The EPFL Rocket Team shoots for the moon
The first highlight of Saturday 14 March, the presence of the EPFL Rocket Team at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva will be a reminder that Switzerland also knows how to aim high. As the largest technical student association at EPFL, it brings together 200 students around aerospace projects they design, build and test themselves. In just a few years, the team has launched 50 rockets, produced several scientific publications and won seven competition awards. Now, it is setting its sights on space. Its Firehorn project, the team’s first cryogenic bi-liquid rocket, is preparing to reach a new milestone this year with a 30 km flight.
Thymio, the robot that makes you want to understand
Another star of the day, Thymio will show at the Swiss Pavilion that robotics can be accessible, intelligent and genuinely fun. Designed to introduce children, teachers and curious minds to coding and computational thinking, this open-source educational robot has become a benchmark tool in the field. Several events will be dedicated to it, including The Anatomy of Thymio at 10:30 a.m., to discover what lies beneath its shell, My First Steps in Coding at 12:30 p.m., to learn how to program its first behaviours, and Inside the Brain of AI at 3.30 p.m., to understand how artificial intelligence learns… and why it sometimes gets things wrong.
The next generation takes the stage
The day will continue with the Inventeur∙rices de demain – Young Talents award ceremony, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on the WIPO/IPI stage. A highlight celebrating those who, despite their young age, have already imagined, tested, tinkered and invented. Through this prize, the Exhibition reminds us of one simple truth: innovation does not begin only in laboratories or companies, but also with curiosity, boldness and the joy of trying.