Innovation

Innosuisse, the Swiss innovation promotion agency, supports research-based innovation to strengthen the international competitiveness of Swiss industry. In Innosuisse-funded projects, companies work together with universities or research institutes such as Empa to bring innovative ideas to the market. Empa is currently involved in around 80 such projects. Here are four of them.

ETH spin-off Aeroskin Tech is developing innovative thermal insulation that uses aerogel technology to insulate buildings more efficiently and more sustainably. This new insulation has an energy-saving effect and is significantly thinner than conventional materials.

The prize for the most promising invention of the past year goes to Marie Amélie Perrin and Victor Mougel. They have developed a method that enables rare earth elements to be efficiently recovered from electrical waste.

An ETH Zurich team of engineers has developed RoBoa – a snake-like robot with the ability to grow in length and slither into the most inaccessible places.

This past weekend, 67 teams from 24 countries competed in ETH Zurich’s Cybathlon – fighting not only for victory, but also for the advancement of assistance technologies that are more suitable for everyday use. The third edition of the competition for people with disabilities and experimental assistive technologies was a complete success.

Steering and navigating manual wheelchairs on pavements costs wheelchair users a lot of energy and places a strain on their joints. Two ETH employees have discovered a brilliant and simple solution that they are now developing further to bring to market.