New technological breakthrough for fast and efficient 3D imaging of objects

More accuracy and speed to characterize 3D samples

UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA

 

IMAGE: 

A TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION DESIGNED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA AND THE COMPANY SENSOFAR TECH FACILITATES THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURE OF OBJECTS MUCH MORE QUICKLY, ACCURATELY AND ECONOMICALLY THAN OTHER CURRENT SYSTEMS.

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CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF BARCELONA

A team of experts from the University of Barcelona and the company Sensofar Tech have designed an innovative technology to obtain three-dimensional images of a study sample quickly, accurately and non-invasively. The new system is capable of characterizing the three-dimensional topography of an object with a speed and spatial resolution that exceeds the performance of current technological systems for identifying and recognizing objects in three dimensions.

This system is a new development in the field of optical profilometry, a technique that is commonly applied in quality control and part inspection in various business sectors, from 3D-printed components to coronary prostheses (stents) or the identification of surface defects or roughness. This technological innovation is published in an article in the journal Nature Communications, signed by the experts Martí Duocastella and Narcís Vilar, from the UB’s Faculty of Physics, and Roger Artigues and Guillem Carles, from the company Sensofar Tech.

 

 

More accuracy and speed to characterise 3D samples

Optical profilometry is a discipline that measures the three-dimensional profile of objects using light. “It is a crucial methodology in areas such as quality control in industrial processes or, on a scientific scale, in the measurement of micro- and nanostructures. Typically, the profile of a micrometric object is measured using a microscope, which obtains a collection of hundreds of images at different heights and planes of the object,” says Martí Duocastella, professor at the Department of Applied Physics and member of the UB’s Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB).

“This is a process — he continues —, that involves scanning the sample plane by plane, an inherently slow process. In the new study, we present an innovation that is based on drastically reducing the acquisition time of this image collection.”

The new system is capable of operating at the micrometre scale on relatively large samples and in real time (up to sixty topographies per second). “Current technological systems can only achieve these speeds on very thin samples, or on large samples, but with low spatial resolution”, says Duocastella. “It is likely that our system can have a more significant impact because of its ability to characterize dynamic processes. So, thanks to our technology, the rapid movement of a small device — with a gas sensor — can be characterized in 3D, something that was impossible until now”.

Scanning the sample thousands of times per second

To implement the new technology, “our idea is to intelligently interrogate the sample, similar to the way it is done in the Who’s Who game. So far, profiles are acquired by asking each plane if we had information: ‘Is the sample in plane 1?’, ‘Is it in plane 2?’, ‘In plane n?’ Each question involved making an image. In contrast, in our study we show that it is possible to interrogate different planes together: ‘Is the sample between plane 1 and plane 7?’. The result is that we achieved an enormous reduction in the number of images: if before we needed a hundred images, now we have enough with eight," says the expert.

The new technique requires rapid scanning of the sample and synchronization of pulsed light of different durations. For fast scanning, an ultrafast liquid lens — developed by Professor Duocastella at Princeton University (United States) — is used, which allows scanning thousands of times per second. For synchronization, an in-situ programmable gate array (FPGA) was used to generate the signal to pulse the light and capture the image from the camera.

One of the most difficult phases was trying to achieve high data acquisition rates. “In this case, the signal received from the sample is weaker, and greater precision in the signals is needed. However, thanks to the work of PhD student Narcís Vilar, we were able to overcome these obstacles and successfully implement his new technology,” says Duocastella.

The study is part of the industrial doctorate programme financed by the Agency for Management of University and Research Grants (AGAUR), and part of its development is based on the European Research Council (ERC) project directed by Martí Duocastella and managed by the Bosch i Gimpera Foundation (FBG).

The main idea of the study has been to design a particular type of optical profilometer based on the projection of light patterns. “We are currently working on its implementation in other types of profilometers, including interference, polarization or confocal microscopes. We hope that by intelligently interrogating the sample, we can further improve current systems to characterize 3D samples with unprecedented accuracy and speed,” concludes the team.
 

