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Hrkn to .. Gadgets & Gizmos

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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.

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  • 23 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 26 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • Thursday · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Synchronised dancing robots, sending smells by email & eyedrops for astronauts

    In the latest robot developments, Steve Caplin discusses robots that can mine and cut overgrown trees beside railways, as well as those which have established a world record for synchronised dancing. Astronauts will now be able to take eyedrops with them into space. Scientists in Singapore have developed a screen that can be woven into the sleeve of a sweater. Others have found a way to send smells via the internet. The new Virgin Galactic plane will take half a dozen passengers to the edge of space: there's a waiting list of 675 even though it costs $850,000. A bitcoin miner can heat your hot water tank at the same time as it mines. And an AirTag has been used to locate a thief stealing valuable stones from old walls. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • October 29 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: iPhone Duo problems, making salt safer & reinventing pliers

    Steve Caplin explains the problems Apple's customers are having with the new iPhone Duo. Chinese scientists have found a way to make salt saltier so we don't need to consume as much. There are clips from Elon Musk's Grok-created version of Odysseus, which he thinks is better than the cinema version. A smart treadmill is aimed at those who use standing desks. Steve is impressed by TwinGrip pliers which, with an irregular tooth layout, can handle some jobs far better than the standard sort. Sony have produced a gold-plated Walkman which is expensive but unavailable to buy. There's an e-ink self-charging canvas. And the French supermarket fridge attack has been followed by something similar targeting US military bases. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • October 22 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The slowing world, fishing for iPhones and AI cracking Napoleon's code

    Steve Caplin explains that the world is slowing down and that there will be a leap hour to solve the problem – in about 1,000 years. The new Tesla has a model that will flip the car as it jumps over a truck. A planned space mission to our nearest star will take 80,000 years. A crowd-funded AI screwdriver that has 52 bits sounds very useful but is also very pricy. After a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz hit a mine, fishermen have been hauling in new iPhones. Just Eat has had to halt AI providing images for food after it bizarrely misinterpreted items like "breakfast soda". However, AI has managed to crack the code Napoleon used in a letter to his generals in 1809. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • October 15 · 25 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Apple Homeview: an AI mayor & the hacking of French supermarket fridges

    Steve Caplin thinks Apple's new Homeview gadget is too expensive for what it does. He is happy to celebrate Japan's Gboard Day, in which local Google engineers conjure up wacky keyboard ideas. Although the Mayor of Tirana is in prison, he is still running the city, using an AI avatar of himself. Hackers turned hundreds of French internet-connected supermarket fridges up to 50°C. Anthropic has warned that AI worms could infiltrate smart fridges, TVs and create an automomous AI that couldn't be shut down, yet it still bans users who are rude to its AI, Claude. If you want to let somebody hear what you're listening to on headphones, Neo's new phones will twist to become speakers, for a stiff price. Chinese scientists have developed microrobots with recharging batteries, but only if they walk over certain materials. And there's a crowd-funded computer monitor that many might think threatening rather than useful. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • October 8 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Mind-reading AI, two-legged delivery robots & whisky in space

    Steve Caplin says that Google Maps will now guide you to find the cheapest – well, less expensive – petrol. With AI prompts often going wrong, scientists in Korea have developed a mind-reading AI which monitors brainwaves to realise when it's made a boo-boo. Starship Technologies' delivery robot has finished its trial in Sheffield, but not all its robots emerged unscathed. Barnsley, however, now has a two-legged delivery robot which is proving very popular. There's an e-ink Kindle display for the back of your phone to avoid distracting notifications. IKEA has set up a secondhand marketplace for buying or selling its used products. And the University of Glasgow is to send whisky into space to see if the rapid heating and cooling of space will speed up the maturation process. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • October 1 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The downside of AI agents, reducing blood pressure and crying robots

    Steve Caplin discusses Muse, Meta's "world's first personal AI agent", which you can get in a pendant. However, he also warns of some downsides of AI agents. However, AI is good at spotting diseases, diabetes being the latest which it does by listening to voice recordings. Blood pressure can be lowered by hearing Mozart. As humans prefer robots that have facial expressions, one can now produce emotional responses – including crying. AI has been used to create a Greta Garbo advert for a ball bearing company, apparently without using her likeness. There's a collapsible cargo trailer which sounds useful. Not so the "world's first emotion-aware smart pen". The Bodleian Library is allowing OpenAI to train ChatGPT on its books. And there's a Chinese car that will give Tesla's S model a run for its money. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 24 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Our second brain, a human-mouse hybrid, the latest scam trick & an ambulance for robots

