November

Silk is a precious material that has been globally popular for 5.000 years. It is a natural fibre that allows for luminous colours. The world of silk involves farmers, engineers, entrepreneurs and artists, merchants and top models. We were hugely fascinated by all this, so we paid the silk museum in Como a visit.

For the last "Badener Stamm" this year, 14 Alumni met for a cosy dinner in Baden on November 14, 2019.

Cold feet definitely belong to the past with chili-feet. ETH Alumnus and electrical engineer Roland Brüniger invented the high-tech heated insole chili-feet, which converts pressure energy into warmth when walking. This spring, he was able to present this innovative product in the German version of the "Dragon’s Den" to possible investors.

Sustainability of products and the utilisation of all by-products state major issues in industry. During a guided tour at FluidSolids AG, a group of Materials Alumni was able to experience first hand how the mentioned issue is implemented into practice.

On 6 November 2019, the Alumni Chapter Basel made its way to Rapperswil to visit the "Power to Gas" pilot facility of the Rapperswil University of Applied Sciences. Under expert guidance, 15 participants learned more about the process of extracting renewable fuels from water and CO2.

As part of the 150-year anniversary of the ETH Alumni, the Alumni Chapter Zurich invited researchers and developers of rehabilitation technologies to present their latest inventions to the public. In the ETH main building, the courtyard was transformed into a parkour where people with disabilities could show how these technologies help them in everyday life. The teams from ETH, University of Applied Sciences Rapperswil and two spin-offs from ETH exhibited and demonstrated their technologies.