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JOURNAL

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-024-46267-y 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Fast topographic optical imaging using encoded search focal scan

 

Mapped: 33 new big game migrations across American West

Migration maps help developers limit impacts on wildlife from infrastructure and assist wildlife managers to conserve big game.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY

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RESTON, Va. — A new set of maps that document the movements of ungulates was published today in the fourth volume of the Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States. The maps in this collaborative U.S. Geological Survey report series reveal the migration routes and critical ranges used by ungulates, or hooved mammals, in the western U.S., furthering scientists’ understanding of the geography of big game migrations.

The new volume, “Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States: Volume 4,” documents 33 mule deer, pronghorn and elk herd migrations in collaboration with the wildlife agencies of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, Wind River Reservation, Wyoming and, for the first time, the states of Oregon and Colorado and the Pueblo of Tesuque in New Mexico. With this latest volume, the report series includes details and maps of the migrations and seasonal ranges for a total of 182 unique herds across 10 states.

“We’ve now mapped nearly two hundred migrations of mule deer, pronghorn, elk and other ungulates across diverse landscapes, from the high alpine Rocky Mountains to the temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest and the desert ecosystems of the American Southwest,” said Matt Kauffman, the report’s lead author and a wildlife biologist with the USGS Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Wyoming. “I’m impressed with how the team has worked together to adopt a standard set of methods to create robust migration maps of these ungulates across the West.”

Ungulates migrate throughout the American West each spring and fall to access the most nutritious plants and avoid deep snow. But as the human footprint in the West expands, these species increasingly face obstacles such as new subdivisions, energy development, impermeable fences and high-traffic roads on their long journeys. By mapping their migrations, scientists provide critical information—like where migrations overlap with existing and potential obstacles—to managers, policymakers, NGOs and private landowners working to minimize impacts on wildlife.

“To best conserve and protect the habitat used by migrating elk, mule deer, moose and pronghorn, we have to know exactly where these species move across the landscape,” said Blake Henning, chief conservation officer at the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. “That’s why this mapping work is so important—it’s to ensure their future health and well-being. We support and greatly appreciate the USGS and collaborating states and Tribes for leading this highly collaborative and globally significant effort.”

The new report highlights how migration maps can be used for conservation and management amid changing landscapes. For example, when solar farms are built in an ungulate’s range, they can negatively impact habitat and create barriers to movement for resident and migratory animals. The maps featured in the report series have previously been used to inform leasing decisions for oil and gas development, and they can also provide a key resource to help site future renewable energy projects that minimize effects to critical habitat.

“By using these migration maps and data, the Arizona Game and Fish Department was able to have informed conversations with landowners and solar developers about managing for wildlife corridors through a planned solar facility,” says Jeff Gagnon, statewide connectivity biologist at the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “These efforts will hopefully allow ungulates to continue their seasonal migrations.”

In addition to managers from the respective state wildlife agencies, co-authors on the fourth volume include the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pueblo of Tesuque Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Shoshone & Arapaho Tribes Fish and Game, among other partners. Maps of each herd were produced in collaboration with state and Tribal experts by cartographers from the USGS and the InfoGraphics Lab at the University of Oregon. Thanks to funding from the USGS and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, mapping by partners is ongoing, with a fifth volume of migration maps currently in preparation.

The Corridor Mapping Team, established in 2018 in response to Department of the Interior Secretary’s Order 3362, is a state-Tribal-federal partnership working to map ungulate migration corridors with standard techniques. The first three volumes in the Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States report series were published in 2020 and 2022.

To explore migration routes and ranges, visit the interactive www.westernmigrations.net portal, or download the map files from www.sciencebase.gov.

# # #

The USGS provides science for a changing world. Learn more at www.usgs.gov or follow us on Facebook @USGeologicalSurvey, YouTube @USGS, Instagram @USGS, or Twitter @USGS.

