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Non-toxic solution is claimed to make wood fire-resistant

Ben Coxworth February 14, 2019

It was just this Wednesday that we heard about a non-toxic flame-retardant solution created by scientists at Texas A and M University. Well, researchers at Switzerland's Empa institute have also come up with one, which could be used to keep wood and wood-based building materials from burning.

If it works as claimed, AFA could help prevent house fires

Science

Next-gen watch balance springs are grown, not drawn

David Szondy October 30, 2018

Empa has developed a technique for growing tiny springs to specifications using photo-etching and electrochemical depositing in cold, aqueous saline solutions instead of conventional drawing and winding techniques.

The watch springs are electroplated on a gold plated silicon wafer, coated with a light-sensitive paint

Materials

Smart windows coated in mini-mirrors brighten gloomy rooms

Michael Irving May 8, 2018

Windows let light, warmth and a view into rooms, but we don’t always want all three of those at once. That’s why researchers in Switzerland are developing a relatively simple method to smarten up windows by embedding tiny mini-mirrors in them and keep rooms comfortable all year round.

Swiss researchers have developed smart windows covered in mini-mirrors, to better brighten a room

Wearables

"Electrical" textile shifts sweat for skiers

Ben Coxworth January 31, 2018

While there are already various types of winter sportswear textiles that are claimed to draw sweat away from the skin while still keeping the wearer warm, HYDRO_BOT is certainly unique. Developed by a consortium that includes Switzerland's Empa research group, it utilizes gold and electricity.

Osmotex's Joacim Holter puts HYDRO_BOT technology to the test in Norway

Materials

Aerogel-filled bricks are great at insulating, but not on the cheap

Ben Coxworth January 16, 2018

Why bother adding a layer of insulation to a brick wall, if you can just build that wall using hollow bricks that are stuffed with insulation? That's the thinking behind bricks which incorporate materials such as perlite. Now, scientists have created the best-insulating brick yet, using aerogel.

The aerobricks are simply ordinary hollow clay bricks, filled with an aerogel paste

Health & Wellbeing

Illuminated pajamas combat infant jaundice with light therapy

Nick Lavars November 1, 2017

Though infant jaundice can be treated with light therapy, this involves the baby lying alone and naked inside an incubator. A new material could replace this uncomfortable experience, by instead wrapping them inside snug pajamas that radiate light inwards.

To create their illuminated pajama material, EMPA scientists wove optical fibers into it that use battery-operated ...

Automotive

45-ton dump truck to become the world's largest electric vehicle

Nick Lavars September 17, 2017

Mining is inherently dirty work, but it is set to get a little cleaner on the back of a heavy duty electric vehicle currently under development. Some time in the next few months, the Komatsu HD 605-7 will start carting materials down from a Swiss mountain powered by a mammoth 4.5-ton battery pack.

A team of researchers in Swtizerland is converting a Komatsu diesel dumper truck into an all-electric ...

Health & Wellbeing

Algae molecule might put the brakes on arthritis

Nick Lavars August 23, 2017

Arthritis is a degenerative disease that eats away at the joints and is rather difficult to treat. But research has now uncovered a new glimmer of hope, in the form of molecule taken from algae that, when modified, might just stop the degenerative effects in their tracks.

While showing promising signs as a treatment for arthritis, the algae-derived molecule has only been tested ...

Science

Gesture-recognizing watch strap lets its wearer fly a drone

Ben Coxworth July 11, 2017

Although there are already systems that allow us to control devices via hand gestures, they rely on sensors such as cameras, accelerometers and gyroscopes. A new technology goes about gesture control in a different way – it's integrated into a watch strap, and it's been used to control a drone.

The technology could conceivably also be incorporated into bracelets, or perhaps even adhesive skin patches

Medical

High-tech wound dressing glows if it has to go

Ben Coxworth July 4, 2017

Open wounds are something of a paradox – they need to be checked regularly, yet taking the dressing off too often just increases the risk of infection. That's why researchers have developed a new bandage that lets caregivers monitor the healing progress of wounds, from the outside.

If a wound has turned chronic, sensor areas on the Flusitex bandage will glow when exposed ...