The current communication system for emergency services, Rakel, has been in use since 2006 and is well established. However, the system focuses on voice communication and does not have modern support for sending messages via apps or video from drones, which is what emergency services need today.

Time for systems that can transmit data and video

That's why a new system, Swen, is being introduced that can transmit data and video as well as voice. Swen stands for The Swedish Emergency Network.

"With systems that are supposed to be very reliable, you can't have a phase where they don't work. Everything has to work right away, so you have to supplement that with testing to find any bugs before you put the systems into service. "Everything you use to give the ambulance a route, for example, has to be compatible – such as phones, drones and apps," says Peter Janevik, CEO of the AstaZero test and demonstration facility at RISE.

Parallel systems

Rakel's current users will also have to adapt their own systems and analyse what they want to get out of the new communication system.

"This requires new standards and new ways of thinking. For example, how to configure base stations for 5G, or how to ensure that a device from one company can communicate with devices from other companies," says Peter Janevik.

In the timetable from MSB, the Swedish Civil Defence Agency, 2025-2027 is dedicated to construction, testing and evaluation. In 2028, Swen will become operational, while Rakel will continue to be the basis for operations. After evaluation, there will be a transition period of two years during which Rakel and Swen will be used in parallel. The aim is that everyone currently using Rakel will have switched to Swen by 2030.

The new system uses the commercial mobile networks, and one of the MSB's requirements is that it must be possible to prioritise traffic for emergency communications in the event of major events, major accidents or terrorist attacks.

Security is central to the procurement of new equipment, and the MSB imposes strict suitability requirements on external partners.

Other requirements for the new system are that the mobile terminals must be able to withstand the Nordic weather conditions and that there must be physical buttons for alarm calls.

Possible cooperation with other countries

Swen will provide new opportunities for police and emergency services in different countries to work together.

"This is a unique opportunity for police forces in Europe, for example, to communicate with each other because the new system is based on 5G technology that everyone has access to," says Janevik.

Other sectors, such as logistics companies and ports, are also expected to want to use systems based on similar technology.

Having the expertise to test

Before new equipment and applications can be approved by the MSB, they need to be tested. RISE contributes to this through its expertise at AstaZero, but also through other test and demonstration facilities within RISE.

"The EMC (Electromagnetic Compatibility) facility provides component-level test facilities where you can see if the equipment meets the requirements. And at AstaZero's test track outside Gothenburg, we can then test that the entire networks work as intended, because we can configure our networks as if they were MSB's networks," says Peter Janevik.

This evolving frontier is challenging our old notions of how to build, design, and produce. Architects, engineers, designers, and researchers alike are finding that it opens up unprecedented possibilities in form, function, and sustainability.

So, does that mean it’s a tool for everyone?

“Well, yes and no. But I’d say many sectors, from small enterprises to large multi-national companies, could really benefit from exploring its potential,” says Marie-Louise Bergholt, Director of the Application Center for Additive Manufacturing (AM Center) at RISE. “And, honestly, if you already have a robotic arm around, transforming it into a 3D printer isn’t all that difficult.”

What Robotic 3D Printing Can Do

In essence, robotic 3D printing employs programmable robotic arms to lay down precise layers of materials – whether concrete, metal, polymers, composites or even organic substances – in specific configurations. Instead of the “remove and refine” methods we’ve relied on, additive manufacturing technologies builds layer upon layer, using only the exact amount of material needed. The result? Shapes, designs, and structures that were once impossible or prohibitively expensive to create.

This freedom is more than just a technical advantage – it unlocks new ways of thinking. The technology makes it possible to produce large-scale structures, several metres in size, such as boats, buildings, bridges, or furniture, in entirely new ways. It also promotes greater circularity. 

“We discard vast amounts of furniture today. Pieces are shipped across the world, used for only a few years, and then thrown away. With 3D printing, furniture can be produced on demand, reducing energy consumption in warehousing and cutting the need for discounting unsold products – a practice that can drive overconsumption. The technology also allows manufacturers to send a digital file to a local supplier, replacing long-distance transport with local production,” says Johanna Vesterberg, founder of Normada Open Source Furniture. 

The first product Normada created using robotic 3D printing was a recyclable sofa, named The Nest (Image 2 in the slideshow below). The sofa was made from a biocomposite of oil and cellulose derived from Nordic pine trees and was developed in collaboration with AM Center at RISE. The ambition was for the sofa to closely resemble the handcrafted wooden model.

“We knew it would stand out. We wanted to push the boundaries of the industry and prove that it’s possible to 3D print furniture with a Scandinavian design aesthetic – without the futuristic look that 3D-printed furniture often has,” says Johanna. 

New and Future Possibilities

Since Johanna Vesterberg designed The Nest, the technology has matured significantly, and Normada, alongside a growing number of companies from various sectors, has continued to explore the possibilities of robotic printing at RISE.

Simultaneously, RISE has integrated advanced software, refined both methods and materials, and combined printing with milling in one continuous process. Most recently, RISE opened a new test and demonstration facility dedicated to concrete 3D printing.

