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Stocks may rise and fall, businesses may boom and bust, but gadgets keep appearing at an ever-increasing rate. Share Radio’s Gadgets & Gizmos show explores the latest technological innovations, from the indispensable to the downright ridiculous. Show host Simon Rose and technology editor Steve Caplin take a weekly humorous look at what’s on offer, featuring both existing products and those whose inventors utilise crowdfunding platforms to make them a reality. Through its 300-plus shows, Gadgets & Gizmos has delved into the world of wifi, Bluetooth and exploding lithium batteries, reviewing gadgets of interest and ridiculing those that should never have got off the drawing board. Where some financial journalists tell you how to make your money grow, Gadgets & Gizmos tells you how to spend it – and when not to. Hrkn to www.shareradio.co.uk for more ..

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    • Jun 19, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • weekly NEW EPISODES
    • 26m AVG DURATION
    • 204 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from Hrkn to .. Gadgets & Gizmos

    Gadgets & Gizmos: AI music for bots, Trump's mobiles & solutions for underarm odour and baldness

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 19, 2025 25:28


    Steve Caplin discusses more to do with AI: researchers have discovered that relying on it makes you stupid; an engineer found it can't play chess; AI-generated music is mostly listened to by bots; Meta's AI is making people's searches for advice public; and Meta itself is apparently offering $100m sign-up fees. Google's new videoconferencing system is now available. Donald Trump is selling gold mobile phones. There's a new source of gold – but it's impossible to get at it. And scientists have found solutions to underarm odour and male pattern baldness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Next generation email tool, automatic bike gears & AI art restoration

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 12, 2025 26:05


    Steve Caplin is unsure about DeepMind's forthcoming "next generation email tool" which will answer emails in your voice. The rooftop garden of Google's new London HQ is plagued by foxes and rats. BIC celebrated 75 years by having a pen write Romeo & Juliet in the Bard's handwriting. Shimano have come up with automatic bike gears. There's a coffeemaker that does not need water – it sucks it from the air. AI now appears to be able to restore artworks without risking the original. However, AI also claims that the word "Welsh" is offensive. And Amazon says it will now punish companies that use fake reviews. But how do you punish bots? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Albert Einstein's business card, concrete coffee makers & the world's smallest violin

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 5, 2025 26:18


    Steve Caplin is excited by Jony Ive's new venture, even though nobody yet knows what it is. He wonders how much Albert Einstein's business card will fetch. There's a face sticker that can monitor employees' tiredness, but there's a catch. Living tattoos have been developed for buildings. The UK's first flying taxi has had a real world flight over the Cotswolds. Who might want to buy a concrete coffeemaker? Loughborough University has created the world's smallest violin. Knee pain might be reduced with in-ear treatment. And you will soon be able to buy your own spaceplane – for a mere $30m. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: AI resorting to blackmail, see-in-the-dark contact lenses & cyborg cockroaches

    Play Episode Listen Later May 29, 2025 26:32


    Steve Caplin says that the Vienna Tourist Board will be celebrating Strauss's bicentenary by beaming The Blue Danube to Voyager 1. Google's 3D meeting platform is almost here. Claude AI has taken to blackmailing engineers who try to turn it off by scouring their emails for indiscretions. Could our phones soon tell us if we are dehydrated? Dyson have a new vacuum with all the gubbins in the stick. The Chinese are developing contact lenses that enable you to see in the dark. Scientists have worked out how to steer cockroaches. And in Japan you can pay for a shoplifting experience, without breaking the law. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Google's new AI stuff, beard trimmers, gene-edited spiders & train cleanliness

    Play Episode Listen Later May 22, 2025 26:31


    Steve Caplin is bowled over by Google's new AI which can produce videos with incredibly realistic speech in 24 languages with any accent, though perhaps not Geordie. The much-awaited unifying parking app may be about to happen. 3D beard trimming-guides are here. A gene-edited spider can make red fluorescent silk. A new jet is far more efficient by removing the passenger windows. There's a tennis-serving AI robot. Northern Rail's environmentally-friendly cleaning agent turns out to be water. Cambridge has found a solution to cows falling into the Cam. And US solar farms could be turned off by the Chinese. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Fish doorbells, turning lead into gold & speeding ducks

