Tech Life

Presenter Shiona McCallum is joined by technology reporter Paul Carter to look at some of the latest developments in artificial limb tech. Paul talks about his own personal experiences of trying out different prosthetics. Shiona interviews the youngest boy in the world to be fitted with a bionic arm, and his mum. Sierra Leone benefits from a prosthetics project. And would you want an extra robotic thumb ?Presenters: Shiona McCallum with Paul Carter Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: A photo of presenter Shiona McCallum in the Tech Life studio with technology reporter Paul Carter. Credit: BBC)

Lab testing of animals is often used to study diseases, or assess the safety of new drugs or substances before they are trialled on humans. Could A.I. provide a solution ? Also in this edition of Tech Life, woof woof! Can artificial intelligence help us interpret the meaning of dog barks ? And Michael Kaloki reports from Kenya on tech being used by dairy farmers to help them look after their herds.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Tom Quinn(Image: Portrait photo of a beagle dog. Credit: Getty Images)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

Electric bikes and scooters are popular. But charging them can be inconvenient, and occasionally risky. We look at various approaches to charging batteries around the world. Also this week, our reporter Marc Cieslak meets schoolchildren involved in a project to introduce them to artificial intelligence and programming through skills acquired playing chess. And we try out the next generation of Bluetooth connectivity.Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producers: Alasdair Keane and Tom Quinn(Photo: Charging an electric bike. Credit: Henglein and Steets/Getty Images)

There are hundreds of former nuclear reactors around the world, which are harmful for those trying to decommission them. That's where a four legged robot called Spot comes in and Tech Life have been to meet it. Also in this episode; the impact of auto-correct constantly misspelling names and how scientists are using AI and tourist boats to learn more about whales.Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producer: Alasdair Keane(Picture: Spot the robot at a decommissioned nuclear plant /BBC)

What do you look for when buying a mobile phone? And what do you do with your old phone? Have you thought about trading it in and recycling? Your needs might vary, depending upon where in the world you live. We explore the options. Also this week, find out about the digital repatriation of historical artefacts.(Photo: A pile of mobile phones. Credit: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images)

Zoe Kleinman visits a satellite earth station from the era of the first moon landings, and a spaceport developing horizontal rocket launches. Find out how tech is being used to communicate deep into space, and launch rockets from jet planes. Also on Tech Life, cyborg jellyfish could soon be swimming the ocean depths, providing valuable data to scientists. And an AI-generated internet radio station keeps you up to date with non-news.PHOTO: Zoe Kleinman at Goonhilly Earth Station. Credit: BBC.

MWC in Barcelona is a big global mobile phone industry event. Shiona McCallum is there for Tech Life, looking out for new tech and innovations which could impact our lives. This year, wearable tech is attracting alot of attention. Also in this edition, we want to know your top tips for fixing tech problems.(Photo: Shiona McCallum tries the AI Pin at MWC in Barcelona. Credit: BBC)

Voice cloning is becoming so sophisticated that even live phone calls can be generated by machine. Is it possible to protect yourself ? Mouthguard technology is monitoring the hardest tackles on rugby players - our reporter gives it a try. Also in this week's Tech Life, we look at tracing your family tree with tech. And hear about winter-proof long-distance drones delivering supplies in Norway.PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/demaerre

What connects the Chinese government, giraffes in Namibia, and tech ? We bring you the strange tale of how one social media message went viral. Also in this edition of Tech Life, Shiona McCallum meets a smart robotic guide dog. And bringing cyber-security to girls in Africa - meet the woman making it happen.(Photo: A giraffe eating leaves from high branches. Credit: Michael B. Brown/Giraffe Conservation Foundation)

We're looking at health tech. Our reporter gets hands-on with a new ultrasound system in Kenya helping to keep mothers healthy during pregnancy. And tech for the menopause. Why isn't there more of it ? Also on this edition of Tech Life, the social media platform we used to call Twitter has a new rival. And tech at the Vatican - we interview the Pope's adviser on technology.PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/ER Productions Ltd

