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Latest news from SINTEF: Archive 2015

Norway’s EV purchasing spree is climate friendly

Norway’s EV purchasing spree is climate friendly

If every other passenger car in Norway is plugged into the electric network by 2020, Europe will have to produce more electricity – mainly from coal-fired power plants – to meet the demand. But it will be a plus for the climate nonetheless.

Emergency and ocean towing put on the agenda

Emergency and ocean towing put on the agenda

International requirements, collaboration across national frontiers and the need for simulator training held centre stage at an industry meeting on emergency and ocean towing in Tromsø.

Fisheries Minister visited MARINTEK

Fisheries Minister visited MARINTEK

Norwegian Fisheries Minister Elisabeth Aspaker (Con.) recently visited MARINTEK, accompanied by a delegation from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.

Risk-takers are smarter

Risk-takers are smarter

Do you often take chances and yet still land on your feet? Then you probably have a well-developed brain.

Will our cultural heritage stand up to freak rains?

Will our cultural heritage stand up to freak rains?

Using an old 19th century apartment block in Oslo as a case study, researchers are looking for conservation measures for heritage buildings. How can we make them watertight, insulated and protected against future climate change?

Focus on reduced emissions

Focus on reduced emissions

The shipping companies that are contributing to the Smart Maritime SFI have great hopes of this major research effort: they are anticipating solutions that will lead to reduced emissions from vessels.

TB forgotten in fight against HIV

TB forgotten in fight against HIV

Tuberculosis seems to have fallen between the cracks in poverty-stricken Malawi’s sponsor-dependent health sector. The dominating focus on HIV may have left parts of Africa with a skewed health service, say researchers.

Taking care of elderly wells

Taking care of elderly wells

Thousands of old offshore oil wells will have to be plugged to prevent them leaking. The process may cost several hundred million Norwegian kroner, and you and I will have to find most of the money. Researchers are now proposing a solution that may...

Good or bad innovation ideas?

Good or bad innovation ideas?

The traditional way of running a project with a beginning and an end will soon be history. The scientists have a smarter solution.

Towards a bioeconomic future

Towards a bioeconomic future

Can our forests, seaweed, grass and fisheries waste be transformed into new and valuable raw materials? Researchers are asking 1500 Norwegian companies what they're currently doing with their resources, and what they see themselves doing in 2030.

Anaesthesia with surgical precision

Anaesthesia with surgical precision

Ultrasound technology will soon be helping doctors to anaesthetise patients more accurately. And the technology is being developed in Trondheim.

Women not very involved in civic affairs on Facebook

Women not very involved in civic affairs on Facebook

A new study has been checking what 20 million users like on Facebook. Its conclusion is that men are interested in politics, women in the environment. Young Norwegian women are among the least involved in civic affairs in the world.

Making the most of waste heat

Making the most of waste heat

Can heat pumps be used to upgrade waste heat to 200 degrees? "No problem – in theory", say researchers.

New and more effective model test

New and more effective model test

A series of model tests of a floating wind-turbine using a completely new method has recently been carried out in MARINTEK's ocean laboratory.

Smart help for phone users

Smart help for phone users

The elderly may find that using a smartphone is difficult and incomprehensible, while the disabled may encounter problems because phone operation requires delicate motor functions. But one inventor saw no reason for it to be this way – and has found...

Healthier indoor climate for heavy industry

Healthier indoor climate for heavy industry

A dust extraction unit that exploits the laws of nature has made the indoor climate on the ‘shop-floor’ of the Thamshavn smelter in Norway 75 percent cleaner.

Going for a geothermal world record

Going for a geothermal world record

In Italy, researchers and drilling technologists are on the verge of making a geological breakthrough. They're drilling deep enough to find what they call 'supercritical' water. If they succeed it will be a major technological breakthrough.

60-metre office-chair race

60-metre office-chair race

650,000 listeners followed MARINTEK's participation in "The Office Games" on NRK's programme "Norgesglasset". Erin Elizabeth Bachynski and Arnt Christian Wolden, the fastest competitors from our staff, put in an impressive performance in the...

How about a Power Road?

How about a Power Road?

Soon our roads and bridges will be paying back the energy used to build them. Power Roads are on their way!

A friendly robot

A friendly robot

Researchers have developed a robot that adjusts its movements in order to avoid colliding with the people and objects around it. This provides new opportunities for more friendly interaction between people and machines.

Hearts on screen

Hearts on screen

With the patient's heart displayed on a screen, cardiac specialists and engineers can run simulations of a variety of surgical procedures and predict their effects prior to an operation. This will save lives.

Depression can lead to work disability

Depression can lead to work disability

In Norway, men suffering from depression are three times more likely to become work disabled than non-sufferers. This risk is only twice as great for women.

Robots – our new underwater “astronauts”

Robots – our new underwater “astronauts”

Soon it may be easier to design, plan and carry out infrastructure operations in deep water. The EU project called "SWARMs" aims to achieve this by integrating autonomous vehicles such as ROVs and AUVs.

