Innovative projects recognized
On March 19, 2019, ETH Zurich presented the Spark Award 2019. The award recognizes the most promising invention that ETH transfer filed for a patent in 2018. Two of the nominated projects came from D-INFK.
Digital zip models
A “zippable” is a piece of fabric that is easily assembled into a 3D object using a single zip at the edges. Zippables can be used as toys, fashion accessories or complex covers and cases. Olga Sorkine-Hornung, Roi Poranne and Christian Schüller have developed an algorithm that calculates patterns for any hollow 3D structure from a flat material.
Game development as child’s play
Stéphane Magnenat has developed a tablet app that allows lay people to program and design their own games. Using the tablet camera, amateur designers can scan objects, place them in the game and animate them. The intuitive user interface also makes it easy to program the game’s rules. The app is intended as a learning tool for users without technical knowledge.
Innovation is key
The number of innovative inventions coming from ETH Zurich has been at a consistently high level for many years. Last year yielded 224 inventions and 109 patent applications. It was also a record year for start-ups at ETH, Joël Mesot reported, with 27 launched. The Spark Award has often provided an initial impetus to researchers to start their own company.
Guest speaker Suzanne Thoma, CEO of BKW, emphasised the importance of innovation and invention. The ETH alumna talked about the transformational process that BKW underwent in the highly conservative energy sector. She described the transition from a regional energy supplier to an international infrastructure corporation. According to her, staying abreast or even ahead of market developments is key: “Excellence and skill are decisive in our increasingly complex world.”
The winning project: Filtering fluoride out of drinking water
Excessive amounts are harmful to health. In some cases, fluoride contamination is man-made, but the substance also occurs naturally. Concentrations are particularly high in regions with volcanic activity. Raffaele Mezzenga, Sreenath Bolisetty and Qingrui Zhang have developed a charcoal filter from whey protein and atoxic zirconium oxide nanoparticles that removes fluoride from drinking water efficiently and economically.
D-INFK would like to congratulate the winning team, Raffaele Mezzenga, Sreenath Bolisetty and Qingrui Zhang.