Norway needs to know much more before actually mining the deep sea
Norway’s law on mining seabed minerals is too unclear, the knowledge base too flimsy, and the Storting’s White Paper on seabed mining does not hold water.
Technology
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New knowledge will offer cheaper and greener rail services
New lubricants, combined with new knowledge about how they should be applied to train wheels and rails, have the potential to reduce rail sector costs in Norway by hundreds of millions of kroner during the next decade.
A new insulin mixture could make life easier for patients with type 1 diabetes
Researchers in Trondheim are developing a new medicine for diabetics who have to have daily injections of insulin. The key is a hormone that causes the smallest blood vessels to relax on the inside.
Researchers surprised at levels of toxicity in standard plastic products
Tonnes of waste from standard plastic products have been uncontrollably released into the world’s oceans, where they gradually break down. But how harmful is this plastic to living organisms, and what is it in these plastics that is so damaging?
The capsule camera of the future: Images the intestines in 3D and detects disease
Norway has one of the highest prevalences of intestinal cancer in Europe, and this year sees the national screening programme being rolled out in full. But where do the capsule cameras go?
New, super-smart hardware could provide drastic cuts in power consumption
Greener data processing requires systems that work smarter, faster, and are more energy efficient. Researchers from NTNU have developed a tiny piece of super-smart hardware that enables all of the above.
Technology focused motorists are positive to road pricing
Road pricing may soon be replacing toll charges on Norwegian roads. But researchers still don’t know if this will help to reduce and regulate road traffic.
Energy saving measures in buildings can turn them into Norway’s biggest ‘power plant’
Energy efficiency measures in buildings can offer Norway a three-fold benefit – by contributing to avoiding an energy deficit and high electricity prices, and to achieving its stated climate change mitigation targets for 2030 and 2050.
Extracting valuable minerals in Norway
Today, products that utilise rare materials are for the most part manufactured in China. However, the EU has recently decided to boost its raw materials supply security. Researchers and the minerals industry are now looking to Norway.
The energy footprint of architecture built by oil
Four of the six Gulf States are among the top five biggest greenhouse gas emitters per capita. Why? Oil is the answer, but not quite in the way you might think.
This tiny gadget can tell us all about how a farmed salmon is doing
Sick and injured farmed salmon are a problem, but researchers have recently developed an implant that uses sensors to gather information about the welfare of individual fish.
It’s about time we looked into other aspects of AI
If artificial intelligence (AI) is to offer us the societal benefits that many people are dreaming of and believe in, we need to develop technologies that are a lot smarter than those we have today.
How about a customised soap or shampoo, created using AI?
Researchers have recently discovered a new way of making consumer items. They’ve developed a machine, based on AI technology, that can customise personal care products to your own requirements.
Who should collect, manage and have access to data from the oceans?
Research institutions from Norway and other countries have collected a great amount of data from the northern oceans in recent years. Many people want access to this information.
What’s the best way of warming up your electric car?
Up until now, car manufacturers and others have been recommending using electricity from the grid to warm up your car on cold winter mornings because this will save the battery and ensure maximum range. But research is showing that this isn’t always necessary. Nor does it save you money.
Cars are too wide and parking spaces too narrow
SINTEF is recommending that parking spaces should be made wider – because passenger cars are getting bigger, and the number of civil actions relating to parking is on the increase.
Fast charging stations can be built more quickly with these 3 tips
It is essential to speed up electrification of the Norwegian heavy transport sector. We believe that this is possible in spite of full capacity utilisation in the electricity grid. Here are our three recommendations.
Training underwater robots to find charging stations — on the seabed
NTNU’s largest laboratory – the Trondheim fjord – is something of an Eldorado for researchers developing underwater robots. A charging station has been installed on the seabed, and to ensure the robots can find the shortest route to the charging station, they train in the fjord.
The wrong type of plumbing can increase the risk of Legionnaires’ disease
SINTEF researchers have been testing different types of water distribution cabinets. Cabinets that combine the distribution of both domestic tap water and water for floor heating, are now shown to represent an unnecessary risk of Legionnaires’ disease.
Research into zero carbon gas turbines receives 12.7 million euros
How can we decarbonize large-scale power generation and aviation as quickly as possible? The European Research Council has awarded a substantial grant to a team of researchers who will explore this.
We develop new technologies that may reduce the need for animal testing in medical research
Every organism needs to breathe – including cells that we use in in vitro microphysiological systems. We now have promising results with a material that enhances the quality of our experiments.
An extra 3 centimetres can prevent fires in rooftop solar panel systems
Solar panels installed on roofs and facades increase the fire risk. However, research shows that small changes in construction can make a big difference.
One in five Norwegians has tinnitus – but treatment provision is very poor
Researchers have concluded that many people are suffering unnecessarily and that treatment provision offered to patients is failing at many levels.
Employees are using ChatGPT for advice, but is this a good thing?
Recent data on people’s habits in the workplace are giving us reason to look into whether the use of artificial intelligence (AI) may be hampering collaboration and knowledge sharing.