The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched 42 tiny satellites aboard a Vega rocket. It took off from ESA’s launch site in French Guiana on 2nd September local time. One of the launched nanosatellites, PICASSO, carries remote sensing technology developed and built by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. It will be used to take scientific measurements in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

Critical metals and economically significant metals, such as cobalt and nickel, can be recovered profitably from metal refining wastes as well as ores with lower than usual concentrations. This was demonstrated by an EU project coordinated by VTT, which developed new and combined existing recovery methods.

The European Commission has decided to expand the existing photonics pilot-line offering by funding the establishment of MedPhab pilot-line under Horizon 2020, the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation. Photonics is based on combining optics and electronics, and it enables various medical applications from diagnostic devices to instruments for treatment. 

Companies and research institutes involved in the development of electronics and optics will begin co-operation under the leadership of VTT. The objective of the two-year research and development project funded by Business Finland is to create recyclable and compostable electronics and optics that use renewable resources.

The global market for autonomous systems is growing quickly: an estimated €76bn will be spent on robotics by 2025. To keep pace with this development, Finland is launching RAAS, a new innovation ecosystem for autonomous systems. The aim is for RAAS to grow into one of the world’s leading development environments. 

A new sensor fusion technique based on X-ray and 3D imaging promises improvements to the 3D modelling of mineral resources and more efficient sorting of precious metals. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) is coordinating the sensor development process through an EU project called X-Mine in collaboration with businesses, international research institutions and mining lobbies.

  In a H2020-project MIREGAS, Technical Research Centre of Finland VTT and Tampere University of Technology teams with European partners, developed novel components for miniaturised gas sensors exploiting the principle of Mid-IR absorption spectroscopy. In particular.

A Finnish nanosatellite has now reached space equipped with what is reported to be the world’s smallest infrared hyperspectral camera. The photos with infrared data taken from the satellite provide new solutions for monitoring and managing the effects of climate change. 

The robot car Marilyn from VTT is currently undergoing tests on fully autonomous parking in the area furthest from its driver, at a distance of up to 100m. The Internet of Things (IoT) assists the car in finding and driving into a free space. 

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, together with Tampere University of Technology (TUT), has accelerated the development and commercialisation of silicon photonics products as part of the renewal of the Finnish electronics industry. With the help of silicon photonics, companies can develop increasingly compact, more efficient and more affordable products, where optical signals are used for such purposes as precise measuring, laser imaging ...

An ESA project, which involves investigating a new frequency band for next-generation telecommunications, is seeing participation from Reaktor Space Lab and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. As the number of satellites and the speed required for data communications increase, transition to higher frequencies is expected to become a necessity in the near future.

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Streamr have developed a prototype adhesive ID tag based on blockchain technology, which enables valuable goods to be protected without revealing their location. Possible applications include electronics, jewellery and caviar. The tag developed by Streamr and VTT is based on a smart contract, using blockchain technology, between the owner of the goods and the transport company.

VTT's robot car, Marilyn, sees better than humans in foggy, and even snowy, conditions, and can now navigate without stopping – including in bad weather. It can also see a human through fog and avoid accident automatically. This is enabled by the LiDAR mounted on the car’s roof, which can see wavelengths that are beyond the human senses. As the technology evolves, this represents a step towards a safe automated vehicle that is not eve...

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland has developed a miniature gas sensor that can be connected to mobile devices. Gas measurements made with smartphones will make activities such as the detection of internal air problems easier. In addition, sleep quality will be measurable with greater precision, using mobile healthcare applications which gauge carbon dioxide quantities.

Wireless charging will soon be available for more and more mobile phones. VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is working with the industry’s leading technological companies and standardisation bodies to expand the scope of application of wireless charging technology to other, smaller portable devices, such as mobile phone accessories, wrist devices, wireless mice and sensors.