Technologies

Bivalve mollusc shells are made mainly of CaCO₃ (ca 95%), with a small fraction of organic material. If from these shells this mineral is retrieved, they could become a renewable and sustainable “mine” of a “blue” CaCO₃. Bivalve mollusc shells, also after the removal of the animal flesh, maintain a certain quantity of organic substances, part in the muscle and part in the shell.

4Ts Game was born in ITD in 2017 to indicate a board game for teacher training, which aims to develop skills in designing collaborative learning activities. The game was originally conceived as a 'tangible' game, consisting of a board and 4 decks of paper cards which contain inputs that guide the teachers/players' design process. Subsequently the game evolved and was developed in its digital version. In this version, developed in Unity and with an underlying knowledge base in Prolog, the game is able to provide feedback to teachers regarding the design/game choices made.

Leishmaniasis is a zoonosis caused by the protozoan of the genus Leishmania, which affects both humans and animals through a phlebotomist. After malaria and lymphatic filariasis, leishmaniasis is the third most common disease on a global scale. Leishmania infantum is the species spread in the European continent and the Mediterranean basin. In Italy, from the hilly coastal areas and major islands, the infection has spread to many pre-Alpine areas and northern Italy.

B-ME developed the first thermoplastic composite electrode film based on bio-derived and biodegradable polyesters and carbon nano-fibers. It is metal-free, highly electrically conductive and possess good thermo-mechanical properties, a challenging combination of three features in a single product. This is the first-of-its-kind product, as, to the best of our knowledge, no thermoplastic biobased electrode film has been effectively produced and used so far.

Nowadays, to properly design and develop advanced materials capable to preserve for long times their performance under aggressive environments such as power generation plants, renewables, nuclear reactors and electronics of new generation, transport on ground and on space, aeronautics, catalysis, biomedical implants, the optimization of metallurgical processes involved is crucial.

The compact-GC platform is a MEMS-based analytical module for the purge&trap pre-concentration and (gas)-chromatographic separation of a sample. The two analytical MEMS (pre-concentrator and GC column) are interconnected by means of a MEMS microfluidic manifold. The microfluidic manifold interconnects the analytical MEMS, but it also acts as injector through the integrated micro-valves.

CPIAbot is a conversational assistant supporting the learning of Italian L2 for migrants. It has been tested in particular in the context of CPIA - Centri Provinciali per l'Istruzione degli Adulti - MIUR.

The proposed technology is based on the micro-fabrication of electrodes in order to generate surface acoustic waves (SAW) with well-defined frequencies, on piezoelectric substrates. The operating principle of a surface acoustic wave sensor is linked to the variation of the characteristics of the acoustic wave that propagates on the device (e.g. wave velocity on the substrate, etc.) caused by the interaction with the environment (e.g. interaction of an analyte on the surface of the device, deformation of the substrate, etc.).

Molecular doping (MD) is a doping method based on the use of liquid solutions. The dopant precursor is in liquid form and the material to be doped is immersed in the solution. During the immersion process, the molecule containing the dopant atom is deposited on the surface of the material forming a self-assembled monolayer, that is, ordered and compact. Through a subsequent heat treatment, the molecule decomposes and the dopant diffuses.

Our innovative proposal involves an educational robotics training program, resulting from an experimental research that combines traditional educational approaches with the utilization of robotics. Specifically, the educational robot Thymio, developed by EPFL, serves as a facilitator in the learning process to enhance School Readiness.

The insertion of executable programs within QR codes is a new enabling technology for many application contexts in everyday life. Every time Internet access is unavailable, QR code usage is limited to reading the data it contains without any possibility of interaction.

We propose an optical technique for the fast check of the presence, on the exposed surfaces of persons and objects, of explosives and their precursors, or drugs, or in general materials which are not allowed in restricted environments: airports, courts, places of worship, etc. The technique yields bi-dimensional pictures, with exposure time of < 1 sec, reporting the target substances, and their locations and quantities. The technique already provided laboratory preliminary results, to be completed, and fully validated for sensitivity and selectivity.

We propose a portable chemical analysis system capable of identifying chemical substances at trace concentrations (sub-ppm), even in case of a complex matrix of interfering species.

The proposed technology takes advantages of the huge potentialities of the gellan gum microgels in the preservation of cultural heritage. Microgels are polymeric gels particles with the micro and nanoscale size, whose soft nature is due to the presence of the aqueous solvent inside the particle. For their small size, they can easily diffuse in the environment and penetrate in the porous structure of paper and wood to act as cleaner agent.

This technology concerns the development of new eco-sustainable UV physical/mineral filters with the aim of offering important innovations per the cosmetic sector. This, encouraged by European initiatives in the Green-Deal context, is constantly looking for new components with improved protection of the human health and the environment.