“Since we at RISE already had extensive experience with robotic printing for polymers and composites, as well as access to advanced toolpathing and automated quality assurance, the concrete printing testbed was set up quickly and efficiently. The fact that we can now print larger structures with a wider range of materials opens up entirely new possibilities for functional and sustainable building solutions,” says Ojas Arun Chaudhari, project manager for materials design at RISE.

“However, unlike polymer-based printing, concrete printing presents greater challenges in areas such as rheology, hydration kinetics, and time-dependent behaviour, which require real-time process control. As concrete cannot be remelted like thermoplastics, curing time affects both layer bonding and buildability.”

One of the companies that jumped at the chance to try concrete 3D printing was the Swedish producer of concrete and natural stone products, Benders.

“We see great potential in 3D printing. Given the complexity of products like pipes and manholes, we are exploring how this technology could help address these challenges. Benders also manufactures a range of other products, such as roof tiles, paving stones, slabs, and prefabricated elements. We will evaluate the current 3D printing project to determine if it can be applied to any of these areas,” says Kjell Ryberg, Technical Manager at Benders, adding:

“While 3D printing is an important part of our development, it’s equally crucial to consider the type of concrete used, especially in relation to the products' future exposure.”

Woodrow Wiest, research engineer at the Application Center for Additive Manufacturing, is in alignment with Kjell Ryberg. Material properties are a key driver in the effectiveness of large format additive manufacturing. 

“Robotic additive is indeed impressive especially considering its relatively early stage of development. Our research takes part in ushering this evolution forward, focusing on the convergence of robotics, process planning, material properties, sustainability, while also keeping a keen eye on market competitiveness. As technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see robots printing in more and more industries in the near future,” he says.

A New Way of Thinking

While robotic 3D printing may still feel like an emerging field, it’s one that’s brimming with untapped potential. For those working in construction, design, architecture, manufacturing, or art, this is a technology that invites exploration. By challenging traditional manufacturing processes, it becomes possible to create lighter, stronger, and more complex shapes with less material waste and a lower environmental impact.

The expertise at RISE covers a broad spectrum, from material development and sustainable manufacturing to built environments and bioeconomy. By collaborating with companies and organisations across various sectors, we have the opportunity to further develop robotic 3D printing and identify new areas of application.

Setting their sights at augmented reality

Light-emitting diode technology, or LED technology, includes a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. The color of the light is determined by the energy required for electrons to cross the band gap of the semiconductor. In these small pyramid shaped microLEDs (μLED), the diodes have unique properties with small dimensions (down to microns), high brightness and efficiency, and will eventually phase out older technologies in existing displays.

“MicroLEDs can fit 600 million pixels on a fingertip, making them particularly important and applicable for AR-based applications such as HUDs (head-up displays) and HMDs (head-up displays/smart glasses)”, says Per-Olof Holtz, CSO and founder of Polar Light Technologies.

Polar Light Technologies

Polar Light Technologies, founded in 2014, is based on research into nanostructures in semiconductor materials at Linköping University. They aim to produce state-of-the-art microLEDs that are efficient, less energy-consuming and better-functioning than today’s displays, especially within AR.

The microLEDs are composed of pyramid shapes that are built with a unique bottom-up approach, a technology that comes with some great advantages. In order to produce blue, green and red microLEDs from the same material, the eventual strain in the lattice-mismatched InGaN/GaN structures needs to be reduced, which this structure does. It also allows for the unique possibility to integrate the frontplane with a backplane without etching, meaning performance is maintained in smaller dimensions, since no etching damage could occur. The pyramid composition also enables sub-µm LEDs – nanoLEDs, and is easier to manufacture and integrate with CMOS and TFT.

A lucrative collaboration

Polar Light Technologies has worked with RISE for several years, accessing RISE’s cleanroom laboratories in Kista (Electrum) and Lund (ProNano), as well as highly skilled researchers.

“The collaboration with the RISE research team and being able to use the facilities in Lund and Kista has been a game changer for us. The support they have given us, and access to the equipment, especially the MOCVD tool at ProNano, has helped us with a much higher quality in the quantum structures of our microLEDs. And has eventually led to us achieving the red light”, says Oskar Fajerson, CEO at Polar Light Technologies.

The red color is difficult to achieve due to challenges in the material properties. There are alternatives to be able to reach a red color, but not without a loss in efficiency, manufacturability or capability to integrate with other material systems. However, through the innovative pyramidal structure, Polar Light Technology managed to realize the red light.

“This breakthrough is the result of years of hard work and rigorous research and development, enabling spatial computing and next-generation panel displays”, says Oskar Fajerson, CEO at Polar Light Technology.

Hyundai Mobis is one of the world's leading companies in automotive and, like many other players in the segment, is making extensive investments in electrification. Power electronics and powertrains that can handle higher voltages without energy losses is a problem that many industries are struggling with.

Results from the collaboration are *confidential*, but Mobis has released a video about the experience of working in Swedish culture.

The combination of lab resources, expertise, and over thirty years of experience makes the innovation cluster ("Silicon Carbide Valley") around Electrum unique in the world.