Technology at hand Subjects (field_subjects) - Any - 3D Printing AI Bionics Deep learning Food hacking IT Lab Laser Technology Machine learning Mobility Robotics Science Sustainable living Urban transformation Content type - Any -Feature StoriesShort News naratek.publicationYear - Any -20232022202120202019 An invisible layer of door security Bad news for burglars: Researchers have developed a special membrane that can be used to create invisible keypads. People who know that it’s there can use it to enter their building access code. Apple car on the horizon? In 2020, the tech giant Apple massively ramped up its testing of self-driving cars. Does this mean the company has plans to start manufacturing its own cars? Crash-proof drone Researchers in Zurich have developed a drone that does not crash – even if one of its rotors fails. ETH builds ultrafast chip of the future Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) have discovered what the computer industry has been looking for since 20 years: A method of combining light and electronics on an ultrafast chip. Their plasmonic chip is more powerful, smaller, and cheaper to produce than any previous technology. Fiber optic cables reveal the inner workings of glaciers Fiber optic cables offer seismologists new possibilities to investigate the interior of glaciers. One day, this method may even make it possible to predict glacial collapse. ETH mathematicians facilitate rescue at sea Researchers have developed a method of calculation that speeds up the search for people in distress at sea. Their new algorithm can be used to predict where objects or people are likely to drift to on the sea surface. Researchers at the University of Zurich develop extremely agile drones Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have developed a system that enables flying robots to be very agile. A new type of camera allows autonomous drones to respond much faster than if they were controlled by a human pilot. University of Zurich teaches drones tricks 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. Changing shapes and materials using a 3D printer Empa researchers have used a 3D printer to produce metal parts that are divided into surfaces with different properties. Among other things, they hope to apply this technology to improve the efficiency of electric motors. FEATURE STORY The enchantress of numbers The first algorithm was devised a century before the invention of the computer. It was developed by Ada Lovelace. Born into British aristocracy, her visionary ideas foreshadowed the digital age. Subscribe to all feature stories as RSS feed Subscribe to all short news as RSS feed
