Research

How do you calculate the coordinated movements of two robot arms so they can accurately guide a highly flexible tool? ETH researchers have integrated all aspects of the optimisation calculations into an algorithm. The hot-wire cutter will be used, among other things, to develop building blocks for a mortar-free structure.

The European research initiative BATTERY 2030+ is now getting going. The ambition is to make Europe the world leader in the development and production of the batteries of the future. These batteries need to store more energy, have a longer lifetime, and be safer and more environmentally friendly than today’s batteries in order to facilitate the transition to a climate-neutral society.

Process Engineer Adriano Joss from Eawag water research institute has been working for many years on wastewater treatment plants and the removal of micropollutants from water. Together with Ralf Kägi, Head of the Eawag Particle Laboratory, he has compiled the current status of knowledge on microplastics. In an interview, he presents the most important findings. We have recently posted detailed information on the website “Microplastics in the environment”.

Summer series: A calling for research. Initially, the dynamic, Danish-born Anders Meibom, a professor at EPFL’s Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry since 2012, was not the slightest bit interested in corals. Now he studies them, a loaf of homemade bread always close at hand.

Efforts are being made worldwide to combat the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Vaccines and protective masks are of prime importance. Empa researcher Peter Wick, Head of the Particles-Biology Interactions Laboratory in St. Gallen, talks to Empa Quarterly about recent antibody studies, which are crucial for the development of a COVID-19 vaccine, and the next generation of textile protective materials that inactivate or even kill corona viruses.

Researchers from EPFL's Photonics Systems Lab have come up with a way of reconfiguring microwave photonic filters without the need for an external device. This paves the way for more compact, environmentally friendly filters that will be more practical and cheaper to use. Potential applications include detection and communications systems. The researchers' findings have recently been published in Nature Communications.

The warm, dry summer of 2018 has left clear traces in various ecosystems. ETH Zurich researchers have found that if the climate continues to warm up, higher altitudes can also expect negative consequences in the future.

EPFL researchers, working at the boundary between classical and quantum physics, have developed a method for quickly spotting molecules with particularly interesting electron properties.

NASA’s InSight mission provides data from the surface of Mars. Its seismometer, equipped with electronics built at ETH Zurich, not only records marsquakes, but unexpectedly reacts to solar eclipses as well. When the Martian moon, Phobos moves directly in front of the sun, the instrument tips slightly to one side. This miniscule effect could aid researchers in determining the planet’s interior.

With climate change, summers in Switzerland will become hotter and drier, like those of 2003 and 2018. A research team led by the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL) has for the first time mapped the stress behaviour of beech trees in increasingly dry conditions. In soils that can store only small amounts of water and dry out quickly, beeches will be more likely to desiccate as the climate changes.

EPFL scientists propose that periods of unconscious processing—during which the brain integrates information—precede brief moments of consciousness.

Researchers from Agroscope, Eawag and ETH Zurich have developed a method for the comprehensive detection of organic pollutant residues in soils and sediments. Initial results show that, in addition to known substances, there are also a number of substances detected for the first time.

A joint study by EPFL, the Idiap Research Institute and the University of Lausanne’s Institute of Psychology has provided us with a unique snapshot of how Swiss residents experienced the partial lockdown measures resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The findings include gender disparities, doubts about the future and hopes for change.

The latest university ranking from Times Higher Education (THE) puts ETH Zurich at 14th place in a worldwide comparison. It thus retains its position as the best university in Switzerland. The University of Oxford remains the world leader.

A PIN code is usually required at the checkout when paying large sums by credit card. Researchers from ETH Zurich have now discovered a flaw in the security system of some credit cards.