    Play Episode Listen Later May 19, 2025 26:31


    In Utrecht, says Steve Caplin, they've installed a fish video doorbell so the lockkeeper can open the lock for spawning fish. Scientists have managed to turn lead into gold but, even with the Large Hadron Collider, they only produced 29 picograms. There's a way of adding three extra screens to your laptop. Audible are to use AI to narrate audiobooks. Fusion scientists think they can cut the time taken to get to Mars by two-thirds. A dead man testified at the trial of his murderer in Arizona. And a duck has been caught speeding by a radar trap in Switzerland, for the second time in seven years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: A robotic cake, Spielberg's Duel becomes a reality & tattoing tardigrades

    Play Episode Listen Later May 8, 2025 26:12


    Steve Caplin wonders why scientists have developed a cake with pneumatic robotic dancing bears on top, rechargeable but also edible. Amazon have a new budget service – Haul. DVD anti-piracy warnings were piratical themselves. Spielberg's film Duel is about to become a reality in Texas. Delivery robots will soon be able to climb stairs. EEGs are to be considerably less intrusive. Agatha Christie is now helping budding detective writers – from beyond the grave. And Chinese scientists have worked out how to tattoo tardigrades. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Junk food affects the brain, T-Rex handbags & the weight of Earth's trees

    Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2025 25:32


    Steve Caplin explains the research showing how junk food inhibits the brain. There's a tailor-made Bugatti watch costing a mere $340,000. British scientists plan to weigh the world's trees with a newly-launched satellite. A Newcastle company hopes to grow dinosaur hides in their lab. Urinals could soon be made a little less splashy. Google are trying to talk to dolphins. And Chocolate Digestives are 100 and we've apparently been eating them wrongly for a century. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: A new colour, flu gum instead of jabs, energy from water & robot runners

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2025 26:39


    Steve Caplin says there's a new colour, "Olo", but you need a laser blasted into your eye to see it. Instead of flu jabs, you may soon be able to chew a gum made with Egyptian kidney beans. There's a new high-tech stethoscope monitor you can wear at home, a folding colour ebook reader, AI-powered gloves to help the near half million deaf-blind people in the UK, augmented carpentry, a motorised tape measure and a weapon to take down drones. Singapore scientists have found a way to get energy from rain. And in Beijing, robots competed in a half marathon, with varying results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Robot horses, electric skateboards and a robot chess player

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 17, 2025 26:05


    Steve Caplin is desperate to buy the Kawasaki robot horse which can do everything a horse can but is powered by hydrogen. Sadly it's still only a beautifully-realised CGI concept. But there's a renewable energy motorbike with a roof covered with solar panels and a wind turbine. Or a WalkCar the size of a laptop. Or even an electric skateboard that goes at 45mph. Ford have patented a gear stick for electric cars, for drivers that miss them. There's an aircraft that can land itself, a weird-looking robot chess player, a trial postbox with a barcode reader to scan parcels, a Sardinian beach you'll need an app to visit and a tip on how to hear better in noisy rooms without spending a penny – though it ought to mean domino players can hear brilliantly. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Speedbump-defying car, depression-alleviating AI bot & pilotless air taxis

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 3, 2025 26:24


    Steve Caplin is impressed by a Chinese car with predictive suspension that remains level going over bumps and can even travel on three wheels. China also launches pilotless air taxis. There's a personal VTOL and a zero-emission hydrogen-electric jet. The AI Therabot can lower depression by 51%. A top accounting firm is having to train its GenZ workers how to use telephones. AI can improve your prospects for internet dating. And the University of San Diego has developed a pneumatic 3D-printed six-legged soft-body robot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: STOL planes, environmentally-friendly concrete & chatting with GPT

