ADVANCED MATERIALS 51 Photo: Lars Kruse Wear occurs everywhere and all the time. And though friction is a very simple problem, it is still one of the least understood and most complex areas in mechanics, Assistant Professor Aghababaei says. 2018 PROF IL E PROFILE 2018 DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY IMPACT DAILY MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION 2018 Thomas Skjødeberg Toftegaard, Head of Department Morten Dam Rasmussen, Deputy Head of Department Jens Kargaard Madsen, Head of Electrical and Computer Engineering Henrik Myhre Jensen, Head of Mechanical Engineering Søren Wandahl, Head of Civil and Architectur CONTENTS 3 NEW RESEARCH CENTRES PAGE 10 Engineering the food of the future .................................................................................................................12 More muscle for digitalisation research .................................................................. Photo: Lars Kruse AU Engineering, Campus Navitas, Aarhus 5 Traits of an engineer The future is technology. The world is facing a huge number of colossal challenges, and addressing global problems requires a solid foundation in engineering science. No other discipline has such a strong link between a deep research-based understanding and an innovative and 6 ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES Biological Engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Architectural Engineering Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering 7 AU Engineering, Campus Navitas, Aarhus Photo: Lars Kruse 10 NEW RESEARCH CENTRES NEW RESEARCH CENTRES NEW RESEARCH CENTRES Interdisciplinarity is the native tongue of any engineer. Last year, many new strategic interdisciplinary centres emerged from Aarhus University. Each one combining the knowledge of researchers from a wide variety of fields. And each one with a heavy anchor point in engineering Photo: Colourbox FACTS The Aarhus University Centre for Innovative Food, iFOOD, is led by Professor Lotte Bach Larsen, Department of Food Science. The multidisciplinary work at the centre involves the participation of the following departments and centres at Aarhus University: Department of Engine NEW RESEARCH CENTRES 13 The world is running out of land to produce enough food for its future double-digit billions of human inhabitants. New technology is needed and engineers at Aarhus University are already developing innovative solutions at the new strategic centre for food research. Since t Photo: Colourbox The Aarhus University Centre for Digitalisation, Big Data and Data Analytics is led by Professor Peter Gorm Larsen, Department of Engineering. The center is based on interdisciplinary collaboration between three departments: Department of Mathematics Department of Computer Scienc NEW RESEARCH CENTRES 15 Most disruption happening to societies throughout the world is driven by radical innovations suitable for novel IT-based solutions. The new DIGIT Centre is significantly strengthening Aarhus University in its research abilities in the area of digitalisation. Aarhus Univers Photo: Colourbox The Aarhus University Interdiciplinary Centre for Climate Change, iClimate, is led by Professor Jørgen Brandt from the Department of Environmental Science. The multidisciplinary work at the centre involves the participation of the following departments and centres at Aarhus Univers NEW RESEARCH CENTRES 17 Denmark needs a solid knowledge base if it is to maintain its leading position within climate research and adaptation. Aarhus Universitys new strategic research centre, iClimate, will be making sure that this knowledge is in place; and there are more than enough engineering Photo: Colourbox MATERIAL MATTERS The Aarhus University Centre Centre for Integrated Materials Research, iMAT, is led by Professor Bo Brummerstedt Iversen, Department of Chemistry. The multidisciplinary work at the centre involves the participation of the following departments and centres at Aarhu NEW RESEARCH CENTRES 19 Aarhus University has opened an interdisciplinary centre for materials research, iMAT. At the new centre, in close collaboration with industry, researchers will develop new materials within energy, construction, environmental technology and much more. Humanity is facing hu Photo: Colourbox The Aarhus University Centre for Circular Bioeconomy, CBIO, is led by Senior Researcher Uffe Jørgensen, Department of Agroecology. The multidisciplinary work at the centre involves the participation of the following departments and centres at Aarhus University: Department of Agroe NEW RESEARCH CENTRES 21 There is an urgent need to find solutions that can enable the worlds