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As part of the LIMITLESS project, scientists from EPFL, HEIG-VD and Swisspod have completed the longest-ever vacuum capsule journey in Europe's first operational Hyperloop test facility.

Scientists have achieved a milestone by controlling quantum phenomena at room temperature. Image: Conceptual art of the operating device, consisting of a nanopillar-loaded drum sandwiched by two periodically segmented mirrors, allowing the laser light to strongly interact with the drum quantum mechanically at room temperature.

A new ETH study compares 27 humanoid robots with humans and comes to the conclusion that while robots have better components, they are still not capable of achieving as much.

Researchers have published a first study on the mechanics of surgical knots, with results that could be used to train surgeons to tie stronger, safer sutures - a skill that usually requires years of practice to master. Think about the last time you tied your shoe: maybe you tied it tightly, or tied multiple knots to ensure the laces wouldn't come undone.

A team of EPFL engineers has discovered a strategy to shape living tissues like dough. Have you ever wondered how a sphere of cells, morula, gives rise to tissues and organs with mesmerizing shapes and architectures? The secret lies in the mechanics of embryonic tissues. They exhibit a viscous (fluid-like) and an elastic (solid-like) behavior depending on the forces acting on them.

ETH researchers have set up a test rig to put newly developed ventilator systems through their paces. Around the world, the coronavirus crisis has seen the demand for ventilators soar. Many manufacturers are therefore working at full speed to develop new ventilator systems, primarily for those countries that cannot afford expensive high-tech equipment.

Researchers at EPFL have developed a novel way to increase fuel-cell efficiency and lifespan, using a recirculation fan driven by a steam turbine that runs on steam-lubricated bearings. Solid oxide fuel cells, or SOFCs, are devices that produce both electricity and heat by oxidizing a fuel such as natural gas or biogas.

An experiment by EPFL researchers has confirmed a theory that has been used in mechanics for over half a century - despite never having been fully validated. The team could now use the theory in bolder and more innovative ways in their quest to develop ever better energy systems. Some theories are widely used even though they have never been experimentally validated.

Researchers at EPFL have developed a new laser 3D-printing technique to manufacture metal components with unprecedented resistance to high temperature, damage and corrosion. The method has applications in fields ranging from aerospace to power-generating turbines. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, has revolutionized the way components are made, setting new standards in terms of production speed when geometric complexity is high.

EPFL scientists have developed microscopic, hydrogel-based muscles that can manipulate and mechanically stimulate biological tissue. These soft, biocompatible robots could be used for targeted therapy and to help diagnose and prevent disease. Human tissues experience a variety of mechanical stimuli that can affect their ability to carry out their physiological functions, such as protecting organs from injury.

Sensitive sensors must be isolated from their environment as much as possible to avoid disturbances.

22. Zhaoxuan Wu and William Curtin of the Laboratory for Multiscale Mechanics Modeling (LAMMM) have solved the 40-year-old scientific riddle of the low ductility magnesium. Magnesium is the lightest metal found on earth; it is four times lighter than steel and a third lighter than aluminum. It is also abundantly available, being the eight most common element in the earth's crust.

Scientists have used a particle accelerator to obtain high-speed 3D X-ray visualizations of the flight muscles of flies. The team developed a groundbreaking new CT scanning technique at the PSI's Swiss Light Source to allow them to film inside live flying insects. 3D movies of the blowfly flight motor offer a glimpse into the inner workings of one of nature's most complex mechanisms, showing that structural deformations are the key to understanding how a fly controls its wingbeat.

Although the wind may blow smoothly onto a wind turbine, it comes out the other end shredded into a complex collage of whorls, large and small. In a wind farm, the turbulent wake generated by the first row of turbines drives the turbines in the next rows, which produce up to 40% less power and suffer more from bumpier winds.

Researchers have demonstrated a microscopic system in which light can be converted into a mechanical oscillation and back.

Reduced to the max: the emission-free, noiseless 4-wheel drive ca represents lightweight construction at its most extreme. The nano car consists of just a single molecule and travels on four electrically-driven wheels in an almost straight line over a copper surface. A number of chemists aim to use similar principles and concepts to design molecular transport machines, which could then carry out specific tasks on the nano scale.

An electromagnetic three-phase motor will enable the watchmaking industry to build watches that are three times more efficient and that can include more applications.

Artificial turf is robust, durable and stands up to any weather. It allows to practise and to play all the year round and therefore became essential for today's football.

Today's trend in winter sports draws more and more people away from the designated slopes. Free riding and ski tours experience a massive boost in popularity.

Those who witnessed the first takeoff of an Airbus A380 Superjumbo from Zurich airport at the end of January know that elegant is not the right word for the aircraft.