EPFL is ranked 1st in Switzerland and 1st in Europe (EduRank 2026)

See more

According to the latest EduRank update (15 March 2026), EPFL holds the top position in robotics both nationally and across Europe. This ranking highlights EPFL’s leading role in advancing robotics research, innovation, and education, reflecting its strong interdisciplinary ecosystem and sustained impact in the field.

See more

EPFL Robotics News

Three EPFL PhDs: Antoni Gralak, Mehdi Ali Gadiri and Camille Lambert, will take part in the swiss final © 2026 Alain Herzog/EPFL CC BY SA

My Thesis in 180 Seconds national finals return to EPFL

— The Swiss finals of the My Thesis in 180 Seconds competition, now in its 10th year, will be held at the Rolex Learning Center on 21 May. Fourteen PhD students will have exactly three minutes to explain their research to a broad audience. We spoke with the three finalists from EPFL about their experience.

© 2026 EPFL

Where water brings together the many facets of science

— LéXPLORE is the most advanced research platform ever built on a lake. It’s equipped with cutting-edge instruments that collect high-resolution data for use in an array of fields.

2026 EPFL/Alain Herzog - CC-BY-SA 4.0

N-Pulse puts students on track for the 2028 Cybathlon

— Through the N-Pulse student association, around 50 budding engineers are developing non-invasive biomedical technology to assist the disabled. The initiative is now entering its second year.

Demonstration of dynamic driving on a rotating platform. 2026 fleXLab EPFL CC BY SA

Scientists program materials just by spinning them

— A team including EPFL engineers has designed a rotating platform whose controlled spin can make flexible beams snap between two stable states. The simple, fast method can encode binary information directly into materials without electronics.

© iStock

Drones and AI help cities combat traffic congestion

— Traffic jams are a problem in large urban areas. How can they be solved without expanding the road network? This is a challenge that researchers are attempting to address. 

The assembly line task setup. 2026 LASA EPFL CC BY SA

How to teach the same skill to different robots

— A new framework developed by EPFL researchers makes it possible to teach a skill to robots with different mechanical designs, allowing them to carry out the same task safely without rewriting code for each.

Greenhouses at WSL, at the Modoek facility © 2025 Alyssa Therese Kullberg / EPFL / WSL.

When trees can no longer cool themselves

— For five years, biologists subjected trees to prolonged drought conditions by reducing soil moisture, while also exposing them to experimental warming. Their findings show that trees can tolerate heat as long as sufficient water is available. However, under water stress, they lose their ability to cool themselves, which significantly increases their vulnerability.

Yi Sun, CTO, and Yegor Piskarev, CEO of the start-up © Dexterous Endoscopes

Variable-stiffness endoscopes enable treatment in hard-to-reach areas

— Thanks to next-generation endoscope technology developed at EPFL, surgeons can navigate hard-to-reach areas of the human body with extreme precision, enabling new minimally invasive procedures.

Robotaxis can be found all over city streets from China to Abu Dhabi. © iStock

When self-driving cars become socially intelligent

— Driven by AI, the advent of autonomous mobility has accelerated in recent years. It has advantages that go beyond the asphalt. 

© 2026 EPFL/Alain Herzog - CC-BY-SA 4.0

“Look for a medical need, and you'll find your way”

— EPFL graduate Guillaume Petit-Pierre is the CEO of Artiria Medical, a medtech firm that has developed an ingenious, deflectable guidewire enabling surgeons to easily navigate the sinuous blood vessels in the brain and treat strokes. We caught up with Petit-Pierre, who’s active on many fronts – but rejects the label “hyperactive.”