Named after its major Benefactor, William Chalmers, the Chalmers University of Technology was established in 1829. As one of the directors of the Swedish East India Company in Goteborg, Chalmers has amassed massive wealth from all his work within the company, after which he decided to donate all his estate to the Shalgrenska Hospital in Gothenburg and to the creation of an industry school intended for educating the poor children. Known then as the Chalmersska Slöjdeskolan, this institution opened in Gothenburg in November 5,1829, and became the beginning of what is now one of the only three universities in Sweden to be named after a person. The school was run privately until 1937, when it became a state-owned university. The Chalmers University, as it is also known, was later incorporated in 1994 as an aktiebolag under the control of the government, the faculty, and the student union.
Chalmers University, which focuses mainly on research and education in technology, natural science and architecture, also boasts various departments and notable centers in the key fields of Mathematical Modeling, Environmental Science and Vehicle Safety. The departments established at Chalmers University include, Applied Information Technology, Applied Mechanics, Applied Physics, Architecture, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Energy and Environment, Fundamental Physics, Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Mathematical Sciences, Micro technology and Nano Science, Product and Production Development, Radio and Space Science, Shipping and Marine Technology, Signals and Systems, and Technology Management and Economics.
Early this year, Chalmers University’s Max Ortiz Catalan and Prof. Bo Hakansson have amazed the world when they conducted a demonstration showing an arm prosthesis that can be manipulated by the mind. Anchored to the stump by a titanium screw, the arm shows how the electrodes implanted in nerves and muscles can control and manipulate the arm naturally and effectively. The results of this robot arm experiment allow scientists to fully implement natural control of an advanced robotic prosthesis similar to the motion of a natural arm or leg. The robot arm, according to research, would give hope to people with missing limbs.
