Full-text search Fulltext search 20 Resultate Researchers investigate environmental risks of nanomedicines Nanomaterials are opening up new possibilities in medicine. But what if such nanomaterials escape into the environment? Empa researchers are currently assessing potential risks. Identifying technology risks in time Every new technology potentially also entails problematic side effects. The technology assessor Armin Grunwald helps identify risks in good time. In this interview, he talks about the consequences of emotionally competent AI. And he explains which new technology will have the greatest impact on our lives. A house in the spirit of the circular economy The ZHAW has built a house according to the closed-loop principle: Nutrients extracted from urine serve as fertiliser, rainwater is processed into drinking water. And much more besides. Twelve fans filter the air near Reykjavik To slow down climate change, a new type of plant in Iceland filters CO2 from the air. This is then mixed with water and injected into basalt. There it petrifies. Online tool evaluates the ecological footprint of cars A new web tool called “Carculator” determines the ecological footprint of vehicles with different types of propulsion. According to the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland, the calculations are intended to serve as a decision-making aid when purchasing a car. Aerial water drone hitchhikes An international research team with Empa participation has developed a drone that can glide through water as well as fly through the air. To save energy, it attaches itself to other objects for a ride. Aircraft of the future make less noise In an Empa research project, study participants rated the noise of new types of aircraft as less annoying than the noise of today's aircraft. AI detects plastic waste in the sea A new artificial intelligence recognises plastic in the sea from satellite images. This could help to systematically remove plastic waste from the oceans using ships. Plastic mix becomes pure propane Cobalt-based catalysts could be used to turn mixed plastic waste into fuel, new plastics and other products. Early warning system to save endangered species Biodiversity is declining rapidly. In order to recognise species worthy of protection in time, a research group from Fribourg wants to combine artificial intelligence, image data and citizen science.