Nano-Tera

The Nano-Tera.ch initiative aimed to develop new applications of nanotechnology in the areas of health, security, and the environment. The program sought to miniaturize sensors and devices using nanotechnology and microtechnology, while also enhancing their capacity to process large volumes of data. According to executive committee chair Giovanni De Micheli, the initiative also aimed to demonstrate the societal relevance of engineering, stating: “We would like to show that engineering is not just sitting behind a computer. It's about creating systems that can have an impact on society”.{{Cite web |date=28 January 2008 |title=Initiative aims to give boost to engineering |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/science/initiative-aims-to-give-boost-to-engineering/6393930 |access-date=4 April 2025 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch}}

Patrick Aebischer, then-president of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), publicly described the program's aim as anticipating future technologies. He stated, “We want to anticipate what future products will be with this programme,” and noted that the initiative hoped to attract industrial partners through the potential for widespread product use.

The Nano-Tera.ch program also raised questions about the privacy implications of monitoring technologies. Boi Faltings, head of the artificial intelligence laboratory at EPFL, acknowledged these concerns, noting: “There are new technologies being developed that deal with data without revealing the source of that information. The aim is not to identify individuals, but to answer overall questions".

The Nano-Tera.ch program focused on three main application areas: wearable embedded systems, ambient systems, and remote systems. Wearable systems were designed to collect physiological data and interface with information networks, with applications in health monitoring, elderly support, and personal safety. Ambient systems aimed to integrate sensors and intelligence into buildings and the environment to support monitoring and interaction. Remote systems included the development of autonomous technologies such as nano-satellites, intended for environmental and disaster monitoring.{{Cite journal |last=De Micheli |first=G. |title=Nano-tera.CH: Nano-technologies for tera-scale problems |url=https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/5314114/authors#authors |journal=2009 IEEE Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting, Capri, Italy |pages=142 - 145 |via=IEEE}}

Several high-profile research projects emerged from Nano-Tera, including the following:

In 2012, researchers at ETH Zurich developed a compact infrared device capable of detecting tiny traces of cocaine in saliva. The project, created as part of the Nano-Tera.ch research initiative, responded to concerns that standard police roadside drug tests can produce “negative or preliminary positive results, which are sometimes wrong and not recognised by the courts.” ETH professor Markus Sigrist led a team working on an optical sensor to measure cocaine concentrations, with the aim of creating a platform that could be marketed by an industrial partner.{{Cite web |date=12 February 2012 |title=Researchers at Zurich’s Federal Institute of Technology (ETHZ) have helped create an infrared device that can detect tiny traces of cocaine in human saliva |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sci-tech/swiss-develop-rapid-infrared-cocaine-test/32082912 |access-date=5 April 2025 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch}}

In 2013, EPFL researchers developed the IronIC chip, a miniature implantable device for real-time blood analysis. Funded by Nano-Tera.ch, it includes sensors, a radio transmitter, and an external power patch. Designed for uses such as monitoring chemotherapy patients and detecting drug levels, it transmits data via smartphone and showed reliability comparable to standard lab tests.{{Cite web |date=18 July 2013 |title=SWITZERLAND: Tiny lab under the skin could stop drug cheats |url=https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/318183 |access-date=5 April 2025 |website=Reuters}}

In 2017, Swiss researchers developed Envirobot, a robotic eel equipped with sensors to detect water pollution. Funded by the Nano-Tera.ch program, the project involved four institutions and demonstrated the robot's ability to map changes in water conductivity during tests in Lake Geneva.{{Cite web |date=29 July 2017 |title=A swimming robot to sniff out water pollution |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/sci-tech/science-saturday_a-swimming-robot-to-sniff-out-water-pollution/43365062 |access-date=5 April 2025 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch}}

Over its nine-year duration, Nano-Tera supported 127 research projects and 61 educational initiatives, involving over 1,600 participants from more than 40 Swiss research institutions. The program led to nearly 1,600 peer-reviewed publications and over 2,000 conference presentations. It trained more than 360 PhD students, who, as of 2019, were reported to be mainly active in the Swiss and European industrial landscape. Nano-Tera also resulted in 67 patent applications and received 77 awards.

• Science and technology in Switzerland

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• [http://www.nano-tera.ch Nano-Tera.ch]

Category:Science and technology in Switzerland