V-ZUG Inspirations Magazine - Magazine - Page 51
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In 1909, a flat marshland northeast of Zurich–unsuitable for
agriculture–became the focus of intense scrutiny by Swiss
authorities. Within months, it was drained and transformed
into an airfield, marking the dawn of Swiss aviation. More
than a century later, inside two of the hangars built on that
same site, it’s no longer jumbo jets or helicopters preparing for
takeoff, but ideas. Bold, sometimes crazy ideas.
Welcome to Innovation Park in Dübendorf, an incubator where
top-ranked universities and leading companies come together
to devise, test and develop groundbreaking concepts aimed at
shaping the future of Switzerland and beyond. Here, you might
find someone testing a rocket on a recreated alien landscape,
a startup team prototyping a drone that clings to bridges to
inspect structural stability, or researchers working on an electric Formula race car capable of accelerating from 0 to 100
km/h in less than a second. Among the departments housed
within the Innovation Park is the Exploration Lab. Run by
ETH Zurich–one of Switzerland’s most esteemed public universities–it is a meeting point between academia and industry.
Established in 2019, it has already hosted hundreds of students
specialising in robotics, mechanics, computer science, process
engineering and other STEM disciplines. Originally named the
Feasibility Lab, it was later rebranded to reflect a deeper realisation: innovation is not merely about determining whether
something works, but about examining business challenges
from multiple perspectives–and putting each to the test.
“It is a safe space for companies, students, and professors to try
out in a very lean way ideas that are not on the roadmap, and
get results very quickly,” explains Stephan Fox, co-founder
of the Exploration Lab, “It’s about understanding the core
challenge, identifying potential solutions, and building a
STEPHAN FOX
Dr. Stephan Fox is the co-founder
and Head of Engineering at
ETH Zurich’s Exploration Lab.
With a background in mechanical
engineering, his mission is to
ensure the program succeeds for
students, professors, and partner
companies alike.
WHERE IDEAS FLY HIGH
prototype to see whether they work or not. Don’t overthink
it. Just build it, step by step.” The program serves both sides.
Companies–often too absorbed in day-to-day operations
to experiment–gain a space to think beyond immediate
constraints and explore the potential impact of emerging
technologies. Students, meanwhile, step out of lecture halls
and pre-destined research paths to get their hands dirty on
real-world projects, applying theory in tangible ways.
Hanging inside every open space or meeting room is the
drawing of an open hand. Whenever students feel lost on their
research path, they can look at it and receive guidance from
what is the only pre-fixed formula at the Exploration Lab, used
to dissect technical challenges as well as business cases. Each
finger of the hand holds a rule. The first is tackle assumptions
and strive for the fundamental problem. The second is isolate
the pain and focus efforts on the most critical uncertainty. The
third is map diverse solutions to maximise chances of success.
The fourth is run lean tests for rapid iteration and learning.
The last is listen to metrics, which means getting experimental data to inform decisions.
The methodology is based on lean de-risking: learning as
much as possible with limited time and money. While some
projects ultimately rely on cutting-edge technology, it’s not
unusual for the first prototype to be built in just a few days–
sometimes out of cardboard. “We use hackathons and sprints
to really force ourselves to put something on the table very
quickly,” Fox says. “Understanding the problem takes effort.
But once you do, it shouldn’t be weeks of building before we
can get to a first test.” This approach often creates more questions than answers, and that’s precisely the point, although
it is not easy to get this idea across a corporate mentality that
