Innovative Projects Realized

How do bumblebees navigate in cluttered environments?

Dark energy search using atom interferometry in the Einstein-Elevator

Comparative ecology of cavity breeding songbirds and their ecosystem function

Evaluation of the synergistic effect of surface grafted peptides promoting stem cell osteoblastic differentiation

This research project aims to mimic the extracellular matrix by decorating the surface of a biomaterial with molecules that can interact with cells. This interaction causes changes within cells depending on the cell type and the type of molecules involved. We will evaluate the effect of four molecules/peptides distributed in different combinations on the surface of a material to choose the combination that has a remarkable synergistic effect in inducing stem cell differentiation toward bone cells. This will lead to understanding the mechanisms that regulate the interaction between cells and the microenvironment, thus developing new biomaterials that can be used in tissue engineering for bone tissue regeneration.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) for Building Services in Existing Buildings

Pre-boundary Lengthening in German Dialects

Understanding the electronic properties of thermoelectric materials

Narcotherapy of Depression- Molecular Mechanism

Effect of Mineralogy on the Application of Sensor-based Sorting Techniques

Comminution, the process of crushing and grinding ore to liberate minerals, is the most energy intensive part of the processing flowsheet and accounts for upwards of 75% of the overall energy consumption of the processing plant. Ideally we would only crush and grind those rocks that contain economically extractable amounts of minerals. MineSense has developed sensors that can detect the level of minerals in rocks and, in particular, can detect very low levels with high accuracy. This proposal is to use MineSense’s sensing technology to pre-concentrate low grade copper ores. Based on test results, the correlation between the copper value and the sensor signals will be evaluated. An evaluation method will be proposed on the limit of the specific sorting technology. This information is critical both for MineSense to commercialize its products and for industry to accept the product.

Hydrodynamic perception in California sea lions

Developing a reinforcement learning based approach for enabling self-recovery in production lines

Development of a new method to analyze and quantify the combined energy efficiency and indoor air quality of HVAC systems based on air mixing in commercial and institutional buildings

One metric of HVAC systems’ performance that is largely underestimated is the efficiency of air mixing in the room, determined by multiple factors including room dimensions, the selection of air inlets and outlets as well as their location in the room. Air mixing can have a significant effect on the energy consumption of HVAC systems and indoor air quality in mechanically ventilated buildings. The objective of this research is to better understand air mixing efficiency using CFD, then to establish a method for the combined analysis and quantification of both energy efficiency and indoor air quality as a function of air mixing in the room, an accurate and reliable method which could be adopted by the industry when approaching the design of new buildings. The expected benefit for society is a large-scale reduction of energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and a deeper understanding of air mixing for EffectiV HVAC.