EU-funded researchers have developed a concept for a novel satellite-based navigation network to improve traffic flows and safety along Europe’s congested maritime and inland waterways. Through the exchange of vessel data, the network could help reduce accidents and enable European ports to increase efficiency.
When it comes to renewable energies, wind and solar power have already become staples of our electricity mix. Wave and tidal energy could be next in line. EU-funded researchers are already making waves, aiming to help industry cut costs and increase reliability with innovative decision-making software.
Professor Michela Chiappalone is a neuroscientist at the Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT). She is also the coordinator of the BRAIN BOW FET Open project aiming to connect in vitro neuronal assemblies to an artificial system for restoring the lost neuronal functionality. In this interview she tells us about her experience, as a researcher involved in a FET project.
Can we crack the code used by neurons to encode and transmit information? Can we use our knowledge of the neural code to improve the communication between brain and machines? These are the questions that SI-CODE addresses, aiming to make a big leap forward in improving the understanding of the code used by neurons to transmit information with potential applications in innovative brain machine interfaces (BMIs).
Using digital machining, companies can turn a digital design into an object with the click of a mouse. An EU-funded project has come up with a new and innovative way to do this, bringing the technology within reach of smaller companies with limited budgets.
Chronic neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's, are all characterised by an inflammatory reaction within the brain. Until now, some of the factors behind this reaction have been unclear; however a European research fellow has identified a molecular system that contributes to the mechanisms regulating the progression of neurodegeneration. This could potentially lead to new therapeutic treatments to effectively combat the condition.
An EU-funded project has mapped the possible outcomes of upcoming global negotiations to curb greenhouse gas emissions – from success to failure. The project’s work aims to help leaders achieve a new global pact on how to limit global warming to agreed targets – good for the environment and our future well-being.
The European Union (EU)-funded project PLASTICITYINAMPUTEES has provided new insights into the ability of the brain to rewire its connections following the loss of a hand. The research work is expected to pave the way towards the development of rehabilitation techniques for both residual and intact limbs.
The European Union (EU)-funded research project MusselsAlive has created better methods for handling, transporting, storing and reducing waste in the mussel industry. In particular, the team has developed new holding systems that can help keep the mussels fresher for longer on their journey to the consumer.
The European Union (EU)-funded project MultiTERM has brought together highly qualified scientists to create “smart materials”, such as skin and bone substitutes, to replace and repair damaged tissues. The EU’s rapidly rising elderly population stands to benefit from these materials that include gels, artificial skin and cartilage.
EU-funded 3D-HiPMAS has led to a spin-off company, which is taking to market the project’s techniques to integrate electronic circuits directly onto plastic parts.
An EU-funded project brought together industry and scientists to develop pioneering ways for industrial robots to be more accurate, significantly reducing the time and cost of machining processes. Software and know-how from the project is already generating new business for Europe’s robotic industry.
Teams of social scientists and engineers are studying different areas of Latin America in an EU-funded project to discover how political processes, community engagement and appropriate technologies combine to deliver clean water and sanitation. The aim is to use the research to help deliver clean water and sanitation to local communities currently without adequate access.
An EU-funded project has developed cross-border research clusters, designed to help European countries combine their knowledge and resources to tap funding opportunities and better tackle climate change.
The EU-funded AMPERE project has analysed various projected scenarios on climate change and its effects on society and found that taking action sooner rather than later reduces the costs of mitigation.
Future supercomputers are machines that would be capable of performing at least 10 trillion operations per second. However, developing a radically new energy aware computing paradigm and programming methodology for this capacity is necessary.
The EU-funded project EPIFEMCARE is developing blood tests that could lead to the earlier detection of ovarian and breast cancers, fewer over-diagnoses of breast cancer and improved personalised care.
Composite materials have become increasingly important in improving our quality of life as they are widely used in flight vehicles, cars, boats, pipelines, buildings, roads, bridges, and dozens of other products. More and more, researchers are finding new ways to improve the numerous qualities of composites so they may be strong, lightweight, durable and cheap to produce.
A solar sail almost four times the size of the city of Paris could be one of the fastest ways across the solar system, as long as it is made out of microscopic charged wires. EU-funded ESAIL project is exploring an avenue that could skirt this obstacle. The project is pioneering a sail design that intercepts charged particles in the solar wind.
Written in cooperation with Inria, France European Research Council (ERC) grantee Dr Pierre-Yves Oudeyer, is today presenting the first complete open-source 3D printed humanoid robot, called “Poppy” (@poppy_project). Poppy is a robot that anybody can build – its body is 3D printed and its behaviour programmed by the user.
