D-INFK news channel

Experts from ETH Zurich including Professor Gunnar Rätsch, the University of Zurich, and the University Hospital Zurich have used machine learning to jointly create an innovative method. This new approach can predict how individual cells react to specific treatments, offering hope for more accurate diagnoses and therapeutics.

The German Bundesverband Hochschulkommunikation has awarded its 2023 Digital Award to four outstanding digital communications projects. Among the winners is ETH Zurich (2nd place) with the game "Morph Tales", developed by D-INFK members.

The Morphs are here! The smart, eager-​to-learn creatures are now waiting in the ETH main building for players to train them. "Morph Tales - Exploring Artificial Intelligence" is a new game from ETH Zurich that is fun to play and shows how humans and AI master tasks together.

In theory, quantum computers vastly outperform classical computers in terms of computing speed. For them to do so in practice, it is necessary to design more and novel high-​speed algorithms, says ETH supercomputing specialist Torsten Hoefler. 

Former computer science students David Niederberger and Philipp Hadjimina co-founded the ETH spin-off Quazel. The new AI-based language learning app acts as a tutor, adapting to the users' skills and correcting their mistakes.

Doctoral student Fabian Laumer and his colleagues are using machine learning to develop new personalised 3D models of the beating human heart. Their objective is to assist clinicians and improve the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, the most prevalent cause of deaths worldwide.

Two new projects from the Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab of Professor Christian Holz advance the versatility of today’s Virtual Reality (VR) platforms, taking advantage of common devices such as a fitness watch or a smartphone. By developing novel AI frameworks, they allow VR users to freely interact in 3D space and grab objects that are out of sight, or even play in places as small as a car, a train or an airplane seat.

Luca Beurer-Kellner, Marc Fischer and Prof. Martin Vechev created a new open-source platform and programming language called LMQL that make it easier, cheaper, and safer to interact with large language models like ChatGPT.

In an open letter, tech luminaries from the worlds of science and industry are calling for a freeze on training new AI models that are more powerful than GPT-​4. ETH AI experts Andreas Krause and Alexander Ilic from the ETH Zurich AI Center consider this to be difficult to enforce and associated with risks.  

Psychologist Verena Zimmermann joins computer scientists Joachim Buhmann and Elgar Fleisch to discuss whether our feelings can be measured, what role they play in human-​machine interactions, and the use of smart technologies.

Prof. Gunnar Rätsch is part of the new platform created by The LOOP Zurich. The goal is to support the exchange of health data between the University of Zurich, ETH Zurich and the four university hospitals, allowing data to be utilised quickly and easily to the benefit of patients. 

Are we witnessing the rise of a different, adaptive artificial intelligence (AI) that works with humans and supports them with smart decisions? Computer scientist Niao He is investigating how this kind of AI can be theoretically underpinned so that it really does provide benefits.

ETH AI Center fellow Elvis Nava teaches robots to carry out oral and written commands. To this end, he sends them to “training camps” where they learn to combine image, text and motion data.

The mTORUS project, funded by The LOOP Zurich, will use AI to explore novel treatments for urinary tract infections. Professor Gunnar Rätsch and Senior Scientist Andre Kahles from the Biomedical Informatics Lab are among the researchers involved.

PD Dr. Andreas Mueller from University Hospital Basel and Dr. Barbara Solenthaler from the Computer Graphics Laboratory at D-INFK are combining medicine and computer graphics to improve pre-surgical cleft lip and palate treatment.

Johanna Pirker, Assistant Professor at Graz University of Technology, spent September and October as a visiting professor at the Game Technology Center (GTC) of ETH Zurich. In this interview, she explains what we can learn from video games and why our image of gamers does not correspond to reality.

The Engineering for Humanitarian Action initiative by the ICRC, ETH Zurich and EPFL aims to use innovative technologies to help people in need. One of the projects offering tangible improvements is the secure digial infrastructure project, based on the SCION network technology and involving D-INFK professors Srdjan Capkun and Adrian Perrig.

