Tech Life

Latest Episodes:

Dating a chatbot Jun 04, 2024

Show notes

What is it like to have an AI boyfriend? We hear about women in China who prefer to date a chatbot over a real person. How can tech be used to unlock the potential of crops - and help with food shortages? And we meet the fashion designer who hopes to fool facial recognition technology with her clothes.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones

(Image: A woman looking at her phone which has hearts coming out of it. Credit: Getty Images)

Being watched May 28, 2024

Show notes

There are words of warning about facial recognition, biometrics and artificial intelligence - technologies increasingly being adopted by law enforcement worldwide. Also on Tech Life this week, we learn about an African company offering a local alternative to the big electric vehicle manufacturers. Basketball gets into tech. And why we need tech to identify and map where our rubbish goes.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: An illustration of facial recognition on the face of a woman. Credit: Francesco Carta fotografo/Getty Images)

Tackling online abuse of athletes May 21, 2024

Show notes

Ahead of the Paris Olympics, Alasdair Keane hears how the organisation behind the event is enlisting an AI platform to tackle online abuse aimed at athletes competing in the event. Also in this episode Shiona McCallum meets the next generation of game designers and we find out about a project in Rwanda to improve the fit of prosthetic limbs.

Image: Paris 2024 Olympic Games logo is displayed near the Eiffel Tower (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

Help for cancer patients May 14, 2024

Show notes

Blood tests are part of the process of receiving cancer treatment. But they can be time-consuming and require visits to hospital. A new blood test machine is changing this. The Liberty is a small device that allows patients to take blood tests and upload the results from home without supervision. Lynn Thompson took part in the trial, and she tells Tech Life it's made a huge difference to her life. Also this week, we answer a listener's question about smart glasses. We learn about a project, involving electrolysers and hydrogen cooking stoves, which could improve the health of villagers in rural Nepal. And cutting down on e-waste - we speak to Tech for Troops.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: A still photo of Lynn Thompson with the Liberty blood test device. Credit: BBC)

The mammoth ivory problem May 07, 2024

Show notes

Customs officers looking for illegally traded elephant ivory face a challenge, because ivory taken from the remains of mammoths is legal. Telling the two apart isn't easy. Now researchers have come up with a new technique using lasers that promises to make ivory identification easier. We speak to two experts involved in the project. Also on Tech Life this week, "The chatbot will see you now". People are more willing to discuss personal health matters with artificial intelligence than real medics. Hear about a community-based solution to the problem of e-waste. And how do you detect crumbling concrete in buildings ? Shiona McCallum reports on a tech solution.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: An illustration of a woolly mammoth. Credit: Leonello Calvetti/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

TikTok world Apr 30, 2024

Show notes

This week we're taking a global look at TikTok, and some of the problems the video sharing platform has been facing. Also on Tech Life, you want to keep in touch with your child, but is there an alternative to giving them a smartphone ? We hear from video gamers in South Africa. And a female tech boss from Brazil shares advice on how others can follow her success.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: The TikTok logo on a mobile phone screen. Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images)

Humanoid robots Apr 23, 2024

Show notes

We're looking at humanoid robots - the ones that look like us. They have arms and legs. But are they really that practical and useful ? And how might they develop in the future ? Also in this edition of Tech Life, you've heard of charging points for electric cars and bikes ? Well, next it's plug-in points for cruise ships ! We learn about Bitcoin halving. And tech is helping farmers in Ghana to grow more crops.

Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: An image of Atlas, the Boston Dynamics robot. Credit: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images, and Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images)

Fixing undersea cables Apr 16, 2024

Show notes

We dive the ocean depths to find out how you fix undersea cables that keep us online. Also this week, the documentary that's programmed to have fifty two quintillion different versions. If you're planning to watch all of them you'll possibly need a coffee, so we look at the tech behind coffee bean roasters. And how do you enrich the tech lives of lemurs and parrots ? We speak to an expert.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: Illustration of a submarine communications cable. Credit: Christoph Burgstedt/Getty)

Space junk Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

This week on Tech Life we are looking at the problem of space junk, the man-made debris hurtling around our planet. Could it threaten some of the everyday tech we all rely on?

Also this week, don't you just hate it when stuff doesn't work? Are internet and social media outages becoming more frequent ? A doctor in Argentina has created a video game to help calm the nerves of children facing a hospital operation. And what weighs three tonnes and is the size of a mini-van ? It's the world's largest digital camera.

Presenter: Chris Vallance Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: A NASA illustration of space debris around Earth. Credit: Nasa/Getty)

Predicting the future of tech Apr 02, 2024

Show notes

The internet plays an important role in most of our lives today. What will it, and other tech, look like in the future ? We take a long view with a veteran of the tech industry. Also on Tech Life this week, some of the biggest social media platforms have been accused of obstructing information on abortion and reproductive healthcare in developing countries. And health tech helps to combat child malnutrition in Africa.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn

(Photo: A photo of a computer taken in 1982. Credit: BBC)