News
An Agrément South Africa certified technology, Hydraform, is changing how the brick industry is manufacturing bricks, one interlocking block at a time. The technology is currently changing lives in Gombani, a small village outside Thohoyandou in Venda, as well as in Northern Uganda. At Gombani village, Hydraform’s interlocking brick building technology was handed over to twelve women, one from each of the families who were trained in block making, by the Department of Public Works for a rural housing project a few years ago. The women in Gombani have since constructed their own houses utilising the Hydraform machine.
The CSIR’s capability to test the performance of military vehicles when detonating a landmine has been significantly enhanced with the updating of the organisation’s crash test dummies. Called anthropomorphic test devices (ATDs), these crash test dummies are used to simulate human injuries suffered as a result of blast events.
The CSIR has completed the first stage leading up to the development of guidelines on how municipalities can adapt human settlements to withstand the impact of climate change.
The risk of sinkholes forming without warning is a concern in many inhabited areas all over the world. A massive sinkhole recently appeared near Danielskuil in the Northern Cape Province. Sinkholes form in areas where soluble rocks below the surface, like limestone or dolomite, are dissolved by water.
CSIR researchers have completed a waste characterisation report for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality that will influence its decision-making regarding waste.
Agrément South Africa (SA), an agency of the Department of Public Works, managed by the CSIR, awarded 38 fit-for-purpose certificates during the 2015/16 financial year following a rigorous process of testing and evaluation.
CSIR researchers in polymers and composites are making strides in the development of bioplastics that will be 100% biodegradable and suitable for recycling. This technology will contribute to the reduction of environmental pollution and could boost local job creation in manufacturing.
In November 2016, seven industry leaders and 19 students from Europe and South Africa participated in a newly developed Antennas for Radio Telescopes course at Stellenbosch University. The course is part of the European School of Antennas’ offering for which the CSIR provided technical, organizational, and financial support. The purpose of the course is to provide broad and detailed insight into specific challenges facing antenna designers and others working in radio astronomy applications.
CSIR Group Executive for Strategic Alliances and Communication, Dr Rachel Chikwamba, was recently appointed to the African Union (AU) high-level committee on Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa 2024 (STISA 2024) and to the South African Medical Research Board.