Research Explanation and Application Lab
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Research Explanation and Application Lab
@real-lab.bsky.social
Automatic control is an amazingly powerful tool and a most attractive field of research but sometimes hard to explain. Making control systems research results tangible is key to unleashing its full potential. That is what we do at REAL.
Do you need high-quality traffic data but your only source of information is a distorted drone video?
Learn more about how Robert Fonod solved this problem with Geo-trax, a toolbox that lets you extract the information you need! www.real-lab.ch/geo-trax
October 27, 2025 at 7:46 AM
"Prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future." [Niels Bohr]
Zheyu Wu knows what to do in times of uncertainty! Learn more: www.real-lab.ch/distribution...
October 20, 2025 at 7:15 AM
How do you come up with the perfect (control) recipe? Learn more about what Salma Elfeki has been cooking up during her master's project! www.real-lab.ch/the-recipe-f...
October 14, 2025 at 12:24 PM
❓ Did you know that you cannot just turn off run-of-river power plants when there is an overproduction of electric power?

🌊 Yannick Schüpbach explains what you can do instead. www.real-lab.ch/when-water-m...
October 3, 2025 at 11:06 AM
❓ Why do you prefer one brand over another? 💡 Learn more about opinion dynamics from Michelle Egger's explainer!
www.real-lab.ch/the-coke-vs-...
September 29, 2025 at 8:42 AM
💡 How can you make sure the lights stay on and react early on to problems in your power grid?
Ioannis Papadopoulos explains how in our latest REAL text: www.real-lab.ch/know-thy-vol...
September 22, 2025 at 11:40 AM
🤔 Can your heat pump stabilise the electricity grid?

Find out more from Boxuan Yao's text! www.real-lab.ch/flex-your-he...
September 17, 2025 at 6:29 AM
🔭 Physical models explain the world in great detail but may be too complex to be useful.

💻 Data-driven models are simpler but do not consider the underlying physics.

🪢 Let's combine the best of both worlds! Muhammad Zakwan explains how.

www.real-lab.ch/simba
September 10, 2025 at 1:34 PM
"Imagine you are a student, and studying leads you closer to graduation in the long term, yet strips away some joys of life in the short term. How do you mediate today’s sacrifice with tomorrow’s reward?" Find out how Panagiotis Grontas approaches this question: www.real-lab.ch/splitting-fo...
August 28, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Can automatic control teach birds to fly? 🤔 Read Nicholas Behr's beautiful little fairy-tale: www.real-lab.ch/strategy-gui...
August 25, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Is stabilising the electricity grid just a game? Jonas Matt's research investigates what a fair rule-book could look like. www.real-lab.ch/a-game-plan-...
A Game Plan for Electricity — Real Lab
Our world relies on electricity. And we rely on the power grid, to deliver this electricity to us. As the world moves toward cleaner electricity, the complexity of this network grows as the number of ...
www.real-lab.ch
August 18, 2025 at 9:53 AM
Would you like to win the Olympics? Learn how at www.real-lab.ch/optimal-curl...
How to win the Olypics — Real Lab
www.real-lab.ch
June 24, 2025 at 8:21 AM
Did you know that the Swiss railways are not 100% electrified yet? But they soon will be, also thanks to the help of Seraina Wurster's work: www.real-lab.ch/battery-elec...
June 16, 2025 at 11:20 AM
Reposted by Research Explanation and Application Lab
Please share: We are offering travel grants to researchers in geographical regions that are under-represented in the control community to attend the Swiss CLOCK Summit.

www.swissclocksummit.com/young-resear...
CLOCK 2025 - Young researchers
Workshop Multiple workshops will be offered on Tuesday morning, including a workshop specifically targeted to young researchers. More information to come soon.
www.swissclocksummit.com
March 26, 2025 at 9:43 AM
Do you tend to over-plan things and then have no time left to actually do them? We may be able to help you out!

www.real-lab.ch/stop-overpla...
Stop overplanning — Real Lab
www.real-lab.ch
April 3, 2025 at 7:06 AM
💁 Lots of data but no model? Call SoS - or Caroline Gärtner. She knows how to help. www.real-lab.ch/sos-for-opti...
SoS for optimisation — Real Lab
www.real-lab.ch
March 18, 2025 at 12:37 PM
🐰 Have you every tried to catch a bunny? Or anything else that moves unpredictably?
Anastasios Vlachos can help you. Learn how! www.real-lab.ch/optimal-trac...
Playing tag with robots: Real-time tracking under real-life constraints — Real Lab
If you want to track a moving object, you face two types of challenges: First, you do not know where it is going next, and second, it might not always be visible or more agile than you. The automation...
www.real-lab.ch
February 26, 2025 at 8:44 AM
🔌The electric power grid is changing. But are we ready?
💡 Emma Laub from our fall 2024 cohort helps to prevent blackouts in the age of renewable energy sources. Learn more on the REAL website! www.real-lab.ch/power-grid-s...
Simulating electric power grids — Real Lab
www.real-lab.ch
February 13, 2025 at 11:04 AM
The safest way to avoid airplane crashes is to never let them take off... But where's the fun in that?
👇 Here's a short article on how control theory helps to bring back the fun. www.real-lab.ch/safety-in-au...
Safety concepts in automation - you cannot always be safe! — Real Lab
Every human has a certain risk management, and – as engineers – we have to teach robots that interact with the environment this sense of risk, too.
www.real-lab.ch
December 17, 2024 at 10:37 AM