Imaging Pavilion at the EPFL Open Days
Version française ici / French version here
Located in the Rolex Learning Center, the Imaging Pavilion will highlight the central place of imaging in the research conducted at EPFL. All visitors are welcome, including families!
Live Demos and Activities
Through a dozen of exhibitions, a dedicated team of researchers will present some of the pioneering imaging technologies developed and used at EPFL, e.g., the exploration of living subjects and the neuronal world through the use of MRI, microscopes or virtual reality; new advances in astronomy for the study of gravitational lenses; recent developments in image processing for 3D volume reconstruction.
Biomedical Imaging & Neurosciences
- Modelling cerebral activity with fMRI
By the Medical Image Processing Lab – Dimitri Van de Ville
In this activity, we illustrate how the voluntary access to a physiological neuronal parameter enables one to take its control. Such regulation of brain functions is made possible by functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and a principle of biological retroaction, both of which we present here.
- A journey inside the living
By the Biomedical Imaging Group – Michael Unser and the CBG/IDIAP – Michael Liebling
We present here the principle of tomography: a method that enables the reconstruction of the inside of a 3D object from external 2D measurements. This method has fostered the creation of new numerical algorithms and novel mathematical methods, the details of which will be presented here.
- A stroll in the brain
By the Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience – Olaf Blanke.
This activity illustrates how the combination of virtual reality, robotics and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) gives us a better understanding of our physical consciousness. The key cerebral areas activated during different actions (music listening for instance) will be shown, and we will explain how these activations can be modified by diseases such as chronic pain or schizophrenia.
Astrophysics
- Gravitational imaging
By the Laboratory of Astrophysics – Jean-Paul Kneib, Frédéric Courbin
High-resolution scanning of the sky is an important objective of astronomical research. This activity proposes to deepen our understanding of the effects of gravitational lenses, a key object of study in astronomical imaging.
Image processing
- Capturing colours through interference
By the Audiovisual Communications Laboratory – Martin Vetterli
Colour plays a key role in our experiencing of the world. Here we present Lippmann photography – a 100 years-old Nobel-prized method that captures and reproduces colour images by mean of stationary waves.
- Experience the best moments of the Montreux Jazz Festival
By the Image and Visual Representation Lab (IVRL) – Sabine Süsstrunk
This activity displays restored images and archive videos of the Montreux Jazz Festival. The restoration work was carried out with novel Machine Learning (ML) algorithms developed by the IVRL.
- Superfast ultrasound through Artificial Intelligence
By the Signal Processing Laboratory 5 – Jean-Philippe Thiran
This activity illustrates how Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables the reconstruction of ultrasound images at unequalled quality, hence opening the door to novel diagnostic solutions, particularly in functional ultrasound imaging. A live demonstration with a unique research scanner will demonstrate the power of these new methods in real time.
Microscopy / Microengineering
- Detection of material defaults at the atomic scale
By the Laboratory of Nanoscale Biology (LBEN) – Aleksandra Radenovic
Even the best materials have defaults at nanometric scale. These defaults can degrade the properties of the material or, on the contrary, bring interesting functionalities. This activity presents a special microscope developed by the LBEN that uses a guided light to illuminate eventual defaults in the studied materials.
- 3D images by measurement of the flying time of photons
By the Advanced Quantum Architecture Lab (AQUA) – Edoardo Charbon
AQUA develops new sensors of photons that enables to measure their flying time, one by one, at the speed of light. The extreme temporal precision offers a solution to create three dimensional images, which we will illustrate here.
- Zoom on the living world !
By the Bioimaging and Optics core Facility (BIOP) – Arne Seitz
The BIOP platform provides several essential devices for visualising the infinitely small. You’ll have the opportunity in this activity to see how these unique devices work.