0:00:02 > 0:00:04Hello and a slightly belated welcome to 2016!
0:00:04 > 0:00:06Sounds like the future
0:00:06 > 0:00:07but it's right here, right now,
0:00:07 > 0:00:10and so is Technobabble.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29So, how shall we kick off this New Year, then?
0:00:29 > 0:00:32Some life resolutions? An earlier bedtime?
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Er, nah, let's have a shedload of tech.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37Coming up today,
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Frankie finds out how technology is helping Team GB's top athletes...
0:00:41 > 0:00:45- Great stuff, Frankie.- Yeah. - You're as fast as Mo Farah.- Yeah!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48..Paul is up for the quest when he looks at role-playing games...
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Get to playing some of these role-playing games.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54..and Rita takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour
0:00:54 > 0:00:57of Google HQ in California...
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Come on in.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02..but, first, Ellie is getting her geek on with some top tech apps.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06Today, I've found you some geeky arts.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07Let's start with Brain Dots.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10It's a brain training game where you have to think creatively
0:01:10 > 0:01:12to make your way through each level.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15In the game, you need to make the two dots come together
0:01:15 > 0:01:17and you do this by drawing
0:01:17 > 0:01:18a line or making shapes
0:01:18 > 0:01:20and, later on, obstacles are also introduced
0:01:20 > 0:01:23and I love how the game makes me think about physics
0:01:23 > 0:01:25when figuring out how
0:01:25 > 0:01:26to beat each level.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28The next app that I've found,
0:01:28 > 0:01:30it's called Operation Math.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31It's a game where you help
0:01:31 > 0:01:33a superspy called Agent Prime
0:01:33 > 0:01:35in his mission to defeat Dr Odd.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Your missions take place all over the world
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and you use your maths skills to help solve addition,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43subtraction, multiplication and division equations
0:01:43 > 0:01:45to get to the next level.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48Here's an app that you should try before getting a good night's sleep.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52It's called Star Chart and it allows you to look at the stars
0:01:52 > 0:01:55through your device and see the constellations above you
0:01:55 > 0:01:58and some constellations can even help you navigate like a compass
0:01:58 > 0:02:01if you're lost so it's really cool
0:02:01 > 0:02:04to learn about the constellations around you.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07Well, I hope that keeps you occupied for a while. You're welcome.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09Thank you, Ellie, my down under chum.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Some advice for you Babblers, don't be a drongo, mate,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14and download apps without permission from your olds
0:02:14 > 0:02:17or you'll be as popular as a rattlesnake in a lucky dip.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19BEEPING
0:02:19 > 0:02:20There goes the message alert.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22This week, we're trying out another name.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24Are you ready?
0:02:24 > 0:02:25Babchat.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27The less said about that the better.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Righto, Babchat, do your thing.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32How do athletes keep getting better?
0:02:32 > 0:02:35A question of Olympic standards, there, Owen.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Now, our Frankie is a bit of a sport billy.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Let's see what he's up to.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43MUSIC: Pacific State by 808 State
0:02:48 > 0:02:53Frankie, lad... What the... Are you being pampered?
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Hey, Vlogster. I take it you're interrupting my me time
0:02:55 > 0:02:58- because you want something. - Indeedy, Frankie.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01One of the Babblers wants to know how our athletes
0:03:01 > 0:03:02keep getting better and better
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and I've got the perfect place for you to go and investigate.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07Game on, Vlogster.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Such a delightful young man.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11I'm sending Frankie to the English Institute of Sport's
0:03:11 > 0:03:13performance centre at Bisham Abbey.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15This facility is used to train
0:03:15 > 0:03:17some of Britain's leading sportsmen and women.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21He's going to meet senior physiologist Dr Richard Burden
0:03:21 > 0:03:24who will seriously put Frankie through his paces.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Richard, why is this on my face?
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Sorry, Frankie, I really can't hear you.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Why have I got this attached to me?