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DOI

10.5066/P9SS9GD9 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States, Volume 4

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

11-Apr-2024

 

UNM scientists find blue light makes buildings more deadly to migrating birds

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO

 

IMAGE: 

A COLORFUL BLUE-WINGED PITTA IN ITS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT.

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CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO, DAVID TAN

Bird collisions with buildings are nothing new, but a new study by scientists at The University of New Mexico sheds light on a potential cause.  

The study, "Disentangling the biotic and abiotic drivers of bird-building collisions in a tropical Asian city using geological niche modeling," led by UNM scientists David Tan and Nicholas Freymueller, was recently published in the journal Conservation Biology. It presents a novel finding revealing that night-migrating birds are at greater risk of colliding with buildings lit up with high levels of blue light at night, a factor that has not been extensively studied before.

The phenomenon is global, but significant gaps exist in our understanding of bird-building collisions. In North America, where the vast majority of bird collision studies have been conducted, between 365 million and 988 million are estimated to die from building collisions every year, mostly involving migratory birds. According to the study, only a small number of studies have focused on the tropics, especially the Asian and African tropics, and very little is known about where and why birds collide with buildings in these parts of the world.

Additionally, most studies of bird-building collisions have been based on surveys conducted on a small handful of buildings, generally in city centers or university campuses. These studies suggest that bird-building collisions are connected to the ways buildings are designed, and that larger, glassier, and more light polluted buildings tend to kill more birds, but very little is known about whether these factors apply across the entire breadth of large cities.

Tan, a Ph.D. candidate in Professor Michael Andersen’s lab at the UNM Department of Biology, whose research focuses on the biogeography, evolution, and conservation of birds in Southeast Asia, led the research based in Singapore and studied the issue using a different approach than previous studies.

Instead of surveying just a small number of buildings in the city center, Tan and co-lead author Nicholas Freymueller collected community science observations of dead birds from across the entire island of Singapore, a densely populated city-state that’s slightly smaller than New York City (734.3 square kilometers/283.5 square miles), with over 100,000 buildings island-wide. With these observations, Tan and Freymueller used ecological niche modeling – a method normally used to estimate where animals live – to instead predict where birds were most likely to die from building collisions, by reconstructing the “death niche” of the city’s birds.

“It’s a counterintuitive way to think about niche models,” said Tan, “But if we can use environmental factors like temperature and rainfall to predict where living animals occur, it makes sense that the same methods can also be used to predict where birds might die from building collisions since these collisions are strongly affected by the urban environment.”

Together with collaborators from the National University of Singapore (Singapore) and the Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), the researchers compiled nearly 225 confirmed bird-building collision records from 2013-2020, including migrant and resident species, and discovered several notable findings, including that pittas accounted for the majority of migratory bird collisions, while collision mortalities were dominated by pigeons for the resident species.

“In particular, we found that pittas, a group of colorful but secretive birds that collide extremely frequently (i.e., “supercolliders”) with buildings across South, East, and Southeast Asia, are particularly sensitive to blue light pollution and that future shifts to white LED streetlights are likely to increase the number of pitta collisions with buildings dramatically,” said Tan.

“These results confirm what we previously suspected about pittas from bird banding studies conducted in the 1960s – that pittas are strongly attracted to light when they migrate at night – and this is the first time anyone has demonstrated a specific attraction to blue light in this group of birds,” Tan added.

Among non-migratory birds such as the green pigeons and emerald doves, the researchers also found that these species tend to collide with buildings near the edges of forests, which may be due to the fact that these forest-dwelling species often move through cities as they transit between fragmented forest patches.

“Our results also show how forest-edge buildings, especially short buildings under 20 meters in height, should be areas of high priority for deploying anti-collision measures,” said Tan.

