The brown scent of coffee: Doctoral student investigates the language of smells

Can you smell it too, the brown scent of coffee or the black odour of smoke? Julia Salzinger is a doctoral student at the Department of English and American Studies at the University of Klagenfurt and is investigating the expressions we use to describe smells in English.

Read more

New patent for mini-helicopters that can operate autonomously for several days in a row

Drones that can monitor environments such as nature reserves for weeks on end, are no longer a far-off prospect: At the initiative of the California Institute of Technology, or Caltech for short (Pasadena, USA), five researchers, including three from the University of Klagenfurt, have now applied for a new technology patent in the USA.

Read more

Delivery robots on sidewalks and autonomous vehicles: Research project for optimised supply chains in cities

Empty trucks are stuck in traffic jams and people use cars to drive to parcel lockers: Urban supply chains have a lot of potential to be made more sustainable and efficient. This is particularly noticeable in the run-up to Christmas, when more goods and parcels than usual are in circulation. A research project is now set to develop new optimisation tools.

Read more

The Dunning-Kruger effect and the muesli bar: Those who know the least tend to believe they are highly competent

The Dunning-Kruger effect can be observed in many different areas: Those who know the least often think of themselves as particularly competent, while those with a lot of knowledge tend to underestimate their own expertise. A research team recently investigated the extent to which this phenomenon can be observed in the area of media and nutrition. The results are clear: Even when it comes to evaluating a supposedly healthy low-carb bar, people who are not competent at all consider themselves to be particularly competent.

Read more