0:03:32 > 0:03:34OK, so you're attached to a gas analyser
0:03:34 > 0:03:37and we're going to be measuring how much oxygen you're taking in.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39So what's going to show up on your screen?
0:03:39 > 0:03:43We get a really good idea of being able to measure how much oxygen
0:03:43 > 0:03:46that you're taking in and how much carbon dioxide is going out.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49So, basically, it's going to show you how unfit I am.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Precisely.
0:03:51 > 0:03:52Awesome. Let's do it.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57OK, Frankie, so we're now going to see how hard you can work.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00That's really good. Great stuff.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Three, two, one.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05And relax.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07So, Richard, you tested my oxygen levels. What's next?
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Got a great test for you, Frankie.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Just over here. Come this way.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14Whoa! Richard! I'm still attached!
0:04:14 > 0:04:18D'oh! Lack of oxygen to the brain, that, Frankie.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Welcome to our altitude chamber
0:04:20 > 0:04:22where there's essentially less oxygen.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Why would you want there to be less oxygen?
0:04:25 > 0:04:29The body senses that there's less oxygen going around
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and starts to produce more red blood cells.
0:04:32 > 0:04:33So, the more red blood cells you have,
0:04:33 > 0:04:37the better the oxygen can transport around the body
0:04:37 > 0:04:39to the muscles and be used as energy.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43It's an environmental chamber so we can also increase the temperature.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Make it really, really hot and humid.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48So for playing in places like Qatar, where the World Cup's going to be,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51- you know, this would be quite useful for their training.- Exactly.
0:04:51 > 0:04:57One of the other reasons we may get athletes to train at altitude
0:04:57 > 0:05:01is because it's just harder, which you are about to find out.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03This is an anti-gravity treadmill.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07This sealed chamber is going to create an upward force,
0:05:07 > 0:05:08an upward pressure,
0:05:08 > 0:05:12which allows us to be able to reduce your bodyweight.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14So does that mean I'll be able to run faster?
0:05:14 > 0:05:16At a particular bodyweight, you are going to be able to run faster.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Will I be able to run as fast as Mo Farah?
0:05:19 > 0:05:20We'll see.
0:05:20 > 0:05:22Let's do it! I'm excited!
0:05:25 > 0:05:29I'm going to use the anti-gravity treadmill to reduce your bodyweight
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and you're going to feel a pressure kind of lifting you up a little.
0:05:32 > 0:05:33This is weird.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36That's now reduced your bodyweight by 30%
0:05:36 > 0:05:39so I'm going to keep you running at the same speed
0:05:39 > 0:05:41- but I'm going to take you back to normal bodyweight.- OK.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- That's back to normal bodyweight. - I feel so heavy!
0:05:44 > 0:05:46- Feel really heavy, right? - I feel like I'm getting sucked in.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48OK, but now the hard work begins
0:05:48 > 0:05:51because I'm going to start to increase the speed,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55somewhere close to the speed that Mo Farah finishes races at.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57- OK?- OK.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59We'll make it easy for you to start with, OK,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02so we'll take some of your bodyweight off again.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04- It's great stuff, Frankie.- Yeah.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06- You're as fast as Mo Farah.- Yeah!
0:06:06 > 0:06:09I'm the man! I'm going to win! I'm going to win!
0:06:09 > 0:06:13But the real test is running like Mo Farah at your real bodyweight.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15And you're going back to normal bodyweight.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Got to keep up with the treadmill.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Good work, Frankie.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22And you're now at normal bodyweight.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26- This is so fast.- You've now got to keep going for 10k.- No!
0:06:26 > 0:06:27I can't do that!
0:06:27 > 0:06:28Whoa!
0:06:28 > 0:06:30And relax.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31Straddle there.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33And we'll slow you down.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35OK, Mo,
0:06:35 > 0:06:36you're really fast.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40What does all this technology mean for the future of our athletes?
