Pioneering New Solutions to Recycle Solar Panels
Solar panels contain many valuable materials. Still, most of them end up discarded after use. Now researchers are investigating new ways of recycling.
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This robot is training in a virtual world – it has given it unique abilities.
Now the robot is able to grab objects that no other robot has been able to grab before. – A real “Matrix robot,” says researcher Ekrem Misimi.
The search for a greener concrete – a creation tale
The following is a short story about how stupid questions can change the course of an entire industry. And about how ingenious ideas can encounter opposition because they appear too good to be true.
Tiny brains, hearts and lungs can help cure disease
Many great discoveries and inventions spring from basic research. That’s particularly true for medicine, but also for many other research areas.
Former airport is now an ‘eco-town’
It is essential that Norwegian towns and cities become climate-neutral. But how do we get this done? On the site of the old Oslo airport at Fornebu, researchers are demonstrating how real transformation can be implemented in practice.
AI makes it possible to teach robots new tricks
Say hello to the robot called Bifrost. With the help of AI technology, it uses its tactile capabilities to manipulate soft and pliable objects to order. Bifrost is in fact a world-beater.
What if our food was labelled with its nutrient content?
We throw away huge amounts of food. But would you change your behaviour if you knew the nutritional value of the food you waste?
As our energy demands increase, the planet continues to overheat. But there is hope.
A cure for global warming: Technologies exist that can get us out of this mess. Let’s take a look at them.
New technology makes carbon capture easier
A recent innovation has the potential to accelerate the introduction of essential carbon capture processes in a range of industries. The technology has recently been demonstrated at a waste combustion plant in Bergen, with excellent results.
Should you warm up before you go for a run?
Have you been bitten by the running bug? If so, perhaps you’ve been asking yourself this very question. Well, we have the answer!
Protects hearing while preserving sound quality
A new earplug can now serve as hearing protection, a music player, and a microphone – all at once! At the heart of this technology is a MEMS chip developed at SINTEF in collaboration with Minuendo.
Cycling versus e-scooters – what are the health impacts?
The Norwegian Public Roads Administration (NPRA) has commissioned a team of SINTEF researchers to measure the respective health impacts of walking, cycling and the use of e-scooters to get to work.
A walk in the woods in the middle of your working day can boost your performance
Research indicates that workplaces which encourage a healthy integration between their employees’ work and personal lives have a happier and better performing workforce.
This is how to cut your car commute to work
Many people can manage very well by using their cars less. But for this to happen, housing developments must be planned to make it easier. Astrid Bjørgen has been studying how this can be achieved.
“Choose voice control before touchscreens”
Just two seconds of distraction from the traffic doubles the chances of an accident. Screen-based navigation is the cause of most concern.
Flushing rubbish down the toilet has impacts on nature
Out of sight, out of mind? Far from it! Urine, faeces and toilet paper are the only things you should ever flush down the toilet. Anything else has a negative impact on marine life.
Are century-old timber beams as serviceable as new ones?
It looks as though they might be. According to SINTEF, many of them exhibit properties that are at least as good as new timber. This is good news for materials reuse.
How mining operations without spoil heaps can become a reality
Mineral recovery by mining generates large volumes of surplus crushed rock that end up polluting natural environments. If we succeed in generating new knowledge, such surpluses can instead be used to manufacture concrete or improve agricultural soils.
Norwegian schools are not adequately accessible to all their users
Only one in three Norwegian municipalities monitors accessibility in its schools. The Norwegian Association for the Disabled is demanding urgent action.
Are you looking to test new AI tools? Make sure you avoid the ‘Tesla trap’
If only techno-optimists get to test AI tools, the results simply aren’t good enough. This is where Tesla made a big mistake – a lesson that the health sector will do well to learn.
Here you can watch a sea cucumber sensation!
After three years of waiting it has finally happened. Researchers have succeeded in getting a red sea cucumber, widely regarded as the world’s most expensive seafood, to spawn in the lab.
Prepared for the holiday queues? Outdated regulations are preventing future improvements to ferry operations
Shortfalls in crew numbers in the Norwegian ferry system are resulting in numerous cancelled crossings. Onshore control centres and new safety technologies are just some of the initiatives that may enable operations with smaller crews.
Why we get seasick – and how to avoid it
Everyone gets seasick, says researcher Toralf Sundin Hamstad at SINTEF, but there are tricks we can employ to avoid the worst of it.
Why are there traffic jams, and what can we do to avoid them?
No one likes sitting in a traffic jam. Research shows that the average Norwegian motorist is willing to fork out almost 100 kroner in order to spend one hour less in traffic. But traffic congestion can also be mitigated.