Empa

In order to guarantee the security of supply of our future energy system, we need not only an expansion of renewable energies, but also sophisticated control mechanisms that efficiently manage production, distribution and consumption. Empa researchers have therefore developed a predictive control algorithm that optimizes energy management at building level but without compromising user comfort.

Empa researchers from the nanotech@surfaces laboratory have experimentally recreated another fundamental theoretical model from quantum physics, which goes back to the Nobel Prize laureate Werner Heisenberg. The basis for the successful experiment was a kind of “quantum Lego” made of tiny carbon molecules known as nanographenes. This synthetic bottom-up approach enables versatile experimental research into quantum technologies, which could one day help drive breakthroughs in the field.

Empa researchers are working on artificial muscles that can keep up with the real thing. They have now developed a method of producing the soft and elastic, yet powerful structures using 3D printing. One day, these could be used in medicine or robotics – and anywhere else where things need to move at the touch of a button.

At the end of January, Empa opened a new laboratory that aims to harness quantum effects from carbon. This could pave the way for sustainable quantum technologies, including quantum computers. The project is supported by the Werner Siemens Foundation.

In a four-year EU project led by Empa, eleven collaborators from research and industry succeeded in significantly improving batteries for electric cars. One of the main objectives of the project was to scale up the new materials and technologies so that they can be brought to market as fast as possible.

Empa researchers have developed a new 3D tissue analysis for thyroid tumors. This special X-ray technique uses artificial intelligence to enable faster and more precise diagnoses. In the future, this examination method could also be used for other types of cancer and replace more complex procedures with simpler imaging methods.