news from the lab 2016

EPFL researchers have been studying futuristic transport solutions for car-free urban centers. They have come up with an optimal design for a network of accelerating moving walkways. Could moving walkways help people get where they want to go in cities' This is not a new idea. The first moving walkways were seen in Chicago in 1893, and seven years later they were used at the world's fair in Paris.

A new technology developed by PlayfulVision, an EPFL startup, records all aspects of sporting events for subsequent analysis in augmented reality.

Lignin is a bulky chain of molecules found in wood and is usually discarded during biofuel production. But in a new method by EPFL chemists, the simple addition of formaldehyde could turn it into the main focus. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels means turning to plant-derived biofuels and chemicals.

In his General Theory of Relativity, Albert Einstein predicted gravitational waves over a century ago; this year, they were detected directly for the first time: The American Gravitational Wave Obser

Brief, directed smartphone exercises can help quickly improve our mood. This is the latest finding from psychologists at the University of Basel and their international colleagues, reported in the journal Frontiers in Psychology. Participants in the international study felt more alert, calmer and uplifted after - using five-minute video tutorials on their smartphones as a guide - they had, for example, practiced concentrating on their bodies.

EPFL researchers have produced a tunable, graphene-based device that could significantly increase the speed and efficiency of wireless communication systems. Their system works at very high frequencies, delivering unprecedented results. Wireless come in many forms - such as mobile phones using 4G or 5G connectivity, GPS devices, and computers connected via Bluetooth to portable sensors - and operate in different frequency bands.

27. Nanoga, an EPFL-based startup, has developed a technique for engraving a nanoscopic watermark onto glass or ceramic. Products with this watermark, which is invisible to the naked eye and only shows up under ultraviolet light, are impossible to counterfeit. With Nanoga's new way of combatting counterfeits, each product can be made unique without changing its appearance.

In the district of the future, favors amongst neighbors will go much further than lending a lawnmower or giving some sugar for baking.

01. A new software program reduces the time needed to identify weak points in large structures like cranes, bridges and mining equipment from several days to several minutes.

02. Carbon dioxide is commonly used as an industrial liquid refrigerant but could also be effective in heating and cooling buildings in urban areas.

19. Following the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, EPFL is joining forces with Geneva University Hospitals and the University of Geneva to develop a new protective suit.

06. A microchip that filters out unwanted radiation with the help of graphene has been developed by scientists from the EPFL and tested by researchers of the University of Geneva (UNIGE). The invention could be used in future devices to transmit wireless data ten times faster. EPFL and UNIGE scientists have developed a microchip using graphene that could help wireless tele share data at a rate that is ten times faster than currently possible.

04. These alpine skis change stiffness in response to the skier's position. EPFL researchers helped develop the new skis thanks to a mechanism that mimics turtle scales.

01. All wood, no beams: the cantonal parliament in Lausanne, which is currently being rehabilitated, will be roofed using new wood construction technology researched and developed at EPFL.

How can public opinion be influenced in favour of climate protection? ETH political scientist Thomas Bernauer explored the question in a recent study. His sobering answer is that there is no magic formula. Policy-makers have been charged with taking appropriate measures against the looming threat of climate change.

ETH scientists have developed a membrane that protects medical implants from unwanted encapsulation by connective tissue. The researchers founded a spin-off company just over a year ago and have now been awarded funding by the start-up competition Venture Kick. It is one of the greatest hurdles in surgical medicine: the body identifies an implant such as a pacemaker as foreign tissue and, in a defensive reaction, encapsulates it with connective tissue known as fibrotic tissue.

03. Thanks to a small screen on their skis, backcountry skiers can see various data recorded by sensors as they ski.

A new 3D microprinting process allows scientists to easily manufacture tiny, complex metal components. The used technology was designed by ETH researchers years ago for biological research and has now been further developed for a completely different application. Scientists at ETH Zurich have developed a new method of 3D microprinting.

Computer scientists working in a group led by ETH Professor Marc Pollefeys have developed a piece of software that makes it very easy to create 3D models of entire buildings.

Researchers at ETH Zurich have manufactured transparent electrodes for use in touchscreens using a novel nanoprinting process. The new electrodes are some of the most transparent and conductive that have ever been developed. From smartphones to the operating interfaces of ticket machines and cash dispensers, every touchscreen we use requires transparent electrodes: The devices' glass surface is coated with a barely visible pattern made of conductive material.