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In October 2020, The Guardian published a tongue-in-cheek “Pass Notes” article about how young people no longer understand traditional hand gestures such as miming a phone call or requesting a bill at a restaurant.  Questioning whether we’re losing part of our cultural heritage as a result, the piece takes the form of a conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee: hand gestures themselves. "Can you give me an example of what you’re talking about?" "Certainly: pl

I recently wrote a blog about the new technology of 2020, determining if the latest offerings to the gadgetry market were genuinely useful and worth the price tag (AKA “good”) or gimmicky and over-priced (“fad”).  One such gadget is Ring’s Always Home Cam security drone. Gadget Flow — whose “Best of Futuristic Tech” shortlist I assessed — are seemingly big fans of the concept: “What’s better than a home security camera that stays put? The Ring Always Home Cam security drone

When we think about Artificial Intelligence and the opportunities it could unlock, we tend to picture things we can see, hear and touch. But what about taste? Does AI have a role to play in developing and honing flavours?  Geneva-based Firmenich — the world’s largest privately owned perfume and taste company — certainly think so. In October 2020, Firmenich announced the first ever AI-created flavour: a lightly grilled beef taste for use in plant-based meat alternatives. The

“Do you know what I love most about buying a car? The sales process.” Said no one, ever. Car buying can be as frustrating as it is exciting. After the initial joy of finding your new wheels comes hours of waiting around: the haggling, the paperwork, the salesperson “running it past The Boss”, said Boss gracing you with their presence to tell you what a great bargain you’re getting. It’s all just a bit… dated. But things are changing... For younger generations convenience is k

When you hear the term “artificial intelligence”, what springs to mind first? For some, it will be the threat of a robot takeover, in part thanks to the “Hollywood” treatment the subject matter has received in recent decades. But what about “life-saving”?  Do you associate AI with improving the quality and longevity of human lives? Perhaps it’s time you did... In August 2020, Forbes published an interesting article detailing “5 Life-Saving Applications of Artificial Intellig

Prior to the pandemic, you’d be forgiven for wondering what on earth “WHO” stood for. Now, not a day goes by without some reference to the World Health Organisation. Corporate companies spend thousands every year measuring brand awareness… Did so-and-so message cut-through? Is our logo instantly recognisable? How did the new colour scheme go down? I expect many in brand marketing would aspire to reach the level of recognition that WHO has accomplished in 2020 but, you know, w

Nowadays, taking photographs is so quick and easy, that the idea of “saving your film” for a few choice shots feels like a lifetime ago. There will be eighteen-year-olds alive today — who can drink, drive and vote — who have never known the rigmarole of taking camera film to the High Street for processing, nor the wait that followed before your holiday snaps were ready for collection. It’s not an experience I’m especially nostalgic about, but it does feel like photos held mor

The term “mind control” may conjure up images of magicians and hypnotherapists, but where prosthetics are concerned, it represents hope.  Researchers have been developing mind-controlled prosthetics for more than a decade with the aim of dramatically improving functionality for the user. An MIT Technology Review article from March 2020 outlines the powerful potential of machine learning for such an endeavour, and the challenges faced by scientists in the process: "Until now

A regular feature of fictional survival movies is the isolation factor: “no one knows where we are”, “how will anyone find us?”, “we’re going to die out here". It serves to hammer home the hopelessness of the situation, and tends to precede the inevitable attack by shark, crocodile, bear, wolf or short-fused campmate. At least one of the main characters succumbs to their injuries, usually more. This in turn prompts further in-fighting — the blame game about who’s ultimately

If you’ve ever watched a documentary about how guide dogs are trained, you’ll know it’s the doggy equivalent of joining the Marines but with plenty of belly rubs, treats and “who’s a good boy...” Potential guide dogs undergo a temperament assessment before joining a 20-week STEP training programme (Standardised Training for Excellent Partnerships). Using positive reinforcement techniques, the dogs are taught to ignore distractions and avoid obstacles, all the while developing