Based on these findings, the scientists were able to identify several future residential and industrial developments in Singapore that were likely to experience high collision rates, mainly due to their proximity to forested areas and the high levels of blue light pollution emitted by LED streetlights.

“One of the benefits of working in Singapore is that the government tends to plan everything well ahead of time,” said Tan. “Because of this, we were able to use long-term land-use plans published by the Singapore government to predict where future collision hotspots might occur, which will in turn allow urban planners and developers to incorporate bird-friendly measures into building designs even before the first foundations are laid.”

As a possible solution, the scientists suggested that buildings in future collision hotspots should incorporate collision-mitigation measures such as bird-safe glass into their façades, which will make glass surfaces more visible to birds and reduce the chance of collisions. Other glass shading measures such as mullions and louvers could also be incorporated into the way buildings are clad in high-risk zones near forests, the scientists said.

And as for the impact of blue light pollution, especially from white LED lights, the researchers were keen to stress that they were not opposed to the widespread adoption of more energy-efficient LED lights, but added that shifting to warmer, more orange color tones and using shielding to minimize the amount of light pollution spilling upwards into the sky might help reduce the impact of nocturnal blue light pollution on migrating birds.

“Our discovery that blue light pollution increases the building collision risk of night-migrating birds in tropical Asia adds to the small but growing number of studies worldwide showing that blue light pollution attracts migratory birds,” said Tan, “Reducing blue light emissions at night during the migratory months could help reduce the number of bird deaths in cities, especially in tropical Asia.”

A Blue-winged Pitta collides with building.

Thick-billed Green Pigeon (IMAGE)

UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO

Pigeons, including the Thick-billed Green Pigeon, were dominant among bird-building collision mortalities for resident birds.

CREDIT

University of New Mexico, David Tan

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JOURNAL

Conservation Biology

DOI

10.1111/cobi.14255 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Disentangling the biotic and abiotic drivers of bird–building collisions in a tropical Asian city with ecological niche modeling

 

Chemicals stored in home garages linked to ALS risk

These included chemicals present in gasoline and gasoline powered equipment, lawn care products, pesticides, pain and woodworking supplies

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MICHIGAN MEDICINE - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Over the last decade, researchers at University of Michigan continue to find that exposure to environmental toxins — from pesticides used in agriculture to volatile organic compounds in the manufacturing industry — is linked to the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. 

The buildup of exposures, which researchers call the ALS exposome, is possibly associated with recreational activities such as woodworking and gardening.

Now, a Michigan Medicine study finds that storing chemicals in a garage at home may associate with an increased risk of ALS.

The results are published in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration.

“Identifying disease-provoking exposures can inform and motivate interventions to reduce exposure, risk and, ultimately, the ALS burden,” said first author Stephen Goutman, M.D., M.S., director of the Pranger ALS Clinic and associate director of the ALS Center of Excellence at University of Michigan.

“Exposures in the home setting are an important part of the ALS exposome, as it is one place where behavior modifications could possibly lessen ALS risk.”

Storage containing volatile chemicals in garages is extremely common, whether it’s in a car or motorcycle, equipment like a  chainsaw, or solvents, cleaners, paints and other items.

Investigators assessed exposures in the residential setting from a survey of more than 600 participants both with and without ALS. Through statistical analysis, they found that the storage of chemicals — including gasoline and gasoline powered equipment, lawn care products, pesticides, paint and woodworking supplies — were significantly associated with ALS risk.

All of the reported chemicals linked to disease development were volatile with toxic components. Most participants reported storing several of the items in their attached garage. 

Storing chemicals in a detached garage, however, did not show as strong of an association with risk. 

Researchers say the flow of air and airborne pollutants from attached garages to the living space may explain the finding.  

“Especially in colder climates, air in the garage tends to rush into the house when the entry door is opened, and air flows occur more or less continuously through small cracks and openings in walls and floors,” said Stuart Batterman, Ph.D., senior author and professor of environmental health science at the U-M School of Public Health.