population to ensure sustainable management of biological and organic resources. The goal of a new interdisciplinary centre is to generate a knowledge base for a new bioeconomy and to demonstrate the comme Photo: Colourbox The Aarhus University Centre for Water Technology, WATEC, is led by Professor Niels Peter Revsbech, Department of Bioscience. The multidisciplinary work at the centre involves the participation of the following departments and centres at Aarhus University: Department of Agroecolog NEW RESEARCH CENTRES 23 Clean water is one of the earths most valuable resources, and Danish research will pave the way for new technology for cheaper and better water treatment. This is directly in line with UN Sustainable Development Goal number 6 on clean water for everyone around the globe by AU Engineering, Katrinebjerg, Aarhus Photo: Jesper Rais 26 MACHINE INTELLIGENCE MACHINE INTELLIGENCE MACHINE INTELLIGENCE 27 We meet intelligent systems each and every day. Digitalisation has made a radical impact on the lives of individuals and competitive conditions for companies. Researchers play a key role in the work involved in utilising technological opportunities in a good, safe and respo 28 MACHINE INTELLIGENCE CONTACT Assistant Professor Alexandros Iosifidis; Alexandros.iosifidis@eng.au.dk Machine learning: solving a specific problem extremely well Artificial intelligence is applied almost everywhere, and is already changing the way we live our lives. Not as the robots of scienc Photo: Lars Kruse Artificial intelligence is not about building a new race. Hollywood robotics are a misconception of what the abilities of artificial intelligence is. Because in reality its all about solving problems in the best way possible, says Assistant Professor Alexandros Iosifidis. 30 MACHINE INTELLIGENCE Artificial intelligence provides new opportunities for architecture and design Computer technology can help architects find precise answers to what good architecture and good spatial design is. This makes it easier to design buildings and rooms based on peoples needs. Arch MACHINE INTELLIGENCE project facts Wayfinding at large hospitals PROJECT 1: TITLE DesignSpace Group (research and consultation group) In a research project in collaboration with New Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Assistant Professor Schultz has completed wayfinding experiments in one of the larges 32 MACHINE INTELLIGENCE project facts TITLE: INSOR Integrative Social Robotics Next generation social robots Social robots are designed to engage humans in social interactions by presenting themselvesin appearance or behaviouras intelligent social agents. However, the goal of building robots to Photo: Lars Kruse Is it possible to transform robots into artificial agents that interact with human beings in accordance with socio-cultural norms? Nicolas Navarro Guerrero designs robots that can take part in meaningful social relationships with people. This requires advanced algorithms, but also 34 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 35 Continued exponential growth within digital technologies like the Internet of Things, cloud computing, mobile internet, cyber-physical systems and Big Data is dramatically changing every aspect of the way our society works, from nano to mega-scale. 36 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY project facts Nanosatellites to revolutionise modern communications technology Aarhus University is well on the way to launching its first satellite, Delphini-1. The satellite constitutes the foundation for what will eventually become an entire laboratory of small nanosatel Photo: Melissa B. Kirkeby Yildirim Space: the final frontier. Associate Professor Rune Hylsberg Jacobsen standing next to the antenna that will allow communications with the nanosatellite once it enters orbit. Photo: Lars Kruse A team of Aarhus University students building the satellite, that wil 38 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY Building a computer like a human brain: a technological revolution For decades computers have been growing exponentially in computational power. However, the current technology is nearing a threshold: computing simply requires too much power. In March 2017, the local TV sta COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 39 project facts TITLE PHOTON-NeuroCom PARTNERS Aarhus University & CEA/SpinTEC BUDGET DKK 1.58 million CONTACT Associate Professor Farshad Moradi; moradi@eng.au.dk Photo: Lars Kruse The human brain is far superior to any supercomputer of today in terms of energy efficiency. 