On 26 October, SPbGASU hosted the IV National (All-Russian) scientific seminar “Technical support for accessibility of the Arctic regions”. Its participants exchanged experience and research results in all aspects of increasing the accessibility of the Arctic, developing stable (including to climate change) networks and transport systems.

The seminar was opened by Aleksandr Pushkarev, professor at the Department of Land Transport and Technological Machines (LTTM). He emphasized the relevance of the topic: “The Arctic is a storehouse of natural resources; there are large reserves of oil, gas, precious stones, and metals. These are people who personify fortitude, the will to live, perseverance, hard work, and patience. The very conditions in which more than two million of our fellow citizens live foster in them such wonderful qualities. Making Arctic territories more accessible and more efficient are the strategic goals that the state sets for scientists.”.

The event, in person and remotely, brought together 68 speakers and listeners from St Petersburg, Perm, Kaliningrad, Tula, Cheboksary.

The PhD student Ivan Sakovtsev (SPbGASU) is working on improving an installation that clears road surfaces of snow and ice deposits using water and an abrasive material. In his speech, Ivan compared different methods of supplying abrasive and identified their pros and cons. The student plans to conduct further tests.

Another PhD student of our university, Andrey Lakomkin, intends to create an autonomous machine for carrying out excavation work in extreme temperatures. This machine can be controlled remotely. The author considers two options as a power plant - a nuclear reactor or a diesel engine. If the machine performs well in the Arctic, it can be used for space programs.

The PhD student Vladislav Strugov (Perm National Research Polytechnic University) is modeling and optimizing the parameters of the Kem Wind Power Plant (WPP). The student is confident that the development of wind energy in Karelia has good prospects, will increase environmental safety, energy efficiency, create jobs and contribute to economic development.

• The seminar “Technical support for accessibility of the Arctic regions” has been held at our university since 2019. At first, only students participated in it, then they were joined by PhD students, doctoral students, and experienced teachers. Topics related to ecology, digital technologies, and training of specialists appeared.

SPbGASU conducts active scientific research in the field of development, study and exploration of the Arctic. This is facilitated by a strong material and technical base. Thus, at the Faculty of Automobile and Road Building there is an interdepartmental laboratory of mechatronics and robotics, the leading teacher of which is Roman Litvin, deputy dean for research, associate professor at the Department LTTM. In his opinion, “to develop the Arctic regions it is necessary to use unmanned vehicles. Of course, no one is going to give up people: you need to understand that an automation system is not only a 100% unmanned machine without human intervention. This is constant monitoring of the technical condition of the vehicle, this is reconnaissance using UAVs, a system for monitoring the condition of the driver.”

“The Department of LTTM and the Faculty of Automobile and Road Building have big plans - we want to grow into a center of Arctic competencies. But this is a question for tomorrow. And today our task is to organize a platform for those who are involved in science and determine the area of their efforts in the Arctic,” summed up Aleksandr Pushkarev.