“Thus, it makes sense that keeping volatile chemicals in an attached garage shows the stronger effect.”

The latest building codes, Batterman notes, tackle this problem by specifying measures to reduce or eliminate these air flows. 

“We are beginning to see risk factors across multiple settings that may associate with a greater ALS risk; we also see some relationships across the studies, for example, woodworking and woodworking supplies and gardening and lawn care supplies,” Goutman said. 

“This begs the question: is it the activities that associate with ALS risk or the exposures to related products? This requires further research.”

In 2016, the research team found that people with ALS had higher concentrations of pesticides in their blood compared to people without the condition. 

A subsequent study published in 2019 linked organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBS, to worsening survival for ALS. 

“With each study, we better understand the types of  exposures that increase the risk of developing ALS,” said senior author  Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., director of the ALS Center of Excellence at U-M and James W. Albers Distinguished University Professor at U-M.

“We now need to build on these discoveries to understand how these exposures increase ALS risk. In parallel, we must continue to advocate to make ALS a reportable disease. Only then we will fully understand the array of exposures that increase disease risk."

Studies to understand how environmental exposures contribute to the development of ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases, both of people with and without family history of the condition, are underway.  

Additional authors: Include Jonathan Boss, Ph.D., Dae Gyu Jang, Ph.D., Caroline Piecuch, Hasan Farid, Madeleine Batra, Bhramar Mukherjee, Ph.D all of University of Michigan. 

Funding:  This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health, The National ALS Registry/CDC/ATSDR, the ALS Association, the NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies, the Robert and Katherine Jacobs Environmental Health Initiative, the NeuroNetwork Therapeutic Discovery Fund, the Peter R. Clark Fund for ALS Research, the Sinai Medical Staff Foundation, Scott L. Pranger, and the University of Michigan.

Citation: “Residential exposure associations with ALS risk, survival, and phenotype: a Michigan-based case-control study,” Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration. 

DOI: 10.1080/21678421.2024.2336110

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JOURNAL

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration

DOI

10.1080/21678421.2024.2336110 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Residential exposure associations with ALS risk, survival, and phenotype: a Michigan-based case-control study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

11-Apr-2024

COI STATEMENT

SAG and ELF are listed as inventors on a patent, Issue number US10660895, held by the University of Michigan titled “Methods for Treating Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis” that targets immune pathways for use in ALS therapeutics.

 THROWING BABY OUT WITH THE BATHWATER

In the drive to deprescribe, heartburn drug study teaches key lessons

PPI prescriptions for veterans dropped quickly, but some missed out on protective use; lack of reduction in supposed harms indicates PPIs may not be as harmful as once thought

Peer-Reviewed Publication

MICHIGAN MEDICINE - UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Whether it’s costs, safety risks or “pill fatigue” they’re trying to reduce, many health systems and clinics have started working on ways to encourage deprescribing of medications that patients may not need.

Now, a new study published in the BMJ shows the potential promise, and pitfalls, of a massive effort to reduce overuse of a common class of heartburn medications known as proton pump inhibitors or PPIs.

The findings also reveal that some of the feared risks from PPIs may be overblown.

The study tracks the impact of an intervention that imposed limits on PPI prescription size and refills for patients without a documented reason to be on the medication, discontinued old prescriptions, and provided education to patients and clinicians on alternatives.

The effort was carried out in one region of the Veterans Health Administration system, called VISN 17, and involved a quarter of a million patients, making it one of the largest ever studies on deprescribing.

Key findings

In all, the intervention led to a massive reduction in PPI use: a nearly 30% reduction in prescriptions of PPIs compared to other VA regions.

But the drive to reduce potentially unnecessary PPI use had one unintended consequence: a drop in prescribing to veterans who actually have an ongoing need to take PPIs because their other medicines carry a high risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. Strong evidence shows that PPIs are effective for preventing gastrointestinal bleeding and they are recommended in clinical guidelines.