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 27, 2025 26:41


    Steve Caplin discusses a hybrid STOL plane which is as quiet as a vacuum cleaner and only needs a 100m-long runway. Amazon's plan for UK drone deliveries might be kiboshed by the CAA insisting on one pilot for each drone. There's an example of just how realistic GPT is when you chat to it. Placebos are the most effective way of treating PMS. Running a marathon shrinks your brain. There's a bizarre crowdfunded watch. Farmers with unhappy crops are being offered a (possible) solution. And heavily-polluting concrete may be a thing of the past with the future use of seawater instead of sand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Air taxis, AI can't tell the time, gravity batteries & driverless cars getting parking fines

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2025 26:34


    Steve Caplin delves into the world of tech. Virgin expects to have an eVTOL air taxi service in the UK relatively soon. In San Francisco, driverless cars got 600 parking tickets last year. AI apparently can't tell analogue time or interpret calendars. Gravity batteries could be used in the lift shafts of abandoned mines. The Chinese company BYD has developed batteries that can add 250 miles range in 5 minutes. Longbow is the first British electric sports car manufacturer, while Volkswagen has an entry-level eCar for just €20,000. And there are two intriguing ways of getting hydration while on the move. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Flying cars, anxious AI therapists & using brain cells in silicon chips

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2025 26:10


    Steve Caplin marvels at the video of a flying car – because it is so poorly made, as if from Thunderbirds. There's a seaglider that appears to float rather than skim. The world's largest tyre maker – Lego – are to use recycled ropes, nets and oil. A new silicon chip apparently uses fused human brain cells to make it faster. AI therapists are showing signs of anxiety from hearing of traumatic events. Blind patients may be able to see but the process is rather squirm-inducing. There's a crowd-funded rugged phone. Spent nuclear fuel could actually power new reactors for decades. And the US navy has a new unmanned prototype warship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Disguising cold call voices, paper batteries & an affordable e-bike

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 6, 2025 26:55


    Steve Caplin points out that Apple Intelligence isn't always particularly bright. Indian call centre voices could soon be disguised "to build a more understanding world". Citibank's $81 trillion mistake. Paper batteries might replace lithium. Limitless thermal energy comes a step closer. HarmBlock could stop children seeing what they shouldn't on phones. Scientists trying to produce a woolly mammoth have created a woolly mouse. Humanoid robots working in pairs can now put away items they've never seen before. There's an impressive affordable new e-bike. And scientists have worked out how to grow teeth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Quantum computing chips, trifold phones & how to find an ice cream

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 3, 2025 25:51


    Steve Caplin celebrates Photoshop coming to the iPhone, as well as Microsoft producing its first quantum computing chip, apparently powered by topological qubits. Amazon is launching Alexa+, creating your own trusted assistant. It costs but, bizarrely, more than Amazon Prime, which offers it free. If you're looking for a coffee stand or ice cream van, there's a new app to guide you. Huawai has a trifold phone. Tech trekking poles contain a folding tent. Over 1,000 artists have produced an album of silence to protest the Government's plans on AI & copyright. And walnuts could boost your brain, if you eat enough of them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Save 10 years with AI, the Super Bowl ad gaffe & Italy gets tough with fake reviews

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 20, 2025 25:21


    Steve Caplin says that in 2 days, AI solved a problem that took Imperial College scientists 10 years. But it also caused a massive gaffe in a staggeringly expensive Super Bowl ad. He discusses new e-ink developments including outdoor posters, a tablet, a minimal phone and a gaming console. The BBC's Radiophonic Workshop output has been digitised. There's a high-tech bookmark. Italy is getting tough with fake TripAdvisor reviews which are damaging tourism. You should take your tablets with milk not water in future. And Gen Z is having problems hearing, but it's neurological and caused by noise-cancelling headphones say audiologists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Wifi giant barbecue, bike touchscreen display & a mobile 1-bed flat in a box

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 13, 2025 26:03


    From the world of tech, Steve Caplin talks about the perfect way to cook a boiled egg and a giant barbecue that is controlled by your mobile. There's a touchscreen display for a bicycle, a camper van for an eBike and a one-bedroom flat that fits into a trailer and can be set up by one person in an hour with all – or at least most – mod cons. Glasses are to have hearing aids built into them to reduce discomfort, an ePaper frame will display your photos on the wall and you will soon be able to touch up your old videos and Super-8 movies and massively improve them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The 500th edition – the good, the bad and the truly weird from 10 years of the show

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 6, 2025 29:41


    For the 500th show, Steve Caplin takes a look back at some of the highlights of 10 years of Gadgets & Gizmos. He covers sprayable sleep, cows imitating zebras to ward off mosquitoes, crows collecting cigarette butts, NFTs, self-parking slippers, KFC chicken-tasting nail polish, the first human head transplant, the Skunklock noxious bike lock, Refrigerdating, the robot dog flamethrower, ant populated gin and how to make pain relief pills 10 times more effective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: DeepSeek and how to circumvent Chinese censorship

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 30, 2025 26:19


    Share Radio's tech guru Steve Caplin discusses the Chinese AI DeepSeek, which he finds as good, if not better, than previous AI programs. Although it is heavily censored when it comes to China, Steve explains how you can get around it, even to read about "Tank Man". There's also an omnidirectional bike, a motorbike-cum-dirt-bike-cum-snowmobile, a watch with a mechanical snake, an expensive watch-winding gizmo and a fantastic-looking Dutch super sub. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Digital driving licences, AI videos & AI screenwriting and a robot turtle

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2025 25:58


    Steve Caplin on the latest tech. Digital driving licences are coming to the UK. BT's 60,000 car charger plan produced just one – and it's out of order. There are bird-watching binoculars with stabilisation. The YouTube video on the founding of Porsche looks amazingly expensive – but it was all done with AI. There's a crowdfunded long-throw projector for giant screens and a smaller projector which folds to fit in your pocket. Paul Schrader, writer of Taxi Driver, thinks AI's plotlines are better than humans can come up with. And Steve discusses a robot turtle for tracking marine animals and an underwater drone for treasure hunting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The fake Brad Pitt, a solar beach umbrella & hat and a pothold-jumping hypercar

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 16, 2025 26:07


    Steve Caplin tells the salutory tale of a woman conned out of a fortune by a fake Brad Pitt online before turning to a second batch of wacky gadgets on display at the Consumer Electronics Show. There's a solar beach umbrella and a (giant) solar hat with charging ports. A new AI robot is essentially just a lamp on a walking coffee table. A flying motorcycle might not work but a helicopter carried in a van appears to. The head of an AI app confesses he has no idea how his product works. The Power Mole will transmit wireless power through windows. And the Chinese Yangwang U9 hypercar will jump potholes or metal spikes - providing it is going fast enough. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: AI failings, Meta abandoning fact checkers & bonkers CES products

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 9, 2025 26:26


    In our tech show, Steve Caplin discusses some of the mistakes made by Apple's new AI and how Meta is getting rid of fact checkers. He reports on some of the devices on show at Las Vegas's annual CES. There's a TV to keep an eye on children and pets, a robot with an arm for picking up shoes and socks – slowly, a lamp that is also a projector, a toaster-like phone battery swapper, a giant monitor with a shoulder strap, a way to keep all your rechargeable batteries in order, an air purifier that doubles as a cat perch, and a tiny, cat-shaped robot for cooling your coffee. Only one of these tickles his fancy as a possible purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: 40 years of mobile calls, finding lost luggage & weird patent applications

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 2, 2025 25:47


    Steve Caplin kicks off the year by reminding us it is 40 years since the first mobile phone call: but do you remember the celebrity who made it? Motorised skis will get you up a mountain. Apple's AirTags could help you locate missing luggage. A Chinese spherical security robot put Steve in mind of The Prisoner. Chat robots add video but don't impress. You can play Xbox games on an Amazon Fire Stick. There's an electronic belt. And there's a roundup of some of the weirdest patent applications in 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos 2024 Review: AI Grannies, butter made from air, spying air fryers and much more

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 19, 2024 27:54


    Steve Caplin looks back over the good, bad, ugly and bonkers of the tech world in 2024. He admired the AI scam-baiting granny, the rocket that eats itself, the underwater kite, butter made from air and the benefits of red wine and dark chocolate. He wasn't keen on Chinese spying air fryers, the flamethrowing robot dog, the airline computer that couldn't cope with a 101-year-old and AI cheating at Diplomacy. And he is still scratching his head at the bike lane sweeper that sits behind the bike and the billionaire who wants to launch a replica Titanic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Google's quantum chip, rocking beds, solar paint & a security football

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2024 26:38


    Steve Caplin updates Simon Rose on the latest tech. Sadly, OpenAI video generator Sora won't be available in the UK. However, Google's GenCast could soon be predicting weather more accurately while its quantum chip can do in 5 minutes what the fastest computers would take 10 septillion years, threatening the safety of encryption. The VR DropTower will give gamers an enhanced experience, including turning them upside down. A podcast lists the top 100 tech achievements: can you guess the top 5? A bed rocker imitates the motion of a train. A new security robot resembles a football. There's a thermal imaging camera that will plug into a phone. The Tank Pad adds ruggedness for tablet users in difficult environments. And Mercedes have developed solar paint to add range to your EV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Christmas gift guide

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 9, 2024 26:14


    Steve Caplin gives Simon Rose a plethora of tech ideas for Christmas gifts, for others and for yourself. He finds some bizarre advent calendars. The top toy for kids appears to be a Fart Blaster. From the Chinese version of Amazon, Alibaba, he recommends heated gloves, a vacuum phone holder, a portable ceiling fan, sewing needles that thread themselves and a car charger with retractable cables. There's also a camera drone, an impressive iPhone case, rechargeable LED work lights, colour changing LED bulbs, magnetic tool holders and an avocado slicer. He was delighted with his game-playing SteamDeck and also recommends Bridge Command, where you can immerse yourself in a Star Trek-style experience. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Powered legs, octopus-suckered dentures & spaghetti bandages

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 2, 2024 26:15


    In the world of tech, Steve Caplin looks at powered legs like "the electric bike but for walking". There's a 37mph electric surfboard while scientists have discovered patterns that make sharks less interested in surfers. The mosquito parasite that causes malaia has been genetically modified into a vaccine. The principle of octopus suckers is to be used to help retain dentures. The world's thinnest spaghetti, thinner than hair, can make bandages. High speed internet apparently makes us fat. Pigeon droppings trapped German drivers in an underground car park until 3am. And Korean scientists think ships could dock with suckers instead of rope. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Stretchable screens, sterile mosquitoes & an AI scam-beating granny

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2024 26:16


    Steve Caplin discusses the latest tech with Simon Rose. LG improve their bendable LED screens so they can now stretch too. Scientists improve the chances of sterilising mosquitoes. Glasses for the deaf will project text onto the lenses. AI headphones can make it easier to hear in restaurants. Virgin & O2 have invented an AI granny to waste scam callers' time. Dyson have filed a patent for a robo-dog to vacuum, mow, water plants & mop. There's an eScooter which is solar powered and a hand pump to desalinate water. There's also a spurious tech limerick. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Replica Batmobiles, robotic art, repairable kettles & barcoding zebras

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2024 25:54


    Warners are making driveable Batmobiles, says Steve Caplin, though they aren't street legal. In California, there's a beautifully-designed solar-powered car. A picture painted by a robot has just sold at auction for over $1m. A Mattel doll from the Wicked movie had an unfortunate mistake on the packaging. A student has invented a repairable kettle. There's a crowdfunded thermal-imaging dashcam available now. A new retro eBike comes with a sidecar. And in Kenya, they're using drones to keep track of zebras, using their stripes as barcodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Detecting spoiled milk, slow mobile internet & an inflatable toilet

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 7, 2024 26:15


    Steve Caplin dives into the world of gadgets. Rolls-Royce have produced a one-off car to celebrate 60 years of Goldfinger. An Australian app can detect if milk is off, while mathematicians there have proved that monkeys couldn't write the works of Shakespeare. The biggest Dutch publisher is using AI to translate books into English. The UK now has the 49th worst mobile internet speed, behind Azerbaijan and Kosovo. If you're caught short, there's now an inflatable toilet. And Steve explains why your air fryer might be spying for China. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Trapping CO2, Michael Parkinson to return & Google fined more than the world's GDP

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2024 26:07


    Steve Caplin explains how US scientists have found an impressive way of trapping CO2 while Australian boffins have worked out how to generate electricity from polystyrene. Airbus are to increase internal baggage space on planes by 60%. An AI version of Michael Parkinson will soon be hosting a new chat show. The largest prime number has been discovered. Steve explains how to conquer "Hi Dad" text fraud. There's a clever crowd-funded camera for kids that will project the images. And Russian judges have fined Google $20 decillion, many times the size of the global economy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: AI generating TV programmes & podcasts and why video games boost your brain

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 24, 2024 26:05


    Steve Caplin talks health tech, including vein locators, speedier blood tests and AI spotting fractures doctors might miss. ITV is going to use AI to generate programme ideas: Steve got it to come up with a couple. But AI can also now generate complete podcasts; this example might put Steve and Simon out of a job. There's a colour Kindle and proof that video games are actually good for your brain. Prada are designing the new generation of NASA space suits. There's a foldable keyboard the size of a paperback book and a touch screen display in a suitcase. And Steve explains why Funexpo 2024 might not be as much fun as it sounds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Standing desks, digital examinations & a robot orchestra conductor

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 21, 2024 25:56


    Steve Caplin delves into the world of tech. Tesla's Robotaxi disappointed investors. Standing desks turn out to be no better than being seated. A robotic finger can now be used for digital examinations. The Dresden Sinfoniker has a robot conductor – with three arms – to perform complex music. There's an electric version of the old BMW bubble car. You can buy Vespa scooters with 75mm anti-armour cannons attached. A bell has been designed for runners – at a price. And firemen at the Stadtallendorf fire station may be regretting not installing a fire alarm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: BBC's extreme weather, a Möbius strip keyboard & beating airlines' luggage allowance

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 10, 2024 26:13


    Steve Caplin explains why the BBC has been forecasting record winds & temperatures. Tesla are to unveil their Robotaxi. Google Japan have produced a Möbius strip keyboard with 208 keys. A virtual dog lead is somewhat shocking. What will happen to the Chagos Islands' internet domain? A Harvard student has produced smart glasses with real-time facial recognition. The Ask Silver scam checker gets the thumbs up from Steve. The crowd-funded FlyOn travel coat is designed to beat the meagre luggage allowance on budget airlines. And an Australian university has found a way to make flat-pack tubes incredibly strong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Flying shopping trolleys, a defensive ladies' fan & cutting cow burps

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 3, 2024 26:10


    Steve Caplin laments the demise of the car CD player. But he looks forward to flying shopping trolleys which can even handle stairs. A powerwash simulator apparently improves people's mood. A traditional ladies' fan converts into a tactical defence baton, for a price. There's a kayak with an electric motor you can pedal, if you can deal with one of the worst websites Steve has ever encountered. A hydrogen balloon is the latest space tourism venture. There's a nasal gel to trap viruses. Westinghouse are producing a nuclear microreactor with no moving parts which lasts for 8 years without refuelling. And Australian scientists have discovered that clay reduces the methane from cow burps by 30%. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: New iPhone tricks, AI hardware, Tetris prescribed for PTSD & golden lettuce

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 26, 2024 26:07


    Tech talk with Steve Caplin. He demonstrates the iPhone's way of filtering out unwanted background noise. OpenAI are to produce an AI hardware device to be designed by Sir Jony Ive. AI can now fool CAPTHA into thinking it's human. Tetris can apparently help treat PTSD. Magic mushrooms can help with chronic depression. Spanish scientists have developed a superfood yellow lettuce. For some reason Wordle is coming to Meta Quest. And red wine, dark chocolate and cheese help to lower the risk of dementia. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Holographic doctors, peelable paint & the IgNobel prizes

