Nanowerk August 15, 2023 As electronic devices shrink, they become more powerful, use more energy and produce more heat. A consortium of researchers is working under an EU funded HORIZON project, “SPIDER” (Spin Wave Computing for Ultimately-Scaled Hybrid Low-Power Electronics), to investigate how changes to the magnetic properties of semiconductors could achieve a hundredfold reduction in the power consumption of computer chips. They have developed a computer system that combines magnonics with conventional computing technology with its standard semiconductor systems. They produced an interface between the conventional computer and a spin wave circuit made from sapphire or gadolinium gallium garnet […]
Tag Archives: S&T EU
Sustainable batteries roadmap to 2030 and beyond
Nanowerk February 9, 2022 A team of EU researchers has developed a roadmap that presents the research ideas proposed by BATTERY 2030+, the European large-scale research initiative for future battery chemistries. A “chemistry-neutral” roadmap to advance battery research is outlined with a time horizon of more than ten years. The roadmap is centered around six themes: 1) accelerated materials discovery platform, 2) battery interface genome, with the integration of smart functionalities such as 3) sensing and 4) self-healing processes. Beyond chemistry related aspects also include crosscutting research regarding 5) manufacturability and 6) recyclability. The roadmap should be seen as an […]
World’s first commercial re-programmable satellite blasts into space
Phys.org July 30, 2021 The European Space Agency launched the world’s first commercial fully re-programmable satellite from French Guiana on Friday [July 30, 2021] ushering in a new era of more flexible communications paving the way for a new era of more flexible communications. Unlike conventional models that are designed and “hard-wired” on Earth and cannot be repurposed once in orbit, the Eutelsat Quantum allows users to tailor the communications to their needs—almost in real-time. Because it can be reprogrammed while orbiting in a fixed position 35,000 kilometres (22,000 miles) above the Earth, the Quantum can respond to changing demands […]
Roadmap for battery research in Europe
EurekAlert May 13, 2020 To develop tomorrow’s batteries, partners from science and industry all over Europe have launched the research initiative BATTERY 2030+. The roadmap https://battery2030.eu/research/roadmap/ defines the milestones in more detail: A joint platform for the development of materials with the help of AI, networked sensors and self-healing technology for batteries, and sustainable production and recycling processes. It defines the properties of future batteries and lists measures to accelerate development. Three main research lines are identified: accelerate search for new materials and the right material mix, develop novel functions, and establish production and recycling concepts…read more.
Liquid Air Could Store Renewable Energy and Reduce Emissions
IEEE Spectrum September 18, 2019 Refrigerated food warehouses and factories consume immense amounts of energy. A team of researchers and companies in Europe working under the CryoHub project sponsored by EU are now developing a cryogenic energy storage system that could reduce carbon emissions from the food sector while providing a convenient way to store wind and solar power. The system will use extra wind and solar electricity to freeze air to cryogenic temperatures, where it becomes liquid, and in the process shrinks by 700 times in volume. The liquid air is stored in insulated low-pressure tanks similar to the […]
A European mission will intercept an unknown comet for the first time
MIT Technology Review June 20, 2019 On June 19, the European Space Agency announced plans to launch a fleet of three small spacecraft in 2028 and loiter a million miles away until an interesting and accessible comet is found. The Interceptor will tag along with Ariel, a larger observatory designed to study the atmospheres of planets orbiting distant stars. Two of the spacecraft will pass close to the comet’s nucleus where they hope to gather enough data to understand the structure of both the nucleus and the comet’s tail. The third spacecraft will act as a backup and data relay…read […]
A deorbit kit for satellites based on low work-function tethers
Phys.org June 12, 2019 A European research project, called E.T.PACK, is developing a new system for deorbiting space satellites without using on board power and fuel using low work-function tether. It consists of 50 microns thick, 2 cm wide aluminum that is several kilometers in length. It would be rolled up in a reel during the launch of the satellite. Aluminum must have the ability to emit electrons when it is heated. The tether transforms orbital energy into electrical energy while it deorbits the satellite without using any type of fuel. It uses natural resources in the space environment, such […]
Hand-held scanner for detecting hazardous substances and explosives
Phys.org June 3, 2019 Researchers in Germany working under the EU project CHEQUERS www.chequers.eu combined very fast widely tunable quantum cascade lasers with adjusted transmission and receiver optics, fast IR detectors and a fitting control and detection software. The miniaturized quantum cascade laser with an external resonator can scan the whole spectral range of the QC laser chip within just a millisecond. The measuring principle is based on selective spectral lighting of the target in the wavelength range of 1000—1300 cm-1. The chemical substance is identified based on the intensity of the backscattered light and the illumination wavelength. The spectral […]
Quantum Technologies Flagship kicks off with first 20 projects
Europa.eu October 29, 2018 The Flagship will fund over 5,000 of Europe’s leading quantum technologies researchers over the next ten years and aims to place Europe at the forefront of the second quantum revolution. Its long-term vision is to develop in Europe a so-called quantum web, where quantum computers, simulators and sensors are interconnected via quantum communication networks. The Flagship will initially fund 20 projects , with a total of €132 million via the Horizon 2020 programme , and from 2021 onwards it is expected to fund a further 130 projects. Its total budget is expected to reach €1 billion, providing […]
New security scanners safely detect threats from people on the move
Phys.org October 8, 2018 The EU-funded SPIDERS project, has developed a ‘passive scanning’ solution which is based on a real time (up to 16 images by second), imaging system, working at millimetre wave frequencies and able to see through clothes and detect hidden objects such as liquids, powders or solids (metal or not). Crucially, the system dubbed ‘MM-Imager’, does not emit any radiation. The technology is based on the measurement of the natural radiation emitted by bodies at microwave frequencies (around 0.1THz). The SPIDERS system works in real time which makes the technology applicable to a wide range of potential […]