert Krüger, head of the project.
Drone technology
23.09.2022
SDU-drones to secure property rights in Sierra Leone
Using drones, researchers from SDU will measure land registers in Sierra Leone, where the World Bank has donated USD 41 million to the work. The goal in the pilot project with Engineers Without Borders is to secure the property rights of the local population in one of the world's poorest countries.
Health robot
16.09.2022
Ultrasound robot ready for arthritis patients, thanks to Danish researchers
Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) and Odense University Hospital (OUH) have jointly developed the world's first fully automated arthritis scanning robot. The robot has just been CE certified and is thus ready to be sold and put into use in hospitals throughout Europe. It is a breakthrough in rapid testing for rheumatoid arthritis, which will lead to shorter wait times and greater flexibility for patients.
Energy prices
05.09.2022
Artificial intelligence can save nurseries one fifth of electricity bills
Gas and electricity prices have skyrocketed in recent months, for several nurseries in Denmark, this means laying off staff or turning the key. Now researchers at SDU have created a system that optimises lighting control in nurseries in relation to electricity prices, saving nurseries 20 percent on electricity bills.
Health technology
30.05.2022
Danish health drones are taking off: Towards faster and better treatment
On 30 May, Danish health drones will fly for the first time from Odense University Hospital (OUH) in Svendborg to the island of Ærø. The drones can carry blood and medicine, and the transport time of 40 minutes is much faster than by car and ferry. It ensures proper treatment for the patients faster.
Health technology
08.04.2022
Artificial intelligence can help detect life-threatening liver disease
Every year, two million people die globally - in Denmark, five percent of all Danes have significant liver fibrosis, often discovered too late. SDU and OUH are behind a new AI-model, where technology reveals the disease much earlier.
Drones
19.01.2021
New drone from SDU is ready to inspect powerlines
A team of researchers from the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute at the University of Southern Denmark has developed an intelligent drone with AI that can inspect high-voltage cables for faults and corrosion.
Robotics
12.01.2021
Back to where it all began: Digital twins in ship production
Researchers from University of Southern Denmark plan to revolutionize the way ships are designed, planned, and produced. Together with local businesses the university aims to bring experiences from the Danish robot adventure back to the maritime sector, focusing on digital twins and artificial intelligence.
Artificial Intelligence
11.01.2021
New Danish center for AI and health
Today, Denmark opens its first research center for clinical artificial intelligence. Odense University Hospital and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Southern Denmark are launching CAI-X, where doctors, engineers, and companies will join forces to develop smart AI solutions designed for the healthcare system.
Robotics
20.11.2020
Danish robot researchers win prestigious competition
Researchers from the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute at SDU have won first prize in a competition at the international IROS conference. Their solution demonstrates that flexible objects, such as wires, can now be routed and adjusted using robots. This opens for new industry uses for robots.
Robot technology
26.08.2020
New milestone for composite production
SDU researchers, alongside companies Terma and Technicon, have developed a complete robot technology system for the manufacturing of composite parts. The suction cup-based system may revolutionize the production of parts for aircraft, cars, and wind turbines.
Covid-19
23.06.2020
Elephant robot to remind children to clean their hands
Hand sanitizer and soap is important in the fight against Covid-19, but children in schools and kindergartens may not be fond of all that extra hygiene. As a part of a larger project, scientists from SDU are now building a child-friendly robotic interface to motivate kids to clean their hands.
Drones4Safety
11.06.2020
“Drone birds” to inspect bridges and railroads in Europe
A major EU-project led by SDU will develop an automatic drone system to monitor bridges, railroads, and other critical infrastructure over the next three years. The drones will fly in swarms, photograph and analyze the constructions, harvest energy from power cables, and notify if repairs are needed.
COVID-19
27.05.2020
The World's First Automatic Swab Robot
A team of researchers at the University of Southern Denmark has developed the world’s first automatic swab robot in just four weeks in response to the COVID-19 crisis. A new company, owned partly by Esben Østergaard, co-founder of Universal Robots, aims to bring it to market in record time.
Coronavirus Test
27.05.2020
Robot swabs patients’ throats for Covid-19
Robotics researchers from the University of Southern Denmark have developed the world’s first fully automatic robot capable of carrying out throat swabs for Covid-19, so that healthcare professionals are not exposed to the risk of infection. The prototype has successfully performed throat swabs on several people. The scientists behind are cheering: The technology works!
Protection
17.04.2020
SDU and Engineers Without Borders provide face masks in Africa
Scientists from the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute and the Department of Clinical Research at SDU have initiated a collaboration with Engineers Without Borders to produce and distribute face masks in Sierra Leone and Guinea-Bissau. The purpose is to limit contamination of COVID-19 and test the effectiveness of the masks.
COVID-19
20.03.2020
Data to ensure corona-distance in supermarkets
Scientists from SDU, together with Vemco Group, are now creating a visual data overview to help customers in Danish supermarkets keep their distance in the queue. The goal is to limit infection with COVID-19
New technology
09.01.2020
New spinout: Scanning platform to be used for patients with arthritis
Robot Scientist Thiusius Rajeeth Savarimuthu and Senior Consultant Søren Just have developed a scanning platform that can measure the amount of disease activity in arthritis patients. The invention is now to be developed further in the new company, Ropca Holding Aps.
Robotics
08.01.2020
New technology to make robots attractive to smaller companies
Many companies avoid the use of robots, because they are simply too difficult to operate. A new research project aims to develop a robot technology tailor-made for small productions, which will be able to handle assembly processes and can easily be adjusted to new tasks.
Social anxiety
20.12.2019
Virtual training to overcome anxiety
More and more people are struggling with anxiety, but researchers hope that patients can overcome their anxiety by practicing the anxiety-inducing situations in a safe, virtual space.
Sustainable
05.11.2019
This is how scientists plan to produce sustainable aviation fuel
It is only a matter of years before we can produce sustainable aviation fuel in Denmark. That is the conclusion to a new report by researchers from the University of Southern Denmark. The researchers estimate that the production facilities for 100 % green aviation fuel could be ready as early as 2025.
01.11.2019
SDU picks world-famous leading professor to head SDU Centre for Quantum Mathematics
On 1 November, Professor Jørgen Ellegaard Andersen joins SDU as Head of the newly established Centre for Quantum Mathematics. He is the research manager of the project ’Recursive and Exact New Quantum Theory’ that last year received a 10- million-euro grant from the European Research Council (ERC).
30.10.2019
SDU Eagles develops sustainable drone
The drone team SDU Eagles has developed a drone to transport goods that is 30 % more energy efficient. The drone has brought the team to the University Startup World Cup finals.
Health-tech innovation
24.10.2019
Camera pill detects far more potential cancer tumors
A camera pill detects 70 % more colon polyps than a colonoscopy. The surprising result means that SDU and Odense University Hospital are now initiating the world’s largest study of 2015 patients who are at risk of developing colon or rectal cancer.
Neurorobotics
16.10.2019
Algorithm to help understand wild fishes
Researchers have developed an algorithm to help determine the growth and wellbeing of wild fishes. The algorithm provides biologists with a long-needed tool to very accurately measure the effects of environmental impacts and climate change on the growth of wild fishes.
Automation
01.01.0001
Researchers at SDU receives 13 million DKK grant to develop a robot that will be crucial to the green transition
A new research project at the Center for Large Structure Production (LSP) at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) has received a grant of over 13 million DKK to develop a mobile robot welding crane. Such a robot may become necessary if we are to succeed in expanding green energy from offshore wind turbines.