ETH News

Hydrogen-powered planes are set to take wing around the world in the future. To make this possible, engineers have to develop the jet engines that will power them. Experiments by researchers at ETH Zurich are now providing the necessary basis for making these engines powerful and durable.

Steering and navigating manual wheelchairs on pavements costs wheelchair users a lot of energy and places a strain on their joints. Two ETH employees have discovered a brilliant and simple solution that they are now developing further to bring to market.

While living matter can advance technology and render human activities more efficient and eco-friendly, the way in which we currently fabricate materials containing living cells is far from sustainable. Miriam Filippi calls us to rethink our biofabrication practices.

This year’s European Hyperloop Week is being held in Zurich. Student engineering teams will present their prototypes to a jury and compete against each other in different categories. ETH Zurich is represented with the Swissloop project.

ETH professor Mirko Meboldt helps Swiss SMEs find the right technology to tackle the challenges they face. His early prototypes give companies a solid basis for decision-making – and the confidence to take things further.

Racing cars, robots, aircraft: Bachelor’s students in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering spend two semesters working on a project in teams. They will be presenting their results on 28 May 2024.

Instead of burning coal or oil to produce cement or steel, in the future solar energy could be used for this purpose. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a thermal trap that can absorb concentrated sunlight and deliver heat at over thousand degrees Celsius.

As part of the SpaceHopper project, ETH Zurich students are developing a robot that can navigate very low gravity environments using a jumping-like mode of locomotion.

The quadrupedal robot ANYmal went back to school and has learned a lot. ETH Zurich researchers used machine learning to teach it new skills: the robot can now climb over obstacles and successfully negotiate pitfalls.

A new Master’s degree programme in Space Systems will be launched at ETH Zurich in autumn 2024. Interested parties can start applying in April.

For her doctoral project at ETH Zurich, Sabrina Badir developed a device that determines the risk of premature birth. Today she is the CEO of spin-off Pregnolia, and her certified measuring device is being used in more than 20 clinics and medical practices.

Marianne Schmid Daners was already fascinated by the human-technology interface when she worked as a registered nurse. Since graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering and a doctorate in biomedical engineering, she has been developing biomedical devices for the treatment of heart failure and hydrocephalus.

ETH student Luca Hasler has developed a new set of handlebars for parathlete Flurina Rigling. After clinching two world championship titles, she now aims to qualify for the 2024 Paralympics in Paris.

ETH is offering a new continuing education programme in the serviceability and repairability of buildings and products. The CAS is backed by an architect, a product developer and a production technologist.

ERC Synergy Grants have been awarded to Barbara Treutlein from the Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering and Nicolas Noiray from the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, together with their European partners.

For the first time, a team of students from ETH Zurich is taking part in the renowned World Solar Challenge. Will they be able to keep up with the world’s best?

ETH spin-off Gaia Tech transforms waste from olive oil production into high-quality antioxidants for use in cosmetics or food. This turns waste into valuable raw materials.

An ETH Zurich architectural centrepiece – the machine laboratory– has been renovated. The historically significant machine hall has been extensively restored to its original condition. The renovation provides ETH with additional space for research and teaching.

Swiss engineers are training legged robots for future lunar missions that will search for minerals and raw materials. To ensure that the robots can continue to work even if one of them malfunctions, the researchers are teaching them teamwork.

Bachelor’s students at ETH Zurich were given a year to turn their original ideas into finished products. ETH News presents videos of two of these projects.

For minimally invasive surgery, the instruments used must be small. ETH Zurich researchers have now developed a method to transport large devices through a narrow catheter. This expands the possibilities for designing minimally invasive surgical tools.

Robots that can perform guarding tasks and overcome obstacles have already been seen in films such as the Pixar animation "Wall-E ". This film is set 800 years in the future. But similar robots are now becoming reality.

Until now, microscopic robotic systems have had to make do without arms. Now researchers at ETH Zurich have developed an ultrasonically actuated glass needle that can be attached to a robotic arm. This lets them pump and mix minuscule amounts of liquid and trap particles.

A special year is soon coming to an end. In 2022, much has been researched, developed and invented at ETH Zurich. ETH News looks back on an eventful past year.

Researchers from ETH Zurich have developed a new transparent gold nanocoating that harnesses sunlight to heat the lenses of glasses, thereby preventing them from fogging in humid conditions. This coating could potentially also be applied to car windshields.

ETH Zurich researchers have developed a structure that can switch between stable shapes as needed while being remarkably simple to produce. The key lies in a clever combination of base materials.

The four-seater electric aircraft “e-Sling”, which was developed by ETH students, has taken flight for the first time. The student project has taken two years and a lot of dedication.