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 19, 2024 26:03


    Steve Caplin explains how patients in rural America can now consult specialists using holographs. There's a less intrusive brain to computer interface. Scientists have found a way to help the voiceless speak. A car, unstable at high speeds, can expand its wheels to go faster. A new paint can be peeled off. A novel phone alarm makes sure you get out of bed. People are getting mules to do their exercising for them. And Steve reveals some of the most interesting entries for this years IgNobel Prize. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Curing wrinkles with fish guts, remote control endoscopies & the iPhone 16

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 12, 2024 26:08


    Tech maven Steve Caplin says that South Korean scientists have discovered that fish guts can inhibit the effects of ageing. Swiss doctors performed a remote endoscopy on a pig in Hong Kong. Tartrazine can make skin transparent. Apple's new iPhone will appeal particularly to those keen on photography and has clever new auto-generated emojis. There's a keenly-priced new photography drone. Honda are making a foldable generator which will either charge your EV or turn into a mini motorbike. And the World Heath Organisation have proven that there really is no link between mobile phones and cancer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Underground nuclear power stations, water cremation & biohybrid computing

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 5, 2024 25:33


    Steve Caplin discusses the astronauts whose space stay of 8 days has turned into 8 months. Nuclear power could be safer if the power stations are buried one mile underground. Water cremation is coming to the UK soon. There's an e-ink computer which will work in sunlight – though not for very long. Italian scientists have a humanoid jetpack robot to rescue people on mountains – with a few drawbacks. Ultrasonic joining solves the problem of sticking wood and metal. And biohybrid computing, which already gives robots locusts' ears is now adapting fungi's mycelium root communication to electronics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Internet blimps, Steve Jobs' Apple 1 computer & reinventing the wheel

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2024 25:43


    Tech talk with Steve Caplin. A blimp with GPS has been developed to beam high speed internet to remote places. Steve Jobs' 1976 Apple 1 computer is up for auction. Jonny Davies has set a new world record for being dragged behind a motorbike. Korean scientists have reinvented the wheel for bumpy ground. Scientists testing fruit flies prove we are happier drinking with friends. There's a £134,000 watch beased on the Blackbird supersonic spy plane. ePaper displays no longer need batteries. ChatGPT has been answering users in Welsh. Steve's favourite drone, the HoverAir X1, has been updated. And there's a new dual screen laptop with a flipscreen ideal for meetings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Robot dentists, making bricks from rubble & stopping cow burps

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 22, 2024 25:20


    The man who knows tech stuff, Steve Caplin, discusses a household robot with a terrifying featureless face and the first autonomous dentist, apparently much faster than the real thing. There's a mosquito tracker, an AI-powered golf trolley, a necklace to jog your memory and a mobile factory that can make bricks from rubble, which is being sent to Ukraine. To solve the problem of moths in museums and stately homes, Rentokil suggests parasitc wasps while a pill could stop cows producing methane-laden burps. And do men drive more riskily if the voice on their satnav is female? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: ChatGPT makes it up, BA's safety video, cheer up with fruit & stopping snoring

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 1, 2024 26:30


    Steve Caplin's love for Perplexity deepens. OpenAI's rival to Google is almost ready but ChatGPT apparently makes up URLs. BA's hilarious new safety video has been watched on YouTube half a milion times. Fruit – but not veg – reduces age-related depression. There's a new supermarket delivery robot, while a Japanese supermarket uses AI to standardise smiles and Simon warns about Sainsbury's illusory online offers. There are a couple of devices to help stop snoring, but one uses AI and the other electrocutes your tongue! And the Royal Mail app can now detect counterfeit stamps. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The global IT outage, robot litter-picking dogs & spray-on trainers - 25 Jul 24

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 25, 2024 26:00


    Tech buff Steve Caplin explains the global IT outage caused by a Crowdstrike software update and Microsoft's extraordinary advice. There's an Italian litter-picking robot dog. Small aerial drones can learn to navigate by studying ants. Other drones can mimic geckos to cling to things. Spray-on trainers for athletes are now a reality, while athletes can also run faster if shielded from wind resistance. There's a crowd-funded Dymo-type printer. And Disney are retiring an animatronic attraction – for fear it will offend alcoholics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The world's smallest chariot, walking in a VR game & slowing down ageing

