Kon-Tiki2 expedition in Heyerdahl’s wake
The Kon-Tiki2 expedition aims to both reinforce and challenge Heyerdahl’s theories – and NTNU will gather unique research material from the major oceans that the expedition crosses
Technology
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Uncovering secrets of ice that burns
Methane hydrates can be seen as a potential energy source or as a dangerous source of methane – a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more potent than CO2. With the help of a supercomputer and an interdisciplinary team, scientists have uncovered important details about their stability if they are disturbed by human-induced or natural forces.
The road to longer-lasting batteries
Are you sick of your phone’s battery dying after only a few hours? NTNU researchers are hard at work on improving the technology.
New flexible ticketing on buses
Soon you won’t have to worry about how to pay your bus and train fares. All you need is your mobile phone or a bank card.
Listening to roads before construction
They’re going to build a new road right outside your living room window. The authorities have sent you a ‘noise map’, but what you really need is to hear what the traffic noise will sound like. Well, soon you can.
Finding a good home for dementia sufferers
Norway is evaluating innovative housing options for dementia sufferers. Perhaps small serviced housing projects and dementia ‘villages’ will provide a more normal life than nursing homes and institutions?
Drilling down to understand sea ice
Global warming is upending virtually everything that scientists know about the Arctic ice cap. During the first half of 2015, a multinational team of researchers froze the RV Lance into the Arctic ice to learn more about how this ice has changed. NTNU researchers were among the scientists seeking to learn more about this changing environment.
The jewel in the crown
“Dynamic positioning” has been hailed as “the jewel in the crown” and Norway’s greatest engineering feat since World War II. But what is it?
X-ray scanning to guarantee meat tenderness
Consumers may soon have a guarantee for the quality of meat they’re paying for.
New 360-degree 3D film camera
A 3D camera developed in Norway may be the first in the world that can film in all directions.
Recycling aluminium, one can at a time
Producing pure aluminium from ore accounts for as much as 1 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Recycling is the best way to reduce that carbon footprint – but manufacturers and recycling companies will have to plan carefully to avoid problems with impurities that accumulate in recycled aluminium over time.
CF-sufferers getting help from an app
People suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) are unable to absorb sufficient fats and proteins from the food they eat. But an app is on the way that will help them control their illness.
Achieving effective peace agreements
Surveys will reveal what peace agreements following civil wars ought to contain in order to be respected.
Saving on oil well costs using everyday nails
Ordinary nails can reinforce oil wells. There’s no quicker or cheaper way.
Green light for the world’s first intelligent oil pipelines
Electronics installed in Norwegian oil pipelines have been tested both at sea and in transport vessel reeling simulations. All that now remains is to install them offshore.
Facebook use reflected in student grades
A recently published study reveals that the more time students spend on Facebook, the worse their grades. But Facebook is not the problem.
Predicting a safe lifetime for risers
More than 90 percent of Brazil’s petroleum reserves are found in deep water or ultra-deep water areas offshore. Researchers at SINTEF’s Brazil office are using advanced modelling and testing, including neural networks, to improve the lifespan and safety of a key component used to exploit these deep water reserves.
Cheaper heating using environmentally-friendly wood-burning stoves
Firewood is a key energy resource. Norway has about two million wood-burning stoves, with a little over half in regular use. For this reason, it’s important that they are efficient and environmentally-friendly.
A Third Industrial Revolution for Norway
Norway’s wealth and prosperity over the last four decades has been built on oil, but Jeremy Rifkin, a futurist and social and economic thinker, says it’s time for the country to change. The Third Industrial Revolution is coming, and Norway needs to abandon fossil fuels and move towards a greener future that relies on renewable energy, shared transport and ultra-efficient housing.
Artificial heart with Norwegian sensor
France is going to test an artificial heart on patients. The heart will contain a Norwegian pressure sensor.
The Nobel Dance
2014 NOBEL PRIZE: Nobel laureate and NTNU Professor May-Britt Moser was full of joy when she learned she had won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with her husband, Edvard Moser, and their former mentor, John O’Keefe.
Ductile materials for Arctic conditions
The production of oil and gas at temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees below zero means that researchers must advance the development of materials that can withstand these harsh conditions.
Robot water pipe inspectors
Norwegian researchers and a small company in Tromsø are taking part in a project aimed at preventing between 30 and 50 per cent of Europe’s drinking water being lost due to pipe leakages.
Machine vision for catch quality assurance
Robots equipped with machine vision enable us to classify catches on board vessels with high levels of accuracy – saving fishing crews time and money.