EPFL

There have doubtless been times when you've had both hands full, and wished that you had a third arm. Well, scientists have discovered that a robotic third arm can in fact be quite easily controlled via movements of the diaphragm muscle.

A new form of immunotherapy helps immune cells “armor” themselves against exhaustion by releasing their own medicine to keep them going in the fight against cancer. The new method is faster and cheaper to produce than existing immunotherapies.

Peptide therapeutics – like insulin – are typically restricted to administration by invasive injection. Now, researchers have reached a "major milestone", creating an oral peptide that could revolutionize how disease treatment is delivered.

Soft robotic devices often need to sense both mechanical deformation and changes in temperature, requiring multiple integrated sensors. ChromoSense technology, however, combines both functions in one simple, robust, color-changing device.

Implants and tiny machines could eventually help treat disease or monitor activity, but communication is tricky. Now scientists at EPFL have developed a system whereby devices can communicate by releasing molecules into a patient’s bloodstream.

A new study has revealed that the body’s hormone stress response is why some people develop post-traumatic stress disorder following trauma exposure, and others don’t. The finding could lead to more targeted treatments for the condition.

In order to function safely alongside human workers, robotic arms shouldn't be hard and unyielding. An experimental new arm was designed with that fact in mind, as it mimics soft n' squishy elephant trunks and octopus tentacles.

A complete spinal cord injury results, tragically, in total paralysis of all limbs and muscles below the injury site. But now, scientists at EPFL have demonstrated in mice a new gene therapy that can regenerate nerves and restore the ability to walk.

While we've seen a number of quadruped "robotic dogs" lately, they all require control motors to maintain their running gait. An experimental new one, however, keeps running on its own once it's been set in motion.

Robotic surgical systems such as the da Vinci X are very impressive, with their two arms that are controlled by the surgeon's two hands. An experimental new system takes things even further, though, by adding two more arms controlled by the user's feet.

EPFL researchers have developed a 100% effective, ultra-thin active noise cancelling system that uses an ionized air plasma propulsion system instead of speakers. A 17-mm-thick (0.6-in) layer can block 20 Hz noise as well as a 4-m-thick (13-ft) wall.

In cramped spacecraft or space stations, there isn't room to store multiple robots that are each designed for a specific task. The Mori3 system was designed with that fact in mind, as it can be used to create different types of robots as needed.