0:06:40 > 0:06:45We're always researching and innovating new ways,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49new technologies, to further increase the chances of our athletes
0:06:49 > 0:06:52performing at the highest possible level.
0:06:52 > 0:06:53You know what, Vlogster?
0:06:53 > 0:06:56I reckon technology in sport is a winning combination.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59You're not wrong, Frankie, and you know what?
0:06:59 > 0:07:00There's more.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Swiss tech-sperts are developing the next generation tennis court.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Touch sensitive, intelligent and able to analyse every moment of gameplay,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12this smart court will be the ultimate connected sport experience.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15That sounds incredible. What else have you got for me?
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Meet this six-metre-long sailfish.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20It leaps, dives and barrel rolls its way through the waves,
0:07:20 > 0:07:23reaching speeds of 30mph.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26That is impressive. What else have you got in your locker?
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Snowboarding with this future concept jacket from Australia.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34Wearable tech designers reckon fin-shaped metal alloy turbines
0:07:34 > 0:07:38like a jet engine could give riders faster speeds and longer airtime.
0:07:38 > 0:07:39WHISTLE BLOWS
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Oh, there's the final whistle.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44Okey-dokes, time for a bit of role-playing.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46HE COUGHS
0:07:46 > 0:07:49I'm about to chase the most ferocious animal known to man
0:07:49 > 0:07:52down this deep, dark wormhole without a safety net,
0:07:52 > 0:07:53wearing just a vest
0:07:53 > 0:07:58and surviving by eating only wriggly grubs.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Guessed who I am? No?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03Dangerous Steve Backshall.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05Oh, have it your own way. Here's Paul.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Hey, guys. Today, I've got awesome RPGs for you to dive into.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Number one on my list
0:08:13 > 0:08:15is Kingdom Hearts 2.5.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16This is an RPG that combines
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Japanese storytelling
0:08:18 > 0:08:19with your favourite
0:08:19 > 0:08:20Disney characters
0:08:20 > 0:08:22in an epic quest to save the universe
0:08:22 > 0:08:24from darkness and the heartless.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27A quick tip, though. If you use Donald or Goofy,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29try not to give them all of your health potions.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31They like to use them a lot.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Next up is Trove, which is a massively multiplayer RPG
0:08:38 > 0:08:39placed in a world
0:08:39 > 0:08:40constructed entirely of cubes
0:08:40 > 0:08:42and you're free to explore it
0:08:42 > 0:08:46so delve deep looking for loot, confronting monsters and bosses.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48There are a lot of classes to choose from
0:08:48 > 0:08:50but, if you're looking for something fun,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52I suggest trying the Fae Trickster.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and he's a great class to start out with.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire -
0:09:04 > 0:09:07it's a long-running series where you hunt for monsters in the wild.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11Catch 'em, tame 'em, battle 'em in an epic quest to travel the world
0:09:11 > 0:09:12and catch them all.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Be careful when building a team, though.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17Try to keep a varied group of Pokemon.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Fire is weak versus water
0:09:19 > 0:09:21and grass is weak versus fire.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28So grab your robe, your wizard hat, your beard
0:09:28 > 0:09:31and polish off your finest staff
0:09:31 > 0:09:34and get to playing some of these role-playing games.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Thanking you, Paul. OK, who's messaging this time?
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Will computers ever be smarter than humans?
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Accessing databanks.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47You humans do have a reason to be smug.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Your brains are so advanced
0:09:49 > 0:09:53that today's most advanced computer systems don't even come close.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Researchers in Japan recently used
0:09:55 > 0:09:58the fourth most powerful computer in the world
0:09:58 > 0:10:03to simulate one second's worth of 1% of the brain's activity
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and it took the computer 40 minutes.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09Similarly, Google has tried combining 16,000 computers
0:10:09 > 0:10:11to mimic the human brain.
