Future Talk

More things are competing for our attention than ever before, making it difficult to keep up with all the emails from work, friends, family, companies, and more. In this episode, we discuss a tool that can designate a customized time for important emails to pop back up in your inbox and remind you to reply. We also talk about Hong Kong's airport rolling out full-body disinfectant booths that sanit...

In Hong Kong, anyone arriving from a foreign country is required to wear a wristband and follow a 14 day quarantine. In this episode, we discuss the QR code system that operate these devices. We also talk about a hospital in Boston that is using the famous 4-legged robot, Spot, to screen patients for the coronavirus. We also discuss an easy and cheap application that helps turn your iPhone into a...

Traveling has been missed by many. In this episode, we discuss how Abu Dhabi Airports are ensuring aircraft cabins are kept clean and sterile by deploying the CoDi BOT UGV robot. We also talk about how Apple is aiming to let us unlock iPhone while wearing a mask and how robots are greeting Japanese coronavirus patients in hotels. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (95.00...

Doctors tackling the UAE's Covid-19 outbreak are urging everyone to download an app that could help them trace undetected carriers. In this episode, we discuss the features that Al Hosn application has to offer. We also talk about Google making its premium app Meets free for everyone and an architect in China creating a wearable shield worn like a backpack to protect from coronavirus. Listen to #P...

Stores and workplaces eager to avoid spreading the novel coronavirus are equipping existing security cameras with artificial intelligence software. In this episode, we discuss how AI cameras can track social distancing and mask-wearing. We also talk about Amazon testing video calls to verify third-party sellers and Apple launching a customised experience for Ramadan. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the...

For years we’ve talked about innovation in education, and many schools and universities across the UAE have begun truly innovative practices. Yet it’s one thing to be innovative when things are going well; quite another when times are so uncertain. How can teachers increase student engagement during an online class? In this episode, Counselor and Finnish education expert at the Embassy of Finland...

In this episode, we discuss the Health Hero Match, a website that connects medical workers with hospitals currently facing staffing shortages and that has won first place at the hackathon. Team members of the winning group at the 2020 Annual NYUAD International Hackathon for Social Good in the Arab World, Mate' Hekfuz and Monica Chang, join us to tell us more about the features of the website and...

The UAE's Mars probe has been transferred from Dubai's Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre to its launch site on the Tanegashima island in Japan. In this episode, we discuss the launch. We also talk about Facebook taking on Zoom with Messenger Rooms and how Muslims are digitally celebrating Ramadan under quarantine. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (95.00 FM) or online on...

Google rolled out a COVID-19 microsite in Arabic to reach more people in the Middle East and North Africa region with information about the pandemic. In this episode, we discuss the features of the website. We also talk about Zoom releasing its 5.0 update with security and privacy improvements and doctors and nurses using VR to learn skills to treat coronavirus patients. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in...

3D printing is known to be cost-effective. However, in the age of coronavirus, this technology is saving lives. In this episode, CEO of Sharjah Research & Development, Technology and Innovation Park, Hussain Al Mahmoudi joins us to discuss how Immensa lab is 3D-printing 25,000 face shields every week. We also talk about how the lab has successfully innovated its business to support doctors, nu...

In this episode, we discuss how a tech lab in Sharjah has been 3D-printing 25,000 face shields every week to meet the demand for protective gear as the UAE steps up its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We also talk about Tunisian researchers developing an AI coronavirus scanner with 90 percent accuracy and Colombia's Rappi trialing robots that can deliver restaurant food to homes. Listen to #P...

Imagine your daily routine being entirely dependent on a smart phone app. In this episode, we discuss how the Chinese government has been using a color-based "health code" system to control people's movements and curb the spread of the coronavirus. We also talk about Zoom rolling out new security measures amid privacy concerns and Singapore researchers inventing a disinfecting robot with an arm th...