40 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY project facts TITLE Industry 4.0 R&D Programme SCHEDULE 2017-2019 FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK DKK 25 million CONTACT Head of section Andy Drysdale; adr@eng.au.dk New knowledge will get companies to take part in the fourth industrial revolution Aarhus University will use a new progr Photo: Lars Kruse With a new Industry 4.0 R&D Programme, companies and researchers have an opportunity to intensify their collaboration regarding technology-based innovation. Pictured here are Assistant Professor Michal Budzik and PhD Student Simon Heide-Jørgensen. They are developing a new molecul 42 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY project facts TITLE SCALE-IoT Scalable Systems for Massive IoT SCHEDULE 2019-2022 FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK DKK 6 million Independent Research Fund Denmark and A Changing Internet The Internet is undergoing a degree of change that only few can imagine. The flow of information is Photo: Lars Kruse Moving advanced mathematical theories into the laboratory to become new solutions for the Internet of the future demands heavy equipment. Researchers have set up a datacentre with several servers to study storage capacity and energy efficiency. The photo shows Associate Professor 44 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY CONTACT Associate Professor José Escalona; escalona@eng.au.dk Lightning fast computer vision to make train travel safer Every year, railway operators all over the world spend vast sums on maintaining rail systems. Researchers from Aarhus University are developing a new syst COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 45 Photo: Lars Kruse Train rails arent as straight and perfectly regular as they might seem. Associate Professor José Escalona, here in front of Aarhus newest mode of transport, the Light Rail Transit, is developing a new system to quickly and easily detect rail irregularities Navitas Campus, Aarhus Photo: Maria Randima 48 ADVANCED MATERIALS ADVANCED MATERIALS ADVANCED MATERIALS New materials with properties that we hardly dare dream of today will see the light of day in the near future. We are on the threshold of yet another industrial revolution where technology will pave the way for completely new inventions and advances in a considerable number of ar 50 ADVANCED MATERIALS CONTACT Assistant Professor Ramin Aghababaei; aghababaei@eng.au.dk Solving the long-standing mystery of friction and wear Leonardo da Vinci was probably the first to study friction and wear. Despite the passage of more than five centuries, our understanding of these phenomen ADVANCED MATERIALS 51 Photo: Lars Kruse Wear occurs everywhere and all the time. And though friction is a very simple problem, it is still one of the least understood and most complex areas in mechanics, Assistant Professor Aghababaei says. 52 ADVANCED MATERIALS CONTACT Assistant Professor Marcelo Dias; madias@eng.au.dk Centuries-old art form generates completely new materials Origami. For many people, the word means not much more than skilfully folding paper to resemble swans, frogs or other animals. But origami is much more. There Photo: Lars Kruse Much can be learned from the ancient Japanese art form origami, when it comes to designing modern metamaterials. 54 CLIMATE & ENERGY CLIMATE & ENERGY CLIMATE & ENERGY 55 Researchers are currently embarking on a new chapter in the history of energy, where we will be frontrunners for a sustainable transformation of the global climate. We will experience enormous changes in the way we produce, distribute, store and use energy. The world needs new 56 CLIMATE & ENERGY Encouraging the optimal energy system In the near future, renewable energy technologies will be the primary source of power for the European electricity grid. In order to build the optimum power infrastructure, researchers are working on how to allocate the cost of future energ CLIMATE & ENERGY 57 Photo: Lars Kruse How can we allocate the cost of future energy systems in the most efficient way? That is exactly what PhD Student Bo Tranberg is working at. CONTACT PhD Student Bo Tranberg; bo@eng.au.dk Photo: Lars Kruse What started out as basic research in a chemistry laboratory has today become a business with a promising global market potential. Visblue has its head office in Denmark and a branch in Portugal, and it has five full-time employees. The first production of flow batteries for the D CLIMATE & ENERGY 59 Danish invention makes solar cells good business It all started a few years ago with a dream of developing a battery to store electricity. Today, the research has become a business, and production of the first batches of flow batteries is in full swing in a small Danish company 