Signals, in order.

This chapter explores the ergonomic, cognitive, and psychological mechanisms underpinning human–robot communication, focusing on how social robots shape human perception, behaviour, and socio-emotional engagement. It examines robot design, embodiment, and communication modalities, addressing reciprocity and behavioural appropriateness, and discusses the implications of adaptive technologies such as large language models for responsiveness and confidentiality. The chapter also highlights the potential of social robots in workplace and therapeutic settings to enhance efficiency, safety, and emo…

Source: OpenAlex

The study derives an exact analytical expression for the diffusion MRI signal of diffusion confined to a cylindrical surface under finite rectangular PGSE gradients, using a spectral matrix formalism of the Laplace operator. The resulting signal, expressed as a product of non‑commuting matrix exponentials, is valid for arbitrary gradient durations and separations and was validated against Monte Carlo simulations. Accelerated implementations based on Strang splitting and Gauss‑Legendre quadrature were developed, offering large speed‑ups while maintaining controllable errors.

Source: OpenAlex

Tifanny Portela is pursuing a doctorate at ETH Zurich while competing with the Swiss national twirling team. She uses her athletic background to handle setbacks, manage her time, and stay focused, skills that also benefit her research. Students are encouraged to contact counselling services for support with any challenges during their studies.

Source: ETH Zurich News

The Swedish Royal Technology Mission, led by King Carl XVI Gustaf, visited ETH Zurich on 5 October 2026 to study Switzerland’s innovation ecosystem. The delegation, comprising about forty Swedish industry, academia, and government leaders, examined how research, entrepreneurship, and collaboration can strengthen Europe’s technological competitiveness. Discussions included AI and future technologies, with ETH experts highlighting the importance of translating research into real‑world impact.

Source: ETH Zurich News

EPFL engineers have created a flexible, thread‑like motor called FiberMotor, composed of two concentric hollow fibers with copper‑wire electrodes that slide to produce motion. The device can generate enough force to actuate soft robotic systems, supporting loads of up to 75 grams individually and lifting a 46‑gram chocolate bar when four are bundled. FiberMotor offers silent, flexible, bidirectional linear motion without gears, making it suitable for wearable assistive devices and smart textiles.

Source: EPFL News

Nonparanormal models describe multivariate responses via a latent Gaussian copula while allowing flexible nonparametric marginals, making them attractive when multivariate normality is questionable but interpretability is paramount. The paper presents suitable parameterisations, four novel nonparanormal log‑likelihood functions, and discusses optimisation challenges, including non‑convexity, biconvexity, and convex approximations, with a core contribution of a score function for multivariate normal log‑probabilities computed via Genz’ procedure. A demonstration includes transformation discrim…

Source: OpenAlex

A proof‑of‑concept study developed a video‑analysis framework that combines markerless pose estimation, kinematic descriptors, and a pretrained foundation model to detect eight hyperkinetic movement disorder phenomenologies. The model was trained on 21 adults with confirmed disorders and 4 healthy controls, then externally validated on 12 pediatric patients with monogenic combined disorders; after lightweight calibration of the decision layer, Hamming accuracy rose from 0.804 to 0.839 and the Jaccard index from 0.548 to 0.633 on a held‑out subset of 7 children. The results suggest that a reus…

Source: OpenAlex

Clément Pit‑Claudel, an assistant professor at EPFL, won the 2026 EPFL Award for Best Teaching. He teaches a large Software Construction class and a master’s/PhD course on interactive theorem proving, emphasizing hands‑on, rigorous verification methods. His approach stresses that AI tools aid coding but students must still understand and prove their programs work.

Source: EPFL News

Mechanical engineering students at ETH Zurich built an autonomous bike as part of a one-year Bachelor’s degree project. The AutoBike could assist bike‑sharing companies with future bike redistribution. The project allowed students to develop the technology from concept to prototype.

Source: ETH Zurich News

Researchers at Empa in St. Gallen have developed a wound patch that releases chlorhexidine when exposed to visible LED light, allowing controlled disinfection. The system uses silica nanoparticles coated with a polymer shell containing photoswitches that swell to release the drug and contract to seal it again. The technology is still in laboratory testing and will require clinical trials before approval in Switzerland.

Source: Swiss Federal Government