Research
How can renewable electricity be used all year round?
Research
PSI
The federal government’s Energy Strategy 2050 envisages a substantial expansion of photovoltaic systems. But where will the electricity come from when the sun isn’t shining? The solution could be hydrogen.
DeepBreath: Using deep learning to identify respiratory disease
Research
EPFL
A new AI algorithm developed at EPFL and University Hospital Geneva (HUG) will power an intelligent stethoscope - Pneumoscope - with the potential to improve the management of respiratory disease in low-resource and remote settings.
How much microplastics is there in Swiss rivers and lakes?
Research
Empa
Plastic particles less than five millimeters in size, also known as microplastics, often settle far away from their point of origin. Empa researchers have now developed a model that can be used to calculate the concentration of microplastics in Swiss lakes and rivers.
Our visual perception is more rational than we think
Research
ETH Zurich
Our visual perception depends more strongly on the utility of information than previously thought. This has been demonstrated in a series of experiments conducted by researchers at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. Cognitive biases can begin at the retina.
A furnace for safe timber buildings
Research
ETH Zurich
Timber construction is undergoing a renaissance in Switzerland. ETH researchers at the Hönggerberg campus are using a fire simulator to test timber components for the construction of buildings of all sizes. The custom-built oven permits simulations of realistic fire scenarios.
Storms 2022 – Minor damage, no fatalities
Research
WSL
Floods, debris flows, landslides and rock falls caused damage of around CHF 45 million in 2022 - ten times less than in 2021. There were no fatalities. This is the result of the annual evaluation of the Swiss flood and landslide damage database by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL).
Researchers unveil first Chat-GPT-designed robot
Research
EPFL
EPFL researchers have used Chat-GPT-3 to develop a robotic gripper for harvesting tomatoes, in a first demonstration of the artificial intelligence tool’s potential for collaborating with humans on robot design.
EPFL scientists unlock new horizons for cryogenic microscopy
Research
EPFL
EPFL scientists have developed a new research instrument for observing biological tissue samples prepared using a method discovered about forty years ago by Nobel Prize winner Jacques Dubochet, emeritus professor at the University of Lausanne. Their instrument – the only one of its kind in the world – opens up promising new avenues of research.
“Sea ice and snow act like a protective shield”
Research
WSL
8 June is World Oceans Day. The SLF is also conducting research in the ocean, namely on sea ice. In a short interview Ruzica Dadic, head of the research unit Snow and Atmosphere at the SLF, talks about the motivation for and the goals of these studies.
Rethinking wastewater management
Research
ETH Zurich Eawag
Sewer systems and centralised treatment plants are not a sustainable solution for managing the world’s wastewater. Environmental engineers at ETH Zurich and Eawag have been helping to develop decentralised, closed-loop modular systems.
A contested resource
Research
ETH Zurich
The expansion of hydropower generation often leads to conflicts of interest, both in Switzerland and beyond. Researchers from ETH Zurich are trying to find a basis for compromise that serves the public interest.
Take a deep breath
Research
ETH Zurich
Pulmonary surfactant is a special fluid released by cells in the lungs. For premature babies and COVID-19 patients in intensive care, it can mean the difference between life and death. An ETH materials scientist hopes to shed some light on this complex substance.
A world in flux
Research
ETH Zurich
Heavier rain, longer droughts, melting glaciers: climate change has a dramatic impact on the global water cycle.
Traces in the water
Research
ETH Zurich
How we are contaminating our waters with microplastics and a multitude of chemicals.
PSI researchers use extreme UV light to produce tiny structures for information technology
Research
PSI
Researchers at PSI have refined a process known as photolithography, which can further advance miniaturisation in information technology.
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