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Transport - Microtechnics - 31.01.2023 
Autonomous steering system keeps human drivers engaged
Researchers from EPFL and JTEKT Corporation have developed an automated driving system based on the concept of 'collaborative steering', which aims to increase transportation safety, efficiency, and comfort by encouraging active interaction between autonomous vehicles and their human drivers. Autonomous driving technologies have already been integrated into many mass-produced vehicles, providing human drivers with steering assistance in tasks like centering a vehicle in its lane.
Environment - Transport - 16.11.2022 
Lake Geneva consumers surveyed as part of a study on climate change
Over 10,000 people in both the French and Swiss parts of the Lake Geneva region have been surveyed on their transportation habits, as the first element of a broader EPFL study on consumer lifestyles and behavior. The study is being spearheaded by EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), working in association with the Canton of Vaud, the Canton of Geneva and Greater Geneva.
Transport - Environment - 05.10.2022 
Less noise and better fuel efficiency during approach
The approach and landing of passenger jets is often a burden for people and the environment. The DYNCAT project, in which researchers are working with partners in Switzerland, Germany and France, is aiming at approaches that cause less noise and CO2 emissions - thanks to intelligent assistance systems for the pilots.
Transport - Innovation - 17.08.2022 
How do pedestrians react to automated vehicles?
Empa, together with EBP and Fussverkehr Schweiz, analyzed in spring 2022 in Thalwil (ZH) how pedestrians react to automated vehicles. The automated parking assistant that had been used is the first system approved in Switzerland that moves a vehicle without a person sitting in it. The findings of the research project, which was co-financed by AXA's Foundation for Prevention, create an important basis for prevention measures and design principles for sustainable road spaces.
Innovation - Transport - 13.07.2022 
Monitoring city mobility from the skies
Researchers have used swarms of drones to measure city traffic with unprecedented accuracy and precision. Algorithms are then used to identify sources of traffic jams and recommend solutions to alleviate traffic problems. Given the wealth of modern technology available - roadside cameras, big-data algorithms, Bluetooth and RFID connections, and smartphones in every pocket - transportation engineers should be able to accurately measure and forecast city traffic.
Transport - Environment - 19.05.2022 
How a cognitive bias is blocking the rise of electric cars
A team from the University of Geneva shows that underestimating battery autonomy is a major psychological barrier to buying an electric car. What are the barriers to the adoption of electric cars? Although the main financial and technological obstacles have been removed, their market share still needs to increase.
Environment - Transport - 07.04.2022 
On the way to climate-neutral road traffic
If 60% of the conventional gasolineand diesel-powered passenger cars in Switzerland were to be converted to "electricity-based" vehicles by 2050, i.e.
Transport - 15.02.2022 
Feel and see emerging microcracks in airplanes
Together with teams from England and Germany, researchers developed a monitoring system for aircraft components. In the future, minor damage could be detected and monitored during flight without the aircraft having to go into the hangar for maintenance. This will reduce operating costs and increase safety at the same time.
Transport - 03.01.2022 
New AI method analyzes Swiss fleet consumption
How much does a country's vehicle fleet consume on average? How does it change from year to year? With the increasing number of electric vehicles and more and more "crossover" models that can hardly be assigned to one vehicle segment, analysis is becoming increasingly difficult. researchers analyze databases using deep learning methods - and can make precise statements: In which region of the country do the fattest cars drive? What can car buyers do to reduce CO2 consumption? In recent decades, there have been major technical changes in new cars.
Environment - Transport - 09.11.2021 
How electric cars help to reduce electricity imports
Swiss electricity generation has a very low carbon footprint. However, this is often not the case for imports. Researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Automation, led by Empa researcher Loris di Natale, investigated how electric cars could help reduce the need for energy imports from fossil fuels.
Transport - Environment - 04.10.2021 
Transport pricing in practice
In the largest worldwide pricing experiment to date, researchers have demonstrated that road users change their behavior when they must pay for the social and environmental effects of their transportation. The study was led by researchers from the University of Basel, ETH Zurich and ZHAW. Transportation causes a variety of costs that individual road users do not have to pay themselves.
Earth Sciences - Transport - 04.03.2021 
How do you know where volcanic ash will end up?