Sonar and AI have been brought together in a hand-held device that can find humans underwater. We speak to its inventor and an underwater search team leader. Chris Vallance examines voice cloning and has a telephone conversation with artificial intelligence. Shiona McCallum reports on tech protecting crops from climate change in Africa. And Alasdair Keane learns about making magnets.PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Editorial12

Tech Life does a deep dive into Virtual Private Networks, or VPNs. We find out the countries where they are most in demand. Also in this edition, we learn about video gaming in Iran. And we speak to the teenager in India who invented a device to help people with Alzheimer's, inspired by his grandmother.PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Traitov

Technology can pose dangers to our mental health - cyberbullying, social media addiction and disinformation. But can tech help our mental wellbeing ? We explore the issues. Tech Life's Alasdair Keane reports from Las Vegas on a sound system for cars that alters music as the vehicle is driven. And tech meets beauty - find out about hair dryers delivering more than hot air.PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images/Westend61

Las Vegas plays host to CES - one of the biggest consumer tech trade shows in the world. Alasdair Keane is there for Tech Life, reporting on the latest innovations and devices. Also, video gaming is big business in Africa. Tech Life presenter Shiona McCallum finds out how big the business is. And a new substance has been discovered which could solve a problem with rechargeable batteries.(Photo: Sphere logo. Credit: Greg Doherty/Getty Images)

Shiona McCallum and Alasdair Keane present a special edition of Tech Life. They invite BBC reporters to predict what might happen in the world of tech in 2024. From Africa to North America, from Asia to Europe, our experts give you their tips for what might be making technology news in the coming months. Hear about electric cars, cryptocurrency, video games, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and more. How will developments affect your life ?Photo Credit: Getty Images/Ketut Agus Suardika

Tech Life looks back at another rollercoaster twelve months. From warnings AI might kill us all, to the tech millionaire trying to live forever, we review the biggest stories and our favourite interviews from 2023.

Internet usage is booming. We're using online services more than ever before. So which ones are popular, and why? We find out. Also, we bring you two very different voices from Africa, talking about the benefits - and problems - of social media content. And many of us are still dealing with the consequences of coronavirus. Now experts are using technology to help prepare for the next pandemic. PHOTO CREDIT: Mike Muchiri, or Muchiri Mike as he's known on TikTok, with Tech Life's Shiona McCallum in Nairobi, Kenya. You can hear their interview in this edition.

Tech Life looks at ways to connect people. We examine the mobile phone usage gap. What is it and can it be narrowed ? And how do you shop online if you have no official address? Our reporter in Brazil finds out. Also, we look at the company saving billions of litres of drinking water around the world by detecting leaky pipes using clever tech. And we find out about the latest fast-paced video gaming technology for people who are blind or partially-sighted.

Alasdair Keane is on a farm with a difference exploring the tech helping farmers adapt to changing climates. We'll hear from startups tyring to improve how crops are watered and analysing moisture data from space. We also find out how one ice cream company is warming their freezers without the ice cream melting.(Picture: Inside IGS vertical farm)

Shiona McCallum reports from Kenya on ways people there are tackling e-waste and helping to recycle electronic products. It is one of the fastest growing streams of waste, with an estimated 50 million tonnes produced globally every year. Also in this episode Alasdair Keane has been finding out about a project to make the internet available in more languages and we hear about a community in India using step trackers to campaign for better sanitation.

We join the search for tomorrow's innovators at a global competition in Portugal. Who will win ? Listen and find out. Also, why do some AI chatbots perform better using the English language ? And new signings are heading to one of the world's most popular football video games.Photo: Competition finalists, Lisbon, November 2023.

This special edition of Tech Life comes from Nairobi, in Kenya. We visit an agri-tech hackathon, where high tech ideas for reducing the vast amount of wasted crops in Africa are being put forward. We have a tour of the Basi-Go E-bus charging depot, and hear their vision for bringing the electric vehicle revolution to the streets of Nairobi. Market traders tell us how their lives have been transformed by the M-Pesa mobile money system - and we head to Nairobi Garage start up to meet the next generation of fin tech founders, and hear their plans for bringing new products and services to the booming population of young people across Africa.((PIC CREDIT: Presenter Shiona McCallum meets trader Lydia in Nairobi's famous Maasai market)

Arturo Béjar is a former director of engineering at Facebook and was responsible for its protect and care team. He shares his concerns with Tech Life. Also, we get the view from South Korea on making artificial intelligence tools safe. And how to sniff out forest fires - with the help of an AI nose.PHOTO CREDIT: Arturo Béjar

A professional body for computing in the United Kingdom says schools should teach children how to use AI from the age of 11. Do you agree ? We ask where it is happening already. Also, politicians and experts discuss AI safety at a big global summit. Health tech helps epilepsy diagnosis in the Caribbean. And we test the tech that takes the crunch out of chewing.PHOTO CREDIT: PonyWang, Getty Images.

