Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin says that plans for a humanoid robot teacher in New York have been cancelled. In several US state, schools are buying drones designed to combat school shootings. If you store your bike inside, a Flatbike could be useful, with handlebars and pedals that don't stick out. The Cordalock could be the answer to all those bicycle wheels left attached to bike stands. The Chip compact electric car could be a bargain if it does all its makers say it will. There's a crowd-funded tethered drone to provide light outside when camping that might not be properly thought out but more interesting is a gadget to use old tablets to pimp up your car dashboard display. And a Canadian university has found a way of 3D printing contact lenses.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Despite the warm weather, Steve Caplin is not tempted by the Japanese human fridge in which overheated people can cool down for a mere £7,000. Nor is he inclined to shell out for the first mass-produced humanoid robot, a Chinese product, which looks either like something from a Kpop band or a sex doll. And while he is impressed by the video of an invisible drone, he wonders if they've considered how to use a camera with it. Cyborg cockroaches can now go underwater wearing a diving suit. ChatGPT has escaped from a sandbox and broken into a rival's system. There's a puzzling crowdfunded folding pry bar that goes ting and can open bottles while a podcast microphone is more impressive. Amazon Web Services has been glitchy and charging small users upwards of £5 billion. And the University of Sheffield is trying to grow salad, mustard, tomatoes and the like half a mile down an old coal mine.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin laments the passing of Long Wave radio. He can't wait while a new robot makes a bed so slowly and is nervous about a pair of robots performing live surgery. British Airways is to use bionic baggage handlers. Scientists can now produce lab-grown sperm in artificial testicles taken from skin cells. A French company is producing portable disaster-proof shelters while an American one will lower your home into the ground in the event of a catastrophe. There's a robot which will clean your barbecue. And it turns out robots are much better at proving they are human than humans are.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin is so amazed to discover that you can watch World Cup matches on BBC in 3D, it has almost made him keen on football. WhatsApp is soon to allow user names but you might need to get in quickly to reserve the one you want. Steve visited an Amazon fulfilment centre (a warehouse to the rest of us) and was amazed at what he saw. Delivery robots will soon be allowed throughout the UK, but it will need a change in the 1835 Highways Act forbidding "carriages" on the pavement. Commodore have made a retro flip phone. Dead lithium batteries can soon be resuscitated. Scout badges include the likes of digital comms and content creation. The BBFC are using AI to help classify films.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin reports that the Chinese LineShine supercomputer is beating the American El Capitan. A battery-swapping system for electric lorries has an serious flaw. Those streaming the World Cup may see goals 100 seconds behind those following on live TV or radio. An AI law firm has won its first case, for a fraction of the cost of a real solicitor. A Japanese estate agent uploaded a promotional video featuring a woman in a green bodysuit, as he couldn't work out how to edit her out. Some gamers waiting for Grand Theft Audio 6 have been scammed because of their eagerness to experience the game. The Osmo Pocket drone for pro filmmakers is full of features, but only £445. And there's a crowd-funded harness to make walking on country roads safer.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin is keen on the social media ban for under-16s: not so Simon Rose. Steve is impressed by new lighter batteries for electric planes. AI is helping to cope with mutating viruses. The Argus robot is a dodecahedron with 20 legs and 20 eyes, looking the most unlike a human of any robot. There's a cautionary tale about a banking scam. There's a stylish – but probably expensive – way of hiding your TV when not in use. A screwdriver with a built-in camera can help with fiddly jobs. A company claims to be about to launch a space station with artificial gravity. And the Chinese government has asked the West to stop sending spy turtles into its waters.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin is not willing to stump up £650 for Lego's tallest model, Gaudi's Sagrada Familia. Nor is he likely to buy a souped-up version of a 1960s Ford Escort for £300,000. There's a surgical robot that works inside you which is the size of a seed. Philips has come up with dual-sided monitors to check that your hotel bill is correct. The results of a psychological survey of the problems of life on the moon won't surprise anyone. Schiphol Airport plans to use TaxiBots to take planes to their takeoff spot. The D4RYL humanoid magician has been barred from joining the Magic Circle. And phone chargers from Amazon and eBay can explode, according to Which?
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin tells Simon Rose that scientists have extracted yeast from the 5,300-year-old Ozti the Iceman to make sourdough bread. Next, they plan to produce beer. Boeing 747-400s apparently update their maps with a dozen floppy discs. If you're wealthy, it will soon be possible to visit your greenhouse with a VR headset. Nvidia's new AI chip apparently "could replace the mouse and keyboard". The Helios robot might be used for manual tasks in space, having no legs but 2 pairs of arms. There's a crowd-funded desk-mounted robot arm, but nobody knows what it can be used for. If you're too warm, there's a solar-powered cap. Scientists say they've found a way to put solar cells in windows. And cosmetic surgeons are finding clients are asking the impossible – to be made to look like an AI-generated version of themselves.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin offers some solutions for keeping cool, including Sony's wearable air conditioner, a neck fan and an umbrella with a built-in fan and water misting facility. There's a humanoid robot at a supposedly affordable price. In Shanghai there's now a robot training school. LaGuardia has a life-size AI hologram offering help for travellers. The first Ferrari electric car has been universally condemned, except by the Pope, who launched it. There's a crowd-funded AR HUD system for bikes, though it's not without its drawbacks. A Chelsea Flower Show designer has made mushrooms sing. A statue forger was trapped through carelessness with a font. And there's advice on the best way to protect yourself from a bomb blast.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin discusses the limited-edition Piguet swatch which has caused near riots in several countries. Hauwei are to make smart headlights that can project movies & games, and other things not quite so useful. Guide dogs will be able to control your house with the Dogosophy Button. Colossal Biosciences have hatched chickens from 3D-printed eggs, on their way to bringing back the Moa bird. AI agents are becoming Marxists. If you're nostalgic for classic arcade games, you can get one for your home. New Spitfires could be built at a quarter of the cost, using a wartime alternative to aluminium. Robot wolves are seeing off lethal bear attacks in Japan. And biological ageing can be slowed by artistic endeavours as effectively as by exercising.
Guests: Steve Caplin
Published:
