110 histórias, 110 objetos (110 anos do Técnico)

It is a unique “room” in Portugal that, since the 1970s, has shown the concept of artificial silence. Técnico’s anechoic chamber presents itself as if its walls (and ceiling and floor) were acoustically transparent, as they do not reflect sound and sound is lost. The chamber is a kind of fully autonomous parallelepiped isolated from the rest of the building, based on springs anchored to the base of the building. No sound can enter from the outside and there is no reflection or reverberation inside. It has played a fundamental role in the acoustics research area and will remain relevant to the study of acoustic comfort and quality.

• Acknowledgements:
  Bento Coelho
  José Brázio
  José Manuel Fonseca de Moura

Episode only available in Portuguese in: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Anchor.fm

Further reading and additional audio in the Portuguese version of this webpage.

It’s a human boot-shaped exoskeleton that marked Portuguese research at a time when mechanical engineering expertise was put at the service of people with health problems. Designed to find solutions for an ankle pathology – the so-called “numb foot” -, the project funded by MIT Portugal and carried out by Técnico/IDMEC researchers between 2007 and 2013, inspired a whole generation of scientists. It attracted MSc and PhD students at Técnico, and was the starting point of several other national projects on human-machine interaction, as well as medical devices.

• Acknowledgements:
  Miguel Tavares da Silva
  Jorge Martins

Episode only available in Portuguese in: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Anchor.fm

Further reading and additional audio in the Portuguese version of this webpage.

At the beginning of the 1980s, the computerisation of the national electricity grid and its networking was still a mirage. The first step in this technological process is due to a collaboration between Técnico researchers and EDP, which resulted in the substation automation system. It is the consequence of two revolutions: that of microprocessors as the future of the energy sector, and that of assigning universities an important role in the development of industrial technology. The Técnico’s substation automation system and the others inspired by it were integrated into the national electricity grid from 1987 until the early 2000s.

• Acknowledgements:
  José Luís Pinto de Sá

Episode only available in Portuguese in: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Anchor.fm

Further reading and additional audio in the Portuguese version of this webpage.

Today, integrated circuits are everywhere and they are crucial for the operation of various devices in our daily lives, such as alarm clocks, coffee machines, or water heaters, but until 1982 there was not a single integrated circuit made entirely in Portugal. The first one was designed and created by Portuguese Técnico researchers, within the scope of an international project, and their names went down in history (and on a micrometric scale). A new era was beginning in Portugal that coincided with the industry-academia knowledge transfer.

• Acknowledgements:
  Carlos Beltran Almeida
  Moisés Piedade

Episode only available in Portuguese in: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Anchor.fm

Further reading and additional audio in the Portuguese version of this webpage.

The arrival of Sacadura Cabral and Gago Coutinho in Rio de Janeiro on board the “Santa Cruz” aircraft on 17th June 1922, marked one of the most important moments of the Portuguese 20th century. The success of this transatlantic flight was made possible thanks to the vision of Gago Coutinho, who adapted existing sextants and created the “Gago Coutinho’s sextant” in Técnico’s workshops, from 1920 to 1922. The instrument made it possible to create an artificial horizon, which allowed to fine-tune the orientation through innovative and rigorous calculations. It is possible that one or other specimen, built in Técnico’s workshops, lies at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean since 1922. However, it is more likely to see a copy of the sextant in the Lisbon Maritime Museum.

• Acknowledgements:
  Comandante Carlos Valentim
  Jorge Freitas Branco
  Museu de Marinha

Episode only available in Portuguese in: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Anchor.fm

Further reading and additional audio in the Portuguese version of this webpage.