Sharjah Private Education Authority is launching three virtual competitions across all schools in Sharjah to help give children some sense of normalcy and increase virtual social interaction. In this episode, Dr. Gregor Cameron shares the benefits of virtual competitions. He also tells us about how final assessment plans will change to adapt to the students' rushed transition into online learning...

COVID-19 has caused the world to enroll in a crash course about e-learning. In this episode, Ali Draycott, an associate of Future Agenda, joins us to discuss the impacts that e-learning is having on the education sector. She talks about the cancellation of SAT tests and public exams and the change they will cause in the methods of assesment post-COVID-19. She also shares a few tips on how teachers...

Can a helmet measure your body temperature from five meters away? In this episode, we discuss UAE police officers testing out a helmet fitted with a thermal imaging camera that allows them to scan the public for signs of coronavirus. We also talk about hospitals in Thailand deploying 'ninja robots' to aid them in their fight against the pandemic and Facebook's new 'Quiet Mode' that lets you take a...

Necessity is the mother of all inventions. In this episode, we share the story of Sultan Saif Bin Badr, the UAE's first Young Scientist Award winner, who invented a sanitization robot that can operate for 10 hours continuously. We also talk about love in the age of corona and the online marriage service that the UAE Ministry of Justice has launched. Unlocking your iPhone while wearing a face mask...

What would do if you had an exact copy of your face? Would you use it during an online video meeting to manage to nap without offending anyone? In this episode, we discuss how a 3D printing expert recently stunned his followers by creating an amazingly realistic 3D-printed mask of his own face. We also talk about Google banning the Zoom app from all employee computers over ‘security vulnerabilitie...

The UAE is using Bluetooth to combat coronavirus. In this episode, we discuss how a new application is enabling authorities to know who you have come into contact with. We also talk about Apple and Google teaming up on contact-tracing technology to help contain COVID-19 and a new Instagram update that allows everyone to access their Instagram DMs on the web. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by t...

Autonomous shuttles are being used to move COVID-19 tests in Florida to testing sites at a nearby clinic processing location. In this episode, we discuss whether or not these cars will be accompanied by an SUV driven by a human. We also discuss why the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority is warning UAE residents of vulnerabilities in Google Chrome and Firefox and talk about a smartwatch app th...

Etihad will be the world's first airline to trial COVID-19 detecting technology. In this episode, we discuss how this technology can read travelers' temperature, respiratory and heart rates. We also talk about Khalifa University developing emergency ventilators in five days and WhatsApp launching a new feature to fight misinformation. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (...

Can't be at a big life event because of the coronavirus? Send in the robots. In this episode, we discuss how Japanese university students used telepresence robots to attend their graduation ceremony remotely. We also talk about Apple making a million coronavirus face shields a week for medical workers and Google Maps putting restaurant takeout and delivery options at the front of their application...

China has been using artificial intelligence to help stop the coronavirus from spreading. In this episode, we discuss how security staff in eastern China now have the power to quickly detect the body temperature of all park visitors through their smart glasses. We also talk about a new application that can help manage your anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic and a UAE-based company that is produc...

While the coronavirus is sweeping the entire world, a smart robot that can remotely detect Covid-19 patients is helping protect healthcare professionals. In this episode, we dicsuss the features of this robot. We also talk about Zoom adding new security and privacy measures to prevent Zoombombing and a stay home tracker brought in to monitor UAE residents in quarantine. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in...

When you spend days quarantining at home, cleaning up for a Zoom call might be the last thing on your mind. In this episode, we talk about how you can make use of Zoom’s custom background tool to hide messy backdrops or running children and pets. We also discuss the UAE crisis authority launching a coronavirus awareness website and Facebook's new feature that lets people reach out for help during...

The UAE is fighting Covid-19 with technology. In this episode, we discuss the installation of gateways at bus stations that spray disinfectant as people pass through. We also talk about the UAE introducing a self-sanitisation corridor to protect paramedics who may have been exposed to Covid-19. Couples around the world are live-streaming their weddings to overcome the obstacles that have been plac...