ETH Zurich

When a rope is heated – either by friction or by fire – it may lose its structural integrity, subsequently breaking when put under load. A new surface coating, however, could cause ropes to change color if they've been overheated, providing a warning to users.

A breakthrough in material science is expanding the trickery of traditional timber, by showing how tweaks to its composition can turn it into a water-resistant film that gives off a warm glow in the presence of UV light.

Walking, legged robots may excel at climbing over obstacles, but wheels are still more efficient for travelling over smooth ground. That's why engineers at ETH Zurich have added powered wheels to their existing ANYmal quadruped robot.

Although numerous companies are now developing "air taxis," many of those groups have nothing but renderings of their aircraft. Switzerland's Dufour Aerospace, however, recently completed the first phase of testing of a large-scale demonstrator.

While legged robots are able to perform feats such as climbing stairs, their wheeled counterparts are faster and less complex. The Ascento robot offers the best of both worlds, as it has two jumping legs – each one with a wheel on the bottom.

Imagine a device that lets people with diabetes use an app to give themselves a boost of insulin when they need it, without an injection. A prototype device can do just that, using electricity to control gene expression in encapsulated beta cells.

Much of Earth has been steadily warming, which we now understand is a product of climate change. But in parts of the Southern Ocean around Antarctica, sea surfaces cooled considerably since the early 1980s. And now, scientists think they know why.

Autonomous Systems researchers at ETH Zurich have demonstrated another drone capable of flying and hovering in any orientation, this time with higher efficiency. It's extraordinary to watch its 12 coaxial rotors twisting and turning in flight.

A type of natural polymer, cellulose has increasingly been finding use as an eco-friendly, biocompatible 3D-printing material. Now, scientists have devised a method of printing complex objects with a higher cellulose content than ever.

When we pick up an object, we can adjust our grip if that object proves to be a slippery customer. ETH researchers have developed a sensor that could help robot grippers to do the same.

Researchers in Europe and the UK have managed to connect biological and artificial neurons together. The biological neurons were grown in Italy, sent signals through an artificial synapse in the UK to communicate with artificial neurons in Zurich.

Researchers at ETH Zürich have developed a robotic manipulator that can pick up and manipulate small objects without actually touching them. Using ultrasonic waves, the new manipulator could be used for handling tiny, fragile items.