News EPFL

Using virtual reality to recover from a cerebro-vascular accident

Published:19.05.11 — It’s possible to regain mobility in your arms using “Nano” after a cerebro-vascular accident (CVA). Developed by MindMaze, an EPFL spin-off company, this device can be used every day at home.

From one crisis to the next – the banks have difficulty in adapting

Published:18.05.11 — Can the financial sector regulate itself? A study carried out by EPFL’s Swiss Finance Institute, involving 350 American institutions, shows that those that perform poorly in times of crisis will also be adversely affected the next time. The choice of the starting business model seems to be crucial.

New start-up leverages Scala – a product of EPFL

Published:17.05.11 — Thanks to the raising of three million dollars, Martin Odersky has just created the company Typesafe. This investment will enable the Scala programming language – a promising alternative to Java – to increase its use on the Internet.

Groundwater of the Geneva basin under scrutiny from hydrogeologist

Published:16.05.11 — Could our drinking water resources be at risk from drought, among other things? The canton of Vaud has commissioned an EPFL laboratory to draw up a geological map of the conservation and the water resources.

The future of regions in Europe hinges on “Smart Specialisation”

Published:13.05.11 — How can regions be helped in recognizing their advantages and in putting forward their own strategies? Researchers from EPFL have developed a tool that will help them to develop a different kind of economy.

New technique improves artificial photosynthesis

Published:12.05.11 — Transforming solar energy into a usable form is a real challenge. One technique is to use semiconductors to store the energy as hydrogen. Unfortunately, the most efficient semiconductors are not the most stable. An EPFL team has just discovered that it is possible to protect the semiconductor with a uniform layer just a few nanometers thick.

New nanotechnology cleanrooms at EPFL

Published:11.05.11 — Renovated from top to bottom, EPFL’s microengineering building is now prepared to house new, highly promising experiments in microengineering and bioengineering. A complex of exceptional cleanrooms - unique in Switzerland - is now available for scientists, students and research partners.