Tormod Njølstad
About
Profile
After several years as associate professor in Electronic Design at IES, Tormod Njølstad left his academic position in 2003 and founded the start-up company New Index AS in Trondheim. The start-up company had disruptive new technology and IPR based on optical sensors, FPGA and pattern recognition, suitable for providing a novel interactive pen for the educational and business data projector markets.
Dr. Njølstad got international experience within advanced product development in this born-global company where world-wide partnership had to be searched for from day one to get market access, and where IPR had to be secured to get funding and recognition. After several intensive years of development and through several international partnering processes, the company was successfully sold and merged with Seiko Epson Corporation in Japan, the largest projector manufacturer in the world, and thereafter constituted their Trondheim-based R&D subsidiary from 2011-2018, in which Njølstad continued as CTO. Several interactive data projector models which are introduced worldwide by EPSON, comprise these pen and finger touch technologies developed and tested in Trondheim in a very close international cooperation with product engineers in HQ in Japan.
In his role as Innovation Manager at IES, Tormod Njølstad may benefit from his entrepreneural background:
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Product development, strategic planning, prototyping and testing, small scale production and volume production.
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Experience from budgeting, competitive analysis and financial forecasting including market evaluations.
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Hands-on knowledge of business start-up, industrial and financial partnering processes, due diligence, technology transfer, intellectual property management, technology development, project management and quality control.
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Many years’ day-to-day experience from product development with and within one of the leading technology companies in Japan.
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Board member experience from private companies.
Research and innovation
Dr.Njølstad has experience from innovation processes in R&D organizations as being one of NTNU’s 15 Innovation Managers from 2018-2022. Njølstad worked in this role with the innovative medical ultrasound research group at Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, and in the SFI called “Centre for Innovative Ultrasound Solutions (CIUS). In this excellent group of engineers and cardiologist, advanced interdisciplinary research within echocardiography has been performed during more than 40 years and have led to important discoveries and inventions rapidly industrialized by key industrial partners, thus enabling better diagnostics and patient care globally.
Dr. Njølstad other recent fields of interests have been digital image processing, machine vision and AI, FPGA based design, low-power design, sensors, optical positioning systems for medical applications, and methods and technologies to accelerate medical ultrasound examinations.
Starting from February 2022, Njølstad is back at IES and will devote his time to the further development of the innovation culture in all groups, and contribute to the strengthening of innovation as a key strategic focus of the department.
Scientific and academic work, and patents
Patents
Njølstad has been single inventor of 13, and co-inventor of 11, of totally 24 patent families.
More about innovation work and products
In a blog article by CIUS from 2018
Selected publications
R. Watn, T. Njølstad, F. Berntsen, J.F. Lønnum, "Independent Clocks for Peripheral Modules in System-on-Chip Design", Proc. SoC'2003, Portland, Oregon, USA, Sept. 17-20, 2003.
Ø. Damhaug and T. Njølstad, “Arbitration And Meta-Stability Management In Globally Asynchronous Locally Synchronous Circuits”, Proc. Nordic Signal Processing Symposium (NORSIG-2000), Hurtigruten Tromsø-Trondheim, Oct. 4-7, 2002.
L. Lundheim, T. Njølstad, O. Tjore, “On the Efficiency of Dynamic Voltage Scaling in a Digital Front End for a Burst-Based Radio Receiver”, Proc. of 1st Mobile Communications Summit, Barcelona, Spain, Sept. 2001.
T. Njølstad, O. Tjore, K. Svarstad, L. Lundheim, T.Ø. Vedal, J. Typpö, T. Ramstad, L. Wanhammar, E.J. Aas, H. Danielsen, “A Socket Interface for GALS using Locally Dynamic Voltage Scaling for Rate-Adaptive Energy Saving”, in Proc. IEEE 14th ASIC/SoC Conference, Washington DC, USA, Sept 2001.
T. Njølstad, Lasse Natvig: "Experience from a 450 Students/Year Course on Digital Logic and Computer Fundamentals using FPGAs and Microcontrollers". In Proc. 2001 IEEE International Conference on Microelectronics Systems Education. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, June 2001.
T. Njølstad and T. Ramstad, ”Low-Power Narrow-Transition Band FIR Filters ”. Proc. Nordic Signal Processing Symposium (NORSIG-2000), Norrköping, Sweden, June 13-15, 2000.
