A specially coated metal mesh can extract water from fog and remove environmental pollutants at the same time. With the technology developed in Zurich, drinking water can be extracted from the air even in regions with heavy air pollution.

Tiny structures allow a newly created material to collect drinkable water from the air day and night, combining two water collection technologies into one.

A research team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) has presented a prototype of a low-cost filter that efficiently decontaminates water using only sunlight. The device is intended to provide clean drinking water for people in regions with little electricity.

MIT engineers have developed a super-absorbent material that can soak up a record amount of moisture from the air - even in desert-like conditions.

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.

A team of Empa researchers has developed a disposable paper battery that works with metallic inks and salt - activated by a drop of water. This could be used to power a wide range of small disposable electronic devices with low power consumption.

The 3D maps would help researchers track and predict the ocean's response to climate change.

Tiny micro- and nanoplastic particles (MNP) can not only enter the body through food, as is well known, but can even reach the brain.

The findings could help develop new functional materials. Waterproof textiles, for example. Or construction materials for self-cleaning buildings.

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.