Technology
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Star Wars and the quest for robot rights
Should robots be treated like humans? Solo: A Star Wars Story features a droid who feels emotions and demands “rights”. The concept of “robot rights” is becoming...
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Fortnite craze can be good AND bad for you
Are video games bad for you? Survival game Fortnite has been downloaded well over 45 million times. Some parents and politicians fear that it could be doing their...
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Thank you, Alexa: how to speak to robots
How should we talk to our machines? Voice-activated virtual assistants are increasingly common. Now, one of them — Amazon’s Alexa — is encouraging children to use words like “please”.
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Facebook accused of massive breach of trust
Should people delete Facebook? It has emerged that data about millions of users was wrongly passed on to another company. As the crisis grows, some are choosing to log off for good.
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Self-driving cars still a risk for real roads
Can you trust a car that drives itself? This week a self-driving car killed a pedestrian when it failed to spot the woman in the road, raising renewed concerns over self-driving safety.
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Google secretly tests electric flying taxis
Feeling good about flying cars, or hyped up about hyperloops? In the fight over the future of transport, flying cars have edged ahead, with Google revealing its first “flying taxi” this week.
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All change! Future of copper coins challenged
Do we need our small change? The government has raised the possibility of getting rid of 1p and 2p coins. In an age of rising prices and digital payments, some say there is no use for them…
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Video referee may be fair but fans hate it
Will video referees make top football matches fairer? Officials think so. Last week they ruled that the World Cup in Russia this summer will use computerised replays to help make decisions.
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Lego is struggling as computers take over
Are real toys better than screens? The makers of Lego are fighting to keep going as we all turn to digital entertainment. Would we mind if all the old-fashioned physical toys disappeared?
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The bright red car drifting through space
There is a car cruising through the solar system — what next? A spectacular rocket launch by Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, has kicked off “a new space race”. Billionaires are leading the way.
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From England to France: a bridge too far
Should we build a bridge across the channel? “The best thing between France and England is — the sea” said 19th-century wit Donald Jerrold. Even in the era of the “Chunnel” many still agree.
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Invasion of the home help robots
Should we let clever machines take over our private spaces? In the past few days companies big and small have been showing off their latest smart gadgets at the world’s biggest tech fair.
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Now even our pets could be robots too
Would you like a robot for a pet? Scientists have created a new interactive robot dog. It is one of many recent bionic beasts inspired by the animal kingdom — from kangaroos to snakes.
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Child inventor wins £18,000 science prize
Can you ever be too young to change the world? An 11-year-old girl has won an £18,000 science prize for an invention which could save lives. How hard would it be for you to match this?
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Anger as Facebook targets under 13s
Are you and your friends too young to use social media? Facebook has designed a version of its popular Messenger app for under-13s. One UK politician told it to “stay away from my kids.”