Dutch at vanguard of high technology

As a number of leading multinationals in the field of technology have located in the Netherlands, a great deal of research and development is carried out, relating in particular to chemicals, food and drink and electrotechnology.

The agricultural sector also has a long tradition of technological research. Much research and development, relating, for example, to harbor and dredging technology is conducted for the transport sector and for flood defense purposes.

A great deal of high-level commercial expertise is development and traded in the Netherlands, as witness the number of patent applications Dutch institutes and businesses submit in other countries.

This number is, relatively speaking, appreciably higher than that of other European Union countries. The Netherlands has built up an extensive knowledge infrastructure to maximize the application potential of newly developed technologies. There is a "knowledge broker" located in every region who helps companies to find the right technology or the right people to work with.

Aviation headgear

One such technological advance has been made by the TNO Human Factors Research Institute, which has developed a method whereby the auditory safeguarding properties of aviation headgear can easily be monitored without the helmet having to be modified before measurements can be carried out. Modifications would jeopardize the correct fit.

Although one of the special features of aviation headgear is its auditory safeguarding properties, helmets are sometimes used in such a way that an "acoustic leak" develops at the headphone. TNO has developed a way of using the telephones incorporated into the helmet as air pressure sensors.

The pilot dons the helmet in the normal manner. The audio cable (and thus the headphones in the helmet) is then attached to a measuring instrument (a signal level indicator). A broadband noise is produced at the pilot's head which the telephones in the headphone convert into an electrical signal which is then measured by the signal level indicator.

By comparing the results with a measurement taken on an empty helmet, the degree of noise reduction can be established. TNO has applied for a patent for its new method.

Bicycle to go

Gijs Industrial Design Engineers, Amsterdam, has developed a fold-up bicycle geared entirely to the requirements of today's cyclist. The Tango, or "car bike", recently won first prize at the annual European Bicycle Design Contest.

Like the car, the bicycle is a lifestyle product, and actually deserves more status than it currently has. The Tango is a bike to be seen with. When folded, it looks like an ingeniously flat parcel. In three easy moves, the handle bars, saddle and wheels are in place. The bicycle is fitted with a single power unit which houses the chain and the gear hub, making loose cables, rusty chains, faulty lights and constantly defective brake cables things of the past. The rear wheel can be simply clicked off. With this clever fold-up systems, the Tango can be easily tucked away in the trunk of a car.

Pests away

Ecogen, a sister company to Bergwerff Koel-en Luchttechniek BV in Numansdorp, has devised an environmentally friendly solution for the problem of pests in such stocked products as cocoa, flour, tobacco and grain.

The standard pesticide used to be harmful methyl bromide. The new system is based on a patented generator which produces inert gas. Inert gas is an anoxic gas containing only nitrogen and carbon monoxide as remaining components. Because insects, and their larvae and eggs, need oxygen to survive, they gradually die due to the lack of oxygen.

As in the method involving methyl bromide, the stocked products are packed in airtight foil, and the oxygen is flushed out of the sealed batches. After a while, the environment beneath the foil becomes anoxic. The temperature is then raised to about 30 degrees Celsius, which is the point at which the gas exchange rate inside the insect eggs increases.

The faster exchange of gases speeds up oxygen deprivation of the eggs. Each type of insect has its own ideal ambient temperature. Ecogen refined its method by carrying out exhaustive tests using reference samples, so that the company can now adapt the system to the temperature appropriate to each batch and type of pest. Either a mobile or stationary installation can be used.

Transsolar, in Heiloo, has launched onto the market an air- conditioning system that operates on solar cells. Called Bunny Airco, the new system is based on a principle developed earlier by Transsolar: a refrigerator powered by solar energy for use is a caravan, pleasure boat or beach house.

The system consists of a highly efficient compressor that can run on 12 volts and which can thus be fed by solar panels. In comparison to systems currently available, the system needs only half the amount of electricity to produce the same level of cooling capacity. The Bunny Airco can be installed on the roofs of campers and trucks, and can also be used for other applications. Electricity is supplied by batteries that can be recharged by solar panels when stationary and by the engine when driving.

Transsolar has now developed a version for ships that is cooled by water and so uses less energy.