Reassuringly, no matter the reason for taking PPIs, the deprescribing effort didn’t lead to increases in health care visits with gastrointestinal diagnoses. Nor did it lead to increases in gastrointestinal bleeding in patients at high risk, which suggests that the deprescribing initiative itself was safe.

Interestingly, the rate of purported negative PPI effects -- such as kidney disease, stroke, heart attack or pneumonia -- didn’t go down in VISN17 relative to the other regions. Hip fractures, another risk linked with PPIs in past studies, only went down by a small percentage.

This supports evidence from other high-quality studies that suggest PPIs may be a marker of patients at risk for certain adverse outcomes, but that the drugs are unlikely to be the cause.

For this reason, the main benefits to deprescribing PPIs have more to do with cost and hassle of taking more pills than clinical risk reduction.

More about the study

The new VA-funded study uses data from multiple years before and after VISN 17 implemented its PPI deprescribing program for most veterans living in Texas, and parts of New Mexico and Oklahoma.

It was led by a multi-institutional team that includes investigators from University of Michigan and the VA Center for Clinical Management Research (CCMR) in Ann Arbor; the University of Pennsylvania and the VA Center for Health Equity Research and Promotion (CHERP) in Philadelphia; and the Yale School of Medicine and VA Center for Pain Research, Informatics, Multi-morbidities, and Education (PRIME).

“This intervention worked so well because it was involuntary to some degree -- refills could no longer be on autopilot for patients without a clear indication for the medication,” says Jacob Kurlander, M.D., M.S., first author of the study and a gastroenterologist at Michigan Medicine, U-M’s academic medical center, and the Lieutenant Colonel Charles S. Kettles VA Ann Arbor Medical Center. “At the same time, what we saw is that is that patients who benefit from PPIs for bleeding prevention – which is sometimes overlooked by doctors – got swept up in this effort, too.”

This signals that deprescribing efforts need to take even more care to ensure providers don’t allow a patient who has a need for the drug to inadvertently go off it, Kurlander said.

“Our findings also suggest that PPIs may not be as harmful as some have feared,” he adds.

Before the VISN 17 program started, about 26% of veterans across the country who got their primary care from a VA provider were prescribed a PPI in a six-month period.

By the end of the study period in 2019, only about 15% of veterans in VISN 17 had a PPI prescription, compared with about 22% of those in the other regions.

This means PPI prescribing dropped by 30% within VISN 17, and that there was more than a 7% absolute reduction in PPI use between VISN 17 and other regions by the end of the study period.

The researchers even connected veterans’ VA records with their Medicare data in case they received care outside the VA, and also used information from death certificates to look for causes of cardiovascular-related death. There were no differences between VISN 17 and the other regions.

Kurlander is a member of the VA Center for Clinical Management Research, which is directed by co-senior author Sameer Saini, M.D., M.S. Both are members of the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, and faculty members in the Division of Gastroenterology at the U-M Medical School’s Department of Internal Medicine.

In addition to Kurlander and Saini, the study’s authors are co-senior author Yu-Xiao Yang, M.D., M.S.C.E., of the University of Pennsylvania and the VA CHERP in Philadelphia; VA CCMR researchers Hyungjin Myra Kim, Sc.D., Darcy Saffar, Aimee Myers, Robert Holleman, Yuqing Gao, Jane Forman and Sarah L Krein, Ph.D. as well as Loren Laine, M.D., of the Yale School of Medicine and VA Connecticut; Christopher B Roberts, of CHERP, Michelle Shank, who was the pharmacy executive of VISN 17 during the time covered by the study, Richard Nelson, Ph.D. of the University of Utah and Salt Lake City VA Center for Informatics, Decision Enhancement, & Analytics Sciences (IDEAS); and Christian Helfrich, Ph.D. of the Seattle-Denver Center of Innovation for Veteran-Centered and Value-Driven Care.

