News EPFL

Dye-sensitized solar cells break a new record

Published:10.11.11 — Dye-sensitized Grätzel solar cells have just set a new efficiency benchmark. By changing the composition and color of the cells, an EPFL team has increased their efficiency to more than 12%. Their results have just been published in Science.

A pioneering computer found in the basement of EPFL

Published:09.11.11 — On Wednesday, on the occasion of the launch of its new exhibitions, the Bolo Museum has unveiled the CORA 1, a computer developed to serve the needs of the Swiss army at the end of the 1950s. Peter Toth, its designer, was at EPFL to talk about his adventure.

New technology tracks multiple athletes at once

Published:08.11.11 — International sports federations would like to be able to follow the movements of individual athletes more easily during televised matches, even when they’re hidden from view. Today, EPFL’s Computer Vision Laboratory announces an innovative system that accomplishes this task—and the implications go far beyond sports.

Physicists scrutinize the universe with a novel camera

Published:07.11.11 — For the first time, a Cherenkov telescope has been equipped with a camera based on a new technology that uses semiconductors. This instrument will observe the flashes of light that are produced by gamma rays when they penetrate the Earth’s atmosphere.

A Major Car Manufacturer Comes to EPFL

Published:04.11.11 — PSA Peugeot Citroën is announcing its arrival on the campus of the Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). The French automaker will be the eleventh major company to move into business-oriented Innovation Square since the space opened in August 2010.

200-meter-long bridges without expansion joints: is it possible?

Published:02.11.11 — Expansion joints are a nightmare in the maintenance of highway bridges. After a few decades, the junction points between the structure and the road begin to show signs of deterioration. Scientists at EPFL are attempting to do away with this costly technique, and have set up a life-size experiment on the campus.

Image processing: the human (still) beats the machine

Published:31.10.11 — A novel experiment conducted by researchers at Idiap Research Institute and Johns Hopkins University lead by an EPFL teacher highlights some of the limitations of automatic image analysis systems. Their results were recently published in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.