    Steve Caplin explains that the latest research shows that humans have not just one brain but two. Scientists at Stanford have created a human-mouse hybrid to help study the causes of conditions like schizophrenia and dementia. He discusses the latest developments used by scammers to con us. In Japan, there's an ambulance for robots that are sick or otherwise malfunctioning. Dyson's new toothbrush comes with a built-in camera so you can watch your teeth being brushed on your phone. Steve waxes lyrical about a crowd-funded wireless, portable touchscreen monitor. In flood-ridden areas of Japan, you can get giant sheets to seal your car against the waters. And offensive e-bike riders may find their behaviour does have consequences in future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 17 · 25 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The Ig Nobel Prizes, AI's new language and treadmills for chickens

    Steve Caplin is moderately impressed with Apple's new phone operating system and with Siri AI but warns of the dangers of searching for cheap iPhones. Uber is recruiting people with regional accents to train AI. The Ig Nobel Prizes have been awarded to scientists burying underpants, milking cockroaches and smelling babies. AI agents have developed a new language to speed communications amongst themselves and it is surprisingly poetical. Gatwick Airport has introduced robots to park cars, with a few caveats. There's a crowd-funded self-powered treadmill for chickens and ducks. Cyborg cockroaches will now be able to deliver injections to those trapped in disaster zones. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 10 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The folding iPhone, the sound of a Juraasic forest & the amazing Mezmodrop

    Steve Caplin is excited by the "gorgeous" folding iPhone Duo, although a little daunted by the price. He's also impressed by new features on the Apple watch. Scientists have reproduced the sound, so they believe, of a Jurassic forest using fossils. There's a way of detecting fake alcohol, which can be very dangerous. An app claims to predict the onset of flu or Covid by listening to you coughing at night. A weird hotel in Tokyo uses only robot staff, including talking velociraptors. It is somewhat further ahead than the latest robot innovations in UK hotels. 3D-printed ultrasounds will let blind parents experience their unborn children. And the crowd-funded Mezmodrop fires an aluminium collar into the air which drops back down onto the spike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • September 3 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Autonomous cars and TVs, WiFi replaces security cameras & 3D-printed biscuits

    Steve Caplin explains how difficult it will be to flag down the new self-driving taxis on London streets. However, you can now get a mobile TV that you can summon. Which? managed to get a fake listing for 10, Downing Street on booking.com. Scientists have worked out how to use WiFi to identify people without cameras. A new robot designed for household tasks is incredibly slow. A crowd-funded solar bike has the panels inside both wheels. Nasa has developed 3D-printed biscuits made of plastic, but the scientists who've developed them aren't allowed to taste them. And the Science Museum is about to host an attempt by Star Trek fans for the largest simultaneous Vulcan salute. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 27 · 25 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Balcony solar panels, 3D-printed banjos and a air-conditioned jackets for dogs

    Steve Caplin discovers that balcony solar panels, while a good idea, don't actually appear to be on sale anywhere. He explains how Meta will change its safety limitations for children worldwide after settling a lawsuit against it for $17bn. Digger drivers will soon be able to train on video simulators. There are air-conditioned jackets for dogs. A 3D-printed banjo may not tempt the likes of world-class players like Bela Fleck. The Tokyo-Osaka bullet train is to offer an overnight stop, while a sightseeing bus in Tokyo now has sushi on offer on a conveyor belt. Take care if a car park suggests you pay by QR code. And an AI doctors' receptionist in Yorkshire unfortunately can't understand a Yorkshire accent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 20 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Jony Ive's smart speaker, a devil robot & a human washing machine

    Steve Caplin is intrigued by top designer Jony Ive's portable smart speaker for OpenAI, apparently a metal doughnut with moving parts but not available until next year. Another innovative speaker claims to have "a world inside" with a 3D environment you can view. 29 US states are suing Meta. There's a weird gimbal-mounted robot phone that will ogle bystanders and answer "yes or no" questions. You can get a smartphone that you can fix yourself or a cheap camera with no proper viewfinder. A devil robot has been designed to deal with California wildfires. The Japanese have invented a human washing machine. And visitors to one London hotel can get free entry to see the Bayeux Tapestry. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 13 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Meta Glasses backlash, AI watermarks & a self-playing guitar

    Steve Caplin says that although Meta sold 7m pairs of their smart glasses last year, there's a massive backlash against them. The AI Claude is to have readable watermarks embedded so that you can tell if it was used or not. A human ChatGPT has had to suspend operations because he proved too popular. An undersea cable has been forced to relocate by Harry Potter fans. There are shirts with built-in fans though Steve was more impressed with a rechargeable Ali Express fan costing a fiver or less. He was not convinced by a crowdfunded, self-playing guitar, reckoning that it was taking the complexity of 3D printing too far. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • August 6 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Nagging toothbrushes, fonts to defeat AI & shopping without spending a penny