Important for the marine sector

Important for the marine sector

No fewer than nine Centres for Research-based Innovation (SFI) were opened by NTNU and SINTEF recently. The Smart Maritime centre is led by MARINTEK, and it alone has been awarded NOK 192 million to fund its research for the coming eight years.

COPD sufferers prescribed most sedatives

COPD sufferers prescribed most sedatives

New research has revealed that Norwegian COPD sufferers are prescribed even more sedatives than psychiatric patients. The researchers behind the study believe that this is problematic because the drugs in question are addictive and inhibit lung...

New flexible ticketing on buses

New flexible ticketing on buses

Soon you won't have to worry about how to pay your bus and train fares. All you need is your mobile phone or a bank card.

Combating multi-resistant bacteria with nanotechnology

Combating multi-resistant bacteria with nanotechnology

This week, research scientists from eight countries are meeting in Trondheim to discuss the next steps in the campaign against antibiotic resistance. Researchers are currently developing novel drugs against multi-resistant bacteria in order to make...

Listening to roads before construction

Listening to roads before construction

They're going to build a new road right outside your living room window. The authorities have sent you a 'noise map', but what you really need is to hear what the traffic noise will sound like. Well, soon you can.

Research gets credit for more secure fish-farms

Research gets credit for more secure fish-farms

Escapes of fish have long been a problem for the aquaculture industry. But now, improvements in technology and systematic research have drastically reduced the number of escapes.

Intelligent clothing for extreme weather

Intelligent clothing for extreme weather

Norwegian laboratories are developing technical clothing that can "sense" how your body is responding. This will make working under extreme weather conditions safer.

How to be lightning smart

How to be lightning smart

During thunderstorms, when Thor the God of Thunder starts wielding his hammer, researchers know exactly what you should and shouldn't do if you want to keep safe.

Inspiring day for junior high school pupils

Inspiring day for junior high school pupils

NTNU hopes that the Ocean Space Exploration Day will inspire young people to appreciate technology while they are still at junior secondary school. This makes it an obvious strategy for the University (NTNU) to invite pupils to MARINTEK's many...

Finding a good home for dementia sufferers

Finding a good home for dementia sufferers

Norway is evaluating innovative housing options for dementia sufferers. Perhaps small serviced housing projects and dementia 'villages' will provide a more normal life than nursing homes and institutions?

Norwegian agri-tech goes global

Norwegian agri-tech goes global

Norwegian manufacturers of agricultural technology are now getting active support from researchers. Such companies will benefit from new applications and exposure to a global market.

Next generation floating wind technologies

Next generation floating wind technologies

A major international collaborative project involving 12 partners from eight countries and worth €7.3million is set to drive forward development of the next generation of floating wind substructures.

The jewel in the crown

The jewel in the crown

"Dynamic positioning" has been hailed as "the jewel in the crown" and Norway's greatest engineering feat since World War II. But what is it?

Users to fine-tune hearing aids themselves

Users to fine-tune hearing aids themselves

More than 20 per cent of people with hearing aids use their devices for less than one hour a day because of problems they encounter with tuning the settings. But now users can participate in fine-tuning their devices themselves.

MARINTEK tested award-winning ship

MARINTEK tested award-winning ship

MARINTEK has carried out a comprehensive programme of tests of Skandi Africa, which has been awarded the title of 'Ship of the Year 2015'.

Creating the perfect collision

Creating the perfect collision

To you and me, this might look like a disaster. But Norwegian ski star Petter Northug’s car crash was actually pretty ideal. The materials in the car and guard rail acted just the way they were designed to in order to save the lives of passengers in...

NOWIcob

NOWIcob

NOWIcob is a life-cycle profit analysis tool for offshore wind farms.

Remote presence

Remote presence

Remote presence is a remotely controlled robot installed inside wind turbine nacelle.

SEAWATCH Wind Lidar Buoy

SEAWATCH Wind Lidar Buoy

The SEAWATCH Wind LiDAR Buoy represents the next generation of multi-purpose buoys tailored for the renewable energy industry. Result of NOWITECH "spin-off" joint industry project by Fugro OCEANOR with Norwegian universities, research institutes and...

Need for a pan-European CO2 storage site in the North Sea

Need for a pan-European CO2 storage site in the North Sea

Norway has a particular vested interest and responsibility to develop CO2 capture and storage (CCS), believes Nils A. Røkke. Without CCS, the world will be unable to achieve the aim of limiting the global temperature increase to two degrees, says...

Hybrid vessels will soon be on the market

Hybrid vessels will soon be on the market

ABB is convinced that vessels fitted with hybrid main propulsion machinery are the future, and the company expects to sign its first contract in the course of the year. The company is currently testing the technology in a hypermodern hybrid...

Smokeless tents

Smokeless tents

From next summer cruise tourists taking excursions in Norway to sample Sami culture can look forward to an even more pleasant experience in the traditional 'lavvo' tents.

The Ocean Space Centre must be built

The Ocean Space Centre must be built

Torbjørn Røe Isaksen, the Norwegian Minister of Research and Education, promised greater funding for his sector, emphasising that the Ocean Space Centre needs to be built to enable us to tackle theimportant challenges facing society.

