Businesses using robots for short-term manufacturing assignments will be interested in a service developed by EU-funded researchers that can custom-design affordable robots. Businesses will be able to either lease or buy the robots for quick installation.
We know that 3D printing is set to revolutionise manufacturing. But construction? EU-funded researchers are putting the building blocks in place with 3D printing technology enabling the construction sector to manufacture concrete building materials in a more efficient and cost effective manner. The technology is being combined with more traditional techniques to offer an all-in-one solution.
Remember when there were no satellites? Before your time, maybe, as the first was launched in 1957. Today, we would be lost without them - quite literally so, but satnavs are only one of many services these orbital outriders underpin. EU-funded research is helping to secure Europe's access to the carbon fibre materials needed to build them.
Waste prunings from orchards, vineyards and olive groves could be a valuable source of biomass energy and help boost rural economies, say EU-funded researchers. The key ingredient is a sustainable supply chain.
Autonomous cargo ships could provide a safer, greener and more cost efficient means of moving goods around the world. And while further development is needed, they are feasible, say EU-funded researchers.
The weakened immune system in people with HIV/AIDS makes them particularly vulnerable to fungal infections such as cryptococcal meningitis, which can be deadly. The medicine used to treat the condition is flucytosine, and EU-funded researchers have developed a new and more efficient way of producing it. This will cut production costs, making it more affordable for people in low-income countries.
An intelligent system developed by EU-funded researchers can provide buses and coaches with firefighting capabilities. This integrated solution is designed to detect, locate and suppress fires quickly. It can address some of them before they even start.
The production of cement and lime involves fossil fuels and produces harmful greenhouse gases. Industry could change this, if scientists can develop a technology that can use solar power for high temperature industrial processes. The EU-funded SOLPART project has built lab-scale reactors that use a solar powered process to meet this need.
High-performance biocomposites derived from wheat straw and recycled paper? EU-funded researchers have developed new materials and components based on substances isolated from these renewable residues. They have also found a way to extract silica from the straw, offering a greener alternative to current production methods for this compound.
What would it be like to live on Mars? Much like Earth, maybe, in due course - but the pioneers who will one day head out there will face a deeply hostile environment upon arrival. EU-funded researchers have developed a habitat for simulated space missions in suitably challenging locations down here on Earth. It can also support research in extreme conditions.
