Today started a bit earlier than the others and the weather was less than fantastic. It was spitting rain. We got on a tram and then transferred to a ferry over to a new area of the city.
We got off and walked over to Hasselblad. It was an interesting area, with Chalmers University of Technology also in the area. It seems like this was a former industrial area.
Once we arrived we sat down and met Ove Bengtsson, a product manager for Hasselblad. We had Fika and he gave us a presentation on Hasselblad’s history. They were started in 1841 by Fritz Victor Hasselblad and it was called FW Hasselblad and Co. At the time, they were a trading company. In 1885, Fritz’s son Arvid met George Eastman, who was the founder of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film company (which later became Kodak). In 1907 Arvid’s grandson Victor was born and a year later, the part of the company that dealt with film separated from the rest of the company. Victor grew up with cameras and developed a love for cameras so much so he opened his own business developing photos and selling cameras in Gothenburg. In 1941 he produced his first camera for the Swedish Military. He went on to produce the 1600f, 1000c, 500c and 500EL before his passing in 1978.
After that, we got to handle some of their cameras which range from about 5 thousand to 40 thousand dollars without lenses. The one pictured below is at least 45 thousand dollars.
We left Hasselblad and jumped on a bus for ABB Robotics. We got there and were greeted by Bert Thorvaldsson, who is a Global Products Manager for ABB’s software products. We had lunch. I had pork with onions and cheesy potatoes.
After came Fika and then Bert gave us a presentation about the next wave of digital manufacturing. Bert touched on something called a digital twin. This is a digital replica of a physical entity. If you wanted to layout a kitchen using virtual reality, you would set up a digital twin. You are able to design the elements to exactly where you want them. So think of deciding where to put a dishwasher. It might be hard to see where it goes on paper, but you could use this twin to actually walk around the kitchen and see if you like the layout. It’s a very clever way of doing things. Burt talked on a few more topics and we said our goodbyes.
After this, we got on a series of busses and went back to the hostel. About 45 minutes later, we left for the hockey game and dinner with our hosts from Volvo. We met them at a Chinese resturant. I had beef with rice and bamboo shoots.
After this, we headed over to the stadium. The game we saw happened to be Joel Lundqvist thousandth game. So the stadium was pretty full. We found our seats and watched the intros. The team we were watching was the home team in Gothenburg, the Frolunda Indians.
They started shortly after. The game was honestly unlike anything I had seen previously. The rink is wider than an NHL rink so play is slower and more methodical. I really enjoyed this style. Early in the game Joel scored a goal and the crowd went crazy. The fans here are very well organized and have their own section and people who lead cheers as well as a huge drum. The game was really high scoring, with the final score being 8-4 Frolunda. Joel came out a few times after. After the game was over and the security team had gently told us that we needed to leave, we hopped on the tram and came back to the hostel.
Daily Reflections
Graffiti is much more common here
Taking public transit really makes you realize the value of a car
I think we’ve had Fika at every place we’ve been so far
The Frolunda fans are crazy fun
Sam's Trip to Sweden 