May 7, 2021 | Repetitive mass testing against the pandemic
Since February 2021, the canton of Grisons is using saliva-based PCR mass testing within its mobile workforce as a potential means to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and reduce infection rates. Empa researchers are now...
May 6, 2021 | Ground-breaking ceremony for new research campus
On Wednesday, 5 May, the expansion of the Empa and Eawag research campus in Dübendorf began with a ground-breaking ceremony for a new laboratory building. This was attended by representatives of the two research...
May 4, 2021 | Tiny plastic particles in the environment
The images leave no one cold: giant vortices of floating plastic trash in the world's oceans with sometimes devastating consequences for their inhabitants – the sobering legacy of our modern lifestyle. Weathering and...
Apr 29, 2021 | High Performance Ceramics
Removing pathogens from drinking water is especially difficult when the germs are too tiny to be caught by conventional filters. Researchers at Empa and Eawag are developing new materials and processes to free water from...
Apr 27, 2021 | Autonomous driving
Cars that autonomously navigate from A to B are expected to be a common sight in a few years from now. But road approval is still a long way off. One important aspect: How can we tell a self-driving car has become...
Apr 22, 2021 | New weapons against antibiotic resistance
Multi-resistant pathogens are a serious and increasing problem in today's medicine. Where antibiotics are ineffective, these bacteria can cause life-threatening infections. Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich are...
Apr 21, 2021 | From high-tech to re-use
The NEST partner network is growing rapidly. Its latest member: Saint-Gobain Switzerland. The company will initially equip two units, Sprint and HiLo, with glazing that covers a broad spectrum – from high-tech to re-use....
Apr 21, 2021 | Success for Eastern Switzerland initiative
The national innovation platform Switzerland Innovation is expanding in Eastern Switzerland with its latest addition, the Innovation Park East. On 21 April, the Federal Council has given the thumbs up. The main location...
Apr 20, 2021 | Technology transfer center for medtech certified
Since 15 April, it is official: The Technology Transfer Center for 3D Printing in Medical Technology – Swiss m4m Center, in short – meets the requirements of ISO standard 13485:2016; it is thus allowed to produce...
Apr 15, 2021 | How much does Switzerland consume?
Empa researchers have analyzed the entire material and energy flows of the Swiss economy. Their final report now provides important data and comparisons. The team also looked into how the behavior of the Swiss population...
Apr 13, 2021 | Sprint – A new NEST unit under construction
At NEST, the research and innovation platform of Empa and Eawag, the new Sprint unit is currently under construction – an office unit built largely from recycled materials. Sprint aims to set new standards for circular...
Apr 8, 2021 | Next generation of AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is nowadays considered a fundamental asset for developing products and technologies across industries, giving companies who master it a competitive edge. What is still lacking, however, is a...
Apr 1, 2021 | Developing countries
Empa researcher Cristina Dominguez is developing a computer model, which can be used to plan electricity grids in developing countries. To collect data, she travelled to Kenya to get an idea of how people live without...
Mar 31, 2021 | SILVARSTAR: Launch of a new European research project
SILVARSTAR, a two-year European research project funded under the EU's Horizon 2020 program, aims to provide the railway community with software tools and methodologies to assess the noise and vibration environmental...
Mar 29, 2021 | Thurgau Technology Day
Making more targeted use of digital technologies, advancing industrial projects with the new OST Ostschweizer Fachhochschule (Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences) and building a bridge to basic research...
Mar 25, 2021 | "Best employers in Switzerland 2021"
According to a survey conducted by Handelszeitung, Le Temps and Statista, an independent market research institute, Empa is considered the best employer in Switzerland in the category "Education and Research"; overall,...
Mar 23, 2021 | Digitalized road construction
Empa scientists are investigating how roads could be reinforced with simple means and recycled easily after use. Their tools are a robot and a few meters of string.
Mar 18, 2021 | Transparent electronics
Hard times for burglars and safecrackers: Empa researchers have developed an invisible "keypad" made of printed, transparent electronics. Only authorized persons know where to enter the access code.
Mar 15, 2021 | Piezoelectric wood
Researchers at Empa and ETH Zurich have made wood compressible and turned it into a micro-generator. When it is loaded, an electrical voltage is generated. In this way, the wood can serve as a bio-sensor - or generate...
Mar 11, 2021 | New exhibition at the Swiss Museum of Transport
Together with its partners Avenergy Suisse and Hyundai, Empa is presenting a new permanent exhibition on sustainable fuels of the future at the Swiss Museum of Transport starting in March 2021. Among other things, the...
