🇳🇴 Research Stay in Norway — Ålesund, Førde & Bergen

This week marks the conclusion of a five-day research stay in western Norway, made possible through the Åsgard programme — a France–Norway scientific cooperation initiative funded by the French Embassy.

Ålesund — NTNU

The first stop was Ålesund, where Andreas Fagerhaug Dalen demonstrated the work of the Ålesund Biomechanics Lab. The lab uses real-time simulation both to train interns on surgical procedures and to validate new interventions before clinical application — a use of simulation that resonates directly with our own work in Lille on medical simulation and soft-robot control.

Colleagues from the Department of Ocean Operations and Civil Engineering (Torodd Skjerve Nord, Houxiang Zhang, Irina-Emily Hansen) and the Department of ICT and Natural Sciences (Lars Ivar Hatledal) then presented an extensive portfolio of projects integrating simulation, computer vision, and artificial intelligence across a range of application domains. The breadth of the work — from marine robotics to medical applications — opened several lines of discussion worth pursuing.

Special thanks to Øystein Bjelland, who coordinated all the meetings and visits in Ålesund with great care and efficiency.

Førde — HVL Robotics

The second stop was Førde, where Martin Fodstad Stølen and the members of HVL Robotics (Erik Kyrkjebø, Raquel Motzfeldt Tirach, Gizem Ates Venås, Daniel Schäle, Laurenz Elstner, Jiri Suder, Arindam Saha) were exceptionally generous with their time. The visit included live demonstrations of their current projects and extended discussions that surfaced several concrete avenues for future collaboration — both on the research and on the student exchange fronts.

What comes next

These encounters are now ready to be turned into action. The immediate next step is to write proposals aimed at establishing collaborative research projects between Lille and Norway — building on the complementary expertise identified during these visits.

On a personal note: driving the Fjord road between destinations, with its dramatic landscapes, was an experience of its own. And the final stop in Bergen before flying back to France exceeded all expectations.

Jeg kommer tilbake… snart.

🔗 Åsgard Programme