A team from the University of Geneva studied the ash from volcanic eruptions and discovered two effects of ash sedimentation that will improve our ability to predict the danger posed by volcanic ash clouds. When the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted in April 2010, air traffic was interrupted for six days and then disrupted until May.
Transport - 28.01.2021 
Cucumber with twin
Vegetables and fruits often have a long way to go on the supermarket shelf. How can quality be intelligently maintained on long journeys and possible spoilage prevented? In cooperation with Coop, Empa experts are developing a system that keeps an eye on freshness during transport - and at the same time allows optimization.
Transport - Health - 17.12.2020 
Nighttime aircraft noise can be fatal
Short-term disturbances caused by aircraft noise at night can lead to cardiovascular death within hours. This is shown in analyses by a team of researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and Empa. The researchers used a dataset covering the years 2000 to 2015 to investigate how mortality rates in the Zurich airport area are related to acute nighttime aircraft noise exposure; they recently published their findings in the European Heart Journal.
Transport - 04.12.2020 
On the way to optimised approach procedures
Aircraft also make noise on approach, which is often underestimated. A research project involving Empa has shown that it is quite possible to reduce noise during approach, to avoid particularly loud approaches and at the same time to reduce fuel consumption. In the future, pilots shall receive software assistance to help them better manage the complex relationships between air traffic control, flight mechanics and environmental impact.
Transport - Health - 27.11.2020 
Airplane noise at night can trigger cardiovascular death
For the first time, a study demonstrated that loud night-time noise from airplanes can trigger a cardiovascular death within two hours. Researchers from the University of Basel, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and partners compared mortality data with acute night-time noise exposure around Zurich airport between 2000 and 2015.
Transport - Materials Science - 15.10.2020 
Volatile for heavy trucks
In future, commercial vehicles will not only have to emit less CO2 but also meet stricter exhaust emission limits. Many experts expect that this could herald the end for fossil diesel. One possible alternative is dimethyl ether: The highly volatile substance burns very cleanly and can be produced from renewable energy.
Environment - Transport - 15.05.2020 
Life cycle assessment of cars - new web tool helps consumers and researchers
Decision support for car buyers: Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a web tool called the Carculator that can be used to compare the environmental performance of passenger cars in detail. The program determines the environmental balance of vehicles with different size classes and powertrains, and presents the results in comparative graphics.
Environment - Transport - 23.12.2019 
Capturing CO2 from trucks and reducing their emissions by 90%
Researchers at EPFL have patented a new concept that could cut trucks' CO2 emissions by almost 90%. It involves capturing CO2 within the exhaust system, converting it into a liquid and storing it on the vehicle. The liquid CO2 would then be delivered to a service station and where it will be turned back into fuel using renewable energy.
Transport - Computer Science - 25.11.2019 
Tracking the eye of the pilot
In a collaboration with Swiss International Air Lines, NASA and other partners, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed eye-tracking software for use in pilot training. This allows instructors to analyse the gaze behaviour of student pilots in the cockpit. Anyone who has ever sat in a cockpit will know how mentally challenging it is to pilot an aircraft.
Transport
Results 1 - 20 of 34.
Researchers from EPFL and JTEKT Corporation have developed an automated driving system based on the concept of 'collaborative steering', which aims to increase transportation safety, efficiency, and comfort by encouraging active interaction between autonomous vehicles and their human drivers. Autonomous driving technologies have already been integrated into many mass-produced vehicles, providing human drivers with steering assistance in tasks like centering a vehicle in its lane.
Over 10,000 people in both the French and Swiss parts of the Lake Geneva region have been surveyed on their transportation habits, as the first element of a broader EPFL study on consumer lifestyles and behavior. The study is being spearheaded by EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering (ENAC), working in association with the Canton of Vaud, the Canton of Geneva and Greater Geneva.
The approach and landing of passenger jets is often a burden for people and the environment. The DYNCAT project, in which researchers are working with partners in Switzerland, Germany and France, is aiming at approaches that cause less noise and CO2 emissions - thanks to intelligent assistance systems for the pilots.
Empa, together with EBP and Fussverkehr Schweiz, analyzed in spring 2022 in Thalwil (ZH) how pedestrians react to automated vehicles. The automated parking assistant that had been used is the first system approved in Switzerland that moves a vehicle without a person sitting in it. The findings of the research project, which was co-financed by AXA's Foundation for Prevention, create an important basis for prevention measures and design principles for sustainable road spaces.
