ENG Profile 2019

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ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 By Assistant Professor Marcelo Dias, Aarhus University, and Daniel Rayneau-Kirkhope from Aalto University. From hierarchical architectures to complex composites, natures inventive use of geometry yields remarkable functionality from some rather unremarkable construction materials. This same control of geometry alongside a mastery of mechanics is used to transform elastic failure into a crucial ingredient in the inner working of plants and organisms. Nature employs elastic instability so that large-scale motions can be triggered by the smallest and most specific stimuli. The Venus flytrap is perhaps the bestknown example of this design philosophy swelling induces an elastic instability that allows its leaves to snap between two stable configurations. Using this snap-through behaviour, the plant moves quickly to capture its prey, allowing for the slow process of digestion to begin. It is only recently that designers have started to use loss of structural stability in a similar manner. From merely being a mode of failure, buckling has become an increasingly well-trodden route to introducing novel functionality in the design of man-made structures and materials on many different length scales. From buckliphobia to buckliphilia A powerful example of this paradigm is the use of buckling to turn simple geometries into mechanical machines: buckling-unbuckling transitions in a hollow spherical shell can be used to create thrust in spherical swimmers in very viscous fluids. It was found that the asymmetry of geometries in the process of buckling and unbuckling allows for a net thrust to be created by cycling through these geometries while the structure is immersed in liquid. Clearly, harnessing structural instability for a useful end has a parallel with the design principle observed in nature. In some cases, however, there is a deeper connection: the use of buckling as a control method for flow rates in a microfluidics device is a case where direct inspiration has been taken from nature, resulting in a functional man-made device. The giraffes long neck poses a unique problem in the control of blood flow to the animals brain. In order to maintain proper blood flow and pressure, both when the animals head is raised and lowered, the jugular vein collapses to restrict flow. This system was used as inspiration for a device that responds to a macroscale force input regulating fluid flow via elastic instability; such a system can be used to divert fluid from regions of low stress to regions of high stress. Demanding materials applications require human ingenuity to go beyond the ordinary mechanical properties stemming from the molecular composition; we can now design structural responses that are imparted from the geometry of the building blocks in materials known as mechanical metamaterials. Symmetry breaking in the transition to the post-buckling regime and, more generally, deformations that result from mechanical instabilities can allow an extra degree of freedom for the designer: by programming a predetermined motion into the component parts, one can generate unprecedented mechanical properties including negative compressibility (meaning a material will get shorter under tension), negative Poissons ratio (or auxetic materials), and materials that under load exhibit pattern transformation or shape reconfiguration. In the future, these material properties may be useful in designing mechanical sensors, auxetic fasteners, shock absorbers and actuators. Built through buckling The functionality of natural materials is significantly expanded by the adoption of buckling-driven morphing within an architecture. However, there is another equally profound way in which nature uses elastic instability that we are only beginning to use in man-made structures. In nature, buckling is also used as a fundamental ingredient in the fabrication of functional architectures. Two prime examples of this construction strategy come from within our own bodies: elastic instability plays a fundamental role in the creation of the characteristic geometry observed on the surface of 49 the human brain and gut. Both these architectures serve specialised functions within the body. The fold patterns in the brain are essential in fitting a large cortex in our skull, giving greater potential for information processing, while the increased surface area created by the architecture of the gut is important in the effective adsorption of nutrients. The appearance of the brain, with its convoluted pattern of sulci and gyri, and the small intestine wall with small finger-like villi are strikingly different in form and scale, however these architectures are generated in a similar fashion: a differential growth rate creates an energy landscape inducing buckling of the system, which in turn creates the desired geometry. Creating complex architectures in the lab Man-made structures utilising elastic instability as a route to complex architectures are fewer in number than their morphing counterparts, though they do exist. Buckling has recently been used as the driving force behind the creation of a self-assembled, stretchable electronics device utilising micro and nanofibres. Using pre-strain as a critical ingredient in a fibre-substrate system, two-level wave-like geometries have been created where the substructure is a result of elastic instability; this use of instability makes the fabrication of the system much more straightforward than competing systems. This hierarchical, self-similar