ETH News

Taking place for the first time at Cybathlon 2024 is the Assistance Robot Race, with ETH  represented by Team RSL. When paraplegic pilot Sammy Kunz navigates the course, a four-legged robot will be at his side. 

For those with a conventional leg prosthesis, climbing stairs and negotiating uneven terrain are almost insurmountable obstacles. But drawing on ETH expertise, Team Ottobock.X3 has now designed an intelligent prosthesis that helps its wearer move about more freely.

This year’s Cybathlon introduces a new discipline, the Vision Assistance Race. Lining up to go is Team SightGuide – a joint venture between UZH, ZHAW and ETH.

Just last year, the Academic Motorsports Club Zurich AMZ reclaimed a world record title. Now, the student team has wrapped up their Formula Student racing season this year with an unmatched performance that exceeds that of all other student race teams in the circuit.

The exhibition “Colonial Traces – Collections in Context” opens today in the extract exhibition space. It explores the past of objects from the ETH Zurich collections and sheds light on the connection between the natural sciences and colonialism.

From 25 to 27 October, the third Cybathlon will take place in the Swiss Arena in Kloten, Switzerland. This is the world’s largest competition in which people with disabilities master everyday tasks with the help of newly developed assistive technologies. For this Cybathlon, the six existing disciplines were further developed, and two new ones added: a race with intelligent vision assistive technologies and one with assistant robots.

ETH Zurich’s collections and archives include plenty of hidden treasures. Some of these are now on display in the new “extract” exhibition space in the Main Building.

Students from ETH Zurich and Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts have broken the previous world record for acceleration with their hand-built electric racing car, mythen. The vehicle accelerated from zero to 100 km/h in 0.956 seconds over a distance of 12.3 metres.

Over the coming months, ETH Zurich will be taking a particularly close look at Ticino. The University’s Graphische Sammlung is not only presenting a new exhibition on artistic activity in and around the canton of Ticino but also opening a unique exhibition at MASI in Lugano.

The Collegium Helveticum opens an exhibition this weekend that is all about data, patterns and artificial intelligence.

The Morphs are here! The smart, eager-to-learn creatures are now waiting in the ETH main building for players to train them. "Morph Tales - Exploring Artificial Intelligence" is a new game from ETH Zurich that is fun to play and shows how humans and AI master tasks together.

The Thomas Mann Archive in the ETH Main Building provides insights into the author’s lifelong interests, works and personal effects. A ceremony to celebrate the reopening of the famous archive will be held this evening.

The Graphische Sammlung ETH Zürich has digitised over 50,000 artworks and made them freely accessible. Linda Schädler, Head of the Graphische Sammlung, explains in an interview why she hopes to do the same with the remaining 110,000.

This weekend, students from ETH Zurich won the sustainability prize at the 18^th concrete canoe regatta in Brandenburg with their boat "TruchETH". The aspiring civil engineers impressed with an environmentally friendly boat for which they combined old clothes with concrete.

More than a hundred unpublished drawings by the German writer Franz Kafka are now presented for the first time in a volume edited by Andreas Kilcher, professor at ETH Zurich.

The third edition of the Cybathlon will take place October 25 - 27, 2024 in Zurich and in an even more inclusive, global format. In two new race disciplines, people with disabilities solve everyday tasks with the help of intelligent visual assistance technologies or robot assistants.

Anne Lacaton, Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Design at ETH Zurich, and her partner Jean-Philippe Vassal have received the most prestigious international architecture prize for their sustainable and social approach to building design.

On 13 and 14 November, the Cybathlon 2020 Global Edition will be broadcast on the new Cybathlon website. In this one-of-a-kind championship initiated by ETH, individuals with disabilities compete using the latest assistance technologies. Over 50 teams from around the world will be taking part in the qualifying rounds. 

The current episode of the ETH Podcast is dedicated to the Cybathlon, a competition for people with physical disabilities. We have spoken with two project contributors.

The world’s second ever Cybathlon competition will take place on 13 and 14 November 2020 in a new global format. 70 teams from all over the world will start in their respective home countries. The Cybathlon organizers and participants will embed content into a live programme and broadcast delivered via a new online platform. Ten Swiss teams will compete locally on the campus of ETH Zurich.

Researchers at ETH have produced a gel from cellulose fibres and biodegradable nanoparticles that liquifies when pressed through the nozzle of a 3D printer, but then quickly returns to its original shape. Their invention paves the way for personalised biomaterial implants.

ETH Zurich has decided to postpone the Cybathlon until 19–20 September 2020. The safety and health of all those involved in this major international event takes top priority.

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.

Cybathlon feeling and plenty of enthusiasm at Zurich’s main station – numerous visitors came to join the competition yesterday as people with disabilities used the latest assistive technology to overcome a challenging obstacle course.

Making music with transformers. Developing robots that dive and wheelchairs that climb stairs: studying at ETH has many aspects and learning is not confined to the lecture theatre. This quiz gives you a few insights into studying at ETH.

On Tuesday 27 August, the Cybathlon will make a guest appearance at Weltklasse Zürich in the main station. This will be an opportunity for interested passers-by to find out how the latest technical devices assist people with disabilities in their everyday life.

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.

The first Formula E race in Zurich will take place next Sunday. Before then, ETH Zurich will place the topic of e-mobility in a wider context on Friday as part of its eDays symposium.

