Drones are pretty adept at a number of things, including the ability to crash into stuff. Obstacle avoidance systems are one way to protect these fragile flying machines, but one team of researchers is pursuing a different path with a drone that collapses to prevent damage in the event of a crash.
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Silicon is fast approaching its theoretical limit for solar efficiency, but pairing it up with other materials could help break through. Researchers have developed a new technique for combining silicon and perovskite solar cells, and reported a new record efficiency of 25.2 percent.
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The mechanism that limits a cell’s lifespan can be slowed down, but that can turn them cancerous, as they divide unchecked. Now, scientists at EPFL have found a way to manipulate that mechanism to effectively turn off cancer’s immortality, letting it die slowly and naturally.
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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.
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As leftovers from the formation of the solar system, meteorites can act as time capsules. Scientists at the EPFL have now examined a piece of an asteroid known as 2008 TC3 and found diamonds that could only have come from a large, long-lost planet that roamed our neighborhood billions of years ago.
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Rather than using hydrogen in its normal gaseous state, a liquid hydrogen carrier called formic acid has been floated, and now a team from EPFL has built a promising prototype of a formic acid-based fuel cell.
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In order to have their vital signs continuously monitored, patients in emergency rooms have to be hooked up to a variety of sensors – this makes it awkward for them to move around. Soon, however, all those machines could be replaced by one small electronic patch that adheres to their chest.
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We’re still a long way from having robots blend seamlessly into our society. But apparently fish are easier to fool, since a team from EPFL has successfully integrated a robotic impostor into schools of zebrafish, to the point where the robot could guide the group’s behavior.
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Using an origami-like carbon-fiber cage, researchers at EPFL's Laboratory of Intelligent Systems have developed a spherical drone that can be folded up up to be more compact when not in the air, and unfolds to protect packages of up to 500 g (17.6 oz) while making deliveries.
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The field of soft robotics is seeing some real progress towards machines that could work more safely with humans than their stiffer brethren. Researchers have now taken another step forward in this area, with a modular robot that can walk, climb vertical surfaces and even move things around.
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