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All stories by Sybille Zimmermann
Robotic production of large-scale components
Entrepreneurship
ETH spin-off SAEKI’s ground-breaking robot is revolutionising the manufacturing of large components for space shuttles and concrete structures. This all-in-one machine handles everything from 3D printing to milling, saving costs, time, and materials. Welcome to the future of manufacturing.
The next generation of product heating
Entrepreneurship
ETH spin-off qCella offers a novel heating technology for products. Heating objects close to people rather than entire rooms, such as car interiors, thus becomes an attractive option. qCella's approach is comfortable, energy-efficient and can be applied to a wide range of products - from shoe soles to aeroplane seats.
Industrial VR training
Entrepreneurship
ETH spin-off AtlasVR offers virtual reality (VR) training solutions for industry, enabling the workforce to train independently and efficiently. Thanks to virtual training, a significant amount of resources like raw materials can be saved.
Closing the gap between data science and medicine
Entrepreneurship
Even after clinical trials, there is never 100% certainty about the safety and effectiveness of new medicines. The ETH spin-off Methodds offers tailored analytical solutions and expert services for this problem in healthcare.
Biosimo produces fossil-free chemicals
- Sustainability
- Entrepreneurship
The carbon used in today’s materials is almost exclusively made from gas, oil, or coal. ETH spin-off and chemical engineering start-up, Biosimo, has developed a sustainable bio-based alternative to produce fossil-free chemicals such as acetic acid.
Artificial intelligence for stable processes in industry
Entrepreneurship
Bottle jams on the conveyor belt or overheated machines – such interruptions to production cost a lot of time and money. ETH spin-off Cerrion detects and analyses problems in the process automatically and in real time.
Beneficial bacteria for soothing infant colic
Entrepreneurship
About 20% of all babies worldwide suffer from infant colic and cry excessively during the first five months of their lives. The soon-to-be ETH spin-off SURI BioTech is developing a solution for infant colic using beneficial bacteria to bring relief.
Laser based weeding robot
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainability
Weeds are traditionally killed either by using herbicides or by a combination of mechanical hoeing and manual weeding. The ETH weeding robot with integrated laser promises to save countless hours of manual labour as well as scalable organic farming without chemicals.
Holistic contextual AI-based document processing
Entrepreneurship
ETH LegalTech spin-off DeepJudge assists law firms, corporations, and courts by making data-sensitive administrative work more efficient.
Accessible AI for manufacturing
Entrepreneurship
ETH spin-off EthonAI has developed powerful AI software applications that combine quality inspection and root cause analysis in manufacturing. The software is piloted at Siemens Smart Infrastructure.
Clean water everywhere and for everyone
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainability
Clean water is very valuable and – in many parts of the world – an increasingly rare commodity. The ETH spin-off Oxyle AG provides a novel wastewater-treatment-system that eliminates persistent and toxic organic micro pollutants.
When x-ray vision is a reality, not a superpower
Entrepreneurship
See glaciers, dams, mountains, buildings, art, and railway stations in a fascinating new light: ETH spin-off Scanvision combines laser scanning and photogrammetry technologies to visualise large-scale landscapes and constructions in 3D documentations.
Ultra-thin graphene membranes for filtration and purification
Entrepreneurship
Membranes for filtration and purification of liquids and gases are an important technology in various industries, ranging from drinking water supply to medical technology, and from semi-conductors to sports utility wear and petrochemistry. The graphene membranes developed at ETH Zurich promise more energy-efficient separation.
Software for renewable energy communities
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainability
Photovoltaic systems enable the generation of own-source electricity. ETH spin-off Exnaton developed a software to create local energy communities to realise neighbourhood-based trading of renewable energy.
Augmented Reality manuals
Entrepreneurship
ETH spin-off Rimon Technologies has developed a framework to enhance the capabilities of teams and companies to build their own augmented reality (AR) applications such as manuals for complex machines or inspections.