The study was funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research and Development Service (HX002693-01). Kurlander’s work is also funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health (DK118179).

Impact of large scale, multicomponent intervention to reduce proton pump inhibitor overuse in integrated healthcare system: difference-in-difference study; BMJ doi:10.1136/bmj‑2023‑076484   http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj‑2023‑076484

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JOURNAL

BMJ

DOI

10.1136/bmj‑2023‑076484 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Impact of large scale, multicomponent intervention to reduce proton pump inhibitor overuse in integrated healthcare system: difference-in-difference study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

11-Apr-2024

Proud seafarers have strong doubts about the safety of autonomous ships

In spite of relying on advanced autopilot systems, bridge officers are skeptical of fully autonomous ships

NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

IMAGE: 

RESEARCHER ASBJØRN LEIN AALBERG FROM THE NORWEGIAN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY HOPES AUTHORITIES CAN USE THE RESEARCH RESULTS IN DIALOGUE WITH SHIPPING COMPANIES AND TECHNOLOGY PROVIDERS. HE SAYS THAT THESE DIFFERENT GROUPS SHOULD INCLUDE SEAFARERS WHEN DEVELOPING NEW CONCEPTS AND TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS.

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CREDIT: SFI MOVE

The maritime profession is among the world’s oldest professions, and today’s shipping is based on long and proud traditions. Professional pride and commitment are often deeply ingrained in seafarers, and for many, the job is more of a way of life. New technologies will bring about major changes in the work of bridge officers, who have the ultimate responsibility on board Norwegian vessels.

Strong doubts about safety

“Bridge officers rely on automated systems that are already found on board, such as advanced autopilot systems. However, there is strong scepticism, almost mistrust, that increased automation and autonomous (i.e. self-driving) ships will contribute positively to safety.”

This is the opinion of Asbjørn Lein Aalberg, a PhD candidate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU’s) Department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management and SINTEF Digital.
In his doctoral work, he has studied the relationship between maritime officers’ professional commitment and the attitudes they have towards automation and autonomous ships.  The study ‘Pride and mistrust? The association between maritime bridge crew officers’ professional commitment and trust in autonomy’ was recently published in the WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs. The research was conducted in collaboration with the Norwegian Maritime Authority and Safetec.

Over 8000 Norwegian bridge officers participated in the 2023 survey (in Norwegian). This is probably the largest survey in this field to date, also internationally.

Looking for the reasons behind the scepticism

Sooner or later, society must accept using modes of transport such as passenger ferries that have little or no crew on board. Aalberg believes that in order for operations to be as safe as possible, employees are needed who know how to control and monitor the automation.

“If we are to get there, it is important to understand what is behind the seafarers’ scepticism. We need their engagement, willingness and interest to ensure that the technology and systems being developed are fit for purpose,” says the researcher.

The reason why bridge officers trust autopilots and similar systems is that they themselves are still in control and can choose to turn the systems on and off as and when they see fit.

Few women in the sample

Aalberg has taken a closer look at the answers given by captains and navigators on board. Collectively, this group consists of 1789 Norwegian and 227 international bridge officers of all ages, with everything from 0 to more than 26 years of experience. Women constitute only 11 per cent of Norwegian seafarers, and only 2.4 per cent of the participants in this survey.

“This probably reflects the fact that there are even fewer women among the people working on the ship’s bridge,” says Aalberg.

Among other things, the bridge officers were asked about:

• Their thoughts and feelings about the automation of work tasks
• Their confidence in autonomous technology
• Their professional commitment and pride
• Their own management work related to safety

Seafarers with an extreme sense of duty

Aalberg says that bridge officers are very proud of their work and exhibit what he would call a rather extreme sense of duty to their own profession.

“This pride may lead to additional mistrust when faced with radical changes. In fact, we found that those who take the greatest pride in their profession are most sceptical about technological developments,” says the researcher.

