Press Release on the Project “VISTACON”

Concrete of the Future: Sensor Technology and AI to Pave the Way for More Sustainable Production

An ambitious Danish research project aims to bring concrete production into a more sustainable and digital future through advanced sensor technology and artificial intelligence. Innovation Fund Denmark is investing DKK 10.2 million in the VISTACON project, which seeks to achieve significant CO? reductions in the construction industry.

Through the research and innovation project VISTACON, the Danish Technological Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Unicon A/S, Videometer A/S, and SKAKO Concrete A/S are joining forces to develop an intelligent system capable of monitoring and controlling concrete production in real time. The system will make it possible to optimize cement content in concrete, thereby reducing the CO2 footprint and significantly minimizing concrete waste.

“Our ambition with the project is that, using new digital technologies, we can make concrete production far more precise. This will lead to savings in both raw materials and CO2 and bring the industry an important step closer to both Danish and international climate goals,” says Søren Lundsted Poulsen, VISTACON project manager and consultant at the Danish Technological Institute.

Data and Digital Eyes in the Production Line

Today, quality assurance in concrete production is often based on manual spot checks and simple measurements, where variations in material properties can lead to either waste or excessive cement use. With VISTACON, the goal is to enable continuous monitoring of key material properties – such as moisture content and particle size – and, based on this data, automatically adjust concrete mixes with high precision.

This will be achieved through tailored sensor solutions, where advanced camera technology is combined with AI for automated image analysis. The project’s AI models are primarily developed by the Technical University of Denmark, while technology provider Videometer A/S is responsible for developing the sensor and image analysis technology.

“In VISTACON, we are deploying a multispectral camera system which – thanks to new sensor and optical technology – can measure across a much broader light spectrum (400-1700 nm) than previously. This enables more precise characterization of key properties in concrete raw materials, such as moisture, particle size, and chemical composition,” explains Jens Michael Carstensen, CEO of Videometer A/S.

From Laboratory to Full-Scale Demonstration

Within VISTACON, the partners will work closely together to develop and test new solutions – first in the laboratory, where AI models and sensor systems are optimized under controlled conditions. Subsequently, the technologies will be integrated and tested at full scale in real production environments, allowing laboratory results to be translated into practical, reliable solutions with real industrial impact.

Ib Bælum Jensen, Head of Technology at concrete producer Unicon A/S, has high expectations for the project’s outcomes:

“With VISTACON, the ambition is to demonstrate how sensors and AI can be integrated directly into production. This enables us to respond to variations in raw materials in real time, optimize cement consumption, and reduce the amount of concrete that is discarded.”

René Aborrelund, CTO at SKAKO Concrete A/S, also sees the project as an important step toward more efficient concrete production:

“VISTACON is a natural extension of our ongoing development of SKAKOMAT – our process control system for concrete production. The project brings us closer to a new way of optimizing production, where data and automation enhance both quality and efficiency.”

Contact

Søren Lundsted Poulsen
Project Manager, Danish Technological Institute
Tel.: +45 72 20 20 25
Email: slp@teknologisk.dk

Line Skouboe
Communications Advisor, Innovation Fund Denmark
Tel.: +45 61 90 50 39
Email: line.skouboe@innofond.dk

Facts About the Project

• Innovation Fund Denmark investment: DKK 10.2 million
• Total budget: DKK 14.4 million
• Duration: 3 years (2025–2028)
• Official title: Integrating in-line vision technology and AI for improved concrete production VISTACON