Innovations "made by Empa"
At Empa, we have a long-standing tradition of converting the results of our research and development activities into marketable products, either in close cooperation with our industrial partners or by spin-offs. This goes to show that knowledge dissemination and technology transfer are a top-priority for us!
Solar cells for the Internet of Things
Sep 24, 2024
Perovskia Solar has won more than ten leading companies from the Internet of Things (IoT) industry as customers and received over two million Swiss francs in seed capital. The multi-award-winning Empa spin-off prints customized solar cells for almost any electronic device. These can be produced cost-effectively – and even work indoors. More here.
Storing the sun's heat at 1200 degrees
Sep 19, 2024
The ETH spin-off Synhelion has recently inaugurated the world's first industrial plant for the production of solar fuels in Germany. The heart of the plant contains a piece of Empa technology: Together with Synhelion, Empa researchers have developed a material for the high-temperature thermal energy storage system that allows the plant to remain in operation 24/7. More here.
Electricity from waste heat thanks to new piston machine
Feb 15, 2024
Industrial waste heat is an untapped goldmine: It is produced in large quantities, but is hardly used efficiently. A new type of machine developed by Empa scientists and their partners based on an innovative engine technology could change this – also with the help of an Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship, which was recently awarded to Empa researcher and neo-entrepreneur Andyn Omanovic. More here.
A new factory to cater Perovskia customer needs
Perovskia, an Empa spin-off, is setting up an ambitious factory in Aubonne (VD) to print a million of its custom-designed perovskite devices (solar cells) every year. Production is set to be operational in a few months. The indoor solar cell company has been gaining ground worldwide, with customers in Japan, Korea, India, Europe and the USA. More here.
Successful financing round for Empa spin-off BTRY
Jan 18, 2024
BTRY, a spin-off of Empa and ETH Zurich, has successfully completed its first round of financing; the young company has received 900,000 Swiss francs from the High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB). The start-up develops safe, long-lasting thin-film solid-state batteries that can be charged and discharged in just one minute. BTRY is using the financing to manufacture a first generation of products on a pilot line. More here.
Moving X-ray images of the musculoskeletal system
Empa is one of the partners who have jointly built the new Dynamic Imaging Center (DIC) in Bern. The DIC was opened at the Swiss Institute for Translational Medicine and Entrepreneurship (sitem insel) in mid-November 2023. For the first time, X-ray images of a moving person can now be taken there simultaneously from two different directions. More here.
Bruker announces majority investment in MIRO Analytical AG
Oct 4, 2023
As of today, the Empa spin-off MIRO Analytical AG is part of the Bruker Corporation. The spin-off was founded in 2018 by Empa researchers Morten Hundt and Oleg Aseev and develops analytical instruments for measuring greenhouse gases and air pollutants. More here.
Swim and run without changing
Just in time for summer: The Swiss start-up Swijin is launching a new sportswear category with its SwimRunner – a sports bra together with matching bottoms that works as both swimwear and running gear and dries in no time. The innovative product was developed together with Empa researchers in an Innosuisse project. The SwimRunner can be tested this weekend at the Zurich City Triathlon. More here.
A piece of Empa on your wrist
Empa research helps Swiss watches to glow in the dark: The luminescent material Swiss Super-LumiNova, which was refined at Empa, now adorns the hands and dials of a number of wristwatches, including the MoonSwatch collection from Swatch and Omega. More here.
Hochuli Advanced: explanatory videos on The ALPET® insulation bar
April, 2023
Together with Empa, Hochuli Advanced has developed a new type of insulating bar for lightweight construction and window or facade systems (/web/s604/alpet-daemmsteg). The technology and its applications are now explained in three short videos.
- Explaining video system house
- Explaning video industry
- Video circular economy
CTsystems: A marathon to the market
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. More here.
New technology revolutionizes the analysis of old ice
Ice cores are a unique climate archive. Thanks to a new method developed by researchers at the University of Bern and Empa, greenhouse gas concentrations in 1.5 million year old ice can be measured even more accurately. The EU project “Beyond EPICA” with the participation of the University of Bern aims to recover such old ice in Antarctica. More here.
Ready for sustainable growth
Dec 5, 2022
Founded in February 2018 as an Empa spin-off, the start-up company MIRO Analytical received one of the coveted Innosuisse Certificates in October. The certificate reflects the remarkable progress the young company made during the funding agency's coaching program and confirms that the start-up is ready for sustainable growth. More here.
A sensitive drill
Hearing-impaired people whose auditory nerve is still intact can often be helped with a cochlear implant. But inserting the implant into the inner ear is not without risks, as facial nerves can be damaged in the process. Empa researchers have developed a novel smart drill that minimizes the risk by automatically shutting off when it comes near nerves. More here.
Textile electrodes for medtech applications
Nahtlos, an Empa spin-off, has received 1 million Swiss francs in a first round of financing from a network of business angels from Switzerland and Liechtenstein and from the Startfeld Foundation. With this funding, Nahtlos aims to drive the market entry of its newly developed textile-based electrode for medical applications. More here.
Promising acquisition of Empa spinoff CTsystems
The Empa spinoff CTsystems AG is acquired by Daetwyler, a company specializing in elastomer components. The partners see great market potential for a wide range of applications in industrial scale stack actuators, the development of which once began at Empa. More here.
A self-learning algorithm that helps save heating energy
With energy prices soaring, heating costs will also inevitably rise in the coming winter. In order to mitigate this, solutions for operating buildings more efficiently are needed. The Empa spin-off viboo has developed an algorithm that makes it possible to operate even older buildings with around 25 percent less energy – while user comfort remains the same or even improves. More here.
