EU-funded researchers have trialled new sensory technologies designed to detect hazardous icy flying conditions at high altitude. The innovations, which can be fitted onto commercial aircraft, have been developed in anticipation of regulatory changes to further tighten aircraft safety.
Aircraft engines could use fewer resources before they even leave the ground. EU-funded researchers have adapted cutting-edge manufacturing techniques to aircraft engine parts, cutting pollution and materials costs and making it easier to develop fuel-saving engine designs.
There are always smarter ways to make things, and these days there are usually also ways to make things smarter. EU-funded researchers have looked at aircraft structures from this perspective. In addition to innovative materials, they are proposing technology that would give airliners self-sensing capabilities and enable them to change the shape of their wings.
The faster schizophrenia patients receive effective treatment, the better their prognosis. EU-funded researchers are establishing a profile of individuals unlikely to respond to the drugs used in first-line treatment, for whom the last-resort antipsychotic clozapine should be considered sooner. They are also improving the safety of this drug.
The advanced technologies designed by researchers working on the SURFUND project go beyond the current state-of-the-art techniques in metrology, the science of measurements applied to manufacturing and other industrial processes.
Up there where the big planes fly, it gets very cold indeed: outside temperatures of minus 50°C are nothing special. Droplets of water suspended in the air can freeze to aircraft instantly, accumulating into layers of ice. A number of systems are used to tackle this gelid build-up, which constitutes a safety hazard. EU-funded researchers are developing new solutions.
Regular monitoring of lakes and rivers is essential for both good water quality and a healthy ecology. An EU-funded project has used satellite imagery to create high-resolution mapping services to help countries better manage their inland waters.
Making workplace safety an integral part of business operations can reduce the risk of industrial accidents and improve worker well-being while increasing productivity by an average of 20 %, according to EU-funded researchers who have developed the tools to make this possible. Commercialisation of the tools has begun.
A new sensor is capable of detecting all types of fall, even sinking falls, which currently available products do not register. SINTEF and Tellu AS have developed and tested the detector in the course of a one-year project financed by the Oslo Regional Research Fund and EU-funded HEADS project, which develops software platforms for “Internet of Things” applications.
An aircraft of the future that combines all the advantages of a helicopter with those of a fixed wing airplane will represent a massive step-change in the way we take to the skies. The team behind the necessary rotor technology plans to have it ready for the market before 2040.
An EU-funded project is conducting groundbreaking research into a rare form of leukaemia, proving the effectiveness in patients of non-chemotherapy-based treatments that target the genetic cause of the disease.
Africa is a treasure trove for mineral resources, but many go under-exploited. This could change with a pan-African online portal providing geological information on the continent's mineral wealth. Devised by EU-funded researchers, the future portal is now being developed further to help African countries exploit their resources in a sustainable way.
Although it does not sound threatening, diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of infant mortality in the world. The EU-funded STOPENTERICS project is developing innovative vaccines against two of the most common pathogens behind this neglected disease.
Don't panic: severe soft tissue infections are extremely rare. But if you do develop one, you and your doctor need to act quickly. An EU-funded project is working on a powerful diagnostic tool that can help to spot these potentially fatal illnesses early. The team is also analysing patient records and samples from several countries to identify the best treatments.
Despite decades of research, a cure for Alzheimer's remains elusive. But work conducted in Europe suggests that the onset and progression of the disease could be prevented or slowed down by a molecule that mimics the activity of a critical protein (neurotrophin) affecting neurons in the brain.
New vaccines could be developed more quickly and be better targeted to specific age groups, thanks to EU-funded research. A five-year project has been studying novel immunisation technologies, boosting international efforts in vaccine research.
Arthritis is very common - so common, indeed, that aching joints may seem inevitable as we age. They are not, of course, and even if the condition does set in, treatment can often slow it down. MRI combined with nanoparticles developed by an EU-funded project could soon help to spot main forms of the disease much earlier.
Carewell has defined, implemented and validated a new integrated care model aimed at complex chronic and multiple comorbidity patients. The purpose was to improve the quality of life for these patients and their carers through the implementation of new care pathways thus achieving improved co-ordination and communication with the staff involved.
The global fresh produce supply chain must take into account climate change in order to ensure food safety, warn EU-funded researchers.
Could Europe's economy reduce its CO2 emissions by 95% by 2050? An EU-funded project has predicted how an integrated smart grid could evolve by 2050, supporting greater use of green power and a secure, reliable energy supply.
