EV owners’ range anxiety soon a thing of the past
In a few years we’ll be able to charge virtually wherever and whenever we want with only minimal buildout of the power grid, according to electrical engineering professor Magnus Korpås.
Technology
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Astronauts to get help from snake robots
Norwegian researchers are looking into how a snake robot might carry out maintenance work on the International Space Station (ISS), study comets, and explore the possibility of living and working in lava tunnels on the Moon.
The magical reindeer nose
Every schoolchild knows about Rudolph the Reindeer and his magic red nose. But Rudolph’s real-life counterparts really do have a magic nose. The colder it is, the better it is in keeping the animals warm and hydrated.
Helping the blind use sound to “see”
A scientist and a student team have developed the Colorophone system, which translates colour into sound.
Sick mother was inspiration behind supersmart phone
Using a smartphone is not easy for older people who have problems with fine motor skills or mild disabilities. So a resourceful engineer enlisted the help of some researchers and took things into his own hands. Now a completely different type of phone will soon be on the market.
Robots that look like us
Japan is at the forefront of building all kinds of different robots, from industrial machines to robots that look like humans and can talk to us. The only purpose for these humanoid robots is to make us happy.
Speed warning system saves lives and reduces emissions
Universal adoption of the ISA speed warning system in Norway could reduce both the average speed of vehicles and their emissions, concludes a recent SINTEF report. Lower speeds also lead to fewer fatalities and serious injuries on the roads.
What makes print more readable for the visually impaired?
Type size is the most critical factor in being able to read printed text, but it doesn’t have to be as big as you might think.
Microscopic sensor for more precise radiology treatments
A team of Norwegian, French and Australian researchers is the first in the world to succeed in quantifying the effects of radiation on individual cancer cells. This means that radiation therapies can now be tailored to individual tumours and thus be more effective.
New technology can detect fake fingerprints
3D fingerprinting can detect forgers. It could also make border crossings and passport controls safer and faster.
Personalised care for dementia sufferers
The company Noen AS runs courses for its helpers to enable them to establish close relationships with their dementia patients. The aim is to increase the patients’ quality of life. Researchers have developed an IT tool to help the company demonstrate that its approach is on the right lines.
Glass fibres with potential far beyond transmitting light
Fibre optics are at the heart of today’s communication systems, a number of medical devices and more. But when researchers put a silicon-germanium mix at the core of the fibre and treated it, they made something with potential far beyond transmitting light.
Green cooling with CO2
Man-made refrigeration gases threaten the Earth’s climate. The use of natural compounds like CO2 is an effective counter-measure.
Solving equations to steer drones
How do you get a plane-like drone to land with no runway? You use math, of course!
A need for more medical alert response centres
Medical alert systems are going to enable you and I to live longer at home. Researchers have recently been looking closely at these systems with a view to improving them.
Test site opens for unmanned vessels
The Trondheim Fjord in Norway will be the world’s first technological playground for pilotless vehicles that move below, on and above the water’s surface.
Rare disease challenges ICT researchers
People with cystic fibrosis (CF) need help to ensure they are getting correct nutrition and the right amount of enzymes. They also need constant reminders. Researchers are now developing a digital support device to promote autonomy, but are finding that this is no easy task.
Can you spot the differences between these cats?
Using algorithms in a computer program, can researchers simulate the processes that happen in our brains when we sift through important and unimportant image information?
Using EV tyres to counter traffic noise
Research shows that fitting tyres with very low rolling resistance, combined with the right road surfacing, can provide just as much noise reduction as traditional noise barriers.
A major research effort into tomorrow’s digital power grids
How will a future electricity grid manage the demands of induction cooking, charging electric cars and roof-installed solar panels? The answer is Smart Grids, which involves digitisation of the electricity grid.
New ears from algae
Scientists are using alginate from seaweed to try to get cells to form new body parts.
Three Arctic researchers at North Pole
Three NTNU researchers have visited the North Pole during a research cruise in their efforts to better understand sea ice.
Norwegian researchers make European air traffic more efficient
Many major European airports are unable to expand. This means that aircraft departures, arrivals and surface movements will have to be speeded up. A Norwegian system designed to make all airport movements more efficient is tested in Hamburg, and at Arlanda in Stockholm and Charles de Gaulle in Paris.
Bombs away— WWII bombs provide living laboratories for cold-water coral reefs
Ocean dumping of munitions from WWII was common in Norway and along the European coast. Some of these bomb dumps offer a natural living laboratory where biologists can study cold-water coral reefs.