60 CLIMATE & ENERGY Climate change and the future European electricity supply Temperatures are increasing, but it seems that our electrical power supply will be able to cope with the challenges posed by new weather phenomena for many years to come. Comprehensive forecasts have mapped the impact of Photo: Lars Kruse It is no easy task for researchers to predict the European energy situation up to 2100. They have to feed enormous amounts of climate and consumption data into the computer. Two huge servers have to crunch through no less than 60,000,000 megabytes each time a simulation is run. P 62 CLIMATE & ENERGY CONTACT Assistant Professor Mahdi Abkar; abkar@eng.au.dk Computer models to make wind turbines and wind farms far more efficient Wind turbines have now reached the pinnacle of how much energy they can pull out of the air. But an enormous amount of energy still lies hidden in w CLIMATE & ENERGY 63 Photo: Lars Kruse Assistant Professor Abkar in front of modern three-bladed windmills. That turbine technology is fully mature, and changes yield only very limited effect in relation to energy production. Yet there are still huge benefits to be gained, if we can design a wind 64 CLIMATE & ENERGY Renewable energy from floating flywheel Better magnets will help to store fluctuating energy from solar cells and wind turbines in flywheels. The process may help to remove one of the major barriers to further increasing the deployment of renewable energy. Energy storage is on Photo: Lars Kruse Advanced and efficient algorithms are needed to calculate the optimal composition of materials for the magnets that keep the flywheels rotating. And making an optimal and durable design requires highly specialised insight into fracture mechanics. The picture shows Søren Peder Mads Hangøvej Campus, Aarhus Photo: Lars Kruse 68 HEALTH HEALTH HEALTH Global demographic development puts considerable strain on health services in all communities. Technology is one of the most important drivers for a health sector that can ensure quality of life for even more of the worlds population. In the years ahead, engineers will be involved in develop 70 HEALTH project facts TITLE Structural, functional and clinical characterisation of anaphylactic IgE antibodies to the alpha-Gal epitope SCHEDULE 2015-2018 FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK DKK 2.5 million Independent Research Fund Denmark PARTNERS University Giessen CONTACT Associate Professor Edzard Spillne HEALTH 71 Photo: Lars Kruse Researchers have discovered a new approach for antibody-based treatment of allergy and asthma. It is a breakthrough that could have a major impact on development of new medicine in years to come. The photo shows Edzard Spillner and his research group. Once the IgE on 72 HEALTH New connective tissue for the pelvic floor Researchers at Aarhus University have got stem cells to form new connective tissue by giving them scaffolding materials to work on. There are great perspectives for treating tissue injuries such as prolapse of the reproductive organs in women. HEALTH 73 Photo: Maria Randima Menglin Chen is the principal architect behind the new nanofibres that can be used as scaffold for stem cells in the body. no complications: preferably something that supports the patients own tissue. Itd be brilliant if we could get the patients own connective tis 74 HEALTH project facts TITLE: 3D Nano-biointerfaces Capture Circulating Tumour Cells for Metastasis Prognosis and Modelling SCHEDULE 2017-2019 FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK DKK 2.6 million (Danish Council for Independent Research) PARTNERS Aarhus University Hospital CONTACT Assistant Professor Menglin Chen HEALTH 75 Photo: Lars Kruse Perhaps it doesnt look much like high technology. But it is. Researchers use electrospinning to design nano fibres. Now they want to develop a mesh that can filter out tumour cells circulating in the blood. The photo shows Menglin Chen and Mathias Lindh Jørgensen. Som LED brain implants to fight Parkinsons disease Aarhus University researchers have launched a multi-million euro project that aims to use wireless micro-scale implants inside the living brain to cure movement disorders using LED light. With a European Union (EU) grant of more than DKK 28 million, re TITLE STARDUST PARTNERS Humboldt University of Berlin (Germany), University College Cork (Ireland), National Centre for Scientific Research CNRS (France), Vlaams Institute for Biotechnology VIB (Belgium), Biomodics ApS (Denmark), Spinverse Innovation Management OY (Finland), Federal University of 78 HEALTH New earplug will tell us more about sleep disorders By inserting a small computer in the ear, researchers