From summarising video calls to making presentations in minutes, Microsoft is launching an AI copilot on some of its apps and Tech Life have been for a preview. But will it change how we work or present new challenges? We also speak to the tech entrepreneur, Miron Mironiuk, who is collaborating with Pope Francis to teach children tech skills. And we meet 21 year old Luke Farritor who has won $40,000 unscrambling ancient texts that were left unreadable after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Presenter: Shiona McCallum(Picture: a video call taking place on line Getty/Mayur Kakade)

BBC disinformation reporter Shayan Sardarizadeh talks to Tech Life about the spread of false information online during times of conflict, and how he verifies social media posts. An expert on electric cars answers your questions about EVs. We send our reporter out to sea to find out how tech can help marine conservation. And say hello to some old friends - Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario. (Photo: Man holds a yellow warning symbol in front of a laptop. Credit: Getty Images)

Researchers estimate that the AI industry could consume as much energy annually as a country the size of the Netherlands by 2027. We take a look at the details and ways of reducing electricity demand. Also, we talk to one of Africa's leading technology entrepreneurs about how he sees AI helping the continent and how workers can adapt to it. And how do you persuade an unwanted wildlife creature not to mess up your garden ? One man trained his home camera system to solve the problem. (Photo: Electricity pylons. Credit: Igor Borisenko/Getty Images)

Shiona McCallum takes Tech Life on the road to find out more about electric vehicles and the challenges of rolling them out globally. Monica Miller is in Singapore experiencing some of the new cars on the block and Alasdair Keane joins Nissan's Formula E team in France. (Picture: Shiona McCallum plugging in an EV)

An AI-powered tool helped blind people make sense of the world - then ran into privacy concerns. Be My AI user, the BBC's Sean Dilley, in Washington DC, tells us what happened next. A rare interview with the boss of Spotfiy, Daniel Ek, who tells us there is a place for AI in music making. Plus, reporter Marc Cieslak tells us about second thumbs and brain hacking, as he explores the mind boggling world of neural interface technology.(Photo: A blind man using a mobile phone. Credit: Agrobacter/Getty Images)

Simon Gordon, founder of Facewatch, a British facial recognition company and Fraser Sampson, the UK's Biometrics and Surveillance Commissioner discuss the growing use of facial recognition tech. Dr. Cosmas Zavazava, Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau, tells us about how much of the world remains offline. And Tom Singleton reports on how a digital payment scheme, set up by the UNCDF, is proving to be a lifeline for people exposed to extreme weather in the Pacific Islands.(PHOTO CREDIT: A young man captured by a facial recognition system. Credit: Izusek. Copyright: Getty Images)

There's a new testing kit for life-threatening diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. We hear about the technology from the project leader and some of those involved in Uganda and Kenya. Also in Tech Life, we report on lab grown diamonds in India. And posting photos of flooding on social media could help experts predict where it might happen next. (Photo: Composite image with a globe and medical staff looking at a tablet. Credit: Getty Images)

Associate Professor Lee Seok Woo, from NTU, in Singapore, tells us how a Tom Cruise film inspired him to create a battery, powered by tears, that's so small it could be fitted to a contact lens. Ben Derico reports from San Francisco on why Chatbot detectors are mistakenly accusing people for whom English is a second language of cheating in exams. Analyst Ben Wood, from CCS Insight, brings us up to speed on Apple's latest product plans. And journalist Jack Thompson guides us through the farming revolution in Senegal, being powered by WhatsApp voicenotes.

