In May 2011 the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation (ATF) granted DKK 49 million to a consortium of three universities and six Danish companies for a 4-year research project on DEAP technology - Highly efficient low cost energy generation and actuation using disruptive DEAP technology. With the ATF grant, the total budget adds up to close to DKK 100 million.
The research project is to further develop the innovative DEAP (Dielectric Electro Active Polymer) technology – through thorough research in the properties of DEAP materials – and to demonstrate the technology’s potential in some exciting practical applications such as:
- New types of loudspeakers
- Ultra compact and energy efficient valves
- Improved wave machine design
The consortium is headed by Danfoss PolyPower – and at the core of the project is research carried out by Associate Professor Anne Ladegaard Skov, Assistant Professor Anders Daugaard and their team at the Danish Polymer Center (DPC) at DTU Chemical Engineering. This research is described in Optimizing Polymer Properties.
On 7 and 8 February 2012 the project’s 50 members strong research team met at DTU for a first symposium – sharing latest news and results and giving a general status of the project. The symposium was opened by Project Manager Jens Juul Yde of Danfoss PolyPower, who stressed the importance of the symposium in sharing results and knowledge across the various research teams.
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CEO with Danfoss PolyPower, Michael Hamann, compared the potential of the DEAP research project with the work of H.C. Ørsted in 1820 on electromagnetism – drawing a parallel between Ørsted’s unlocking of the electromagnetic forces with the research project’s unlocking of the electrostatic forces.
Michael Hamann sees a great potential in DEAP technology, envisioning the technology applied in a large variety of products in the future, including but not limited to intelligent clothes and robot technology.
Michael Hamann also labelled today’s researchers as pioneers of the DEAP technology, each contributing to the quantum leap in performance needed to release the full potential of the technology.
Photo: Michael Hamann (left) and Jens Juul Yde |
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Carsten Orth Gaarn-Larsen, MD at the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation (ATF), stressed the importance of genuine and dedicated collaboration. Gaarn-Larsen acknowledged that the sharing of information – and potential intellectual property – is a tough issue. However, ATF experience shows that projects based on sharing, dialogue and trust between the partners have superior chances of success.
The purpose and the goals of the ATF is vividly described in this video - A World of Opportunities:
Source: YouTube / The Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation
Further Readings
Ruling the Waves - one of the research teams includes the application of DEAP technology in Wavestar’s wave machine.