Engineering Industry Day hits the ground running

After a three-year break due to the pandemic, EPFL’s Engineering Industry Day enjoyed a successful fourth edition on March 8th, when representatives of academia and industry converged at the SwissTech Convention Center to tackle the latest challenges and opportunities in engineering entrepreneurship.

Two Engineering Institutes Among the Best Worldwide

Two institutes of the School of Engineering are now the highest ranked at EPFL according to the 2023 QS World University Rankings, and among the top-10 worldwide. The Institute of Electrical and Mirco Engineering is ranked 6th (up from 10th in 2022), while the Institute of Materials is ranked 8th (up from 10th in 2022).

Thread-like pumps can be woven into clothes

EPFL researchers have developed fiber-like pumps that allow high-pressure fluidic circuits to be woven into textiles without an external pump. Soft supportive exoskeletons, thermoregulatory clothing, and immersive haptics can therefore be powered from pumps sewn into the fabric of the devices themselves.

3D-printed insoles measure sole pressure directly in the shoe

Researchers at ETH Zurich, Empa, and EPFL are developing a 3D-printed insole with integrated sensors that allows the pressure of the sole to be measured in the shoe during activity. This helps athletes or patients to determine performance and therapy progress.

Smart ring offers a simple way to monitor your health

EPFL spin-off Senbiosys has unveiled a jewelry-like smart ring that incorporates all the health-monitoring features currently available in smart watches. The company’s achievement in miniaturization – made possible thanks to the world’s smallest sensor, developed with the participation of the School of Engineering's Integrated Circuits Lab – appears to have major market potential, as its recent crowdfunding campaign raised five times more capital than expected.

Magnon-based computation could signal computing paradigm shift

Thanks to a breakthrough in the field of magnonics, EPFL researchers have sent and stored data using charge-free magnetic waves, rather than traditional electron flows. The discovery could solve the dilemma of energy-hungry computing technology in the age of big data. Like electronics or photonics, magnonics is an engineering subfield that aims to advance information technologies when it comes to speed, device architecture, and energy consumption.

EPFL will train students on sustainability

Starting fall 2024, all EPFL first-year students will be required to take a core class in sustainability, and each department will introduce a sustainability-oriented Bachelor’s class (including one co-led by Tiffany Abitbol of STI's Sustainable Materials Laboratory) and Master’s class with a focus on real-world applications. These changes come as part of EPFL’s Teach4Sustainability initiative.

EPFL introduces minor in imaging to meet growing demand

New imaging methods are being developed and adopted at a rapid pace in both research and industry. To equip EPFL graduates with the skills they’ll need, the School’s Center for Imaging is introducing a minor specifically in this area starting in the 2023–2024 school year. It’s the first program of its kind in Europe and will comprise an array of cross-disciplinary classes.