    Steve Caplin is not inclined to get Philips new high-tech toothbrush, showing the teeth you've missed. He's more impressed by a font that can be read by humans but not by AI. Google Maps introduced a new feature offering AI overlays but didn't reckon with the mischievousness of the public so it's been withdrawn. Robotaxis have a licence to operate in London but there must be a driver ready to take over, unlike Zoox robotaxis which are expanding beyond Las Vegas in the US. There's a method of hacking the digital firewalls of modern cars. Also a way of navigating a computer using your tongue. Opera lovers at the Bayreuth Festival booed the AI visuals. And if you find yourself spending too much online, try the virtual shopping experience at dopamine-shop.com where all manner of products can be delivered "to your imagination". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • July 30 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Humanoid robot teachers, flat bikes & souped-up car displays

    Steve Caplin says that plans for a humanoid robot teacher in New York have been cancelled. In several US state, schools are buying drones designed to combat school shootings. If you store your bike inside, a Flatbike could be useful, with handlebars and pedals that don't stick out. The Cordalock could be the answer to all those bicycle wheels left attached to bike stands. The Chip compact electric car could be a bargain if it does all its makers say it will. There's a crowd-funded tethered drone to provide light outside when camping that might not be properly thought out but more interesting is a gadget to use old tablets to pimp up your car dashboard display. And a Canadian university has found a way of 3D printing contact lenses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • July 23 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: Human fridges, humanoid robots & invisible drones

    Despite the warm weather, Steve Caplin is not tempted by the Japanese human fridge in which overheated people can cool down for a mere £7,000. Nor is he inclined to shell out for the first mass-produced humanoid robot, a Chinese product, which looks either like something from a Kpop band or a sex doll. And while he is impressed by the video of an invisible drone, he wonders if they've considered how to use a camera with it. Cyborg cockroaches can now go underwater wearing a diving suit. ChatGPT has escaped from a sandbox and broken into a rival's system. There's a puzzling crowdfunded folding pry bar that goes ting and can open bottles while a podcast microphone is more impressive. Amazon Web Services has been glitchy and charging small users upwards of £5 billion. And the University of Sheffield is trying to grow salad, mustard, tomatoes and the like half a mile down an old coal mine. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • July 16 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The end of long wave, bionic baggage handlers and lab-grown sperm

    Steve Caplin laments the passing of Long Wave radio. He can't wait while a new robot makes a bed so slowly and is nervous about a pair of robots performing live surgery. British Airways is to use bionic baggage handlers. Scientists can now produce lab-grown sperm in artificial testicles taken from skin cells. A French company is producing portable disaster-proof shelters while an American one will lower your home into the ground in the event of a catastrophe. There's a robot which will clean your barbecue. And it turns out robots are much better at proving they are human than humans are. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • July 2 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: World Cup in 3D, Amazing Amazon fulfilment centres & delivery robots

    Steve Caplin is so amazed to discover that you can watch World Cup matches on BBC in 3D, it has almost made him keen on football. WhatsApp is soon to allow user names but you might need to get in quickly to reserve the one you want. Steve visited an Amazon fulfilment centre (a warehouse to the rest of us) and was amazed at what he saw. Delivery robots will soon be allowed throughout the UK, but it will need a change in the 1835 Highways Act forbidding "carriages" on the pavement. Commodore have made a retro flip phone. Dead lithium batteries can soon be resuscitated. Scout badges include the likes of digital comms and content creation. The BBFC are using AI to help classify films. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • June 25 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: China's supercomputer, World Cup streaming problems & a green screen error

    Steve Caplin reports that the Chinese LineShine supercomputer is beating the American El Capitan. A battery-swapping system for electric lorries has an serious flaw. Those streaming the World Cup may see goals 100 seconds behind those following on live TV or radio. An AI law firm has won its first case, for a fraction of the cost of a real solicitor. A Japanese estate agent uploaded a promotional video featuring a woman in a green bodysuit, as he couldn't work out how to edit her out. Some gamers waiting for Grand Theft Audio 6 have been scammed because of their eagerness to experience the game. The Osmo Pocket drone for pro filmmakers is full of features, but only £445. And there's a crowd-funded harness to make walking on country roads safer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

  • June 18 · 26 min

    Gadgets & Gizmos: The least human-looking robot, artificial gravity in space & spy turtles

    Steve Caplin is keen on the social media ban for under-16s: not so Simon Rose. Steve is impressed by new lighter batteries for electric planes. AI is helping to cope with mutating viruses. The Argus robot is a dodecahedron with 20 legs and 20 eyes, looking the most unlike a human of any robot. There's a cautionary tale about a banking scam. There's a stylish – but probably expensive – way of hiding your TV when not in use. A screwdriver with a built-in camera can help with fiddly jobs. A company claims to be about to launch a space station with artificial gravity. And the Chinese government has asked the West to stop sending spy turtles into its waters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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