science wire

Empa and the Korean Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology (KICT) are committed to working together for a sustainable and networked society.

At yesterday's Hyperloop Competition in Los Angeles, the Swissloop pod achieved a top speed of 252 km/h.

To harvest wind energy, you don't necessarily need rotors on steel masts - light kites on thin ropes can do the same. The Empa spin-off TwingTec has been researching this technology for some time now. Last autumn, it was possible for the first time to start, generate electrical energy while flying and then land again, all in the specified level of automation.

The number of registrations of electric cars is rising sharply. But where to put old batteries' The association of Swiss car importers, "auto-schweiz", is striving for a recycling solution for the entire industry.

A new Empa study shows how much work still lies ahead of us if Switzerland is to do without fossil fuels in the future. There are two possible solutions: storing large amounts of energy in summer and limiting our demand in winter, or generating energy in the "sunny south" or "windy north" of the world and transporting it here.

Switzerland is about to undergo a comprehensive transformation of its energy system if it plans to drastically curb its CO2 emissions.

Never before has such an efficient flexible CIGS solar cell been built. Empa researchers achieve an efficiency of 20.8% - breaking their own record.

The beauty of scientific results sometimes only reveals itself to a circle of experts. For the "ArtSci 2019" exhibition at ETH Zurich, however, researchers made the magic of the natural sciences comprehensible to a wider audience.

Hydrogen mobility in Switzerland is picking up speed. The mobility demonstrator "move", which Empa opened in Dübendorf about three years ago with the support of the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) and various industrial partners, laid an important foundation stone for this and has been continuously developing since then.

In its first two years, the BRIDGE funding programme has financed 81 projects at the interface of basic science and science-based innovation.

For 13 years, the "bilding" foundation has been committed to promoting the next generation of engineers in the construction industry, which also includes the Building Award for remarkable and innovative engineering achievements in construction.

Our energy system is changing: The permanent availability of energy in the right place at the right time is becoming more demanding. At the same time, digitalization offers us new tools for better controlling energy flows. A new joint energy research platform of ETH Zurich, the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and Empa - ReMaP - aims at contributing to a better understanding of interconnected future energy systems.

In cooperation with Empa, the Austrian Space Forum (ÖFW) is developing the "Serenity" space suit - a prototype for a Mars suit.

In such a highly competitive environment as scientific research, it is a good idea to ask yourself on a regular basis just how well you fare by international comparison. With this in mind, Empa conducted a peer review last October: eleven international experts from all of Empa's areas of activity scrutinized the institute's output in research and innovation and compared it with the rest of the world.

Empa CEO Gian-Luca Bona on the opportunities and risks of digitalization - and the question as to how a materials research institute needs to gear itself up for this future.

Solar systems on the roofs of residential buildings often produce energy precisely when the tenants can't actually use it. Stationary batteries enable this energy to be utilized in the evening, at night or on a rainy day. A research project at Empa is investigating whether the use of stationary batteries makes economic sense for the consumer while at the same time offering advantages for energy suppliers.

Can you cool with waste heat? Sure. A Swiss research project involving Empa, which ended in November, demonstrated this in an impressive way.

Diesel vans are dirtier in winter than many know: Where there are still gaps in emissions legislation, soot particles and nitrogen oxides (NOx) continue to be produced.

Another European Space Agency (ESA) satellite was launched last October: BepiColombo who is heading for Mercury - with Empa technology on board.

Empa is presenting sustainable fuels of the future at the Petroleum Association's stand in Hall 6 of the Geneva Motor Show.

What could the "gas station of the future" look like? What services does it offer? Which fuels can be filled up there and where do they come from? The Swiss Oil Industry Association (Erdöl-Vereinigun

As part of a strategic international cooperation program of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Empa in Dübendorf (CH) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research ISC in Würzburg (D) launched a three

Portable sensors that prevent injuries to skin and tissue should allow a patient to lie for an extended period of time: With this project, researchers from Empa and the University of Bern were successful in the current call for proposals for BRIDGE funding from the SNF and Innosuisse.

Together with BRUAG Fire Protection AG, Empa specialists have developed a new flame retardant for wood and wood-based materials.

Together with BRUAG Fire Protection AG, Empa specialists have developed a new flame retardant for wood and wood-based materials.

Interdisciplinary, interconnected and oriented towards a sustainable future: These words describe Kristina Orehounig just as aptly as they describe the Empa laboratory "Urban Energy Systems", which she is heading since February 2018. She has chosen an unusual path to her current scientific discipline - but that is precisely what she sees as an advantage in her day-to-day research.

At the beginning of the 1930s, when European countries were sealing themselves off, Switzerland opened the internationally oriented Jungfraujoch research station.

A sustainable alternative to the fossil-based, energy-intensive production of fuels and basic products of the chemical industry, based solely on solar energy and universally available resources: This

3D printing is finding its way into industrial manufacturing. This technology and the increasing digitalization of design and manufacturing processes - keyword "Industry 4.0" - will also play a central role in medical technology in the future. A new technology transfer centre in the canton of Solothurn will help to transfer know-how from science to industry - and at the same time accelerate research.

Cellulose obtained from wood has amazing material properties. Empa researchers are now equipping the biodegradable material with additional functionalities to produce implants for cartilage diseases using 3D printing.

Can you cool with waste heat? Sure. A Swiss research project involving Empa, which ended in November, demonstrated this in an impressive way.

Solar systems on the roofs of residential buildings often produce energy precisely when the tenants can't actually use it. Stationary batteries enable this energy to be utilized in the evening, at night or on a rainy day. A research project at Empa is investigating whether the use of stationary batteries makes economic sense for the consumer while at the same time offering advantages for energy suppliers.

The beauty of scientific results sometimes only reveals itself to a circle of experts. For the "ArtSci 2019" exhibition at ETH Zurich, however, researchers made the magic of the natural sciences comprehensible to a wider audience.

Industry representatives met at Empa's Thun campus last week to get information on the latest high-tech trends in industrial coatings. The partnership with the Hightech Zentrum Aargau strengthens the transfer of knowledge from research to companies. The joint technology briefing of Empa and the Hightech Zentrum Aargau on 14 November in Thun was fully booked with 80 participants.

The Swiss sportswear manufacturer KJUS presented the world's first ski jacket with an integrated electronic user-controlled membrane on November 15.

This year's Swiss Aerosol Award goes to Maria Muñoz. The Empa researcher investigated the emission behavior of so-called GDI engines (gasoline-direct injection).