Eureka
Vaste column over de productontwerpen van morgen met korte artikelen over nieuwe concepten, prototypes en innovaties.
[Wordt iedere maand gepubliceerd in technologietijdschrift De Ingenieur]
The Inner Beauty and the Story of Josef Ganz
A true icon of the theme of ‘popularising’ is the Volkswagen Beetle. It is a wartime relic of Adolf Hitler’s vision to ‘plaster his great sweeps of motor highways with thousands and thousands of shiny little beetles’, as The New York Times put it in 1938. The Volkswagen is an intrinsic element of The Inner Beauty (2016) by Swiss conceptual artist Rémy Markowitsch. The artwork represents a key point in the life of Jewish engineer Josef Ganz (1898–1967), without whom the Volkswagen Beetle would not exist.
[Gepubliceerd in de catalogus van de tentoonstelling MOTION AUTOS ART ARCHITECTURE van Norman Foster in het Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao]
Maikäfer, Flieg! – The Life and Works of Josef Ganz
Josef Ganz was instrumental in the development of the ‘Volkswagen’ (People’s Car). The revolutionary Maikäfer (May Bug) prototype introduced by Ganz in 1931 included all the technical elements of a “People’s Car”: an engine behind the driver, central backbone chassis, and swing axle rear suspension. This Maikäfer inspired a new generation of car designs which ultimately resulted in the Volkswagen Beetle. Unfortunately, because Ganz was Jewish, the Nazis succeeded in largely erasing his accomplishments and he is relatively unknown today.
[Gepubliceerd in Rare & unique vehicles, volume 2, 2021.]
Sleutelen aan de staat van het klimaat – grootschalig ingrijpen in natuurlijke systemen als laatste redmiddel
Als we de CO2-uitstoot niet snel terugdringen, vormt menselijk ingrijpen in het klimaat – ofwel geo-engineering – voor klimaatpanel IPCC inmiddels een mogelijk plan B tegen schadelijke klimaatverandering. Dit heeft echter nog veel haken en ogen – en wie moet de problemen oplossen als het fout gaat?
[Gepubliceerd in technologietijdschrift De Ingenieur, nummer 10, 2019]
Puinruimen in de ruimte
Inmiddels cirkelen er meer dan 100 miljoen stukken ruimteafval rond de aarde. En die vormen een steeds groter probleem, nu technologiebedrijven meer en meer satellieten lanceren. Technieken variërend van een robotarm tot een harpoen worden onderzocht om dat probleem aan te pakken.
[Gepubliceerd in technologietijdschrift De Ingenieur, nummer 8, 2019]
Een schat aan wrakken – nieuwe technieken helpen onderwaterarcheologen
In de Zwarte Zee werd onlangs ‘s werelds oudste bekende scheepswrak ontdekt: een Grieks schip van 2400 jaar geleden, dat volledig in 3D op hoge resolutie werd vastgelegd. De vondst markeert een technische revolutie in de onderwaterarcheologie.
[Gepubliceerd in technologietijdschrift De Ingenieur nummer 3, maart 2019]
Het wiel opnieuw uitgevonden – naafmotor kampt nog met grote uitdagingen
Article about the technical challenges in the development of in-wheel motors and their potential for application in future electric and hybrid vehicles, published in Dutch technology magazine De Ingenieur, issue 11, 2018
Unlocking the vast potential of solar power
Article about the development of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants using molten salt capsules, including an interview with Dr Dharendra Yogi Goswami, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World, issue 17, 2017
Out of the box – smart dust
Part of a series of articles on moments of serendipity in scientific discoveries, featuring Jamie Link’s accidental discovery of smart dust, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 17, 2017
Historical smart solutions – Drake’s Folly that spurred the oil boom
Part of a series of articles on smart solutions in industrial history, featuring Edwin Drake’s drilling technique using a driving pipe that spurred the North-American oil boom of the 1850s, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 17, 2017
Smart innovations
Column showcasing the latest concepts, prototypes and products for the world of tomorrow, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 17, 2017
Architect Foster pleit voor groene megasteden
Interview with Sir Norman Foster about his views on sustainable architecture, published in Dutch technology magazine De Ingenieur issue 11, 2016
Getting clever about climate change
Article on the sense and non-sense behind geoengineering to combat global warming, including an interview with Professor John Shepherd from the University of Southampton, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 16, 2016
Out of the box – a falling glass flask sparks a safety idea
Part of a series of articles on moments of serendipity in scientific discoveries, featuring Édouard Bénédictus’ accidental discovery of safety glass in the early 20th century, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 16, 2016
Historical smart solutions – crawling through time
Part of a series of articles on smart solutions in industrial history, featuring the technical breakthroughs that led to the success of caterpillar tracks for agricultural and construction work, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 16, 2016
Smart innovations
Column showcasing the latest concepts, prototypes and products for the world of tomorrow, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issues 16, 2016
Out of the box – flexibility without the stickiness
Part of a series of articles on moments of serendipity in scientific discoveries, featuring Charles Goodyear’s experiments with natural rubber and his accidental discovery of the vulcanization process, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 15, 2016
Historical smart solutions – cracking the cracking process
Part of a series of articles on smart solutions in industrial history, featuring the scientific breakthroughs that led to successful development of the cracking process for crude oil, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issue 15, 2016
Smart innovations
Column showcasing the latest concepts, prototypes and products for the world of tomorrow, published in corporate magazine Mammoet World issues 15, 2016
Bouwen met afval
Article about new technologies to turn household waste into building materials, published in VPRO Gids, March 2015 and online at De Kennis van Nu
Zelfstandige zuiger – Dyson werkt aan intelligente huishoudrobots
In-depth article on the development of the Dyson 360 Eye robotic vacuum cleaner and future household robots, including an interview with Sir James Dyson, published in Dutch technology magazine De Ingenieur issue 1, 2015
Koffiekunst – twee boilers must voor espressomachine
In-depth article on espresso machine design, including an interview with Kees van der Westen, published in Dutch technology magazine De Ingenieur issue 12, 2014
