Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

“The RAI Institute opens up unique opportunities for both researchers and students”

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · 23d

Marco Hutter, Professor for Robotics and Intelligent Systems at D-MAVT, is head of the new Robotics and AI Institute (RAI).

He talks about how the center came to life, how he juggles research, teaching, and leadership—and what it all means for ETH students and researchers.

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

ETH Zurich @ethz.ch · 23d

The Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) in Zurich Oerlikon celebrated the opening of its new centre on 15 September.

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

The Robotics and AI Institute (RAI) in Zurich Oerlikon celebrated the opening of its new centre on 15 September. Marco Hutter, ETH professor of robotic systems and director of the RAI office in Zurich...

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · 23d

🎉 A warm welcome to 700+ new Bachelor’s and 400+ new Master’s students joining D-MAVT this fall!

We're proud to see more diversity than ever: ~19% women, ~18% w/o Swiss Matura, 40%+ intl Master’s.

Here’s to a great semester ahead!

First-semester students entering the Paul Scherrer lecture hall at ETH Zurich

Prof Bardow welcoming first-semester students to D-MAVT in the Paul Scherrer lecture hall at ETH Zurich

Semi-close-up of students - women and men - sitting in the lecture hall

Semi-close-up of Master's students in the lecture hall

Behind the Lectures: MAVT Professors Unplugged

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · 28d

📢 Starting in the fall semester of 2025, D-MAVT will introduce a new lecture series designed for first-semester students. Each week, two professors will present their research areas, offering insights into the department’s broad spectrum of topics and disciplines.

mavt.ethz.ch/news-and-eve...

New lecture series for first-year students

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · 28d

Join us for the Aurel Stodola Lecture 2025 with Charbel Farhat (Stanford) on multiscale modeling of parachutes for Mars missions.

📅 19 Sep | 15:30
📍 Audi Max, ETH
Apéro after – no RSVP needed.

All information about the event: lnkd.in/eJi5YGik

#MarsMissions #Engineering #SpaceExploration

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · 29d

Biohybrid robotics: Researchers at ETH Zurich’s Soft Robotics Lab integrated 3D bioprinted muscles and tendons that mimics the natural interface between muscle and bone. Applications? Assistive robotics, prosthetics, lab-grown tissues. Collab @ethz.ch @ibecbarcelona.eu @ub.edu
tinyurl.com/3z75727m

Eight D-MAVT spin-offs among TOP Swiss 100 Startups in 2025

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · 29d

mavt.ethz.ch/news-and-eve...

Eight spin-offs from D-MAVT have made it into this year’s TOP 100 Swiss Startups, announced by @venturelab.bsky.social. Congratulations and lots of continued success! Special congratulations to Tethys Robotics and Nanoflex Robotics for securing spots in the Top Ten.

Tethys Robotics and NanoFlex Robotics in the top ten

Outi Supponen receives ERC Starting Grant

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Sep 5

We congratulate Professor Outi Supponen on receiving an ERC Starting Grant! Her research on cavitation bubbles aims to improve sound-wave-based treatments for conditions such as brain diseases, tumors, blood clots, infections, and kidney stones.

Read more at: mavt.ethz.ch/news-and-eve...

Outi Supponen, professor at the Institute of Fluid Dynamics at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT) at ETH Zurich, receives a Starting Grant from the European Research Council...

Students develop novel multi-metal 3D printing process

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Sep 3

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

One of our former focus projects is nominated for the @ethz.ch SPARK Award: students developed a laser-based 3D printer that processes two metals simultaneously. This enables more efficient production of multi-metal parts - especially valuable for aerospace and aviation. 👇

Students at ETH Zurich have developed a laser power bed fusion machine that follows a circular tool path to print round components, thereby being able to process multiple metals at once. The system si...

“We’re not just training people, we’re connecting them with the aviation industry”

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Aug 22

Wonderful to see the program thrive — proud to support it!

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Aug 14

✈️ 10 years ago, Peter Wild—airline pilot and flight instructor—launched an aviation lecture series at @ethz.ch. Hosted by D-MAVT, the series is now one of the largest of its kind. In his interview, Wild explains how the course connects students with the aviation industry.

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

ETH Zurich @ethz.ch · Aug 14

The lecture series on aviation began over ten years ago. Today, it is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Lecturer and initiator Peter Wild explains how it all began and how the course paves the way for students to enter the profession.

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

The lecture series on aviation began over ten years ago. Today, it is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. Lecturer and initiator Peter Wild explains how it all began and how the course paves the...

Left-handed or right-handed? Nanostructures identified by light

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Aug 11

D-MAVT at ETH Zurich is contributing to the Next-gen Bioengineers programme with Roche; At the recent retreat, it was highlighted for work on organoids, microfluidics, and gene therapy, showing how mechanical engineering is driving progress in biomedicine.

