2nd HUMAIN Quarterly Meeting was about demos and ethics
On Thursday 11th of June, the HUMAIN team met onsite at Technobothnia, Vaasa for the project’s second quarterly meeting. We started with a photoshoot of the team members, then a practical tour to get familiarized with related AI, robotics, and XR technology.
On Thursday 11th of June, the HUMAIN team met onsite at Technobothnia, Vaasa for the project’s second quarterly meeting. We started with a photoshoot of the team members, then a practical tour to get familiarized with related AI, robotics, and XR technology available in Technobothnia. This meeting concluded after discussions about ethics in this project.
Demos at Technobothnia
The HUMAIN infrastructure project does not start from scratch, as there are lots of platforms and equipment in Technobothnia ready to be utilized. To familiarize with what is available, most of the HUMAIN team met at Technobothnia.
The most interesting device seemed to be the yellow robot dog SPOT by Boston Dynamics, which is planned to be upgraded with new sensors during the project. Other concrete objects on show included XR goggles, and several industrial robots.
On display was also a simulation of a collaborative robot cell, a demo of digital manufacturing (3D printing), and a demo of an agentic AI system for extracting engineering information.
Ethics workshop
After the tour of Technobothnia, the team gathered for a workshop on ethics and sustainability within HUMAIN.
As HUMAIN focuses on human-centered technologies and human–AI interaction, ethical considerations are a central part of the infrastructure design. Particular attention must be given to privacy, the responsible use of personal data, transparency, and ensuring that humans remain in control of AI-driven systems.
The workshop also highlighted the importance of building sustainable research infrastructures that are secure, trustworthy, accessible, and designed for long-term societal impact.