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Scientists have developed inertial systems, worn in a full-body swimming suit, which can analyse the strengths and weaknesses of elite-level swimmers during workout sessions. It's a revolutionary new tool for coaches. Will scientists play a role in creating the next Michael Phelps or Laure Manaudou? Researchers from EPFL and University of Lausanne have at least taken the first step, by developing a tool that can help improve elite swimmers' workouts.

A new technology could prevent most breast implant rejections. So far, more than a quarter of all breast implants must be removed within four years, because neighboring tissues develop a rigid envelope of fibrous tissue to protect themselves from the foreign body. A company has developed a protective covering made up of a nanostructured surface and a layer of collagen that will prevent the body from rejecting the implant.

Are robots welcome in our homes? A qualitative study has revealed some interesting possibilities. Only one out of three households thinks automatic vacuum cleaners are worth the investment. The opinions of the others will be used to develop the appliances of the future. Will there be lots of gadgets under the family Christmas tree this year? By the back door, robotic vacuums are bringing cyberstuff into daily life; they're among the first autonomous devices that can be easily used by ordinary households.

Scientists have created 18-karat gold that's harder than tempered steel and virtually unscratchable.

Every wine aficionado knows that wine has to be swirled in a glass in order for it to release its aroma.

For fifty years, mathematicians have grappled with the so-called "fixed point" theorem. A team has now found an elegant, one-page solution that opens up new perspectives in physics and economics. Take a map of the world. Now put it down on the ground in Central Park, against a rock on Mount Everest, or on your kitchen table; there will always be a point on the map that sits exactly on the actual physical place it represents.

Researchers have invented a new generation of tactile surfaces with relief effects - users can feel actual raised keys under their fingers.

A new system boosts the performance of detection systems and helps to create new antennas for mobile telephony and on-board satellite systems: An innovative transmission system takes advantage of a previously under-utilized wavelength: the terahertz.

It's the story of a long dynasty of industrial robots. Delta's three arms began by packaging chocolates, before being used in watchmaking, tele-surgery and the processing of materials.

Newly discovered mechanisms lay the foundation for a new therapeutic avenues that one day may be beneficial in treating diseases, ranging from muscle weakness and frailty to obesity and diabetes. Researchers from EPFL published a study which highlight on the roles of a nuclear receptor co-repressor, NCoR1.

Dye-sensitized Grätzel solar cells have just set a new efficiency benchmark. By changing the composition and color of the cells, an EPFL team has increased their efficiency to more than 12%.

Advances in the field could help solve the energy challenge. The science of light and liquids has been intimately entwined since Léon Foucault discovered the speed of light in 1862, when he observed that light travels more slowly in water than in air.

It may soon be possible manufacture the miniscule structures that make up transistors and silicon chips rapidly and inexpensively. EPFL scientists are currently investigating the use of dynamic stencil lithography, a recent but not yet perfected method, for creating nanostructures. Faster, less expensive, and better.

The Universe wouldn't be the same without the Higgs boson. This legendary particle plays a role in cosmology and reveals the possible existence of another closely related particle. The race to identify the Higgs boson is on at CERN. This Holy Grail of particle physics would help explain why the majority of elementary particles possess mass.

Research has shown that contrary to what was thought from previous studies, spin-outs don't systematically set up shop near their parent companies. To stay or to leave, what's the best strategy? "I was really surprised, when doing this research, to find that 50% of spin-outs don't necessarily establish themselves near the parent company," observes Christopher Tucci from EPFL.

A device shows how blood is circulating in the skin. It already facilitates the work of burn specialists and plastic and reconstructive surgeons.

The enigmatic quantum dot is the basic building block for quantum computers. Physicists have developed a new theory to determine the optical properties of these dots based on the principles of symmetry. Physicists from EPFL have created a pyramidal dot that's just shy of 100 nanometers high, about 200 atoms on a side.

Precise measurement of the molecular weight, size and density of a nanoparticle in a single procedure is now possible, thanks to an ultracentrifugation method. Although nanoparticles are used in a variety of domains - such as medicine, solar energy and photonics - there is still much about them to be discovered.

Scientists model sediment deposits carried by the Naviscence River in the Swiss Valais canton. They are simulating possible scenarios for the future of the Zinal ski area, which could be threatened by the river.

Scientists have discovered a new wreck on the bottom of the Lake Geneva. Underwater archaeology is benefiting from scanners developed for scientific research. "It's always a memorable moment when you find an unknown shipwreck. It's not on the maps, and after having gone around it, I didn't see any inscription on its hull," explains Evgeny Chernyaev, who was piloting the submersible.