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 18, 2024 26:10


    Steve Caplin delves into the world of tech, where Tokyo scientists have made the world's smallest chariot, pulled by algae. Carmarker Stellantis have patented an "improvement" to the steering wheel. VR gamers will soon have a way to walk in the games they play. There's an inflatable tent, though you may not be able to stand up in it. A PhD student has produced a way of monitoring the old and infirm without being too intrusive. Imperial College claims they've found a way to prevent cancer and increase lifespan by 25% – at least in mice. And King's College London believe they can help you lose weight with transcranial direct current stimulation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Flying cars, butter made from air & uncannily recreating old stars' voices

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 11, 2024 26:03


    Steve Caplin explains how Elon Musk will be destroying the International Space Station. There's a flying car that's a cross between a go-kart and a helicopter, while another helicopter gives tours without a pilot. Renault cars will soon score your driving performance while Bill Gates is investing in a company that will make butter from air. Chinese scientists have grown human brain cells that can control robots. Text to speech can now bring to audio life stars from the past with uncanny reality. There's a new way of trying to prevent rhino poaching by making horns radioactive. And there are some impressive crowdfunded smart binoculars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: CEO jets, Ferrari's electric car, solar panels for your VW & making robots smile

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 27, 2024 26:05


    Steve Caplin says executive oneupmanship comes with Sirius Aviation's CEO eVTOL jet powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Ferrari has produced its first electric car, while Volkswagen is to sell solar panels to reduce charging costs. Swedish scientists have invented a weightless carbon fibre battery that can be built into cars or planes. The Pillbot is a dirigible pill to help with gastrointestinal problems. A Tokyo university has been experimenting with making robots smile, using artifical human skin. And there are advances with bike saddles to make them more comfortable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Pineapple leather, the $400,000 helmet & robot taxi drivers for any car

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2024 26:00


    Steve Caplin discusses the importance of cheese, red wine and chocolate for living longer. Artificial leather just got better by using pineapples. The $400,000 Genesis III helmet can make the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning jet invisible – while you're piloting it. There's a deflatable bike helmet which is safer than the hard type. And instead of autonomous vehicles, the University of Tokyo has developed a robot taxi driver which fits into any car. All this plus the downside of McDonalds using AI in their drive-throughs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Apple's AI, the AI MP candidate and how Oxen's bottoms influenced railways

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 13, 2024 26:37


    Steve Caplin explains to Simon Rose what Apple Intelligence will do on its newest phones. He has been quizzing the AI candidate standing in the General Election and discusses what he would ask the older version of himself, as being developed at MIT. He points out that Elon Musk's Starship is the biggest rocket in history, with the entrepreneur building a Starfactory to turn out one rocket every single day. An AI pin turns out to be rather dangerous. There's a DIY compass for "mindful wandering" and a film which enables you to see at night. Even more fascinating still is the explanation of the relation between two oxen's bottoms and the width of the Saturn V rockets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Tattooing avocados, growing your own teeth and having a third thumb

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 6, 2024 26:20


    Steve Caplin explains why Tesco is tattooing avocados. Japanese scientists believe people will soon be able to grow new teeth. There's a robot seed-planter taking its inspiration from wild oats. A 9-seater electric plane can take off and land on a football pitch. A new Chinese hybrid car has a massive range and a minimal price, in China at least. Cambridge scientists have been studying how people make use of a third thumb. There's a crowd-funded pet monitoring camera which can tell if the animal is poorly. Bringing the internet to a remote Amazon tribe has caused problems. And in Dubai, there's a proposal to build skyscrapers 1km high. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    Gadgets & Gizmos: AI gaffes and hearing aids, cutting cargo ship emissions and head transplants

    Play Episode Listen Later May 30, 2024 26:18


    Steve Caplin discusses the latest AI gaffes, as it suggests rock eating and gluing cheese onto pizzas. There's a bright idea to cut cargo ship emissions. Glass windows can be made more efficient – with one drawback. AI can help vastly improve hearing aids. A crowd-funded exercise bike claims to provide a more realistic 3D interactive landscape. And a molecular biologist believes he's only ten years away from robotic head transplants. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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