A combination of a head-up display and the keypad familiar to us from mobiles in the 2000s significantly improved the performance of drivers who were texting while driving. Texting while driving is a situation that occurs globally. In Finland the use of a smartphone or any other communication device is prohibited in a manner that […]
Researchers Printed Energy Producing Photographs
Solar cells have been manufactured already for a long from inexpensive materials with different printing techniques. Especially organic solar cells and dye-sensitized solar cells are suitable for printing. –We wanted to take the idea of printed solar cells even further, and see if their materials could be inkjet-printed as pictures and text like traditional printing […]
Acoustics Researcher Finds Explanation For Auroral Sounds
In 2012, a research group headed by Aalto University Professor Unto K. Laine proved that the source of sounds associated with the Northern Lights is located close to the ground at an altitude of approximately 70 meters. Now, by combining his measurements with the temperature profiles measured by the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Professor Laine has […]
The Sun’s Magnetic Field During the Grand Minimum is in Fact at its Maximum
The study conducted by the Aalto University Department of Computer Science, the ReSoLVE Centre of Excellence and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research seeks explanation for the mechanisms underlying the long-term variation in solar activity. The research team comprised Maarit Käpylä, Petri Käpylä, Nigul Olspert, Axel Brandenburg, Jaan Pelt, Jörn Warnecke and Bidya […]
A Theory Explains Why Gaming on Touchscreens is Clumsy
A research group at Aalto University, Finland, propose a new theory of computer input explaining for example why serious gamers avoid touchscreens and why playing a piano on a touchscreen is so awkward. – The common view before this work was that the lack of physical buttons is critical, but you also have tactile feedback […]
A Manufacturing Method For Microbatteries With Organic Electrode Materials
With people wanting to use smaller electronic devices, smaller energy storage systems are needed. Researchers of Aalto University in Finland have demonstrated the fabrication of electrochemically active organic lithium electrode thin films, which help make microbatteries more efficient than before. Researchers used a combined atomic/molecular layer deposition (ALD/MLD) technique, to prepare lithium terephthalate, a recently […]
Maxwell’s Demon As A Self-Contained, Information-Powered Refrigerator
In 1867, Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell challenged the second law of thermodynamics according to which entropy in a closed system must always increase. In his thought experiment, Maxwell took a closed gas container, divided it into two parts with an inner wall and provided the wall with a small trap door. By opening and […]
Better Materials Promise LED’s At A Fraction Of The Cost
The Route To High Temperature Superconductivity Goes Through The Flat Land
Superconductors are marvellous materials that are able to transport electric current and energy without dissipation. For this reason, they are extremely useful for constructing magnets that can generate enormous magnetic fields without melting. They have found important applications as essential components of the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator at CERN, levitating trains, and the magnetic […]
First Realization of Invisible Absorbers & Sensors Demonstrated
The manipulation of light has led to many applications that have revolutionized society through communications, medicine and entertainment. Devices consuming the energy of electromagnetic radiation, such as absorbers and sensors, play an essential role in the using and controlling of light. The researchers at the Aalto University Department of Radio Science and Engineering have demonstrated […]