"Camouflage" sensor monitors fruit cargo
On the long journey from the fruit plantation to the retailer's shelf, fruits can quickly perish. In particular, the refrigeration inside the cargo containers is not always guaranteed and existing methods for measuring the temperature are not sufficiently reliable. A sensor developed at Empa solves this problem. It looks like a piece of fruit and acts like a piece of fruit – but is actually a spy. More here.
Soft sensors for smart textiles
Mar 9, 2017
Empa researchers have succeeded in producing optic fibers for sensors that are ideal for textiles. This would enable hospitals to monitor whether a patient is developing pressure sores, for instance. More here.
Summer heat for the winter
Can thermal solar energy be stored until wintertime? Yes, this is possible, using a cheap material like sodium lye. Within a European research consortium Empa scientists and their colleagues have spent four years studying this question by pitting three different techniques against each other. More
Space age material for the masses
Aerogel is the perfect material for many insulation purposes. It is heat-resistant up to 600 degrees, ultralight, non-toxic – and provides excellent thermal insulation. Only its complicated and expensive production causes quite a headache. An Empa start-up is about to revolutionize the manufacturing process. If successful, there will soon be affordable aerogel for everyone. Find out more.
Finally Red - New Omega Speedmaster with Empa ceramic bezel
Oct 27, 2016
Empa researchers have pulled off a masterstroke of ceramics research: as of now, a dark-red ceramic bezel adorns a Swiss luxury watch – a world premiere and stunning example of top-flight materials science. More.
Swiss luxury lady’s watch featuring gold thread by Empa
Lovers of fine embroidery and luxury gold watches can now enjoy the best of both worlds in the Big Bang Broderie Gold line in lady’s watches produced by the manufacturer Hublot. The watch face features embroidery by the traditional Swiss brand Bischoff. And the shiny golden thread is produced by Tersuisse Multifils SA in Emmenbrücke using a technique patented by Empa. It involves cold-vaporizing a piece of gold in a plasma process. The metallic vapor settles on the thread and sticks.
For the Big Band Broderie line, the gold thread is stitched onto carbo fibers, dipped in synthetic resin and pressed. After all, the watch’s hands mustn’t catch on the embroidery.
PRODEX: Instruments with Empa know-how in space
Jun 8, 2016
Since 18 years, Empa has been developing analytical apparatuses for space missions operated by the «European Space Agency» (ESA). Rosetta, BepiColombo, or Luna relied on Empa-Technologies. In June 2016 a workshop and information day for scientific and industrial partners took place in the Empa-Akademie. More.
Polarmond – using body heat to warm your tent
In collaboration with the «Polarmond» start-up company, Empa researchers have developed a self-heating «All-in-one» tent system. A special humidity management feature and step-less temperature control system guarantee comfortable temperatures in the tent at all times. To achieve their goal, the Empa scientists had to combine ideas, materials and techniques from a wide range of different fields in an extremely innovative way. Read more.
Roll on flexible solar cells
Concrete heating system
Helping carpenters to cut wood faster
The ultrafast recharching point
Recharge the batteries of an electric vehicle in just five minutes instead of the seven or eight hours usual today? Not a problem for the new charging system developed by Empa researchers. All the novel charging station needs is to be plugged into an everyday industrial electrical connector. The innovative system functions with the help of a large battery-like storage device which can be charged up slowly but very quickly discharged. Find out more.
Artificial hip joints made of ceramic
The metal alloys used in conventional surface replacement artificial hip joints suffer from the problem that metal particles abraded by friction in the joint can reach the patient’s bloodstream. This often gives rise to health problems. In order to avoid this situation Empa staff have, in collaboration with colleagues from the company Metoxit AG, developed an artificial hip joint of high-performance ceramic. This material is not only more wear resistant, but is also better tolerated by the human body. More.
Needle-free blood sugar measurement
A chest strap for the heart
In order to allow the long-term monitoring of patients with heart and circulatory problems, Empa has developed a chest strap which incorporates flexible humidifying elements. The latter produce a kind of artificial sweat, thereby moistening the skin under the electrodes, which is necessary for the optimal measurement of electrical signals from the body. To date gel electrodes have been used for monitoring devices, but these dry after 24 hours, thereby becoming usable. Read more.
Flame protection for the jet set
Innovative floor panels
Compliant materials with a strong impact
Textile pressure ulcer prevention
Aerogel-based plaster provides better insulation for old buildings
Monitor assesses the mobility of bed-ridden patients
Real smart: protective clothing with built-in A/C
Innovative incontinence briefs offer security in everyday life
Improved ergonomics for wheelchair users
Finest silk – purest gold
True luxury has only one color – gold. A nanometer-thin layer of pure gold now lends ties and pocket handkerchiefs that authentic gold sheen, thanks to a new Empa-developed process. The yarn, which is coated using a high-tech plasma process, is soft and easy to weave. It is also washing machine compatible. A limited number of gold ties will be placed on the market before Christmas, making a truly exclusive present. Further fashion accessories will follow in 2012. More information can be found here.
Noise-quenching curtains
Researchers at Empa, in cooperation with textile designer Annette Douglas and silk weaving firm Weisbrod-Zürrer AG, have developed lightweight, translucent curtain materials, which are excellent at absorbing sound. This is a combination that has been lacking until now in modern interior design. The new «noise-quenching» curtains have just gone onto the market. More information on the new curtains can be found here.