The fastest and smallest Corona PCR test
Entrepreneurship
The current Coronavirus pandemic has shown that better, more reliable, and faster testing is crucial to ensure optimal and timely treatment and to contain the spread. ETH start-up diaxxo has created an ultra-fast, real-time PCR testing device for various indications.
Superior antibodies to cure viral infections and cancer
Entrepreneurship
Memo Therapeutics has found a way to isolate and store ultra-rare but highly effective antibody producing cells (B cells). The ETH spin-off has generated best-in-class antibodies against two viruses including SARS-CoV-2 and is aiming to use the technology on a wide range of indications.
Magnetic blood purification to cure sepsis
Entrepreneurship
Affecting almost 50 million people every year and causing high costs as well as too many deaths, sepsis – also known as “blood poisoning” – is one of the greatest medical challenges in the world. ETH spin-off hemotune AG has invented an award-winning technology to overcome this problem.
Radar technology measures your sleep contactless
Entrepreneurship
Easy and contact-free sleep monitoring at home? ETH spin-off Sleepiz revolutionises the way sleep disorders are diagnosed.
Timely corrosion risk monitoring
Entrepreneurship
Reinforced concrete is the most widely used building material in the world, particularly for large infrastructures. Over 50% of these structures in Europe and the US are past their 50-year service life span. They suffer from corrosion in the steel-reinforcement and bear an unknown repair urgency. The DuraMon solution sheds light on this dark area.
Game on! for Indoor Astronaut
Entrepreneurship
ETH spin-off Indoor Astronaut specialises in the development of computer games. Unrailed! is their first game and is designed to entice all existing and future railway fans. The team has collected several prizes for their game worldwide.
Cutting-edge nanotechnology to boost wound healing
Entrepreneurship
Every year, millions of patients worldwide receive skin grafts because of severe burns, sports injuries or diabetic wounds, often accompanied by detrimental complications. Such treatments are painful for patients and expensive for the healthcare system. A nanoparticle paste is now promising relief.
Interactive avatars for a contactless customer experience
Entrepreneurship
Founded in 2019, ETH spin-off, Animatico, has developed software for interactive, talking avatars. The animated characters can provide support in various areas of everyday life, such as buying tickets, checking into hotels, or advising on products. The systems work without any contact – certainly needed in Covid-19 times.
Sustainable outdoor clothing to protect nature
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainability
ETH spin-off dimpora produces sustainable membranes for outdoor clothing that do not pollute nature. Studies have revealed that toxic membrane residues are not just found in remote lakes or mountains, but also in the blood of wild animals such as polar bears.
Human super power thanks to wearable exoskeleton made for industry
Entrepreneurship
Many companies have replaced manual labour with machines and robots. However, there are still many jobs where full automation is not possible or simply not desired. Auxivo, an ETH spin-off from the Rehabilitation Engineering Lab, develops exoskeletons for industrial applications to support workers who frequently lift and carry heavy objects.
Accelerating the energy transition with 3D automated planning
Entrepreneurship
ETH spin-off Gilytics offers a software as a service solution using spatial data and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology that creates routes for power lines, pipelines, roads, or railways instantly.?The automated 3D software saves energy and engineering companies considerable time and money when planning complex projects anywhere in the world. ?
Feeding the world with Integrated Vertical Farming
- Entrepreneurship
- Sustainability
Global agriculture today consumes 40% of the total land area and 70% of the fresh water reserves to feed the earth’s 8 billion people. ?This is neither sustainable nor efficient – especially given the steady growth of the earth’s population. ETH spin-off Yasai invented Integrated Vertical Farming to provide food for everyone without destroying the earth’s precious resources.
FPGA Computing Platform for machine learning in data analytics
Entrepreneurship
Big players with online businesses discover how to use Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices to run machine-learning applications. FPGAs can lower the cost of machine-learning IT infrastructure and reduce its energy footprint.
Pallon – Artificial Intelligence for urban drainage systems
Entrepreneurship
Public sewers worldwide are aging and are thus more prone to defects such as cracks or corrosion. ETH spin-off Pallon (previously Hades) uses AI to detect these defects in sewer inspection videos automatically.