In July 2020, Leicester’s De Montfort University (DMU) published an article outlining the potential of artificial intelligence to improve school attendance. Utilising AI models, experts from DMU’s Institute of AI analysed data from Willen Primary School in Milton Keynes and identified patterns relating to pupils who were frequently absent. No prizes for guessing which day of the week saw the greatest level of absenteeism… yep, that’s right — Monday. The Mamas & The Papas had

You’ve watched David Attenborough shows. You’ve listened to Greta Thunberg speak. You’ve read about international initiatives instigated to combat it. Climate change is all around us. Literally. The highest ever UK temperature was recorded on 25th July 2019 in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. It’s no coincidence that it’s so recent. Global warming is transforming the environment as we know it and, if we don’t act now, will continue to do so with the direst of conseque

A very fishy trend has surfaced since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: a surge in webcam usage.  It’s no surprise that webcam usage went through the roof as employees around the globe settled into their new working-from-home routines, but this is something quite different. The views in question were for live streams from Monterey Bay Aquarium, California. Since the aquarium closed to the public in March, visits to its website have tripled year-on-year. With ten webcams to

Every now and again a news article crops up that provides the world with a much-needed giggle. In June 2020, The Guardian obliged with such a story . Entitled “Experts call for regulation after latest botched art restoration in Spain”, you’d be forgiven for thinking it sounds like a niche subject area. After all, I can’t say that Spanish artwork — or the art world is general — is something I pay much attention to. But this is no ordinary “art”. As the article title suggests,

One of the few positive side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the influx — and wider adoption — of exciting, new innovations. Touchless technology is one such innovation. Due to the omnipresent threat posed by contaminated surfaces, companies have had to reassess how users interact with their devices. In July, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced a new contactless touchscreen. Developed in conjunction with the University of Cambridge, their patented “predictive touch” techno

When you think of an advert for Microsoft you might expect the “Now only £499” fodder from Currys PC World or the like. But a couple of weeks ago, my curiosity was piqued by a very different type of TV spot: one providing an insight into Microsoft’s collaboration with the Snow Leopard Trust. With the tagline “Microsoft AI: Empowering us all”, the 67-second overview explains how Artificial Intelligence is able to do in ten minutes what would take a human ten days. The Snow Le

Would you let your boss microchip you? Not an everyday question I ask myself, I must admit. But, with technology advancing and security systems becoming more prevalent in our society, could this be the ID card of the 21st century? In January this year, The Wall Street Journal explored this very topic . "For many employees, the workday starts by swiping a plastic ID card to enter the office. But employers can’t always be sure who’s holding the card. "That humble ID badge is st

From the creation of Alan Turing’s melody-making machine in 1951 to David Bowie’s digital lyric randomiser, music and artificial intelligence have long been intertwined, but curiosity around untapped potential remains as strong as ever. In June this year, NME published an article that piqued my interest: “YouTuber creates fake Nirvana song using artificial intelligence.” I was curious to hear the results, and I was not disappointed. Funk Turkey, the alias behind the creation

A lot of things that come from the mouth of Elon Musk — or his Twitter account, for that matter — should be taken with a shovel-load of salt. But when he talks about the potential species-ending threat that Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses, perhaps we’d do well to sit up and listen. Quoting the Monty Python line, “Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition”, Musk hasn’t been shy in sharing his fears that one day — in the not-too-distant future — AI will turn on us. Way back in

Remember the good old days of playing board games? So-called 'family fun', sitting inside on a rainy afternoon with your sibling getting increasingly irate as you gleefully demand rent for your three hotels on Park Lane. Well, those days might have changed for good since Monopoly introduced a voice-activated edition of their family staple... Boasting that ‘Mr. Monopoly now listens’, you simply say commands like "pay rent on Piccadilly" and bam! the payment is moved to the pla