Recycling snuff boxes to make new products
Don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed them. Empty snuff boxes littered all over our streets and parks. But instead of being just rubbish, they can now be recycled to make new products.
The cold hard facts about your body and low temperatures
Is it healthy to take a cold dip in winter? Is it true that most heat loss occurs through the head, and can we get ill if our legs get cold? Here is a summary of our researcher’s answers.
Breathing new life into waste industrial marine plastics
The fisheries and aquaculture sectors are major users of plastics. A research project has recently been launched to investigate how these plastics can be recycled and made into new products.
A new high-rise lab for the development of super-efficient solar panels
Not only are they high above us – they also offer us great benefits. From SINTEF’s new solar panel laboratory, you can see all across the city of Trondheim. Here, conditions are optimal for research into solar panel performance at Nordic latitudes.
“It is by no means impossible to repair major pipeline damage on the seabed”
Norway has developed subsea technologies that you may never have heard of to ensure the safe operation of Norwegian oil and gas installations. Our experts are ready and waiting to assist in the Baltic Sea.
‘Bio-batteries’ enable us to store solar and wind energy
Up until now it has been a challenge to store the energy we generate when the sun is shining and the wind is blowing. But researchers at a laboratory in Trondheim in Norway have succeeded in doing just this – and entirely without any form of advanced battery technology.
Could cusk fish be the new cod?
Today we think of cusk as a bycatch species of little or no value. But our test panel came to quite a different conclusion.
Climate-friendly metal production – why is it difficult?
Most people know that metals are made from ore, but how do we make gold from gravel? That’s the process we must understand to be able to make the metal industry climate friendly. Here are some alternatives for CO2-free metal production.
Developing a new cure for lung cancer
Lung cancer is one of the most dangerous forms of cancer. Treatments are available, but they are demanding on patients and less than 30 percent survive. But mRNA technology is offering new hope for higher survival rates because treatments target the malignant cells in an entirely new way.
Capturing CO2 from flue gases using a super membrane
As part of a six-year research project, researchers have succeeded in developing a membrane that captures CO2 in an entirely innovative way. Their work has resulted in an article published in the prestigious research periodical Science Magazine.
We can electrify the continental shelf without electricity cables
Electrification of the Norwegian continental shelf is a long-standing political issue. Now research scientists believe this can be done using fuel cells installed on the platforms. This will reduce CO2 emissions and remove the need to lay new subsea cables.
Using the internet to identify signs of depression in young people
Is it possible to identify signs of depression by analysing the content young people post online and in chat rooms? The answer is yes!
Do men and women respond differently to heat stress?
According to science, women feel the cold more than men. But how do women respond to heat stress compared with men? The answer to this question may help us to make better protective clothing for firefighters of both sexes.
We all love using wireless earbuds. But how well do they work?
How well do your neat little earbuds fit, and how good is the sound quality as you move around? SINTEF researchers are looking into these questions with the help of an artificial ear and a ‘jogging’ robot.
Shedding light on Nature’s tiniest building blocks
These research scientists are studying Nature’s own nanomaterials – applying tools and methods that are normally used for something quite different. Their work has provided us with knowledge that may revolutionise everything from medical treatments to building constructions.
Management interference can block idea development
Only very few companies succeed consistently in developing new ideas. But those that do have one factor in common. The boss doesn’t interfere.
Measuring brain pressure can become big business
A new invention may be on the verge of replacing a costly cranial surgical procedure currently being performed on some traffic accident victims and other patient groups. The ultrasound-based technology has now been granted CE approval for the European market.
Ammonia – the key to making long-haul shipping green
Relatively simple adaptation could make the cargo ships of the future completely green. The technology is based on the chemical compound ammonia, some extensive number crunching and one or two engine modifications.
Combating marine waste and ghost fishing with new materials
Ghost fishing and plastic waste from the fisheries industry is becoming a major environmental problem. Can we address the issue by using degradable plastics? Scientists at a new research centre are aiming to find the answers and develop the systems we need.
Fish farms moving onshore
Land-based fish farming offers many benefits to both the fish and the environment. In traditional offshore farms, the fish are vulnerable to sea lice infestation and infectious diseases. Modern land-based aquaculture systems are able to offer local fish products in landlocked countries.
SINTEF to head global WHO study
What assistive technologies are the world’s elderly and disabled using? And what hidden needs does this group have? SINTEF has been contracted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to find out.
The body’s own signalling system provides the key to new diagnostic tools and personalized medicine
Several studies have demonstrated that tiny biological particles called exosomes may carry important information about diseases. We are currently searching for these tiny particles in cooperation with our project partners. If we succeed, we can use the exosomes to predict diseases before they occur.
How safe are the new Covid vaccines?
The new vaccines designed to combat the Covid-19 virus have been developed in record time, causing some people to be sceptical of taking them. Should we be worried about side effects? Norwegian SciTech News has been talking to two research scientists about this issue.
What does a rock climbing belay device have in common with a subsea cable installation vessel?
The answer is that both can cause torsion, meaning the climbing rope or cable will start to twist. Up until now, no-one could explain why this happened. However, two enthusiastic researchers, who happen to be rock climbers, made it their business to solve the mystery.
Meet the aquaculture industry’s new maintenance bot
This ROV can fully operate on its own, and follow along with fish’s behaviour and health with its Argus eyes – all while keeping a safe distance. It even inspects the technical standard of the enclosure while it’s at it. Say hi to Mr. CageReporter.
This is how the new Covid-19 vaccine works
Pfizer has recently announced that it is ready with a Covid-19 vaccine that is 90 percent effective. The vaccine is a so-called mRNA vaccine that has been developed jointly by Pfizer and BioNTech. But what is mRNA technology, and how does it work?
Making ultrasound universally accessible
Currently, ultrasound machines are operated primarily by specialists because it requires extensive experience to interpret the images. Norwegian researchers are aiming to tackle this issue.
Why Climate Sceptics are Wrong
Tired of people claiming that the climate crisis isn’t real? You’re not the only one. This is why they are wrong.
How a Plasma Gasifier Can Reduce CO2 Emissions
CO2 emissions are generally recognized as something we need to avoid. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just transform the CO2 into useful substances? Plasma technology has been proposed as a way to achieve this, and we have studied the feasibility of the concept from physical, chemical and economical points of view.
Sound beacons support safer tunnel evacuation
Research conducted as part of the project EvacSound demonstrates that auditory guidance using sound beacons is an effective aid during the evacuation of smoke-filled road tunnels. This is good news. It is a fact that vehicle drivers and passengers cannot normally expect to be rescued by the emergency services during such accidents.
Interrupted breathing during sleep – a widespread disease with no cure
Every fifth Norwegian suffers from the widespread disease obstructive sleep apnea. Several treatment options exist, among them surgery, however results are unpredictable and of variable quality and differ from individual to individual. What determines if the treatment is successful or not? Our scientific research using mathematical airflow models may help the medical doctors to find the answer.
Getting the body to make its own cancer drugs
Imagine that we could instruct our bodies to make the drugs they need themselves. The gene technology that makes this possible is called mRNA therapy, which may become a major tool in the treatment of multiple diseases. Norwegian researchers are currently helping to develop a drug of this kind to treat the most aggressive form of breast cancer.