T. Njølstad and E. J. Aas, "Validation of an Accurate and Simple Delay Model, and its Application to Voltage Scaling". Proc. of IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS'98), Vol. II, pages 101-104, Monterey , May 31- June 3, 1998.
Publications
2018
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Njølstad, Tormod.
(2018)
With CIUS at IUS.
Website (informational material)
2002
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Njølstad, Tormod.
(2002)
Introduction to SIE40AA Low Power Digital Design.
NTNU, Institutt for fysikalsk elektronikk
Compendium
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Njølstad, Tormod;
Gjermundnes, Øystein;
Johansen, Tor Magnus;
Watn, Rune.
(2002)
En glup ide blir sjekket ut ved hjelp av FPGA- og microcontroller-basert maskinvare, Kretslaboratorium 2002, SIE4075 Realisering og test av digitale komponenter.
NTNU, Institutt for fysikalsk elektronikk
Compendium
2000
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Njølstad, Tormod.
(2000)
SIE4075 : realisering og test av digitale komponenter.
Institutt for fysikalsk elektronikk, NTNU
Compendium
1999
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Njølstad, Tormod;
Natvig, Lasse;
Tjore, Odd;
Stien, Åge.
(1999)
SIE4005 Digitalteknikk og datamaskiner, Lab. utg.
NTNU
Compendium
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Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
Fag 44044 Kretslaboratorium.
NTNU
Compendium
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Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
Case-study: Liten elektronikkbedrift i Trondheim utvikler digitalt lydinnsamlingssystem - Fag 44044 Kretslaboratorium.
NTNU
Compendium
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Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
Area C. Integrated circuit and technology. Bidrag til WIRACs midtveisrapport, arbeidsområde C.
NTNU
Report
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Kjølaas, K.O.;
Hanebrekke, Håkon;
Njølstad, Tormod;
Pettersen, O.K.;
Ramstad, Tor Audun.
(1999)
Anvendt signalbehandling (ASPIC). Sluttrapport.
SINTEF
Report
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Kjølaas, K.O.;
Ramstad, Tor Audun;
Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
ASPIC, Applied Signal Processing in Communications.
SINTEF, NTNU
Report
1998
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Njølstad, Tormod;
Ramstad, Tor Audun.
(1998)
Loe-power digital filter design.
NTNU
Compendium
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Aaserud, Oddvar;
Aas, Einar Johan;
Njølstad, Tormod.
(1998)
Education in electronics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
[Mangler utgivernavn]
Non-fiction book
Books
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Aaserud, Oddvar;
Aas, Einar Johan;
Njølstad, Tormod.
(1998)
Education in electronics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
[Mangler utgivernavn]
Non-fiction book
Report
-
Njølstad, Tormod.
(2002)
Introduction to SIE40AA Low Power Digital Design.
NTNU, Institutt for fysikalsk elektronikk
Compendium
-
Njølstad, Tormod;
Gjermundnes, Øystein;
Johansen, Tor Magnus;
Watn, Rune.
(2002)
En glup ide blir sjekket ut ved hjelp av FPGA- og microcontroller-basert maskinvare, Kretslaboratorium 2002, SIE4075 Realisering og test av digitale komponenter.
NTNU, Institutt for fysikalsk elektronikk
Compendium
-
Njølstad, Tormod.
(2000)
SIE4075 : realisering og test av digitale komponenter.
Institutt for fysikalsk elektronikk, NTNU
Compendium
-
Njølstad, Tormod;
Natvig, Lasse;
Tjore, Odd;
Stien, Åge.
(1999)
SIE4005 Digitalteknikk og datamaskiner, Lab. utg.
NTNU
Compendium
-
Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
Fag 44044 Kretslaboratorium.
NTNU
Compendium
-
Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
Case-study: Liten elektronikkbedrift i Trondheim utvikler digitalt lydinnsamlingssystem - Fag 44044 Kretslaboratorium.
NTNU
Compendium
-
Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
Area C. Integrated circuit and technology. Bidrag til WIRACs midtveisrapport, arbeidsområde C.
NTNU
Report
-
Kjølaas, K.O.;
Hanebrekke, Håkon;
Njølstad, Tormod;
Pettersen, O.K.;
Ramstad, Tor Audun.
