Presented at the 11th International Conference on ICT in Education, Research and Industrial Applications: Integration, Harmonization and Knowledge Transfer Lviv, Ukraine, May 14-16, 2015. Author supplied: Abstract. User requirements and low-cost small quantity production are new challenges for the modern manufacturing industry. This means that small batch sizes or even the manufacturing of one single product should be affordable. To make such a system cost-effective it should be capable to use the available production resources for many different products in parallel. This paper gives a description of the requirements and architecture of an end-user driven production system. The end-user communicates with the production system by a web interface, so this manufacturing system can be characterized in terms of cloud comput- ing as the implementation of manufacturing as a service, abbreviated to MaaS.
With the world facing an ecological crisis, Hindus are challenged to reflect on the ways they impact their environment. The last few decades witnessed a rise of theological reflections on Hindu traditions—especially scriptures and concepts (not least by western scholars)—that advocate environmentally friendly perspectives. This stands in sharp contrast with the multiple examples of how Hindu ritual practices cause harm to the environment. Ganesha Chaturthi is a festival that due to the public element of immersion of Ganesha idols, has led to severe pollution of waterbodies. Because of the attention that has been paid to this lately, the festival now calls for ecofriendly alternatives. This article analyses how recently, environmental awareness is ritualized and materialized in the festival of Ganesha Chaturthi. For this, fieldwork was conducted during Ganesha Chaturthi in Chennai and Mumbai in 2022. The focus of the article lies on the ecofriendly material and ritual innovations of the festival—for instance the variety of Ganeshas made of biodegradable materials—and the dynamics of interaction with (alleged) traditions to validate a Green Hindu identity in general and the development of a Green Ganesha in particular.
The development of the World Wide Web, the emergence of social media and Big Data have led to a rising amount of data. Infor¬mation and Communication Technol¬ogies (ICTs) affect the environment in various ways. Their energy consumption is growing exponentially, with and without the use of ‘green’ energy. Increasing envi¬ronmental aware¬ness has led to discussions on sustainable development. The data deluge makes it not only necessary to pay attention to the hard‑ and software di¬mensions of ICTs but also to the ‘value’ of the data stored. In this paper, we study the possibility to methodically reduce the amount of stored data and records in organizations based on the ‘value’ of informa¬tion, using the Green Archiving Model we have developed. Reducing the amount of data and records in organizations helps in allowing organizations to fight the data deluge and to realize the objectives of both Digital Archiving and Green IT. At the same time, methodi¬cally deleting data and records should reduce the con¬sumption of electricity for data storage. As a consequencs, the organizational cost for electricity use should be reduced. Our research showed that the model can be used to reduce [1] the amount of data (45 percent, using Archival Retention Levels and Retention Schedules) and [2] the electricity con¬sumption for data storage (resulting in a cost reduction of 35 percent). Our research indicates that the Green Ar¬chiving Model is a viable model to reduce the amount of stored data and records and to curb electricity use for storage in organi¬zations. This paper is the result of the first stage of a research project that is aimed at devel¬oping low power ICTs that will automa¬tically appraise, select, preserve or permanently delete data based on their ‘value’. Such an ICT will automatically reduce storage capacity and reduce electricity con¬sumption used for data storage. At the same time, data dispos¬al will reduce overload caused by storing the sa¬me data in different for¬mats, it will lower costs and it reduces the po¬tential for liability.
In greenhouse horticulture harvesting is a major bottleneck. Using robots for automatic reaping can reduce human workload and increase efficiency. Currently, ‘rigid body’ robotic grippers are used for automated reaping of tomatoes, sweet peppers, etc. However, this kind of robotic grasping and manipulation technique cannot be used for harvesting soft fruit and vegetables as it will cause damage to the crop. Thus, a ‘soft gripper’ needs to be developed. Nature is a source of inspiration for temporary adhesion systems, as many species, e.g., frogs and snails, are able to grip a stem or leave, even upside down, with firm adhesion without leaving any damage. Furthermore, larger animals have paws that are made of highly deformable and soft material with adjustable grip size and place holders. Since many animals solved similar problems of adhesion, friction, contact surface and pinch force, we will use biomimetics for the design and realization of the soft gripper. With this interdisciplinary field of research we aim to model and develop functionality by mimicking biological forms and processes and translating them to the synthesis of materials, synthetic systems or machines. Preliminary interviews with tech companies showed that also in other fields such as manufacturing and medical instruments, adjustable soft and smart grippers will be a huge opportunity in automation, allowing the handling of fragile objects.
Green Hydra main scope is to improve policies from 10 regions of different types and levels - national, regional or local - to establish support initiatives and measures for opening the access of SMEs to green H2 development projects, from research programmes to development strategies, awareness-raising schemes, and pilot investments especially focused on involvement of SMEs across the whole hydrogen value chain, including R&D, engineering, manufacturing, consultancy, human resources upskilling and design.The specifc objectives are:- probing the conditions for using green H2 in the key sectors involving SMEs- identifying the potential key factors to activate the involvement of SMEs around the green H2 value chain- supporting for the creation of a production chain involving SMEs- developing new skills, knowledge and communication for green H2 for SMEs- easing SMEs access to fi nance in the fi eld of green H2- upscaling innovations for SMEs related to green H2 products and services
Cities, the living place of 75% of European population, are crucial for sustainable transition in a just society. Therefore, the EU has launched a Mission for 100 Climate-Neutral Smart Cities (100CNSC). Construction is a key industry in making cities more sustainable. Currently, construction consumes 50% resources, uses 40% energy, and emits 36% greenhouse gasses. The sector is not cost-efficient, not human-friendly, and not healthy – it is negatively known for “3D: dirty, dangerous, demanding”. As such, the construction sector is not attractive for educated and skilled young professionals that are needed for the sustainable transition and for resolving the housing crisis. In contrast with the non-circular designs, materials and techniques that are still common in the construction industry, some other industries and fields have cultivated higher standards for sustainable products, especially in clean and efficient assembly and disassembly. Examples can be found in the maritime and off-shore industry, smart manufacturing, small electronics, and retail. The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS) aims to become the leader of a strong European consortium for preliminary research to develop knowledge that is needed for the upcoming Horizon Europe proposal (within Cluster 4, Destination 1 - Re-manufacturing and De-manufacturing technologies) in relation with the EU Mission 100CNSC. The goals of this preliminary research are: (a) to articulate new concepts that will become an input for a new research proposal and (b) to organize a high-quality European consortium with high-quality partners for a lasting collaboration. This preliminary research project focuses on the question: How can the construction sector adopt and adapt the best practices in assembly and disassembly from other industries –including maritime, manufacturing and retails– in order to enhance circular urban construction and renovation with an active involvement of educated and skilled young professionals?