Safe drone flights everywhere
Tinamu Labs wants to revolutionise sports broadcasting by providing safe and precise drone-based multi-camera systems. The ETH spin-off was founded by Tobias N?geli and his colleagues Samuel Oberholzer, David Lanter and Daniel Meier in 2018. We interviewed Tobias.
High-performance glue for targeted cancer therapy
How can a special glue improve tumour therapy? ETH alumnus Philipp Spycher, co-founder of Araris Biotech explains.
Reborn from ashes: The potential of sustainable insulation foams
ETH Pioneer Fellow Etienne Jeoffroy and his team have developed a novel insulation material for the construction industry made from ashes. In this interview, we meet Etienne and one of his co-founders Michele Zanini to learn more about his start-up, FenX.
Prolongate – Long-acting protein drugs
Michael Wetter, ETH Pioneer Fellow, is developing the next generation of protein-based drugs, such as growth hormones. The new drugs require less frequent injections and are 100% natural. Three questions for Michael about his start-up.
Plant-based meat
Lukas B?ni, ETH Pioneer Fellow, and his team colleagues Pascal Bieri und Eric Stirnemann develop meat analogues that have the same texture, look and taste as meat. Their novel product planted.chicken is sustainable and animal-friendly. Five questions for Lukas about their startup Planted.
3Pi competition event at ETH Zurich
Events
On Pi Day, March 14th (3/14 - representing the first three digits of Pi), the ETH ieLab (Innovation & Entrepreneurship Lab) held its fourth annual 3Pi competition. Ten ETH start-ups presented their Pioneer Pi Pitches (in 3.14 minutes per pitch, of course!) to over 100 attendees.
SpheroBiotics: antibiotics from nature
Increasing drug resistance makes the search for new antibiotic substances essential. ETH Pioneer Fellows and co-founders of SpheroBiotics Dr. Irene Wüthrich and Dr. Steven Schmitt have developed a technology to find new microorganisms in nature that produce antibiotics. ?
Small capsules with big impact
Alessandro Ofner and Michael Hagander, two ETH Pioneer Fellows, developed the patented technology in the field of microcapsules and microparticles that enables size control, precise dosing and increased stability. The Microcaps team redefines precision standards for daily products in food, cosmetics, and pharma.
Small bubbles for natural aroma
Lea Pokorny and Pascal Guillet, two ETH Pioneer Fellows, developed a novel aroma powder improving food, home-care and cosmetic products.
Artificial enzymes to boost drug discovery
Xavier Garrabou Pi, ETH Pioneer Fellow, developed a new generation of artificial enzymes that will help creating more potent and selective pharmaceuticals.
Cutting-edge technology for skin
ETH Pioneer Fellows Marcel Gort and Manuel Heckhorn of RapidGraft developed “TeD” – an innovative Tissue engineering Dermatome. It helps extracting skin samples three times faster and furthermore much safer.
Detecting trace impurities in liquids
Videos
Purified water is used in many industries, like e.g. the semiconductor industry. The invention of ETH Pioneer Fellow Ali Altun enables the monitoring of the water quality and the detection of impurities in the parts-per-trillion range. Watch the video.
Photoactive medical fillers
Industry Projects
Mark Bispinghoff, a Pioneer Fellow at ETH Zurich, developed novel light-active medical fillers. These can be used to form implants in any cavity inside the body – for example in teeth and in bones, and even in the brain.
Flexible knees for exoskeletons
Videos
Volker Bartenbach has won a Pioneer Fellowship (grant) at ETH Zurich for his exoskeleton project. In the video, he explains the benefits of his exoskeleton. Now Volker is pushing the project forward to found a company. Watch the video.
Finding “the one” in a billion molecules
Enkelejda Miho, a Pioneer Fellow at ETH Zurich, develops new large-scale data software for biopharmaceutical drug discovery. In the interview, she explains how her software immuneS helps identifying promising drug candidates in a billion molecules.
High-precision navigation for autonomous systems
Two teams of the ETH Pioneer Fellowship program joined forces to found the new company Fixposition. Read how they combine two ideas into one innovative product.