Autonomous virtual humans that move and behave naturally are Siyu Tang’s vision. One area from which the computer scientist draws inspiration are our behavioural patterns. Collaboration with architects and surgeons provides further input – and it also reveals the enormous potential of virtual people.

Game developers from the ETH Game Technology Center have created an app that explains bone remodelling in a playful way. If students point the camera of their mobile device at the textbook, they find themselves transported to the bone’s surface, where they help cells break down bone tissue.

Data contains much more than just the information on the surface. With statistics, deeper cause-​and-effect relationships can be brought to light. This is what Alexander Marx is researching as a Fellow at the ETH AI Center using artificial intelligence. One of his goals is to be able to make predictions regarding diabetes in children.

The Computer Graphics Laboratory, led by Professor Markus Gross, is working with Align Technology to advance the field of digital dentistry.

Cookie consent banners only appear to give users control over their data. Researchers from the Information Security Group have developed a browser extension that uses machine learning to recognise and block unnecessary cookies.

In this video, postdoc Ece Özkan Elsen talks about her return to research, why she loves medical data science, and how she works to support other women in computer science.

Modelling a human being in detail and in motion is a task that continues to challenge developers. Researchers led by Otmar Hilliges, Professor at the Department of Computer Science, showed how to do this more easily: Instead of modelling every last detail, they use intelligent algorithms that learn to automatically render animated avatars in every conceivable pose by observing 3D images of humans in just a few poses.

When working with neural networks, their training is the single most resource-​demanding and costly process. Two computer scientists from Torsten Hoefler's team have now developed a software that considerably speeds up training. This will be especially relevant for scientific applications of future users of “Alps” at CSCS.

In the last part of this video series, Niklaus Wirth tells us what doors the Turing Award opened for him and how he got one step closer to perfection with each programming language.

In this continuing conversation, Niklaus Wirth talks about the hurdles he had to overcome when introducing computer science to Switzerland and why the label "made in the USA" was absolutely necessary at the time.

David Dao, a doctoral student in the DS3Lab at the Department of Computer Science, visited the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference and explains what computer science can do to help.

1970, Prof. em. Niklaus Wirth developed the programming language Pascal and became world famous with it. In this conversation with Prof. em. Friedemann Mattern, Wirth talks about the beginnings of computer science and how he influenced them significantly.

During her visit to ETH Zurich, Defence Minister Viola Amherd sketched a picture of an unstable, unpredictable world to which Swiss security policy must adapt. D-INFK contributes to Swiss cyber security through a number of initiatives and projects, including the secure internet architecture SCION and the Cyber Security Master's programme.

Carl August Zehnder's work not only shaped the Department of Computer Science, but also the Swiss state and society. In this continuing conversation, the founder of D-INFK explains the benefits of associations, how not to lose touch in a fast-moving field and why openness is of great importance for computer scientists.

What was the first computer at ETH Zurich? When did ETH students get e-mail accounts? Who founded the Department of Computer Science? From 1947 to 2021, this timeline represents some of the most important events that led to the founding of D-INFK in 1981 and that have influenced its development since, as well as some significant computing and information technology milestones.

Professor emeritus Carl August Zehnder is one of the founders of the Department of Computer Science. In this video, he talks about how his research field developed out of practical necessity, the competitive pressure against other departments, and the importance of infrastructure at ETH Zurich.

For a long time, the development of quantum computers was concerned with theoretical and hardware aspects. But as the focus shifts towards programming, software and security issues, the classical computer sciences are coming back into play.

Professor emeritus Walter Gander was a strong advocate for computer science since the 80s. He was committed to independent computer science teaching in Swiss schools, supported women in CS and participated in development projects abroad. In the second part of this interview, Walter Gander tells us about his work as head of department, his long-term book projects and how copy & paste was done in the 80s.