0:10:11 > 0:10:15Over three days, this system watched 10 million YouTube videos,
0:10:15 > 0:10:19at which point it could - drum roll, please -
0:10:19 > 0:10:21recognise a picture of a cat.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26Whizzkid scientists at IBM have built a computer system called Watson
0:10:26 > 0:10:30that was able to beat all contestants on an American TV quiz show.
0:10:30 > 0:10:36Watson could do this because it can pass unstructured information.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38In other words, read English.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41To win the quiz show, Watson read the whole of Wikipedia
0:10:41 > 0:10:43and was then programmed to make sense of and use the information
0:10:43 > 0:10:45that it read.
0:10:45 > 0:10:49British tech-sperts have been able to combine Google and IBM's research
0:10:49 > 0:10:51to create a computer program
0:10:51 > 0:10:55that can, with just a tiny amount of initial data and limited feedback,
0:10:55 > 0:10:57begin to teach itself.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01The researchers have put the program to the most prestigious of tasks -
0:11:01 > 0:11:03to play classic computer games.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07So futurologists think you'll have to wait until 2029
0:11:07 > 0:11:10for computers to become smarter than people,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13when they'll be able to produce a better version of themselves
0:11:13 > 0:11:14than humans could.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Smarter computers are predicted to display emotional intelligence
0:11:18 > 0:11:20like telling jokes and stories
0:11:20 > 0:11:21and being romantic.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Maybe your operating system won't only
0:11:24 > 0:11:26be telling you where the cinema is
0:11:26 > 0:11:29but will be asking you there on a date.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Not that that will help me.
0:11:31 > 0:11:32I keep asking out Siri
0:11:32 > 0:11:34but she's always washing her hair.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Rita,
0:11:36 > 0:11:37rescue me!
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Hey, guys. My name's Rita
0:11:39 > 0:11:44and I'm an interaction designer at Google and this is a day in my life.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47I'm in charge of taking ideas and translating them into interfaces
0:11:47 > 0:11:49that are really usable.
0:11:55 > 0:11:56Hey, I live here.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04Come on in.
0:12:04 > 0:12:05Sometimes, stairs are the worst.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10OK, they're always the worst so, at Google, we get to take the slides.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12This is one of my favourite cafes around campus.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14That's it. Thanks so much.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19Why are you stinky?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26The biggest thing at Google is collaboration.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29The best solutions come when everyone is working together.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36So I can't take you inside this room.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39This is where we user test a lot of our projects.
0:12:39 > 0:12:40It's super secret and super cool.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46As you can see, there's a lot of awesome stuff around campus,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48like this T-Rex.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51Because campus is so big,
0:12:51 > 0:12:55we get these awesome bikes to get from place to place.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58And this is the Google Maps Street View car.
0:12:58 > 0:12:59We use this to map the world.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04And that wraps up our time at Google today.
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Thanks so much for stopping by.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Rita, that was, like, totally awesome.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16OK, just time for another Babblebuster
0:13:16 > 0:13:18and today's letter is O.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20O is for ohnosecond.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23An ohnosecond is the tiny fraction of time
0:13:23 > 0:13:27it takes you to realise you've just made a big mistake,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29like the moment you accidentally delete the phone number
0:13:29 > 0:13:32of that cute girl that you met at the pool on holiday
0:13:32 > 0:13:34or when you hit the send button on an e-mail
0:13:34 > 0:13:38and realise you forgot to include the attachment. D'oh!
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Right, that's it. I'm out of here.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Next time on Technobabble,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Lucy goes hands-free when she takes a self-driving car for a spin...
0:13:47 > 0:13:48Now we're speeding up.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50It's blowing my mind!
0:13:51 > 0:13:54..Nicky and Sammy sort the non from the sense
0:13:54 > 0:13:57with their guide to internet slang...
0:13:57 > 0:13:58- YOLO.- You only live once.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02..and Aoife is back to talk simulator games.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04Good luck trying to explore it all.