Swiss Robotics Day

What do telecom industry and robotics have in common?  Essentially nothing. However, that is not the case when you are a part of the ZIRA collective. In ZIRA you get to merge all the interests that make you - YOU - and pursue all of them.  
How, you may ask?  For me, particularly, it was with the help of ZIRA Edu benefits. 
During my final year of Master studies, I got a prestigious scholarship to pursue my Master thesis research in one of the elite labs for robotics within the NCCR Robotics organization in Switzerland. I chose Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces (LSBI) and spent 6 months in Geneva researching a novel field of soft robotics, focusing on electronic skin or e-skin for short. LSBI lab is led by prof. Stephanie Lacour (next to me in the picture), who is among 2% most influential scientists of our time. 
This was two years before my ZIRA career, so I went all in for this research and fell more in love with robotics, especially soft robotics and the science and art of microfabrication.  
﻿

Swiss Robotics Day is held every year and brings together the most elite scientists and industry professionals in robotics from all around the world. Participants get a chance to listen to the latest research and achievements from the researchers themselves, try on and try out the robots and robotic devices and network with many amazing people. As their former scholarship recipient, I get invited to attend the Swiss Robotics Day every year and this year was no exception. Swiss Robotics Day 2022 was held on 4th and 5th November in Lausanne and was one of the best experiences I had. 

How did I get there though?  
That is where ZIRA comes in. Part of ZIRA company culture is Educational Benefits for each and every one of their employees. Most of my colleagues use them to develop their skills and knowledge in their respective fields by attending IT-focused conferences, fairs and courses. I, on the other hand, wanted to pursue my other love from the beginning of this story: robotics. 
I was skeptical about even being able to use my edu benefits for something that was not even remotely related to the field I work in, but, nevertheless, I decided to try my luck and ask if I could use my edu benefits to go attend the Swiss Robotics Day, for which I would take vacation days. To my great surprise, the answer was immediately YES!!! 
Not only that, but I was able to use something called 'edu days' which ZIRA appoints to all of their employees when they need extra paid time to go to conferences, attend lectures or enter exams without having to use their vacation days!  

And there I was, in Lausanne, Switzerland, attending the most prestigious robotics event in Europe, witnessing all the new discoveries and novel research with ZIRA as my support. 
I had the chance to use exoskeleton called Swiss MyoSuit for lower extremities that assists people with reduced strength in their legs to walk and stand still and proud.  
Another thing, which was very close to my heart, as this would be an extension of my own master thesis research, is the hand exoskeleton with primary uses in physical rehabilitation and maintaining mobility in patients with neurologically damaged tissue that controls hand movement. 

Aside from being very inspired at the Swiss Robotics Day 2022, I felt very grateful to ZIRA for every second I was there because I know this would not be possible for me without the immense support I received from ZIRA. They have shown, once again, how much they value and respect their employees and how much they want their employees to be the best versions of themselves, to continually improve and progress in all aspects of their life, both professional and private, and how much they support us in doing so.  
﻿
Thank you again ZIRA for this amazing opportunity.  
Your biggest, number #1 fan,  ﻿
Emina Malkić, Business Analyst