Eight ETH students are working on battery and hydrogen versions of an electric aircraft as part of the e-Sling focus project. For the past year, their lives have revolved around Hangar 3 at the Innovation Park Zurich in Dübendorf.

ETH alumnus Christoph Rennhard runs a company that develops precision machines for the global market. The keys to his success are technical expertise, customer orientation and talented staff – plus the ability of his SME to respond faster than big corporations.

In this year’s innovation projects, ETH students had to develop an engineering kit that can be used to spark adolescents' interest in engineering.

ETH News has been videoing three student teams working on focus projects. One of these is the Sowa team.

The robotic explorer GLIMPSE, created at ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich, has made it into the final round of a competition for prospecting resources in space. The long-term goal is for the robot to explore the south polar region of the moon.

Focus projects allow mechanical and electrical engineering students to put what they have learned into practice. ETH News accompanied three student teams with a video camera – one of which was the “Raptor” team.

ETH spin-off Climeworks is specialised in technology that filters CO₂ directly from the air. The company secured CHF 600 million in investment in its latest equity round, allowing it to invest in new large-​scale air capture facilities.

"Where the future begins" is the name of ETH Zurich's new image film. Based on six projects, it provides a look behind the scenes and highlights how ETH Zurich is tackling the big questions. The new film was produced by Seed, the same agency that realised the successful ETH trailer "Ready?" five years ago.

Swissloop Tunneling, a team of students from ETH Zurich and other universities, has won second place in a tunnelling competition hosted by Elon Musk in Las Vegas. Their tunnelling machine has also won the Innovation & Design Award.

ETH Zurich spinoff, Verity AG deploys a new fleet of drones primed to transform warehouse operations and support more sustainable supply chains. Demonstrating the value of fundamental research and its potential for a real-world impact.

As part of the focus projects, mechanical and electrical engineering students have developed solutions for the challenges of the future. In teams, they spent two semesters developing new technical approaches for their respective projects. The “IGNIS” and “e-Sling” teams presented here are just two of this year’s many notable focus projects.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a condenser for countries where water is in short supply. Theirs is the first zero-energy solution for harvesting water from the atmosphere throughout the 24-hour daily cycle. It relies on a self-cooling surface and a special radiation shield.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed fluorescent polymers whose colour can be easily tuned. Depending on their length, the polymers emit a different colour. Potential applications include biomedicine, security printing and solar energy.

ETH researchers are among the first scientists to have succeeded in propelling microvehicles against a fluid flow using ultrasound. In future, these tiny vehicles are set to be introduced into the human bloodstream, thereby revolutionising the field of medicine.

More and more ETH Zurich researchers are taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. By launching spin-offs, they hope to turn their lab findings into solutions that can help stem the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide.

An extraordinary year is drawing to a close. ETH News takes a look back at the highlights that emerged amidst difficult and unsettling times, at ingenious ideas, fascinating science and solidarity in action during – and despite – the coronavirus pandemic.

Engineers from the ETH Feasibility Lab are working together with the ICRC to develop a prosthetic leg that allows easy replacement of its wearing part. This prolongs the service life of the prosthesis. In the future, more mine victims could be fitted with a such.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a technique for manufacturing micrometre-long machines by interlocking multiple materials in a complex way. Such microrobots will one day revolutionise the field of medicine.

Swissloop, the team of students developing hyperloop pods, took advantage of the break imposed by the coronavirus to improve the technology even further. Yesterday they unveiled their “research pod”. At its core lies a technologically refined linear motor that will propel future prototypes at even faster speeds.

Leading AI researchers from 30 top institutions across Europe are joining forces to form the European AI network ELLIS. Today, it celebrates its launch, with ETH Zurich as a founding member. The ETH Zurich ELLIS Unit is set on establishing the foundations for reliable and trustworthy artificial intelligence.

ETH scientists have responded to the coronavirus pandemic by developing a low-cost ventilator that should help to alleviate the shortage of such equipment in emerging and developing countries. The Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) is now offering start-up financing for the project enabling production to commence in Ukraine.

ETH researchers have set up a test rig to put newly developed ventilator systems through their paces.

ETH Professor Kristina Shea and her team are busy developing a new ventilator. Their aim is to make it as inexpensive, modular and easy to use as possible – the ideal combination for any country that needs this medical device.

ETH Zurich works closely with ­industry. There is increasing emphasis on ­collaborations with small and ­medium-sized enterprises.

With the help of machine learning, ETH researchers have developed a novel yet low-cost tactile sensor. The sensor measures force distribution at high resolution and with great accuracy, enabling robot arms to grasp sensitive or fragile objects.

