What should we be using our electricity for?
Norwegian politicians should not be sponsoring the race to expand the use of AI. The process is wasting too much energy.
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Researchers can help shipowners achieve ambitious climate targets
International shipping does not want to be a climate bad guy and is aiming to be emission-free by 2050. A new tool designed by researchers in Trondheim can help shipowners who are searching for green solutions.
NOK 29 million to make robots smarter
The EU is funding NTNU professor Ingrid Bouwer Utne’s work to make robots and autonomous systems understand situations better when there is imminent danger and give operators insight into what they are actually ‘thinking’.
Proud seafarers have strong doubts about the safety of autonomous ships
Despite their great trust in on-board autopilots, bridge officers do not believe that autonomous ships will make shipping safer. Moreover, the greater the professional commitment and pride of the bridge officers, the less confidence they have in automation increasing safety at sea.
4D imaging of fluids in pores
A method based on CT (computed tomography) – a type of imaging that is widely used in hospitals – can help improve our understanding of CO2 storage, batteries, and processes in the body such as nutrient uptake.
Organs grown on microchips may offer a quantum leap for women’s health
Women’s bodies and their health in general have for too long been assigned low priority in the field of research. But an innovative and extraordinary technology may now offer us new treatments for conditions such as endometriosis.
Strange bedfellows: Howard Hughes, the CIA and a lost Soviet sub
The American eccentric billionaire, Howard Hughes, wasn’t afraid to make expensive investments in new technologies. So when he announced in 1972 that he was going to build a giant ship to mine manganese nodules from the depths of the Pacific Ocean, few were surprised. But the ship had a very different – and top secret – mission.
Connecting computers so they can think faster
Calculations that previously took a year can now be performed in just 10 days by computers connected in a special way.
Cheaper batteries are key to shifting transport away from fossil fuels. Can the market deliver?
High metal prices can drive up the costs of electric car batteries, which will reduce their adoption. Car manufacturers are already responding to this by shifting to different technologies.
We use chemicals for more or less ‘everything’. Now we have to find smarter ways of making them
Did you know that the chemical industry supplies products to virtually all other value chains, including the food, construction, health and transport sectors? All these industries are now having to renew themselves as part of the green transition, and SINTEF is working to help them.
Can microplastics be used to make concrete?
Rubber granules from artificial grass pitches will be phased out, but what do we do with the thousands of tonnes of microplastics that are left? NTNU research shows that they can be used in the production of concrete.
Precautionary fundamentalism is threatening Norwegian food production
If the Norwegian government rejects the majority opinion of the Gene Technology Committee, it will miss a long overdue opportunity to boost food safety, improve animal welfare and promote more eco-friendly pesticides.
Bulk carriers can also be green
Research scientists from 16 countries are joining forces to make a bulk carrier climate neutral – all with the help of a new power train.
What researchers found out after 1,130 tests on Norwegian windows
Results from a major study may contribute towards developing windows that can withstand harsher climatic conditions involving heavier rainfall and stronger winds. Because that’s exactly what we can expect in the future.
Ability to identify bone fractures tells us something important about AI
One of Norway’s biggest achievements to date in the practical application of artificial intelligence is in identifying bone fractures. The secret of this success may be of benefit to many of our business leaders.
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.
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.