We’re back with the second part of this mind-bending episode on Artificial Intelligence with Professor Michael Rovatsos. There’s certainly a minefield of conundrums, questions and ethical considerations to think about when the topic of AI surfaces, however in this episode we take a deep dive into the vast differences between the software vs. hardware, and particularly we touch upon the question: “can we truly afford to offer AI driven cars the same margin of error that we offer human drivers”? This is undoubtedly Sci-Fi turned non-fiction, so stay tuned to find out more.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has certainly been given a bad reputation in movies – from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Arnold Schwarzenegger as a murderous AI machine in Terminator, AI has always been portrayed as dangerous. However, will this ever truly be the case, and if so, will humanity be triumphant? In this episode we explore a whole range of AI conundrums, such as, will machinery ever be able to replicate a human perfectly, down to nuances such as sarcasm, humour, and emotions? Does AI only mimic art or is there a potential they could replace artists and give Banksy a run for their money? We’re joined by the prestigious Professor Michael Rovatsos, who is the Professor of Artificial Intelligence, a lead at the Alan Turing Institute and Director of The Bayes Centre at the University of Edinburgh. He leads us through this mind-boggling world of smart machines and even provides insight into how AI may be used in modern day healthcare systems.

From dystopian futures such as Ready Player One, to potentially closer to home developments like the Metaverse – will people preferentially start living their lives virtually? Over £1.7 billion has already been invested into virtual property in VR worlds so perhaps there’s a chance such a future might be in store. We’re joined once again by Professor Bob Stone in this second part of our explorative journey into the world of VR, as he provides his honest opinion on pressing issues, the reality of the Metaverse, and the notion of if such technologies may negatively impact the imagination of young children irreparably.

The idea of immersing yourself fully in a virtual world in which you can interact with, touch and even smell your surroundings seems like something you’d find in a science fiction novel – however such technology is perhaps right around the corner. Professor Bob Stone of the University of Birmingham is certainly highly respected in the world of Virtual Reality (VR), and having established the first industrial VR team at the UK’s National Advanced Robotics Centre, he was at the epicentre of the first ever industrial collaborative project addressing the commercial applications of VR in the early 90’s. Amongst his numerous achievements  in the field, he developed the world’s first tactile feedback glove for VR applications, so needless to say he is certainly a 5-star expert on the matter. So, is VR just a gimmick or are there more vital uses than we initially thought? Listen in to find out.

It truly is not possible to exaggerate the importance of climate change for the future of humanity, but now that some COP 26 goals – keeping the global temperature increase above pre-industrial levels below 1.5 degrees Celsius – seems closer and closer to impossible, are we too late to do anything? We dive back in with Professor Joanna Haigh who explains where responsibility lies, and what exactly might happen if such vital targets, such as the 45% (relative to 2010 levels) reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030, are not met.

In this episode we address perhaps one of the most pertinent issues we have faced yet – is it too late to save Planet Earth? The crisis of climate change has certainly become a focus for many across the globe, but why are there still those who deny its impact or existence? Is there actually irrefutable proof of the human cause? Can we still act to reverse the effects or is the damage set in stone? We are joined by Professor Joanna Haigh, who was a professor of Atmospheric Physics at the Imperial College London and co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and Environment, who helps to address these concerns and delivers her sobering message.

Batteries are everywhere – from your TV remote to your car, they are a vital pillar of technology that have supported advancements since the early 1800s, but where exactly are the developments in battery technology going? What modern energy storage options are there? How do we get fully battery powered vehicles? Why are batteries potentially so dangerous? Today we’re joined by Professor Peter Slater, co-director of the Birmingham Centre for Energy Storage and a specialist in material chemistry at the University of Birmingham, to help answer these pressing questions. Let’s charge right in!

We re-embark on our enthralling journey to the icy moons of the outer planets, as we hunt for alien life with Professor Ian Crawford of the University of London. He talks to us about the exciting planned space missions, fascinating hypotheses about mind-boggling different forms of life, and we start by discussing if discovering life on other planets would have a profound effect on religions here on Earth...

Are we alone in the universe or is there other, more peculiar life out there? Perhaps are there even other lifeforms in our own solar system? Today we look seriously into the search for aliens within our local environment – be that on Venus, Mars or the icy moons of the outer planets – and we are joined by an esteemed astrobiologist, Professor Ian Crawford, lead of the Planetary Physics and Astrobiology department at the University of London, to guide us on this fascinating journey.

We all may be familiar with classic bar magnets from high school physics classes, and in particular the effect of iron filings forming peculiar onion-shaped patterns when in the presence of a magnetic field – but how exactly is this relevant to planets? Thanks to Dr. Licia Ray, Senior Lecturer of Space and Planetary Physics at Lancaster University, we learn that the Earth is actually its own magnet with its own magnetosphere! Listen in to find out why both Earth and Jupiter (and surprisingly, Ganymede; a moon of Jupiter) are planetary magnets, but for some bizarre turn of events, Mars is not…

The topic of robotics is particularly expansive and with so many advancing, adapting fields it’s hard to keep track – however Dr James Hilder of the University of York helps answer some of the most peculiar queries in this second part of our robotics episode. How do robots process the spoken word? Are they vulnerable to cyber-attack? What are swarm robots? How easy is it to understand the software and can young people get involved? All this and more answered in our second episode of this thrilling two-parter.