This week, the academic Kate Crawford tells us how she travelled the world to find the true cost of AI. Reporter Chris Vallance updates us on a watermark system - developed by Deepmind, Google's AI arm - which aims to show whether an image was generated by a machine or designed by a human. Mansoor Hamayun, Co-Founder and CEO of Bboxx tells us about the company's smart cooking valve, designed to protect lives - and trees - in Rwanda. We speak to Fu’ad Lawal, the founder of Archivi.ng,and archivist Grace Abraham, about why the key to Nigeria's tech future may lie in digitsing newspapers from its past.(Picture credit: an imagined digital landscape, by Andriy Onufriyenko, for Getty images)

Have you ever turned to a smart assistant on your phone or a speaker to catch up on the progress of a big sports match? During the Women's Football World Cup one popular device failed to recognise the women's semi-final as a football match. We explore why, and other biases that exist in AI. We also answer another listener question to explore AI in drug and vaccine discovery, and meet the people in Malaysia and Japan who are among Wikipedia’s top editors. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images: Goal picture from the World Cup semi-final match between Australia and England at Stadium Australia on August 16, 2023)

The internet is full of ways to learn, from quick life hacks to new skills. On Tech Life we meet the teacher in Nigeria trying to share IT skills on TikTok to help people get jobs in tech and we hear from people all over the world on what they've learned online. Also in this episode, we speak to the boss of the online moderation company, Sama, who've faced claims from employees that they were traumatised by work reviewing graphic online content. And what next for digital health care in Rwanda after uncertainty at the company Babylon.Photo: Gerald Anderson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images. Young people learn future technologies at a robotics and coding workshop in Nairobi, Kenya

Juan Lavista Ferres, chief data scientist at Microsoft's AI For Good Lab, tells Tech Life how artificial intelligence can help predict wildfires.Driverless cars are popping up on streets around the world. But not everyone welcomes them, and some protestors in San Francisco have turned to 'coning'. What's that ? We have a special report. China is considering a limit on the amount of time children can spend on smartphones. You've been telling us what you think about the benefits and problems of children spending time on the devices.Manu Chopra speaks to Tech Life about using technology to reduce poverty in India.And what's the difference between a sentence written by a human and a machine ? We've been looking at some of the answers for you.(Picture credit: Getty Images)

Have you thought about the cost of storing data from your phone or tablet ? We examine what cloud storage costs you financially, and its impact on the environment. In Kenya, a huge cyber-attack targets the government's online services. We hear from some of those affected. Facebook has reached three billion users around the world. We ask what people like about it ? And we have a report on delivering rental cars in Germany, but without any drivers. (Picture credit: Getty Images)

Zoe Kleinman and Shiona McCallum talk about X, the new name for Twitter, as Elon Musk continues making changes at the firm. What will the rebrand mean and where does the platform go next? We also try the eye scanning ‘orb’ that's been created to verify crypto payments. And we’re behind the scenes at CERN in Switzerland and talk to the creator of the AI League game that is accompanying the FIFA Women’s World Cup(Image: A worker begins removing the sign at Twitter HQ (Justin Sullivan / Getty)

DeepMind founder Mustafa Suleyman reflects on the AI revolution - and tells us he left the UK for Silicon Valley because it remains the top place for tech talent. But Canada is trying to lure some of those highly skilled migrants away - immigration lawyer Pavan Dhillon explains how. Dr Grace Livingstone joins us from Uruguay to tell us why plans for a Google data centre there are so controversial. And - as AI version of Johnny Cash goes viral - Matt Griffiths from the charity Youth Music tells us why AI is being embraced by young creatives.(PHOTO: Futuristic digital render with surreal cyber space and big sun, by Getty Images)

Meta - the owner of Facebook - has launched Threads, a text-based social media app. Tech Life's correspondent in San Francisco tells us about the launch. And we look at the development of social media with Brooke Erin Duffy, an associate professor in the Department of Communications at Cornell University in the United States. Also in Tech Life, we hear from the chief executive of Nextdoor, who has global ambitions. Where does technology and the law meet ? A question being discussed in Nairobi, Kenya. And artificial intelligence reaches lawn tennis at Wimbledon. PHOTO CREDIT: Dado Ruvić, Reuters.