Mar 9, 2021 | Biotechnology
Empa researchers have succeeded in extracting the pigment melanin in large quantities from a fungus. The gigantic Armillaria fungus in the service of science is one of the largest and oldest living organisms in the...
Mar 4, 2021 | AI for electricity distribution
Energy management in a house with a solar system is becoming increasingly complex: When do I turn on the heating so that it is nice and cosy in the evening? How much electricity can the hot water tank hold? Will there...
Mar 3, 2021 | Celebrating 50 years of "Sendung mit der Maus"
On Sunday, 7 March 2021, the "Sendung mit der Maus" celebrates its 50th birthday. For the anniversary edition of the most successful children's show on German TV, Armin Maiwald, anchorman from the very beginning, visited...
Feb 26, 2021 | Innovation from interdisciplinary collaboration
There is plenty of space for energy generation on building envelopes. However, photovoltaic façades are still rare, even though technology and aesthetics can be combined. As part of a competition, students at the Lucerne...
Feb 25, 2021 | Joint research of Empa and PSI
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and the partner institute Empa have started a joint initiative called SynFuels. The goal is to develop a process for producing kerosene from renewable resources. In this way...
Feb 18, 2021 | Siloxene: a new Empa spin-off
After a successful career in research at Empa, Matthias Koebel has now ventured into the private sector and founded the start-up Siloxene. The young entrepreneur has a construction kit filled with a miracle material, a...
Feb 16, 2021 | Radioactive waste repository
Cement is one of the key materials for the safe storage of radioactive waste. What is needed is an almost infinite durability of the containers. Empa researchers are therefore analyzing material systems that can handle...
Feb 9, 2021 | International team to tackle atmospheric pollution
After a mysterious and sharp increase between 2012 and 2017 that could be traced to eastern China global emissions of a potent (and banned) substance notorious for depleting the Earth’s ozone layer – the protective...
Feb 8, 2021 | SCS Award for PhD thesis
The former Empa scientist Kristýna Kantnerová receives the METAS Award 2021 in analytical chemistry, awarded by the Swiss Chemical Society, for her PhD thesis. In her research, she took a closer look at the well-known...
Feb 4, 2021 | NCCR Automation to develop intelligent energy systems
The new National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Automation has been launched – with the goal of establishing Switzerland as one of the world's leading hubs for research, education and innovation in automation...
Jan 29, 2021 | Pandemic risk in ski resorts
Where do the greatest risks of infection lurk? How can you protect yourself and others even better? Scientists all over the world are working to expand knowledge about Covid-19 – including at Empa. Researchers are now...
Jan 28, 2021 | Together againt foodwaste
Vegetables and fruits often have a long way to go on the supermarket shelf. How can quality be intelligently maintained on long journeys and possible spoilage prevented? In cooperation with Coop, Empa experts are...
Jan 26, 2021 | Particulate matter
The broad introduction of particle filters reduced the emission of combustion generated fine and ultrafine particles significantly. As a result, brake disc and tire abrasion are moving into the focus of public health...
Jan 21, 2021 | Empa and Lidl Switzerland promote sustainability and energy efficiency
Lidl Switzerland aims to operate its stores even more sustainably and efficiently in the future. Together with Empa, the company now puts this plan into practice. First, the energy consumption and the interaction of...
Jan 20, 2021 | Prestigious award for BASE and Empa in data.org challenge
Today, data.org announced the eight global winners of the $10 million Inclusive Growth and Recovery Challenge, which aims to address major societal challenges through computer and data science. Among the winners is a...
Jan 14, 2021 | Portrait: Pietro Lura
Pietro Lura has bold plans. As head of the new "Concrete & Asphalt" lab at Empa, he is committed to durable materials that are subject to ever-changing external conditions. Climate change and the scarcity of resources...
Jan 12, 2021 | Noise protection
Cars, trains, planes: For two thirds of the European population, traffic noise is part of everyday life. However, the right environment can have a major impact on this nuisance, as Empa researchers have found out. Green...
Jan 8, 2021 | Interview with Rolf Huber from H2 Energy AG
For about six years, H2 Energy AG has been working to build a renewable hydrogen ecosystem in Switzerland. Yesterday, it was awarded the "Watt d'Or" by the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) for its efforts. Recently,...
Jan 5, 2021 | When damaged ropes change color
High-performance fibres that have been exposed to high temperatures usually lose their mechanical properties undetected and, in the worst case, can tear precisely when lives depend on them. For example, safety ropes used...