ETH Zurich

Graphene just keeps getting weirder. Engineers at ETH Zurich have now managed to tweak the overachieving material so that some parts of a flake can be an electrical insulator while other areas act as a superconductor, just nanometers apart.

Restoring post-agricultural land to tropical forest can be challenging, as the pasture grasses tend to choke out the native trees. A new study, however, indicates that waste from the coffee industry gives those trees a fighting chance.

Currently, if you want a VR setup to "know" what your individual fingers are doing, you either have to wear special gloves or place your hands directly in front of a camera. A new system, however, keeps tabs on the fingers via a simple wristband.

There are untold energy sources all around us, if we can just figure out how to tap into them. Swiss researchers have now demonstrated an environmentally friendly way to make spongy wood flooring that can generate electricity with every step.

Although various groups are working on nanoparticles that could be used for directed drug delivery via the bloodstream, most of those particles are made to "go with the flow." Now, however, researchers have created ones that can travel upstream.

For patients with an injured or compromised trachea, the insertion of a stent is often required in order to keep their airway open. A new type of airway stent should remain in place better than others, and will biodegrade when no longer needed.

In 1959 a group of Russian hikers died under mysterious circumstances – and their story, now known as the Dyatlov Pass incident, has intrigued the world ever since. A new study, backed up by simulations, suggests a snow slab avalanche is responsible.

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.