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THE MATERIAL WORLD
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MISSED A PROGRAMME?
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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Quentin Cooper reports on developments across the sciences. Each week scientists describe their work, conveying the excitement they feel for their research projects.
material.world@bbc.co.uk |
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LISTEN AGAIN 30 min |
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YOUR QUESTIONS |
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PRESENTER |
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"For me science isn't a subject, it's a perspective. There are fascinating scientific aspects to everything from ancient history to the latest gadgets, outer space to interior decorating; and each week on The Material World we try to reflect the excitement, ideas, uncertainties, collisions and collaborations as science continues its never-ending voyage into the unknown".
Quentin Cooper |
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BIOGRAPHY
INTERVIEW |
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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| © 2004, 20th Century Fox |
Robotics
This week sees the release of I, Robot, the film based on Isaac Asimov's book about a future society that uses human-like robots to perform everyday tasks. Are we anywhere close to realising his vision? This week, Quentin explores the current state and future of humanoid and industrial robots. He finds out what the latest developments are for robots at work and in the home and how current limitations in robotic technology may be overcome.
Quentin will be joined by Dr. Dylan Evans of the University of the West of England, expert in humanoid robotics and by Dr. Ken Young, Chairman of the British Robot Association to find out why robots are able to understand human expression and emotion and what kind of jobs we can expect robots to do in the workplace.
Beer
This week the Great British Beer Festival runs from the 3rd to the 7th of August at London's Olympia. Over 200 000 pints of beer will be served, enough to fill 1250 domestic baths. Once safer to drink than water, beer has been brewed for hundreds of years but has also played its part in inspiring great scientists along the way.
Why did beer help James Watt come up with the steam engine and help pave the way for the industrial revolution? How did Louis Pasteur discover bacteria from a government initiative to find out why French wine and beer wasn't competing well with its rivals? Quentin is joined by Geoff Palmer OBE, Professor of Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and by John Keeling the brewing director of Fuller's brewery to find out about the history and current science of brewing beer.
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RELATED LINKS
Pr Geoff Palmer - Heriot-Watt University
Great British Beer Festival
British Automation & Robot Association
Dylan Evans
BBC Science & Nature
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