D-BSSE, ETH Zurich @bsse.ethz.ch · Aug 11

At their annual retreat, fellows of the
@ethz.ch & #pRED #teamIHB #Roche | #NextGenBioeng programme showcased how organoids, CRISPR screens & spatial omics are reshaping translational #bioengineering. A hub of ideas, data & new collaborations🚀 > u.ethz.ch/1gMXI

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ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Aug 7

Many molecules are chiral: they occur as left- and right-handed versions. A team around Romain Quidant (Nanophotonic Systems Lab, D-MAVT) has developed a method to visualize the "handedness" of nanoscale structures, opening up possibilities for biology and material science.

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

ETH Zurich @ethz.ch · Aug 5

How do left-handed and right-handed molecules differ? Researchers at ETH Zurich are using a new imaging method to visualise what was previously only measurable as an average, opening up new possibilities for biology and materials science.

ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

How do left-handed and right-handed molecules differ? Researchers at ETH Zurich are using a new imaging method to visualise what was previously only measurable as an average, opening up new possibilit...

Intelligent wound dressing controls inflammation

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Aug 7

A research team from ETH Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich, led by Prof. Robert Katzschmann (Soft Robotics Lab, D-MAVT) and Prof. Omer Dzemali (USZ), has developed a cardiac patch designed to not only seal but also heal damaged heart tissue.

Full article: ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Reposted

ETH Zurich @ethz.ch · Jul 4

Chronic wounds are burdening healthcare systems with billions of dollars in costs every year. Börte Emiroglu ,
@ethmavt.bsky.social, is developing a new product: a selective, sponge-like hydrogel that reduces inflammatory signals and actively promotes healing.
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Chronic wounds are a major medical challenge, burdening healthcare systems with billions of dollars in costs every year. Pioneer Fellow Börte Emiroglu is developing a new product: a selective, sponge-...

From virtual worlds to medical applications: microrobots learn to autonomously navigate blood vessels

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ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Jun 26

Prof. Daniel Ahmed’s team trains microrobots to navigate the human body using ultrasound, AI & simulation. This work paves the way for non-invasive medical applications like targeted drug delivery and microsurgery. @erc.europa.eu

Read more at:
mavt.ethz.ch/news-and-eve...

Imagine a microrobot navigating the vessels of the human brain by learning from its own “dreams”. Researchers led by Daniel Ahmed, Professor of Acoustic Robotics for Life Sciences and Healthcare at ET...

A building material that lives and stores carbon

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ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Jun 25

Can buildings help fight climate change?

Researchers from D-MAVT and D-ARCH developed a new 3D-printable, living building material. The bacteria actively removes CO₂ from the air and converts it into biomass to lower the carbon footprint of buildings and infrastructure.

Read more: lnkd.in/gRSAqPwG

ETH Zurich @ethz.ch · Jun 20

It sounds like an architect's and a civil engineer's dream. But it's the result of interdisciplinary research at ETH Zurich.
ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

Researchers are developing a living material that actively extracts carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Photosynthetic cyanobacteria grow inside it, forming biomass and solid minerals and thus binding...

ETH Medal and Willi Studer Prize 2025

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Jun 17

Congratulations to the recipients of the ETH Medal and the Willi Studer Prize from the D-MAVT class of 2025! The awards were presented at the master's graduation ceremony.

mavt.ethz.ch/news-and-eve...

As part of this year’s Master's graduation ceremony on 12 June 2025, the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering (D-MAVT) honored the achievements of its graduates. Fourteen graduates were aw...

Practising medicine on a lifelike silicone model

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Jun 16

Swiss Vascular, a spin-off from #ETHZurich, creates ultra-realistic silicone brain-vessel models from MRI/CT data. They enable safe training for complex interventions, reduce animal testing, and support medical ethical and research.👏🏻
#MedTech

ETH Zurich @ethz.ch · Jun 16

The ETH spin-off Swiss Vascular has developed anatomically exact silicone models of cerebral vessels. This reduces animal testing and improves medical training for complex medical interventions. ethz.ch/en/news-and-...

An ETH spin-off, Swiss Vascular, has developed anatomically exact silicone models of cerebral vessels. Through this development, researchers will not only reduce the amount of animal experimentation r...

Where power will come from in 2050

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · Jun 3

D-MAVT Bachelor’s students showcased their Focus Projects at ETH Zurich! 👏 A big thank you to all the student teams, faculty, and supporters who made Focus Rollout 2025 such a success!

ethmavt.bsky.social @ethmavt.bsky.social · May 23

New study outlines how 🇨🇭 can reach its climate goals. D-MAVT Prof. Giovanni Sansavini is part of the research consortium exploring pathways to a carbon-neutral future.
#NetZero #EnergyTransition @ethz.ch

ETH Zurich @ethz.ch · May 22

A Swiss research consortium, including ETH, shows how Switzerland can fully decarbonise its #EnergySystem and phase out nuclear power by 2050 – and what the #Cost would be.

By 2050, the aim is for Switzerland’s energy system to be decarbonised and no longer reliant on nuclear power. How this can be achieved and the costs of doing so are set out in a new report by a Swiss...