The EXCLAIM research initiative is developing a new generation of high-resolution weather and climate models. D-INFK professors Torsten Hoefler and Andreas Krause, as well as the Swiss Data Science Center, are part of the multidisciplinary project.

Prof. em. Walter Gander helped Switzerland acquire a high-performance computer, promoted the implementation of e-mail at ETH Zurich, and wrote the first book using LaTeX. In this interview with Lukas Fässler, high above the rooftops of Zurich, he talks about the beginnings of the Department of Computer Science and about a career that stretched from St. Gallen to Hong Kong.

Researchers from the Applied Cryptography group led by Professor Kenny Paterson collaborated with scientists from Royal Holloway, University of London to identify several cryptographic weaknesses in the popular messaging platform Telegram.

How transparent are decisions that are based on artificial intelligence and machine learning? Professor Andreas Krause, Chair of the ETH AI Center and head of the Learning and Adaptive Systems group, shares his thoughts on trustworthy artificial intelligence.

From robots that offer solace to algorithms that help judges make fact-​based decisions, robotics and machine learning are entering new domains that were once the preserve of humans.

How does the Internet of Things change our lives? What does computer science mean for society? Before his retirement in 2020, Professor Friedemann Mattern studied small things in a big context.

The future quantum computers should be capable of super-​fast and reliable computation. Researchers at the DS3Lab conduct an early exploration for reliable quantum machine learning.

Researchers from the Biomedical Informatics Lab at ETH Zurich have participated in an international study to analyse the microbes in the air and on the surfaces of 60 cities, including Zurich. Their findings could help develop new drug therapies and learn more about evolution.

Researchers from the Sensing, Interaction & Perception Lab have developed CapContact, an AI solution that enables touchscreens to sense with eight times higher resolution than currently existing devices.

In 1970, Professor emeritus Niklaus Wirth designed the programming language Pascal. It became one of the most popular teaching languages and shaped programming languages to come.

The Federal Statistical Office (FSO) is joining forces with the Swiss Data Science Center (SDSC) to encourage the use of data science and artificial intelligence within the administration.

Styrofoam fascinates with its many possible applications. Complex, curvy shapes, however, are difficult to produce with conventional cutting tools. For this, Simon Dünser puts a robot to work that efficiently and precisely wields a hot wire.

When a person taps with their fingers, each finger generates a different vibration profile propagating to the wrist through bones. Researchers around Professor Christian Holz have now leveraged this discovery in the development of a dual-​sensor wristband that brings intuitive free-​hand interaction to virtual productivity spaces.

In this interview with the European Research Council, Professor Martin Vechev of the Secure, Reliable, and Intelligent Systems Lab talks about his ERC-funded work, AI breakthroughs, and Europe’s future in the field of AI.

Bühler AG and the Swiss Data Science Center have collaborated to establish a new approach for the design of cooling, in order to further increase the process performance and still maintain high part quality.

A group of scientists is creating a digital twin of our planet to simulate the Earth system in future. Professor Torsten Hoefler from the Institute for High Performance Computing Systems is one of the researchers showing how this can be achieved.

After finding a vulnerability in certain credit cards for the first time last year, three researchers in the Information Security Group at ETH Zurich were now able to outsmart the PIN codes for other payment cards, namely Mastercard and Maestro.

As part of a clinical study involving patients from the University Hospitals in Zurich and Basel, researchers are conducting a thorough and highly precise investigation into the molecular and functional properties of tumours. D-INFK Professor Gunnar Rätsch contributed biomedical informatics expertise to the project.

ETH News takes a look back at 2020 and the highlights that emerged amidst difficult and unsettling times. Among them are exciting ideas and projects from our department.

Quantum research has long since ceased to be an exclusive domain of physics. The purpose of the new ETH Quantum Center is to ensure ETH Zurich’s various competences and activities in this area are networked even more closely and to raise their public profile.

