In the Swiss canton of Valais, a robot makes raclette, a melted cheese specialty. The artificial intelligence creature was presented in autumn at the “Foire du Valais” trade fair in the town of Martigny. The technical complexity of the futuristic raclette scraper was not without its challenges.

Thanks to a navigation algorithm, drones are learning to autonomously perform acrobatic maneuvers. Using simulations, the autonomous aircraft are trained to become faster, more agile, and more efficient.

Thomas Crowther believes that data is key to combating climate change. The British ecologist found out that there are many more trees on earth than scientists previously believed. But still, 3 trillion are not enough. The potential for reforestation is enormous, says the renowned expert. At the Crowther Lab in Zurich, he is developing nature-based solutions to restore the global ecosystem.

Swarms of bees as models for drones in construction: Empa has tested drones that work in teams under human control to 3D print materials for building or repairing structures.

Speak instead of typing – nowadays, communicating with computers often involves language bots. In his book “Dialogue Robots”, Armin Sieber analyzes the widespread dissemination of these bots. In this interview he describes the advantages – but also urges policymakers and the public to be aware of the dangers.

An international team led by researchers at NTU in Singapore has developed a universal connector that allows stretchable devices to be assembled easily and quickly using the Lego principle.

An adaptor makes immune cells fight cancer cells. Such “BiTE” agents have already proven effective against blood, lung and prostate cancer, researchers report.