geometry allows for the creation of ultra-stretchable structures, with possible strain values of up to 250 per cent. Systems of this nature have clear potential for applications in wearable electronics, novel sensors and bio-integrated devices. The authors are of the opinion that the use of buckling in the fabrication of novel geometries is currently under-utilised. The importance of geometry in fields such as adhesion, super-hydrophobicity, optics and structural optimisation cannot be underestimated; the use of elastic instability as a means to create novel, intricate geometries in a cheap, scalable manner has enormous potential to open new avenues for investigation. DEPARTMENT OF ENGINEERING RESEARCH EDUCATION IMPACT RE-INVENTING AN 80-YEAR-OLD REVOLUTION The ordinary bendy straw is one of historys first examples of universal design. Now researchers are bringing the invention into the future. DAILY MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION 2019 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 3 Engineering a better world Since pre-industrial times, engineers have been frontrunners in the technological revolution. With their solid technical insight and deep theoretical understanding, they have bridged the gap between research and real life. No other discipline has such a strong link betw 4 CONTENTS 26 16 52 8 22 40 AU RESEARCHER RECEIVES AWARD FOR PIONEERING RESEARCH ON ALLERGY TREATMENT BLOG: THE CLIMATE WONT WAIT FOR THE CHEAPEST SOLUTION NEW RESEARCHER PAVES THE WAY FOR TERAHERTZ TECHNOLOGY AT AARHUS UNIVERSITY 10 TAMING THE BEAST Scientists are working hard to curb the 5 50 66 82 MACHINE LEARNING EXPERT GRANTED THE ØRSTED AWARD RAISING DANISH DRONE RESEARCH TO NEW HEIGHTS 52 68 DEATOMIZING THE WEB: TACKLING THE BOTTLENECK OF FAST COMPUTING Access speed is rapidly becoming a growing concern for many major IT companies around the world Computer technology T Photo: Maria Randima 6 AU Engineering, Campus Navitas, Aarhus ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES Biological Engineering Chemical Engineering Civil Engineering Architectural Engineering Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering Mechanical Engineering 7 Photos: Peer Klercke AU researcher receives award for pioneering research on allergy treatment Associate Professor Edzard Spillner and his research group at the Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, are the first in the world to unravel a laboratory method that can turn off allergies. ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 Every year, the Astma-Allergi Danmark organisation awards the Grethe Stampe Award to a researcher, in recognition of a special contribution to allergy research. In 2018, Associate Professor Edzard Spillner received the prestigious award for his work to describe mechanisms o Photo: Lars Kruse TAMING THE BEAST Scientists all over the world are working hard to curb the rapidly increasing energy consumption of the internet. But even the best efforts in the world are leaving us at just break even. 12 EMNE WERE WORKING HARD JUST TO PREVENT THE WHOLE THING FROM BLOWING UP Traffic on the internet has increased a thousand-fold since 2000. The number of devices connected to the net has increased dramatically, and the future only offers more of the same. All this requires energy. Masses of energ ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY Project title: INCOMInnovative Solutions for Next Generation Communications Infrastructure Investment from Innovation Fund Denmark: DKK 60 million Total project budget: DKK 100 million Duration of the project: 3 years Partners (alphabetically): Accelink 14 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY The internet is growing so explosively that if we were to do nothing, in 10 years the energy cost of running the internet would double the global carbon footprint Associate Professor Martijn Heck that is also scalable and energy-efficient, Associat Photo: Lars Kruse 16 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY The future is self-driving, but autonomous transport is about much more than just making sure that vehicles keep to the road and do not run into pedestrians. What happens when we move away from the well-defined road ways cut through the landscape by ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY Project title: Next Generation NATO Reference Mobility Model, NG-NRMM. Partners: Canada Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Germany Italy Netherlands Poland Romania Slovakia South Africa* Turkey United Kingdom United States * Not a NATO member Contac 18 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY tire size and pressure, or the right caterpillars for the future off-road vehicles, taking into account the conditions they are to move in. He has spent three years working with NATO, including the United States Army, to develop, test and apply accu ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 19 Photos: Ole Balling Following a visiting faculty research stay in the Spring 2016 at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at California Institute of Technology Ole Balling and his team decided to participate as a software developer in collaboratio DEEP TECH EXPERIMENTAL HUB On 14 December 2018, the new 2,100 m2 Deep Tech Experimental Hub research facility of Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, officially opened. So far, the facility boasts one of the largest indoor drone cages in Denmark, a climate lab, an engineering makerspace, ex Photo: Jesper Bruun BLOG: The climate wont wait for the cheapest solution (This blog post