Videos

One in 100 people suffer from a chronic heart condition. For example, their heart beats too fast even at rest, leaving these patients completely exhausted. Fortunately, surgery can help, but the procedure is risky and can lead to damage to the heart. To eliminate this risk, Rani Kronenberger (VUB) and her colleagues turn to 3D printing ...

Your next job or loan application might well be assessed by AI. But what if this AI is biased, and wrongly reasons that women are not fit for the job or singles should not get a loan? Carmen Mazijn (VUB) created a technique to detect discriminatory AI models.

Imagine a world where planes aren't just checked, but they can actually tell us how they're doing! VUB researcher Zoé Jardon wants to turn this dream into reality by developing smart metal parts. Such smart components can tell by themselves if they are in good condition or not, and inform us about a problem and where it is occurring.

Sujith Reddy is working on perovskites, a promising new solar cell technology that captures more sunlight and costs less than conventional solar cells. Sounds great, right! But there's a catch: these perovskite solar cells ironically tend to break down when exposed to ... light. Sujith wants to uncover the mechanisms behind this degradation in order to improve perovskites and to use them on a larger scale.

The year is 2040. A drone just landed on your doorstep, delivering your favorite pizza, which you just ordered a few minutes ago. 🍕 😋 What a time to be alive right?! To make this scenario a reality, Adnan Albaba (Imec - VUB) is working on radar technology to make self-navigating drones.

Did you know that the earth is continuously monitored to detect clandestine nuclear weapons testing? Unfortunately, hospitals and other civilian installations throw a spanner in the works. These also emit radioactive xenon gas in very small & harmless quantities, but this turns out to be enough to disturb the detection. Christophe Gueibe explores how to help solve this problem so that we can better detect clandestine nuclear weapons tests.

In the last decade, wildfires peaked at record numbers in different countries across the world. These fires destroy houses and burn down forests, but they also have other important 'unseen' effects. "Smoke from wildfires leads to high air pollution, which is associated with short and long-term risks, such as respiratory and cardiac diseases", as Leonidas Leiva explains. He's working on new materials to recognize, capture and neutralize these contaminants.

Did you know that we can build bridges out of concrete with a 3D printer? Yet, this promising technology still faces challenges before it can reach its full potential and be widely used in construction. VUB researcher Yanjuan Chen explains what these challenges are and how she's working to help overcome them.

We've all seen images of spectacular collapses of large structures, such as the Morandi Bridge in Genoa. What if we could prevent the failure of structures such as bridges, dams, and wind turbines by ... listening to these structures? That's exactly what engineer Maximillian Weil (VUB) is working on. Listen to him talk about good vibrations.

Smartphones, laptops, electric cars, ... We simply cannot live without batteries. But did you know that in 5 years' time the demand for batteries is expected to be 15 times higher than today? But instead of producing 15 times more batteries, wouldn't it be better to meet the demand by making more powerful batteries? That is why Ahmed Shafique is working on a new generation of batteries: lithium-sulfur batteries.

"As researchers, we are not lucky enough to have the budget to crash hundreds of vehicles to test a new technology." So how can researchers test whether a new tiny semiconductor is safe to use in electric vehicles? For this, Sajib Chakraborty (VUB) developed a digital twin. A what? Watch the video to find out more.

Did you ever enjoy a nicely packed fruit salad with an easy-peel lid? It's a beautiful display of packaging technology: the packaging is strong enough to protect your food, yet at the same time very easy for you to open once you want to dive in. Bram Bamps (UHasselt) explains how he optimizes heat-sealing packaging to keep our food safe and to ensure long shelf life.