Breathing space – smart parking policies improve city dwellers’ lives

Sustainable, smart parking plans offer city dwellers cleaner air and greener spaces. © Patryk Kosmider, Shutterstock.com

EU-funded researchers have put in place smart parking set-ups that offer residents across Europe cleaner air, more greenery and space to play. By Helen Massy-Beresford When the makeover of Piazza del Popol Giost is completed this December, residents of Reggio Emilia will find themselves strolling through a tree-lined, pedestrianised square that until recently was just … Read more

Sky high – Europe’s first drone cargo airline gets ready to take off

Drones can make air freight cheaper and remote areas more connected. But tracking them will be key. By Tom Cassauwers When brothers Svilen and Konstantin Rangelov first set up a small start-up called Dronamics in their native Bulgaria in 2014, their ambition was to democratise cargo deliveries in Europe and make affordable next-day delivery of packages a reality … Read more

Advanced manufacturing revs up in Europe with 3D printing

3D printing is set to revolutionise European manufacturing, producing complex, multilayered components for everything from toys and cars to wind turbines and satellites. By Anthony King If 3D printing makes good on its promise, it will fundamentally change the way things are manufactured. And it could also become everyone’s best friend. Just imagine if for … Read more

Winds of change – the new tech steering commercial shipping towards a more sustainable future

Cargo ships and cruise liners may soon be harnessing the power of wind and waves to reduce their carbon emissions thanks to EU-funded researchers. By Tom Cassauwers In August 2023, a five-year old cargo ship, Pyxis Ocean, made history when it set sail from Shanghai, China, heading towards the southern Brazilian port of Paranaguá. A … Read more

New aerospace and building materials could repair themselves thanks to fungi and bacteria

EU-funded researchers are using biological matter to create unique new materials that can adapt to their environment and repair themselves. By Michaela Nesvarova The science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke famously said that ‘any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ For Dr Kunal Masania, an associate professor of aerospace structures and materials at the … Read more