can wirelessly monitor brain activity while we are asleep. They are now conducting a comprehensive clinical study to find new answers to how doctors can optimise treatment of sleep d HEALTH 79 Photo: Lars Kruse Monitoring brain activity through the ear can give doctors completely new insight into the phenomenon of sleep. Professor (Docent) Kidmose is behind technology that in years to come will have a major impact on diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from sleep di 80 HEALTH Gel technology to minimise the risk of premature birth Premature birth is the most common cause of death among infants worldwide. Danish researchers are therefore working on a very special project that will make it possible to identify women at risk long before their child is born. Appr HEALTH 81 Photo: Lars Kruse project facts TITLE Gel for ultrasound imaging PARTNERS Aarhus University Hospital Randers Regional Hospital Massachusetts Institute of Technology Associate Professor Mogens Hinge from the Department of Engineering at Aarhus University and PhD Student and doctor Christ 82 PRECISION AGRICULTURE PRECISION AGRICULTURE PRECISION AGRICULTURE 83 How do we ensure sufficient quantities of healthy food and clean water for a growing global population? This is one of the most acute challenges faced by the global community. At a research level, engineers are working on finding new technological solutions to ensure that 84 PRECISION AGRICULTURE Laundry washing air: new technology to significantly limit emissions from animal housing Researchers are close to a copper-based solution to significantly limit sulphur emissions and odours from animal housing. The new technology could have a major impact on the environmen TITLE ECOMETA (Emission Control: Methods and Technologies for Agriculture) FINANCIAL FRAMEWORK DKK 17.4 million Innovation Fund Denmark, Grand solutions SCHEDULE 20172020 PROJECT PARTNERS SEGES Agrifarm Innovation Aps Infuser Aps Wagening Livestock Research CONTACT: Associate Professor Anders Feilbe 86 PRECISION AGRICULTURE Agriculture contributes to the atmospheres sulphur content For the first time, researchers can determine the atmospheric content of sulphur caused by animal manure. A new study demonstrates that hydrogen sulphide from animal manure accounts for about one third of the total PRECISION AGRICULTURE 87 Photo: Melissa B. Kirkeby Yildirim Associate Professor Anders Feilberg climbing the towers of the air scrubber that uses copper ions to remove hydrogen sulfide from the air. increase the focus on reducing sulphur emissions from livestock production. The studies demonstra 88 PRECISION AGRICULTURE A watchful eye on the self-driving tractor Researchers have equipped a self-driving tractor with stereo vision and artificial intelligence, so it can very accurately identify foreign objects in the field and thereby significantly increase safety. At Aarhus University, far PRECISION AGRICULTURE 89 Photo: Lars Kruse Peter Christiansen (left) and Mikkel Fly Kragh have trained a computer to register hazards on a field and then send a message to the tractor about the most appropriate speed and direction . In the long term, the same method could also make driverless car 90 KEY FIGURES KEY FIGURES 175 154.5 TOTAL ENG TURNOVER (M DKK) 157.2 143 150 Based on annual FC3 budget 119 125 104 90 100 75 75 50 25 0 EXTERNAL FUNDING TOTAL (M DKK) 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 100 2016 2017 91.4 Based on annual FC3 budget 78.5 71.1 61.4 49.0 50 24.8 29. 91 KEY FIGURES PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS PER VIP 7 6.1 6 7.3 2016 2017 6.5 4.9 5 4 7.5 4.0 4.3 3 2 1 0 ENGINEERING PHD STUDENTS 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 67 70 60 60 52 50 70 45 46 2011 2012 55 40 30 20 10 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2817 ENROLLED ENGINEERING ST Katrinebjerg Campus with the University Park and Navitas in the background. Photo: Jørgen Weber Luftfoto YK SA 61 TR 8 94 1 G N R . 54 - Profile 2018 was printed with vegetable-based inks on Munken Polar paper at a press certified by the Nordic Ecolabel. The paper is made of wood from FSC-certified forestry and other certified sources. DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING, PROFILE 2018 Produced by: Department of Engineering, March 2018 Editors: Kim Harel, Jesper Bruun, Heidi Søndergaard, Thomas Skjødeberg Toftegaard, Mette Stig Hansen Design & layout: Astrid Friis Reitzel, AU Research Support and External Relations Photos: Lars Kruse, Anders CONTACT Department of Engineering Science and Technology Aarhus University Inge Lehmanns Gade 10 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark eng.au.dk