#209 Hollanders Are Imaginative

Not only in economic, do Hollanders also play big role in science. It’s proven by the total of Nobel Prizes they have got since 1901, when Nobel Prizes were first awarded. There’re nineteen awards Hollanders have achieved which make Holland take place as the top ten countries with the maximum number of Nobel Prizes. In the eyes of Hollanders, this is a good start for them to make other inventions because there’re still opportunities to make inventions. Shortly, everything starts from imagination and that imagination is then translated into reality with the help of belief, hard work, and creativity. As we know, Hollanders enjoy innovating and triggering their mind to make amazing invention. Prof.dr.ir. Leo Kouwenhoven, a Dutch nanoscientist in companion with scientists at TU Delft’s Kavli Institute and the Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM Foundation), has just surprised everybody at a scientific congress in February 2012 with his success in detecting Majorana particle. Majorana was first discovered by Italian physicist, Ettore Majorana in 1930s. It’s a particle which has its own anti- particle called as Majorana fermion. Majorana is hugely important in science, as a part of quantum computer, dark matter, and nanowire. Another scientific improvement in Holland is LED light. This is called ‘freestreet’, from Philips, because this is able to fly in order to widen the space for public. This light was first launched in Catharinaplein, Eindhoven in March 2012. Not only flying light created in this country; the development of new vehicle this lately astonishes the world. This innovative new vehicle drives like a car and flies like a gyrocopter, named as PAL- V by Robert Barnhoon and John Bakker. They both have dreamed of creating this vehicle since 1999 and decided to work together developing the concept. There’s a support a support from The Ministries of Economic Affairs and of the Infrastructure and Environment in Holland. They plan to build PAL- V ports where the PAL- V can do taking- off and landing. This pushes improvement of science and technology in Holland better. In addition to understanding of the technologic usage, Dutch people also think of the non- renewable sources. Since those sources are running out, they try to innovate another way to produce energy. That way is to generate electricity from vibrations in road surface works. We know that energy can’t be created and can’t be vanished, but the energy lasts forever and vibration is included to energy. Taw and University of Twente concluded that the vibration is caught by piezoelectric material put on the road surface to generate energy. The energy generated depends on the number of passing vehicles and piezo elements on the road. The more slowly a vehicle moves, the more energy can be generated. The energy is not very much; at least it is enough to satisfy energy need of less energy- requiring devices such as wireless motion sensors. Who knows that there’ll be more creative inventions and discoveries made by Hollanders in the future?

– ditulis oleh Gladis Hutahean