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 IMITECH, a hummingbird in the face of global problems?
Climate change is a symptom of a very broad problem, which consists of using the planet's available energy and material resources excessively and too quickly. But, if some specialists are to be believed, this situation is itself the result of our own instinctive cognitive and behavioral functioning, which drives us to satisfy a limitless quest for pleasure and security of which most of us are unaware. The intrusion of this global issue into our current activities, despite the temporal uncertainties it entails, forces us to revise the perspectives in which we position our actions. Scientific research, taking a long-term view, cannot ignore this problem. In the face of peril, psychologists tell us that there are only three possible attitudes: flight, submission or fight.
 ⇒ In the Hummingbird tale, there was a huge forest fire. All the animals, terrified and dismayed, watched helplessly as the disaster unfolded. Only the little hummingbird was active, fetching a few drops of water in his beak to throw on the fire. After a while, the armadillo, annoyed by his derisory actions, said to him: “Hummingbird! Are you crazy? You think you're going to put out the fire with those drops of water?” ‘I know,’ replies the hummingbird, ‘but I'm doing my bit.’
So this situation, beyond its despairing aspect, can be a powerful mobilizing factor for human beings and scientists in particular, provided we place ourselves in a renewed ethic of caring for the environment with a view to caring for ourselves, and thus satisfying our instinctive need for pleasure and security.
Against this backdrop, the editorial of the Journée Technique de l'Électronique organized by the ACSIEL association on January 24, 2024 states: “..., decarbonation and electrification can represent an opportunity for the reindustrialization of our region. [...] To accompany this change, we need to rethink the entire value chain of the electrical system, its technologies and components, from production to use. It is here, at all these stages, that electronics comes into play and innovates to meet these challenges”. Indeed, if science (and the resulting technology) is decried by some and used as a scapegoat for our hubris, it is and undoubtedly will also be our best ally in confronting the resulting nemesis. Given our planetary limits, the path that seems best suited today is to transform our “linear” economy, which consists of drawing on natural resources and throwing waste back into nature, into a circular economy where the cycle of the products we make ends in the transformation of waste into resources to make new ones, and the energy we use is decarbonized.
This is the spirit in which the IMITECH project of the CPER Hauts de France is set. IMITECH aims to contribute to the ecological and digital transition, and to a circular and more frugal economy. It focuses on research and innovation around autonomous, sustainable sensors for monitoring industrial or natural environments, which can be identified in synergy with regional issues and the skills of regional academic and industrial players. Strengthening our regional specialization is the second driving force behind this CPER project, and is also our best asset for differentiating ourselves and consolidating our raison d'être in the Hauts de France region.
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