Technology at hand

Subjects (field_subjects)
Solar cells

Clever cleaning of solar modules

Dust accumulating on solar panels is a big problem. But washing the panels consumes large amounts of water. MIT engineers have now developed a waterless cleaning method.
A handout picture made available by ESA/CNES/Arianespace shows the lift-off of Arianespace's Ariane 5 rocket carrying NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, in the Jupiter Center at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, 25 December 2021.

Space travel: Moon and Jupiter in focus

While Mars was the focus of space activities in 2021, many missions to the Moon will start this year. In addition, ESA is setting off for Jupiter. And NASA wants to divert an asteroid.
Particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva.

Physicists are on the trail of a “sensation“

The particle accelerator at CERN in Geneva will start up again at the end of March 2022. It is more powerful than ever before. Can physicists now prove a previously unknown force of nature?
A test fleet of autonomous Daimler trucks has been on the road in the USA for about three years.

Autonomous driving: Trucks catching up

Just a year ago, start-ups working on robotaxis were raising eight times as much money as companies interested in self-driving trucks. In the meantime, the gap has narrowed dramatically.
A hydroelectric power station

Improved carbon footprint thanks to the utilization of surplus electricity

Power-to-X processes could play a key role in reducing Switzerland’s CO₂ emissions. These processes convert excess electricity generated using renewable sources into liquid or gaseous energy carriers. A group of researchers recently explored the potential of power-to-X for Switzerland.
FEATURE STORY
Portrait of Michel Fornasier the Bionicman

The man with the robotic arm

Life without your right hand? Michael Fornasier from Switzerland was born this way. Thanks to his bionic hand prosthesis, he is not only able to master his everyday life – he has even become a superhero. In this interview, “Bionicman” tells us his story and why he sometimes misplaced his hand.
A picture made available on 04 March 2017 of David Holecek (L) getting a chip implanted in his hand by Jowan Osterlund of the company Biohax, in Gothenburg, Sweden, 02 December 2015.

A Covid passport that gets under the skin

A Swedish company has developed a Covid passport for microchip implants. The head of the company is chipped himself. He is not worried about his privacy.
A thistle butterfly (Vanessa cardui)

Videos show growth of butterfly wings

The findings could help develop new functional materials. Waterproof textiles, for example. Or construction materials for self-cleaning buildings.
FEATURE STORY
Revolution in the berry patch illustrated by Irene Servillo

Revolution in the berry patch

Some 30 years ago, a Canadian researcher discovered an environmentally friendly way to deploy bees in the fight against grey mold. This approach, which holds a lot of promise for European fruit growers, is currently being tested on Swiss berry patches.
At the "Walking with Dinosaurs" show in Geneva

How dinosaurs lived 193 million years ago

We know that certain dinosaurs were social. Now researchers are proving that the animals lived in herds much earlier than previously thought. The secret of their early evolutionary success?
Subscribe to all feature stories as RSS feed Subscribe to all short news as RSS feed