Last Saturday, the 16th International Architecture Biennale in Venice opened with a great success for ETH participants. The Swiss Pavilion, designed by a team of four young ETH architects, received the Golden Lion.

Measuring instruments, art and a medicinal plant garden: ETH Zurich possesses a rich cultural heritage, which will be presented to the public on Sunday, 3 June. Stefan Wiederkehr, Head Collections and Archives, talks about discoveries and hidden treasures.

The 16th International Architecture Exhibition (Biennale) in Venice gets underway on Saturday. A number of architects associated with ETH submitted contributions to the Biennale, including the four next-generation academics who designed the Swiss pavilion. Alessandro Bosshard and Matthew van der Ploeg offer insights into their project ‘Svizzera 240: House Tour’.

How good is FC Basel compared to FC Bayern Munich? ETH researchers have developed an online ranking system for top football clubs. This system contains findings on how to improve ranking systems and comprises different approaches to analysing international club football.

As part of the first Formula E race in Switzerland, researchers and representatives from industry and politics will come to ETH Zurich to discuss future solutions for intelligent and sustainable mobility.

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.

Founded 25 years ago as a small ad hoc jazz group, the ETH Big Band has now become a successful orchestra that delights international audiences from Rio to Shanghai. We take a look back with founder Christoph Eck.

Olympic gold medallist and former Alpine ski racer Dominique Gisin reveals how sports shaped her life, how injury inspired new passion, and, ultimately, how sports bridges gender, geopolitical, and cultural boundaries in society.

Walter Mittelholzer is one of the most sought-after photographers in the ETH Bibliothek’s Image Archive. Photographs taken on his flying expeditions to Africa and Persia are now presented in a new book.

ETH Zurich received a visit from one of Switzerland’s most famous comic book heroes this morning. While his latest book was presented to media professionals and members of the book trade, Globi entertained a group of around 30 children who had received an exclusive invitation to the event.

ETH Zurich’s Collection of Prints and Drawings is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. To mark this occasion, it is not only opening up its extraordinary collection and displaying selected treasures, it is also focusing on attracting a younger audience and intensifying collaboration with ETH researchers.

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.

They have big ambitions: nine students from ETH Zurich and ZHdK are preparing to take on developers from renowned manufacturers and universities from around the world with their "Scewo" wheelchair at the Cybathlon.

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.

At the opening of the Gotthard Base Tunnel, ETH Zurich researchers and students from the civil engineering and mechanical engineering departments demonstrated to the audience through practical experiments how new technologies are shaping the future of mobility.

Thirty architecture students from ETH Zurich’s Studio Tom Emerson have made their first venture into a large-scale project. After ten months of intensive work, the Pavilion of Reflections is ready on time for the opening of the Manifesta 11 European Biennial of Contemporary Art in Zurich.

Tickets for the Cybathlon are on sale now. Be there on 8 October when the teams with the most ingenious technology and the most skilful test pilots will emerge victorious.

Every Wednesday evening the art of free speech is exercised in the ETH Zurich Students' Debate Club. Participants meet to debate about god and the world. Club President Jonathan Feldstein explains what people can learn through argumentative manoeuvring.

ETH Zurich's Collection of Prints and Drawings is currently exhibiting drawings from the 1950s that were discovered in Andy Warhol’s estate. These early works reveal unexpected sides of the famous artist, providing a glimpse into his unique approach, the so-called “blotted line” technique.

As part of a campaign run by the Swiss radio and television broadcaster SRF, two members of ETH Zurich have developed an app which allows users to carry out live comparisons between their own physical activity data with that of others. The data collected is then made available for research.

Adolf Muschg, emeritus professor of ETH Zurich, received the Swiss Grand Prix Literatur award for his complete literary works on Thursday. Federal Councillor Alain Berset honoured the writer at the ceremony of the Swiss literary awards. 

The gta exhibition ‘Architecture for Children: Zurich’s Playgrounds’ presents the history of the playground in Zurich since 1950. A treasure trove of photos, films, slideshows and plans are on display, along with examples of how children would design a playground today if they had the opportunity.

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.

gta exhibitions is opening the new season with various projects. One of them is “Atlas”, a project by Tom Emerson, professor of architecture and construction.

In a new illustrated book, ETH-Bibliothek is presenting fascinating images from the Swissair Aerial Photography Archive. The view from above reveals the changes to Switzerland’s landscape and culture over the years.

Swiss artist Annelies Štrba’s exhibition opens tonight at ETH Zurich’s Collection of Prints and Drawings. Her contemporary take on images of the Madonna are presented in contrast with prints from Old Masters.

ETH landscape architect Günther Vogt and the American conceptual artist Dan Graham have given the rooftop garden of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York a makeover that is exactly Big Apple`s taste. The extraordinary installation will remain on display until 2 November 2014.

In January 2014, the exhibitions division of the Institute for the History and Theory of Architecture (gta) appointed two new directors. Niels Olsen and Fredi Fischli hope to breathe new life into the ETH exhibition landscape. Their first exhibition, The Walk, recently opened and demonstrates just what they mean by this.

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.  

In these days, a diary of Max Frisch has been published, which was previously unreleased. The writer describes in it his first year in Berlin.