was previously published in the Danish newspaper Altinget) On 29 June 2018, the Danish Government concluded a new energy agreement with all parties in Parliament. The agreement marks a new chapter for integration of the electricit Photo: Lars Kruse Photo: Lars Kruse When talking about green energy, its common to link it to large batteries to save power for days when there is no wind. This thinking arises from a narrow and misguided belief that energy and electricity are the same Associate Professor Gorm Bruun Andresen ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 By Gorm Bruun Andresen Associate Professor, Department of Engineering, Aarhus University The energy agreement primarily concentrates on the cheapest solutions. However, global warming wont wait for the cheapest solution, and only a drastic reduction in global CO2 emissions Mimicking nature to produce green chemicals using the power of light Nine universities across Europe are working together to produce green, sustainable and biodegradable chemicals using light as the fuel and generating absolutely no waste at all. Photo: Melissa Bach Yilderim Photo: Melissa Bach Yilderim ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 GREEN TECHNOLOGY Associate Professor Selin Kara is leading work package No. 3 of the Horizon 2020 project that could be ground-breaking for an industry that today belong amongst the most polluting in the world. What if you could create 100 per cent biodegradable plastic a Aarhus University invests heavily in new master of science in engineering programmes in 2019 Read article here Photo: Lars Kruse ONLY ONE-THIRD OF THE WORKING HOURS IN CONSTRUCTION ADD VALUE Photo: Anders Trærup Theres plenty of money to save through better planning and management in construction. The major new research project ReVALUE concludes that 1/3 of the work on a construction site is a pure waste of time. Its not because the builders arent doing anything though. 34 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 FUTURE CONSTRUCTION Massive rewards from better management in construction Better planning and management in renovation projects could save society an annual DKK 3,300 million (EUR 450 million). This is one result from the ReVALUE research project at Aarhus University, ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 FUTURE CONSTRUCTION 35 Its not because the builders arent doing anything. Theyre working hard and have great professional pride, but a lot of their time is wasted PhD Student Hasse Neve Great potential even with small initiatives Overall, the project concludes that about 36 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 Researcher behind a new building survey: Youll be happier if you work smarter (This article was previously published in Fagbladet 3F) There can well be a certain scepticism among seasoned construction workers when Hasse Neve from the university shows up on site to look ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 37 the companies using lean processes also have a high level of productivity. At a time when demand for labour in the construction industry is a major issue, reducing wasted time and improving productivity are becoming ever more important. And the increased productivity Integrated chips are becoming ever smaller, requiring less and less energy. This evolution has unlocked a plethora of possibilities for engineering researchers to explore, research, design and implement novel electronic devices with small energy budgets. Miniaturized wearables and implantable electr Photo: Lars Kruse Here, PhD student Amon Rashidi, whos part of the Integrated Circuits and Electronics Laboratory at Aarhus University, adjusts the position of a piezo crystal in a experimental setup, designed to explore the feasibility of using piezoelectric-powered microLEDs for optogenetic neura Terahertz: New researcher paves the way for special light technology at Aarhus University Pernille Klarskov Pedersen is a new assistant professor on the photonics line at the Department of Engineering at Aarhus University where, among other things, she will conduct research into the solar cells of Photo: Lars Kruse Contact: Pernille Klarskov Pedersen Assistant Professor klarskov@eng.au.dk Photo: Lars Kruse ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 WORK WITH US The Department of Engineering at Aarhus University cooperates with a wide range of organisations and companies on research and development projects. For example, we help large and small businesses to join the Industry 4.0 wave, we establish innovative partnersh THE MULTI-STABILITY OF UNIVERSAL DESIGN 80 years ago, a screw and a piece of dental floss revolutionised an invention dating back more than 5,000 years. An international team of scientists and engineers are now taking this invention a step further. Photos: Lars Kruse 46 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 ADVANCED MATERIALS The very simple idea the thing that wasnt really appreciated before was that pre-stress in the structure is actually the source of the multi-stability of the device Assistant Professor Marcelo Dias Arguably the most significant technological achie Photos: Lars Kruse Even though bendy straws are used by people all over the world, no one has ever looked more closely at why the straw stays in whatever orientation it is placed by bending its corrugated part, says Assistant Professor Marcelo Dias. We tracked down the history of the straw and the 48 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 BLOG: Built on instability This blog post was previously published in Nature. See full length blog post here: ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 By Assistant Professor Marcelo Dias, Aarhus University, and Daniel Rayneau-Kirkhope from Aalto University. From hierarchical architectures to complex composites, natures inventive use of geometry yields remarkable functionality from some rather unremarkable construction ma Photo: Lars Kruse Machine learning expert granted the Ørsted award Associate Professor Alexandros Iosifidis from the Department of Engineering at Aarhus University received the Hans Christian Ørsted Forskerspirer Award 2018 for his scientific work on signal processing and machine learning. ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 Associate Professor Alexandros Iosifidis recieved the prestigious H.C. Ørsted Forskerspirer price 2018. Alexandros comes from Greece and he has been in Denmark for just one year. His knowledge about the great Danish scientist and philosopher Hans Christian Ørsted is sketch Short fact: Access speed is becoming a growing concern for many major IT companies around the world. Amazon actually measured the projected cost of slower speed. Just a change of 100 milliseconds could cost them billions in revenues, simply because customers become agitated over slower speed and can Photo: Jesper Bruun Photos: Peer Klercke. Instead of simple compression, its more about how to manage the data. How we can exploit the characteristics of different types of data to be able to compress it dramatically Associate Professor Daniel Enrique Lucani Rötter ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 55 We just need a sort of index of how the picture is built up. Like the instructions for a Lego kit. A detailed list of how to put the picture together with bits from other pictures, says Associate Professor Daniel Lucani Rötter. 1,100,000,000. Thats Photo: Lars Kruse DANISH PHD STUDENT TO HELP CHINA WITH GREEN POWER Denmark has long been at the forefront of renewable energies and their system integration. Danish energy research is now helping China plan its transformation to a 100 per cent renewable power system. 58 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 GREEN TECHNOLOGY Over the past twenty years, the two-digit annual growth of the Chinese economy has led to enormous increases in energy demand and consequentially air pollution due to the heavy dependence on coal-fired power plants. Now, Danish energy expertise is help Photos: Lars Kruse Thursday 31 January 2019, at exactly 13:00, Aarhus University entered the line of universities in the world that have a satellite in space. Delphini-1 was deployed from the International Space Station, ISS, into its orbit. Master of science in engineering Kåre Jensen helped construct the satellite. Photo: NASA and NanoRacks The exact moment, AU-satellite Delphini-1 was deployed from ISS. Photo: Lars Kruse THE HUNT IS ON: USING MACHINE LEARNING, WERE LOOKING FOR COMPLETELY NEW ANTIBIOTICS IN NATIONAL PARKS In about 20-30 years, bacterial resistance will be so serious that it will cost more lives than cancer, even in the West. This is the gloomy prophecy from the World Health Organiz 64 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 HEALTH More than 25,000 Europeans die prematurely every year as a result of infections caused by bacteria that have developed resistance to antibiotics. These infections could previously have been cured, but now the pathogenic bacteria have mutated and developed resist ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 HEALTH 65 Background Antibiotics are molecules which either inhibit or kill microorganisms. The best known antibiotic is penicillin, which was discovered by accident in 1928 at St. Marys Hospital in London. The bacteriologist Alexander Fleming was experimenting with petri New associate professor will raise Danish drone research to new heights Dr. Erdal Kayacan from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore is a new associate professor at the Department of Engineering in Aarhus University. The main focus of Kayacans research is guidance, navigation and control of Photo: Lars Kruse Contact: Erdal Kayacan Associate Professor erdal@eng.au.dk Photo: Jesper Bruun The strange case of bored piles Since 1977, Danish standards for foundations have been extremely restrictive with regard to using bored piles as foundations for buildings and other structures. But are bored piles really as inefficient as the standards imply? A new research proje 70 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 FUTURE CONSTRUCTION Theres long been general agreement that this matter needs looking into. Its time for us in Denmark to get to the heart of the matter PhD Student Jannie Knudsen In 1971, construction commenced on a 292-metre-long and 13-metre-wide bridge flanked by ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 FUTURE CONSTRUCTION 71 Bored piles: Usually established by drilling a lined hole in the ground, in which the piles are reinforced and cast with concrete in situ. The lining is usually removed at the same time as the casting takes place. On 8 February 1972, the day before Photos: Peer Klercke 5,000 KM OF HIGH-TENSION GRID TO BE DISRUPTED A new Danish research project will save millions on inspecting high-tension cables. The goal is for autonomous swarms of drones to cut costs by 95 per cent. 74 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 MACHINE INTELLIGENCE Our task is to look at communication between the drones, so that we can make an autonomous swarm of drones that can work together. You let them loose, and then they have to be able to work together on their task without