Researchers have used swarms of drones to measure city traffic with unprecedented accuracy and precision. Algorithms are then used to identify sources of traffic jams and recommend solutions to alleviate traffic problems. Given the wealth of modern technology available - roadside cameras, big-data algorithms, Bluetooth and RFID connections, and smartphones in every pocket - transportation engineers should be able to accurately measure and forecast city traffic.
A team from the University of Geneva shows that underestimating battery autonomy is a major psychological barrier to buying an electric car. What are the barriers to the adoption of electric cars? Although the main financial and technological obstacles have been removed, their market share still needs to increase.
If 60% of the conventional gasolineand diesel-powered passenger cars in Switzerland were to be converted to "electricity-based" vehicles by 2050, i.e.
Together with teams from England and Germany, researchers developed a monitoring system for aircraft components. In the future, minor damage could be detected and monitored during flight without the aircraft having to go into the hangar for maintenance. This will reduce operating costs and increase safety at the same time.
How much does a country's vehicle fleet consume on average? How does it change from year to year? With the increasing number of electric vehicles and more and more "crossover" models that can hardly be assigned to one vehicle segment, analysis is becoming increasingly difficult. researchers analyze databases using deep learning methods - and can make precise statements: In which region of the country do the fattest cars drive? What can car buyers do to reduce CO2 consumption? In recent decades, there have been major technical changes in new cars.
Swiss electricity generation has a very low carbon footprint. However, this is often not the case for imports. Researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Automation, led by Empa researcher Loris di Natale, investigated how electric cars could help reduce the need for energy imports from fossil fuels.
In the largest worldwide pricing experiment to date, researchers have demonstrated that road users change their behavior when they must pay for the social and environmental effects of their transportation. The study was led by researchers from the University of Basel, ETH Zurich and ZHAW. Transportation causes a variety of costs that individual road users do not have to pay themselves.
A team from the University of Geneva studied the ash from volcanic eruptions and discovered two effects of ash sedimentation that will improve our ability to predict the danger posed by volcanic ash clouds. When the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted in April 2010, air traffic was interrupted for six days and then disrupted until May.
Vegetables and fruits often have a long way to go on the supermarket shelf. How can quality be intelligently maintained on long journeys and possible spoilage prevented? In cooperation with Coop, Empa experts are developing a system that keeps an eye on freshness during transport - and at the same time allows optimization.
Short-term disturbances caused by aircraft noise at night can lead to cardiovascular death within hours. This is shown in analyses by a team of researchers from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute and Empa. The researchers used a dataset covering the years 2000 to 2015 to investigate how mortality rates in the Zurich airport area are related to acute nighttime aircraft noise exposure; they recently published their findings in the European Heart Journal.
Aircraft also make noise on approach, which is often underestimated. A research project involving Empa has shown that it is quite possible to reduce noise during approach, to avoid particularly loud approaches and at the same time to reduce fuel consumption. In the future, pilots shall receive software assistance to help them better manage the complex relationships between air traffic control, flight mechanics and environmental impact.
For the first time, a study demonstrated that loud night-time noise from airplanes can trigger a cardiovascular death within two hours. Researchers from the University of Basel, the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) and partners compared mortality data with acute night-time noise exposure around Zurich airport between 2000 and 2015.
In future, commercial vehicles will not only have to emit less CO2 but also meet stricter exhaust emission limits. Many experts expect that this could herald the end for fossil diesel. One possible alternative is dimethyl ether: The highly volatile substance burns very cleanly and can be produced from renewable energy.
Decision support for car buyers: Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a web tool called the Carculator that can be used to compare the environmental performance of passenger cars in detail. The program determines the environmental balance of vehicles with different size classes and powertrains, and presents the results in comparative graphics.
Researchers at EPFL have patented a new concept that could cut trucks' CO2 emissions by almost 90%. It involves capturing CO2 within the exhaust system, converting it into a liquid and storing it on the vehicle. The liquid CO2 would then be delivered to a service station and where it will be turned back into fuel using renewable energy.
In a collaboration with Swiss International Air Lines, NASA and other partners, researchers at ETH Zurich have developed eye-tracking software for use in pilot training. This allows instructors to analyse the gaze behaviour of student pilots in the cockpit. Anyone who has ever sat in a cockpit will know how mentally challenging it is to pilot an aircraft.