On 2 - 3 May 2020, Zurich opens its doors for the second Cybathlon. In this unique championship, individuals with a disability, assisted by cutting-edge technology, come to terms with the challenges of everyday life. Over 90 teams from around the world are battling it out in six disciplines. Swiss radio and television will broadcast the race finals across the nation.

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and ETH Zurich have developed a micromachine that can perform different actions. First nanomagnets in the components of the microrobots are magnetically programmed and then the various movements are controlled by magnetic fields. Such machines, which are only a few tens of micrometres across, could be used, for example, in the human body to perform small operations.

At yesterday’s Hyperloop Competition in Los Angeles, the Swissloop pod achieved a top speed of 252 km/h. The team, comprising students from ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities reached second place.

You can find the answer at Scientifica from 30 August to 1 September. And in our video, which sets the scene for this year's event.

A team of students has been developing and building a rocket for nearly a year. This week they will be competing against some 50 other teams at the Spaceport America Cup 2019 in New Mexico. It’s time to see whether all their dedication pays off as they attempt to shoot their rocket to a height of three kilometres.

An ETH student became fascinated by diving robots while writing his Matura paper. Three years on, with a group of like-minded enthusiasts, he is taking part in one of the largest competitions for underwater robots – the first team ever from Switzerland.

In July, Swissloop, an association of students from ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities, will once again be competing against teams from all over the world at the Hyperloop Pod Competition in Los Angeles. On June 12, the students presented their new pod to the public for the first time.

Whether building an exoskeleton for paraplegics or an autonomous construction robot, the Focus projects are a chance for mechanical engineering students to solve a complex technical challenge. Besides acquiring new knowledge, they also gain soft skills and practise teamwork and work organisation.

On 2 and 3 May 2020 – exactly one year from now – the Swiss Arena will open its doors for the next edition of the Cybathlon. Teams from all over the world are starting their intensive preparations now, so that they will be able to compete in new, even more difficult challenges next year.

Researchers from ETH Zurich want to know what roles artificial intelligence (AI) can take on in self-driving cars. To find out, they are having research teams compete against each other in an international competition with the robot taxi fleets of Duckietown.

In Paolo Ermanni’s laboratory at the ETH in Zurich, the composite materials of the future are developed. By optimizing the core elements of sandwich structures, the researchers create materials that are extremely light, robust and adaptable at once – and thus ideal for aerospace applications.

Students and a doctoral candidate at ETH Zurich have developed a camping stove with the flame on the inside, greatly reducing the negative effects of wind and heat loss. The new design was made possibly by additive manufacturing.

The third Hyperloop Pod Competition in LA saw Swissloop compete against teams from all over the world. Due to a short-circuit, their pod didn't make it into the top three.

Using nothing but 3D printing, scientists have developed a paddling submarine that requires no engine, propellant or power supply.

Some hundred mechanical engineering students working in teams took ideas for new products and developed them from concept to finished product. This year’s focus projects include jumping robots for use in space, medical devices and solutions for tomorrow’s e-mobility.

On 22 July, the best student teams from all over the world will take part in Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Pod Competition in Los Angeles. Swissloop, an association of students from ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities, will be there again – with a new transport capsule. The students aim to use Hyperloop technology to transport goods more quickly and in a more eco-friendly way in the long term.

AMIV, the association for mechanical and electrical engineering students, is celebrating its 125th anniversary next week. ETH News used the occasion to speak to AMIV’s president Aurel Neff about its successes and challenges.

A special joint project between art and engineering has created life – at first glance, anyway. Pathos is developing tools that give art a soul. The latest works created using Pathos technology will be on show at this year’s Art Basel Hong Kong.

Digital fabrication techniques for buildings and breathtaking concrete roofs, a heart made of silicone, and a new degree programme in medicine; in 2017, teaching and research at ETH Zurich were characterised by new ventures and a pioneering spirit.

A bed in which you don’t snore and 20 other ETH Zurich research projects with a practical application – Industry Day 2017 offered these inside views. About 600 people from the business community used the platform to engage in an exchange.

SpaceX held its second Hyperloop pod competition yesterday in Los Angeles. The Swissloop team including ETH students achieved an outstanding third place finish.

Fifty students from ETH Zurich and other Swiss universities want to revolutionise transport. For a race set up by Elon Musk, they have developed a zero emission capsule that could in future transport people and goods through a vacuum tube at almost the speed of sound.

ETH researchers from the Functional Materials Laboratory have developed a silicone heart that beats almost like a human heart. In collaboration with colleagues from the Product Development Group Zurich, they have tested how well it works.

In the focus projects, teams of mechanical engineering students can put their theoretical knowledge into practice and develop new technological solutions independently over the course of two semesters. ETH News caught up with two teams that are developing an innovative wind power plant and an incubator for skin cells.