An app created by the Game Technology Center at ETH Zurich lets visitors experience the new exhibition at the Graphische Sammlung in an interactive way.

Dr. Manuel Rigger and Professor Zhendong Su from the Advanced Software Technologies Lab have developed SQLancer, a tool to automatically detect logic errors in database systems.

The newly opened ETH AI Center intensifies the dialogue with business, politics and society about an innovative and trust-​building advancement of artificial intelligence.

Alexander Ilic is the Executive Director of the newly founded ETH AI Center, which will open officially on October 20. What motivated the entrepreneur to return to ETH Zurich?

Mihai Bâce, a doctoral student at the Institute for Intelligent Interactive Systems, has developed with a small group of researchers a system to measure the visual attention paid to a smartphone.

The Media Technology Center is teaching computers to speak Swiss German and searching for applications that could lend a hand with day-​​to-​day editorial work. Professor Ryan Cotterell brings together linguistics, automated language processing and artificial intelligence to change the one-​​solution approach that modern translation programs typically offer.

ETH Zurich promotes innovation in AI technology. This includes the extension of its partnership with the Max Planck Society, the launch of the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS) and the opening of the ETH AI Center. Professors Thomas Hofmann and Andreas Krause are at the forefront of these efforts.

The European AI network ELLIS celebrates its launch today, with ETH Zurich as a founding member. The ELLIS Unit is an integral part of the new ETH AI Center, which are both chaired by Prof. Andreas Krause.

Valentina Boeva, Professor of Biomedical Informatics at the Department of Computer Science, uses modern methods of machine learning to analyse the whole-​genome sequence of a tumour. One focus of her research is on epigenetic changes in tumour cells. These are temporary and reversible changes in the genome.

How do you calculate the coordinated movements of two robot arms so they can accurately guide a highly flexible tool? Our researchers have integrated all aspects of the optimisation calculations into an algorithm. The hot-​wire cutter will be used, among other things, to develop building blocks for a mortar-​free structure.

Larger amounts can only be debited from credit cards with a PIN code. Three of our researchers have now discovered a flaw in the security system.

In the latest episode of the ETH podcast Professors Julia Vogt and Fanny Yang explain why machine learning is an important tool in medicine.

Professor Markus Gross has been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for his technical contributions to filmmaking.

The Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems has just been renewed for another five years. Co-director Prof. Thomas Hofmann explains the role he sees for the center in Europe.

A team of researchers around Prof. Martin Vechev has developed Silq, the first high-level programming language for quantum computers.

Doctoral student David Dao (D-​INFK) and postdoctoral researcher Lynn Kaack (D-​GESS) speak on the ETH Podcast about how we can use AI to help in the fight against climate change. 

The majority of multiple sclerosis patients consider fatigue the single most wearing symptom. And yet, fatigue is still poorly understood. Doctoral student Liliana Barrios wants to change that by introducing smartphone-based methods enabling patients to measure their motor fatigability remotely and more frequently.

The internet has changed our lives in positive ways, but it also has its risks. Adrian Perrig and his team are set on creating an Internet where society would regain more control.

A step towards new media worlds: The Media Technology Center at ETH Zurich is researching how Augmented Reality can be applied to everyday life and supports media companies on their path to the future.

ETH Zurich is one of four selected universities around the world to establish adaptive compute research clusters with teams from Xilinx, a company that develops highly flexible and adaptive processing platforms to enable rapid innovation across a variety of technologies.

Prof. Srdjan Capkun and his ‘Snappy’ team have developed a system that speeds up cryptocurrency transactions: a secure, practical and fast, like a snap of the fingers, solution.

Communicating with photorealistic avatars: Prof. Markus Gross, an expert in the field of visual data processing, explains how telepresence could improve teleconferencing in the near future.

To better track the coronavirus in Switzerland, biomedical informatics specialists from ETH Zurich and the canton of Bern have combined their online questionnaires on the shared platform covidtracker.ch.