SINTEF announces operating profit of NOK 106 million for 2014

SINTEF announces operating profit of NOK 106 million for 2014

SINTEF made an operating profit of NOK 106 million in 2014, and a pre-tax profit of NOK 143 million. A number of one-off items have had a positive effect on the financial result, but profit from ordinary operations has been inadequate.

Liquid wind and gas to Japan?

Liquid wind and gas to Japan?

The Land of the Rising Sun is thinking of importing Norwegian wind and gas by sea in the form of liquid hydrogen. This could offer Norway new prospects for wealth creation and exports, say a pair of Norwegian researchers.

Norway establishes new climate adaptation centre

Norway establishes new climate adaptation centre

The Research Council of Norway has announced the establishment of 17 new centers for research-based innovation (SFI). Klima 2050 is one of these, and Norway finally gets a Centre for climate adaptation of the built environment. The official start-up...

A drop in the ocean provides the answer

A drop in the ocean provides the answer

Oil droplets are providing clues about environmental impacts following oil discharges What really happens to the oil that ends up in the sea during a discharge, and how can we minimise the damage?

CF-sufferers getting help from an app

CF-sufferers getting help from an app

People suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF) are unable to absorb sufficient fats and proteins from the food they eat. But an app is on the way that will help them control their illness.

Future solar cells will be building materials

Future solar cells will be building materials

Solar cells will soon become integrated into roofing and exterior facade materials. We will save on construction materials and manpower – and save money on our electricity bills too.

SINTEF spin-off RESMAN acquired by Nordic Capital

SINTEF spin-off RESMAN acquired by Nordic Capital

Nordic Capital has acquired the SINTEF spin-off RESMAN for more than NOK 1 billion. "This sale demonstrates yet again that we deliver world class technologies", says Anders Lian at SINVENT Venture.

Workshop to update the Nordic CCS Roadmap

Workshop to update the Nordic CCS Roadmap

The NORDICCS project is a collaborative research project between leading CCS research institutions in the five Nordic countries. Together we have developed a “roadmap” for CCS.

Direct Electrical Heating unblocks oil and gas pipelines

Direct Electrical Heating unblocks oil and gas pipelines

Blocked oil and gas pipelines is one of the industry’s big anxieties, because of loss of revenue. It has therefore been important to find solutions for oil and gas pipelines to avoid such incidents. The solution is Direct Electrical Heating (DEH).

Roasted forest waste gives more energy

Roasted forest waste gives more energy

In a similar process as roasting coffee beans, we can heat raw and unprocessed biomass. The result is a fuel with a number of advantageous properties. The process is called torrefaction.

Automatic drug dispensers empower the elderly

Automatic drug dispensers empower the elderly

Sixteen elderly people in a Norwegian municipality have been testing an automatic drug dispenser at home in their living rooms. Results include increased feelings of empowerment, time saved by the home care services, and fewer medication errors.

Hip protector saves you when you slip

Hip protector saves you when you slip

Are you well used to wearing studded shoes in winter? If so, you're probably ready for yet another step towards tackling the eternally icy winter streets.

Predicting a safe lifetime for risers

Predicting a safe lifetime for risers

More than 90 percent of Brazil’s petroleum reserves are found in deep water or ultra-deep water areas offshore. Researchers at SINTEF’s Brazil office are using advanced modelling and testing, including neural networks, to improve the lifespan and...

Fishing vessel transformed into a wave power plant

Fishing vessel transformed into a wave power plant

Is it possible for a redundant fishing vessel to be used as a power plant? Absolutely! The first vessel of its kind is now anchored offshore in the Stadthavet area west of Ålesund, Norway, with the aim of generating electricity from the natural...

Fishing vessel transformed into a wave power plant

Fishing vessel transformed into a wave power plant

Is it possible for a redundant fishing vessel to be used as a power plant? Absolutely! The first vessel of its kind is now anchored offshore in the Stadthavet area west of Ålesund, with the aim of generating electricity from the natural forces of the...

Norway’s Storting (Parliament) backs the Ocean Space Centre

Norway’s Storting (Parliament) backs the Ocean Space Centre

On January 27, 2015, the Ocean Space Centre passed yet another political milestone. The background to this landmark event is that in October 2014, Norway's Minister of Education and Research Røe Isaksen laid a key research policy document, the Long...

Running fuel cells on bacteria

Running fuel cells on bacteria

Researchers in Trondheim have succeeded in getting bacteria to power a fuel cell. The "fuel" used is wastewater, and the products of the process are pure water droplets and electricity.

New weapons in the battle against salmon lice

New weapons in the battle against salmon lice

The best weapon in the battle against salmon lice in the Norwegian aquaculture industry has proved to be the use of what are called “cleaner fish”, fish that eat salmon lice. But these fish often die during breeding. Now, researchers have found a way...

Ductile materials for Arctic conditions

Ductile materials for Arctic conditions

The production of oil and gas at temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees below zero means that researchers must advance the development of materials that can withstand these harsh conditions.

Ductile materials for Arctic conditions

Ductile materials for Arctic conditions

The production of oil and gas at temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees below zero means that researchers must advance the development of materials that can withstand these harsh conditions.