News EPFL

Small flying robots able to pull objects up to 40 times their weight

Published:25.10.18 — Researchers from EPFL and Stanford have developed small drones that can land and then move objects that are 40 times their weight, with the help of powerful winches, gecko adhesives and microspines.

Anti-aging molecule NAD+ gets a boost from blocking an enzyme

Published:24.10.18 — Scientists at EPFL have found a new way to boost the famous anti-aging molecule NAD+ in the kidney and liver by blocking an enzyme that limits its production. Publishing in Nature, the researchers have also developed two enzyme blockers that are shown to protect against kidney and liver disease.

EPFL to host a series of Digital Day events

Published:24.10.18 — Switzerland’s second annual Digital Day – an initiative of digitalswitzerland – will take place on Thursday, 25 October, with events held at various train stations across the country. In addition to participating in activities at the Zurich train station, EPFL will run a series of free, public events on its Lausanne campus. At the Rolex Learning Center, for example, visitors will be able to learn all about Data Detox through stands, workshops, technology demonstrations and a special exhibition. The day will be capped off by a pair of panel discussions on education in the digital age. The panel slated to discuss the political ramifications of this issue will include the education ministers of the cantons of Vaud, Valais and Ticino. Federal Councillor Johann Schneider-Ammann will attend the official ceremony, which will also be open to the public.

Nerve-on-a-chip platform makes neuroprosthetics more effective

Published:23.10.18 — EPFL scientists have developed a miniaturized electronic platform for the stimulation and recording of peripheral nerve fibers on a chip. By modulating and rapidly recording nerve activity with a high signal-to-noise ratio, the platform paves the way to using chips to improve neuroprosthetic designs. 

New technique reveals limb control in flies – and maybe robots

Published:22.10.18 — A new neural recording technique developed by EPFL bioengineers enables for the first time the comprehensive measurement of neural circuits that control limb movement. Tested on the fruit fly, results from the technique may inspire the development of more sophisticated robotic control approaches.

“Mediocre tools lead to mediocre thinking”

Published:19.10.18 — Architect Bernard Tschumi has donated the archives of his Bridge City project – developed for the City of Lausanne in 1988 – to EPFL. We spoke with Tschumi about the important lessons these documents contain, while he was at EPFL for a talk on 11 October.

Modifying a virtual environment in just a few clicks

Published:17.10.18 — Creating and modifying a virtual reality environment just got a lot easier thanks to software being released today by Imverse, an EPFL spin-off. The secret behind Imverse’s program, which works much like a photo editor, is a three-dimensional rendering engine based on 3D pixels called voxels. The rendering engine can be used for other virtual reality applications as well, such as depicting real people. The startup’s initial target market is the movie and video game industry.