From robot lawnmowers to automated delivery machines, the world of robotics has certainly grown massively in the last few years, but how far will it go exactly? Should we expect to see fully automated, humanoid AI machines doing our housework or will there be a mass robot rebellion on the horizon? We talk to Dr. James Hilder, a Senior Research Engineer at the University of York, soon to be affiliated with a brand-new building and department – the Institute for Safe Autonomy. He guides us through both autonomous and semi-autonomous machinery and gives us an insight into what the future may hold. How safe will these robotic advancements be? Stay tuned to find out.

We're diving right back in for the second half of our thrilling episode on the wonders of zero emission aircraft with Bethany Hall and David Debney.  We touch upon the exciting new project, FlyZero, being undertaken by Aerospace Technology Institute which aims to progress the developments of commercial, emission-free flights. Such a feat may seem impossible, with an average commercial flight needing over 10,000 times the power required to boil a kettle, but the technology may be much closer than you think...buckle your seatbelts.

Every day there are approximately 100,000 flights taking people across the globe, which overall equals an average of 150 billion miles travelled by plane - that's practically equivalent to flying to the Sun and back! When considering an aircraft such as a Boeing 747 uses roughly 4 litres of fuel every second, it becomes clear that the impact on the environment will be substantial. Now more than ever it is imperative that a greener alternative for commercial and private planes is found, and today we discuss the advancements and potential problems of Zero Emission aircraft with two experts from the Aerospace Technology Institute - Bethany Hall and David Debney. Listen in as they navigate us through this intriguing topic.

For this second half we're diving right back into the enthralling discussion with Dr. Matthew Dickinson as he shares his knowledge on the exciting world of exoskeletons and their multiple surprising uses. Tune in to learn about how schools are getting involved in 3D printed projects, how exoskeleton suits could be used for sports, and discover how exoskeleton technology may be applicable for worlds beyond our planet...

On the surface, wearable external systems known as exoskeletons sound like something you would find only in comic books or classic sci-fi movies, when in fact the science is much closer to reality than it may seem... Today we had the pleasure of chatting to Dr. Matthew Dickinson, a senior lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, about how incredible exoskeleton developments are being made via ingenious 3D printing, and what exactly this may mean for disabled people across the globe.

For the second part of this compelling interview, we dive back into the science of Nuclear Power with Evan Bolle-Jones, who chats with us about nuclear waste disposal sites and - more surprisingly - why locations are almost fighting to get one of these facilities in their back gardens. Listen in to this great next half to hear mind-bending stats about carbon footprints, and find out what the Nuclear Power industry has in common with a hockey puck.

Nuclear power could perhaps win the prize for being the energy source with the worst reputation. It's the one that scares most people but is also the energy source that is least well-understood. Is its bad-rep deserved or could there be a good side to nuclear energy? The answers are – "to an extent" and "yes, emphatically". In this episode we speak to Evan Bolle-Jones, a technical lead in the simulation and verification group at the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) at the University of Sheffield. He puts forward a strong case in favour of nuclear energy in the UK, as he talks about the problems of radiation and how the nuclear industry has dealt with them – evidentially it is one of the safest industries in the nation. We touch on topics including the new "modular" reactors, the innovations being introduced at the new large scale reactors at Hinckley and Sizewell C, and the incredible facts surrounding underground waste storage. Definitely not one to miss.

What are quantum computers? Do they even exist and what are they used for? What is quantum superposition and entanglement and are they anything more than just science fiction? In this episode we answer these questions by talking with Dr Mark Jackson, a Quantum Evangelist at Cambridge Quantum. The company, founded just seven years ago at the University of Cambridge, is a powerful advocate for the future of quantum computing, and Mark is at the forefront of such innovation.  After a mind-blowing investigation of quantum effects we settled down to explore the many ways in which Quantum Computing is helping a surprisingly wide array of industries to use the technology - pharmaceuticals, finance, chemistry and materials science are among the first. Could we ever have a future in which our medical treatment and drugs were specially tailored to our individual bodies? The answer is yes, so listen in and be amazed.

These days satellites are taken for granted. Most people never give a second thought to how their smartphone knows where they are located, how the City of London manages to conduct financial business across the globe, how films are streamed onto their TVs, why we can predict the weather so accurately, and so on. All depends on one or more of the thousands of satellites that now orbit the Earth and a good proportion of those artificial moons are built in the UK – many of them by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. Today's guest is Andrew Cawthorne who is SSTL's Director of Earth Observation and Customer Training. He talks about how SSTL got started, some of their major successes and current projects, and a swathe of fascinating topics such as how satellites are powered, what might happen with the new swarms of internet satellites, space debris clearance, and much more. And you won't want to miss what he has to say about their new satellite which will circle the Moon.