Innovation

The work of PSI researchers is pushing the limits of knowledge and technological development. Many components for their experiments cannot simply be purchased. Then they just develop what’s needed themselves – and thus encourage many other applications in science or industry.

Developing a product from an innovative technology takes years, sometimes decades. Gabor Kovacs has lived through this process with his spin-off CTsystems AG and electroactive polymers at Empa. From the idea, through creative tinkering, setbacks, progress and the right comrade-in-arms, to the acquisition by a large company: experiences and a conclusion.

Senbiosys, an EPFL spin-off, has unveiled a jewelry-like smart ring that incorporates all the health-monitoring features currently available in smart watches. The company’s notable achievement in miniaturization – made possible thanks to the world’s smallest sensor, developed at EPFL – appears to have major market potential, as its recent crowdfunding campaign raised five times more capital than expected.