Developing new things together and effecting change – that's what gets Moritz Mussgnug out of bed in the morning. The mechanical engineer manages to juggle his doctoral thesis with a startup and a project to optimise the production of walnut oil for people in Nepal.

The first ever Cybathlon took place a week ago in the sold-out Swiss Arena in Kloten. Founder Robert Riener takes stock.

The very first Cybathlon in the world took place today. The event was completely sold out: some 4,600 visitors packed into the SWISS Arena Kloten to support the 66 teams from various countries. The pilots pitted their skills in six disciplines and demonstrated most impressively how novel technologies can assist people with disabilities in their daily life.

Biological cells can expand, contract and interact with neighbouring cells. With an advancement in a microscopy technique, ETH Zurich researchers can now readily, directly, and accurately determine which forces are at work during cell motion and where. The technique is used in areas such as cancer research.

At first glance, exoskeletons conjure up images of futuristic robots from science fiction films. But the exoskeleton from the ETH team VariLeg is a real-life aid that could allow people with paraplegia to walk again.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a lattice structure capable of absorbing a wide range of vibrations while also being useful as a load-bearing component – for example, in propellers, rotors and rockets. It can absorb vibrations in the audible range, which are the most undesirable in engineering applications.

A new ETH spin-off, Vir2sense, specialises in the development of virtual testbeds designed to optimise the performance of marine diesel engines. The young entrepreneurs, Christophe Barro and Panagiotis Kyrtatos, hope to sell their product to big shipping companies.

At the Cybathlon, 74 athletes from 25 countries will be showing how robotic technology helps them in their daily lives. In 100 days, the starting gun will be fired on the world’s first trial of bionic strength. The Swiss public broadcaster Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) will incorporate the Cybathlon into a day of themed programming and broadcast the unique competition live.

Creativity, skill and most of all team spirit are what matter in the innovation and focus projects undertaken in the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich. Students spend months working on their technical innovations, which they will present today in the main ETH building.

He develops walking robots that move like living creatures: Marco Hutter is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems and a fellow of the Society in Science. One day his machines might be able to carry out the menial and dangerous work human beings would rather avoid.

Design Thinking is an innovation method that puts people centre stage when developing new ideas. For the first time, ETH Zurich is offering master’s students in any field a course on this approach to innovation.

Just as the size of transistors continues to decrease, laboratories are also expected to shrink until they eventually fit on a chip. ETH Zurich researchers have developed a system of using sound waves to move, merge or sort minuscule droplets with reagents or cells in a controlled manner.

At its meeting of 20/21 March 2015, the ETH Board appointed 12 professors at ETH Zurich in accordance with the application submitted by ETH President Lino Guzzella.  

Next year's Cybathlon will host people with physical disabilities equipped with advanced assistive devices including robotic technologies. The goal of this unique competition is to remove barriers between people with physical disabilities, researchers and the general public and to promote the development of assistive technologies that are useful for daily life. We talked to Robert Riener, the Cybathlon's main organizer and Professor of Sensory-Motor Systems at ETH.

With the help of robots, archaeologists may soon be able to compare their findings with data from thousands of experimental reference samples, enabling them to determine tool use in the Stone Age. ETH scientists have developed a robotic system and presented it at the industry fair in Hanover.

Scientists from ETH Zurich have developed a thermometer that is at least 100 times more sensitive than previous temperature sensors. It consists of a bio-synthetic hybrid material of tobacco cells and nanotubes.

The Robotics Industry Association presents ETH Professor Raffaello D'Andrea along with entrepreneur Dean Kamen one of the robotics industry's most prestigious honours – the 2015 Engelberger Award for Technology. What are the secrets behind his success?

The mechanical engineer Thomas Cooper developed for his PhD thesis a solar power system of cost-effective parabolic trough concentrators coupled to high-efficiency photovoltaic cells. He was awarded the Hans-Eggenberger-Preis 2014.

The popular Treffpunkt Science City is ushering in the new season. From 26 October to 30 November 2014, various events will be held which focus on the theme of ‘high performance’. This is the first summit series under the directorship of Inge Keller-Hoehl, who has taken over from Mercedes Leupp and Rolf Probala.

Undergraduate students from the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT) have once again given their all and in late May will be presenting 11 new projects developed over the past year. ETH News takes a closer look at two of them.

The Citius bob was co-developed between 2007 and 2012 at ETH Zurich, now it is starting again at the Olympics on Sunday. The bob experts at ETH think with significantly better odds than in Vancouver.  

The first car using common rail injection technology travelled on Swiss roads twenty years ago. Engineers at the ETH Zurich played a crucial role in the development of the economical and low-emission diesel engine technology that is widely used today.