Katja Wolff, a doctoral student at the Interactive Geometry Lab, has developed an algorithm that aligns textile patterns along seams.

An interdisciplinary team of scientists from ETH Zurich have organised an “epidemic datathon” to develop new prediction models for the spread of the virus.

The research group of Prof. Gunnar Rätsch wants to track the spread of coronavirus in Switzerland using a short questionnaire. Every person currently living in Switzerland can participate.

In this interview, pioneer fellow Mohsen Ewaida (group Prof. Alonso) speaks about his first software product "SnowBell", using Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices to run machine-learning applications.

Virtual assistants cannot understand Swiss German. The ETH Media Technology Center is working to change that by teaching machines to speak and understand different Swiss German dialects.

In light of International Women's Day 2020, ETH Zurich puts successful women centre stage. Read about Prof. Julia Vogt, tenure track assistant professor of medical data science, in this article.

Initially, he wanted to be a particle physicist. Today, he helps protect the rainforest using artificial intelligence and blockchain. David Dao, a doctoral student at the DS3Lab at the Department of Computer Science, travelled to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Madrid in December to present his research. In an interview, he explains how artificial intelligence can help the climate, but how it also poses risks.

Doctoral student David Dao develops intelligent algorithms that use satellite and drone images of rainforests to predict deforestation. Today, he will be presenting his research at the climate conference in Madrid.

ETH computer scientists Debopam Bhattacherjee and Prof. Ankit Singla are proposing a novel network design that could double the network capacity of “Internet from space” systems.

Join doctoral student Oliver Glauser from the Interactive Geometry Lab in this video as he introduces a data glove which can capture accurate hand motions in real time.

Two research groups from ETH Zurich have developed a method that can simulate nanoelectronics devices and their properties realistically, quickly, and efficiently. This offers a ray of hope for the industry and data centre operators alike, both of which are struggling with the (over)heating that comes with increasingly small and powerful transistors - and with the high resulting electricity costs for cooling.

A team of physicists and computer scientists at ETH Zurich have programmed computers to teach themselves how to extract relevant information from maps of the universe.

Bernhard Schölkopf, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and Affiliated Professor at ETH Zurich, today received the Körber European Science Prize for his research in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Vasiliki Kalavri didn’t know anything about computer science before she encountered it at university. Today, she is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Computer Science at ETH Zurich. Dr. Kalavri and her team are building Strymon, a next-generation stream processing system that is faster, more flexible and more autonomous than existing systems.

Data science methods have applications in many different fields in academia and industry. To foster the adoption of data-driven science, the Swiss Data Science Center was founded two and a half years ago. Jointly backed by ETH Zurich and EPFL and supported by the computer science departments of both universities, the centre has already made significant progress towards its goal to make data science more open, transparent and accessible in both academia and industry.

Viruses, crime, and many other problems spread through networks. ETH researchers have now developed a new method of protecting them cost-effectively.

Computational thinking and programming skills are likely to become even more essential in the future. Dr Stéphane Magnenat and the Game Technology Center team at ETH Zurich are working on new ways to teach programming to children and make the experience enriching, creative and playful.

Electronic devices can spark kids’ creativity, says Stéphane Magnenat from the Game Technology Center. But doing so requires apps that bridge the real and virtual worlds.

ETH doctoral students of computer science show how linking two popular technologies can have highly problematic consequences for web services.

The foundations for internet communication were laid down in the previous century and have undergone very little modernisation since. With their spin-off Anapaya Systems, Adrian Perrig, David Basin and Peter Müller, professors at the ETH Zurich Department of Computer Science, want to bring the internet into the 21st century and make it a secure and reliable means of communication.

The new ETH+ initiative to strengthen data science, spread across several departments, was launched in January 2019.

Professor Gunnar Rätsch played a major part in creating the biggest public database for anonymised information on two important breast cancer genes. The database helps to improve the treatment of patients.