human intervention Associate ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 MACHINE INTELLIGENCE 75 Photos: Peer Klercke The project aims to shave off 95 per cent of the high-tension cable inspections, that today is done by helicopter. can use for the project, he says, and then gives an example: pictures, recharge, and then fly home when theyv MILLIONS FOR PURELY ORGANIC It may well be a nice idea to buy organic, but you can never be sure that the products you buy really are 100 per cent organic. A large new EU project is tackling this problem by making organic farms more organic. Photo: Peer Klercke 78 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY Organic isnt just organic. In fact, there can be considerable variation in just how organic an organic product really is. The fact is that organic farms throughout Europe are not actually 100 per cent organic. They may well not spray crops with pest ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY 79 Photos: Peer Klercke The new project has partners from all over Europe, and Senior Researcher Claus Grøn Sørensen anticipates, the project will contribute to fewer foreign agents in organic farming. Sulphur is often used in orchards because it is Photo: Lars Kruse Over the past 50 years, Danish and foreign sows have developed significantly in terms of size and number of piglets per litter. Productive sows today have up to 18 piglets per litter almost twice as many as just a few decades ago. During gestation, the many embryos generate addit 82 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 HEALTH New consultation table makes difficult conversations with patients easier A Danish study has highlighted a number of problems and possible solutions for consultations between physicians and cancer patients. Now, researchers have designed an interactive table tha ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 HEALTH 83 We shape technology, and technology shapes us: in particular in our social relations. We must therefore make sure that progress is based on a deep insight into what it means to be human. Otherwise, we risk failing. This is a perspective in engineering research t RE-Invest: Generating cheap green electricity is no longer the challenge Denmark is set for 100 per cent independency from fossil fuels by the year 2050. That transformation will not be easy, and scientists are working hard to model the transformation to a brandnew energy grid, coupling electricity Photo: Lars Kruse Title: RE-Invest Renewable Energy Investments Strategies A two-dimensional interconnectivity approach Schedule: 2017 2021 Financial framework: DKK 27 million, Innovation Fund Denmark Partners: Aalborg University Stanford University Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies Østfo A treasure hunt for something that can really make a difference Bachelor of science student in Biotechnology Marie Tvilum on why she chose engineering as her career path. Read on here: Photo: Martin Gravgaard 88 ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 HEALTH Huge international interest in new Danish heart valve treatment Together with physicians from Aarhus University Hospital, researchers from the Department of Engineering have developed and characterised a gentle method to fracture old heart valve implants and mak ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 HEALTH 89 Photo: Lars Kruse Researchers fracture heart valves with small high-pressure balloons in the laboratory. The photo shows (from left) Professor Jens Erik Nielsen-Kudsk, Aarhus University Hospital and Peter Johansen, Associate Professor, Department of Engineering Photo: Lars Kruse ENVIRONMENTAL PIONEER TO STRENGTHEN AU RESEARCH ON GREEN FARMING He became a professor in 2005. He defended his doctoral dissertation in 2013. Now, Sven Gjedde Sommer has started on the next chapter in his quest for green livestock production in Denmark. Photo: Lars Kruse ENGINEERING PROFILE 2019 There was no such thing as sustainability back in the 1960s, when Professor Sven Gjedde Sommer was a boy on Funen. Back then sulphur soap from dry cleaners caused foam in watercourses, and industry discharged waste water directly into the sea. And the environment debate rag 94 KEY FIGURES KEY FIGURES TOTAL ENG TURNOVER (M DKK) 192.6 200 Based on annual FC3 budget 175 154.5 157.2 143 150 119 125 104 90 100 75 75 50 25 0 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 97.9 EXTERNAL FUNDING TOTAL (M DKK) 100 91.4 Based on annual FC3 budget 78.5 71.1 6 95 KEY FIGURES PEER REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS PER RESEARCHER 7.5 8 7 6.1 7.3 6.4 6.5 6 4.9 5 4.0 4.3 4 3 2 1 0 ENGINEERING PHD STUDENTS 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 67 70 2017 2018 70 71 2017 2018 60 60 52 50 2016 45 46 2011 2012 55 40 30 20 10 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 A major new research project will revolutionise production of ammonia, which is an essential ingredient in fertilisers. At the same time, the project will demonstrate the potential of ammonia as the future carbon-free fuel. Read the article here: Photo: Anders Trærup YK SA 61 TR 8 98 1 G N R . 54 - Profile 2019 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 2019 Produced by: Department of Engineering, March 2019 Editor: Jesper Bruun Design & layout: Astrid Friis Reitzel, AU Research Support and External Relations Photos: Lars Kruse, Melissa B. Kirkeby Yildirim, Maria Randima, AU Research Support and External Relations CONTACT Department of Engineering Science and Technology Aarhus University Inge Lehmanns Gade 10 DK-8000 Aarhus C Denmark eng.au.dk