News
The D-ITET Center for Project-Based Learning in the news
From a PBL Master’s Thesis to Market: Cyclowatt Showcased at Embedded World 2026
A project that started as a Master’s thesis at the D-ITET Center for Project-Based Learning (PBL) has successfully evolved into a real-world innovation. Victor Luder, after completing his thesis within PBL, continued as a Research Assistant and further developed his work into Cyclowatt, a product now gaining international visibility.
Tiny Robots, Big Impact: D-ITET Team Earns IEEE Access Video Grand Prize
IEEE Access honours a team of D-ITET researchers for their outstanding video on collaborative mapping for robot swarms.
Project CRATER: ETH students are working on an autonomous Mars rover
With the CRATER project, around 70 ETH students are developing the university's first autonomous rover. Supported by the Center for Project-Based Learning at D-ITET, the team is preparing for one of the most important international rover competitions.
Your friend and helper
From a mechanical guide dog to a self-learning exoskeleton and magnetically controlled bacteria, researchers at ETH Zurich are busy devising robots for medical applications.
PD Dr. Michele Magno achieves IEEE Fellow Status
Effective 1 January 2026, PD Dr. Michele Magno, Head of the Center for Project-Based Learning (PBL) and Senior Lecturer at D-ITET, has been named an IEEE Fellow by the IEEE Board of Directors. The Board honours his “contributions to low-power wake-up radios and energy harvesting for smart sensors”.
D-ITET news
Bright minds, happy faces: Record attendance at ETH Quantum Hackathon 2026
Between 8 and 10 May 2026, the largest quantum hackathon in Europe took place at Hönggerberg. At the fifth edition of the ETH Zurich Quantum Hackathon, a record number of students joined for a vibrant weekend of hacking, collaboration and networking.
Powering Coffee Farms in Angola: Agriphotovoltaics for Energy Access and Climate Resilience
Coffee farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa often lack reliable, affordable electricity, while their crops face increasing climate stress. A Master’s thesis at the Power Systems Laboratory is tackling these challenges by developing the world’s first large-scale agriphotovoltaics concept specifically tailored for Angolan coffee cultivation.
Johannes Wikner receives Roger Needham Honorable Mention
Dr. Johannes Wikner, former doctoral student in the Computer Security Group of Prof. Kaveh Razavi, has received the Roger Needham Honorable Mention for his doctoral dissertation at the EuroSys 2026 in Edinburgh.