Another finding that he finds quite alarming is this: among the bridge officers who take the greatest pride in their profession, it is the younger ones who have the least faith in autonomy.

“When envisioning their future career, maybe they feel like they have more to lose,” says Aalberg.

• You might also like:  Test site opens for unmanned vessels

One of the oldest professions in the world

This area has seen little research, and Aalberg says we don’t currently know enough about why seafarers exhibit such strong mistrust. One reason for this is that there are currently not many autonomous ships, and they are a hot topic of speculation and debate. It is therefore important to emphasise that points of view may be based on rumours, vague impressions and unfounded notions of what the changes will entail.

It is also often the case that autonomous vessels are spoken positively about by actors who are relative newcomers to the maritime industry. The survey indicates that this could spark uncertainty among seafarers, both in terms of the motives and intentions behind autonomy.

“Despite the fact that there seems to be a great need for seafarers in the future, some people may be afraid of losing their jobs. But I think the scepticism is more about the changes being made to the nature of their work. For example, there would be a great deal of uncertainty among captains if the position were to lose its independence. We must not forget that the maritime profession has a very long tradition, where a captain’s authority and control have always been strong,” says Aalberg.

Professional discretion

The PhD candidate has also interviewed 31 Norwegian seafarers on board highly automated Norwegian passenger ferries about their confidence in the advanced automated systems that have been installed.  This study gives some hints about what it takes for bridge officers to trust advanced technology. Among other things, it involves their lack of trust in the machines’ ability to demonstrate true ‘seamanship’ and exercise professional discretion in traffic. In addition, the interviewees do not believe that the machines will manage emergency situations well enough. All in all, they believe that people are best suited to making decisions in complicated situations.

“The reason they still trust autopilots and similar systems is that they themselves have control and the option to turn them on or off as and when they see fit,” says Asbjørn Lein Aalberg.

The shipping company and technology developers have also had a very long and ultimately successful development process that he believes is needed to satisfy proud seafarers.

However, all the informants were sceptical about the impending changes and expressed concern that increased automation would compromise safety at sea.

Autopilot is ok, autonomy is not

The studies show that bridge officers make a clear distinction between automation and autonomy. Automation involves machines taking over some of their tasks, while autonomy, taken to its ultimate conclusion, means unmanned ships.

Asbjørn Lein Aalberg provides a nuanced perspective on the development.

“Many researchers argue that humans will play a crucial role in human-automation collaboration, even on autonomous ships. Previously, there was more talk about removing people all together, to put it bluntly,” says the researcher.

Seafarers must be consulted

He hopes the authorities can use the results of the research in dialogue with shipping companies and technology providers. He says they should include seafarers when developing new concepts and technological solutions.

“They have to make, and talk about, innovations in such a way that it sparks interest instead of scepticism,” he says.

He also believes that projects involving technological development should openly disseminate real results from testing in order to provide a nuanced perspective of what seafarers perceive as being overly idealised.

“We also know that seafarers gain trust in advanced technology by trying the technology themselves. Keynote speakers or even colleagues talking about the systems is simply not enough. They want to try them themselves and see if the automation makes the same choices that they would have made, so perhaps the development process should be structured accordingly,"  Aalberg says.

REFERENCES:

Aalberg, A.L. Pride and mistrust? The association between maritime bridge crew officers’ professional commitment and trust in autonomy. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13437-024-00329-6

Asbjørn Lein Aalberg, Siri Mariane Holen, Trond Kongsvik, Aud Marit Wahl. Does it do the same as we would? How trust in automated shipboard systems relates to seafarers’ professional identity https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2024.106426

 

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JOURNAL

WMU Journal of Maritime Affairs

DOI

10.1007/s13437-024-00329-6 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Survey

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Pride and mistrust? The association between maritime bridge crew officers’ professional commitment and trust in autonomy