(1999)
Anvendt signalbehandling (ASPIC). Sluttrapport.
SINTEF
Report
-
Kjølaas, K.O.;
Ramstad, Tor Audun;
Njølstad, Tormod.
(1999)
ASPIC, Applied Signal Processing in Communications.
SINTEF, NTNU
Report
-
Njølstad, Tormod;
Ramstad, Tor Audun.
(1998)
Loe-power digital filter design.
NTNU
Compendium
INFORMASJONSMATR
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Njølstad, Tormod.
(2018)
With CIUS at IUS.
Website (informational material)
Media
2019
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Popular scientific lectureLøvstakken, Lasse; Måsøy, Svein-Erik; Søraunet, Arild; Nyrnes, Siri Ann; Rau, Jochen; Njølstad, Tormod. (2019) "Ultralydhovedstaden" (Innovasjonsfrokost). Technoport, Næringsforeningen, Trondheimsregionen og CIUS Populærvitenskapelig frokostseminar med påmelding , Work-work, Munkegata 58, Trondheim 2019-02-28 - 2019-02-28
2002
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Academic lectureDamhaug, Øystein; Njølstad, Tormod. (2002) Arbitration and meta-stability management in globally asynchronous locally synchronous circuits. NORSIG-2002, 5th Nordic Signal Processing Symposium , on board Hurtigruten, Norway 2002-10-07 -
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Academic lectureNjølstad, Tormod; Tjore, Odd; Svarstad, Kjetil; Lundheim, Lars Magne; Vedal, Tor Øyvind; Typpö, Jukka. (2002) A socket interface for GALS using local dynamic voltage scaling (LDVS) for rate-adaptive energy saving. 15th IEEE International ASIC/SOC Conference , RIT inn and Conference Center, Rochester, NJ, USA 2002-09-28 -
2001
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Academic lectureLundheim, Lars Magne; Njølstad, Tormod; Tjore, Odd. (2001) On the efficiency of dynamic voltage scaling in a digital front end for a burst-based radio receiver. 1st IST Mobile Communications Summit , Barcelona, Spain 2001-09-12 -
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Academic lectureNjølstad, Tormod; Tjore, Odd; Svarstad, Kjetil; Lundheim, Lars Magne; Vedal, Tor Øyvind; Typpö, Jukka. (2001) A socket interface for GALS using locally dynamic voltage scaling for rate-adaptive energy saving. 14th Annual IEEE International ASIC/SOC Conference , Arlington, Virginia, USA
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Academic lectureNatvig, Lasse; Njølstad, Tormod. (2001) Experience from a New Course on Digital Logic and Computer Fundamentals at NTNU. Norsk Informatikk Konferanse 2001 , Tromsø 2001-11-27 -
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PosterNjølstad, Tormod; Natvig, Lasse. (2001) Experience from a 450 Students/Year Course on Digital Logic and Computer Fundamentals using FPGAs and Microcontrollers. IEEE 2001 IEEE International Conference on Microelectronics Systems Education , Las Vegas, Nevada 2001-06-18 -
2000
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Academic lectureNjølstad, Tormod; Ramstad, Tor Audun. (2000) Low-Power Narrow Transition-Band FIR Filters. NORSIG'2000. The 4th Nordic Signal Processing Symposium , Kolmården, Sweden, June 13-15, 2000
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Popular scientific lectureNjølstad, Tormod. (2000) Ytelsesbetinget effektreduksjon med vår WIRAC-sokkel: Hvordan synkron designmetodikk og "han Moore" kan utnyttes mer ved VLSI-realisering av DSP systemer. DAK-forum 2000 , Trondheim, 24.-26.oktober 2000
1999
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Academic lectureNjølstad, Tormod. (1999) Hardware realisation: Trends and tools. NORSIG-99, Norsk symposium i signalbehandling 1999 , Norge, 1999
1998
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Academic lectureNjølstad, Tormod; Aas, Einar Johan. (1998) Validation of an accurate and simple delay model and its application to voltage scaling. 1998 IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS'98) , Monterey, California, USA
1996
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Academic lectureNjølstad, Tormod; Aas, Einar Johan. (1996) Power consumption and performance of low-voltage bit-serial adders. IEEE 1996 International Symposium on Circuits & Systems , [Mangler data]