15/11/2015 Click

This week, the smart watch yet serious. Virtual reality

skateboarding, and your ceiling lights are talking to us. What do

you mean you can't hear them? -- the smart watch gets serious.

Come on. Hands up if this is you. Your house. Your office. A million

devices, all clamouring for the same Wi-Fi signal. Which means no one

gets a good speed, and the poor old Wi-Fi router becomes Wi-Fry router.

And it's only going to get worse once the Internet of Things properly

gets going and your smartphone has to compete for signal with your

smart shoes, you're smart trousers, your smart mop. That's a good idea.

I'm going to build that. Come with me now to Edinburgh University where

they're giving the Wi-Fi router a break and going online using

something we all plenty of. This laptop is streaming video. It is

connected to the internet but not via Wi-Fi. Via Li-Fi. The ordinary

LED room light is transmitting the data. It is too fast for us to see,

at these LED lights are dimming and writing extremely quickly. And they

are being seen by the laptop as ones and zeros. They are not just

flashing on and off either. There are 256 different levels of

rightness which means eight bits of data can be sent at once. The device

doesn't need to be directly under the light either. It is possible to

detect those flickering bits and bytes from ambient and reflected

light as well. We have seen Li-Fi setups on Click before. Just a few

weeks ago Fujitsu showed off its version in Japan with phones

receiving information from LED strips. But this is simply a 1-way

communication. If you want a proper internet connection, your device

needs to somehow send a signal back as well. And that is what is so new

here in Edinburgh. These laptops not only receive data but send data back

using an infrared uplink. And not just that. As the laptop moves

around the room, it logs onto a different light. That means a room

can serve many devices at once, very much like a mobile phone cellular

network. Time to meet the man who coined the term Li-Fi in his TED

talk four years ago. This is Professor Harold Haas. What are the

advantages of Li-Fi over Wi-Fi? Uses an entirely different part of the

electromagnetic spectrum so it won't interfere with radio or Wi-Fi.

That's why we can add another layer of wireless connectivity. And the

problem with Wi-Fi is that as you increase the number of users, they

will have to split up and divide the bandwidth among the users. And with

Li-Fi, you have another channel there, and you would avoid the

splitting up of bandwidth. And that is going to be really useful when

ever expanding internet of things floods the airwaves with signals.

Your devices will receive data from the ceiling lights, and send data

back possibly by blinking their own tiny power LEDs, like this prototype

here. During the day, at home, I turned my lights off. Does that mean

I don't get data? Certainly you would get data. You can kimberlite

to the level that it would be off for us, for our eyes. But it will

still emit light to provide sufficient data. Does this mean that

we need to make an entirely new type of light, in an entirely new

factory, in order to install this? We can use existing lights to enable

them to be... A Li-Fi transmitter and the thing is we can use the

existing infrastructure. Case in point, this is an off-the-shelf

solar cell which he is being used as a Li-Fi receiver. This light is

transmitting a high def video to the laptop. The great thing about solar

cells as they still work in low light conditions so I can do that in

the video still plays. And that means this kind of receiver will

still work when the devices in your pocket, behind a layer of cotton.

And Harold's team is also working on squeezing more data into the light.

After all, why go white when you've got a whole spectrum to play with?

The next generation of LED lighting will be red, green and blue LEDs and

we mix it in with white as you see here. But the good thing is with the

colours is you can send different data per colour. So red carries a

different stream of information. And I'll show you, if you put in a red

filter here, you see the triangle... The red colour is

transmitting tribals. The red colour is transmitting triangles. And then

you put a blue filter in front of it, you see a rectangle. And we put

in the green filter and that sends in a sawtooth. So three colours,

three different signals, and three times the data. With different

colours we can even go to 100, that is many times faster than we have in

current Wi-Fi. Until something like Li-Fi comes along, one of these is

still taking the strain. And, as most of us know, our Wi-Fi

connection throughout our homes isn't always perfect. So I've got a

few tips, short of changing provider, that could help improve

things. Most people are using a 2.4 gigahertz connection and there are

13 channels. One, six and 11 are the most commonly used. But if you try

an app like this Wi-Fi analyser you can see exactly how many connections

there are. It means that you can then go into your Wi-Fi settings via

your computer and change the channel that you're connecting to, which

should mean less interference from neighbours' Wi-Fi, or even from baby

monitors and microwaves. So first off, it's worth trying a bit of a

cheap and easy DIY solution that I came across. And that's to create

your own reflector. What you'll need is a bit of cardboard, some

tinfoil, and some glue. Stick down the tinfoil, then all you need to do

is folded in a couple of places, and then you place it high on the

router, so that you reflect the signal in the direction that you

want it to go. It may sound a bit unlikely, and look pretty daft, but

in the right situation it can significantly improve your speed. If

you're lucky enough to live somewhere where the size of the

property is an issue, well, Wi-Fi range extender could help. All you

need to do is plug this into a power socket, in an area where it still

going to get connection from your router, and then it should spread

the signal further. Another option is getting a pair of powerline

adapters. One of them will be attached a lead to your router. The

second one will be plugged into any other power socket in the house. You

can then attach your computer with a lead. Many of the new models offer

wireless connection as well, creating a hotspot that smartphones

or tablets can easily connect to. One option is a tri- band router

like this one which as well as having a 2.4 gigahertz connection,

also has two 5 gigahertz connections. That means you may need

to be nearer to the router, but it should provide a stronger, more

consistent connection. Multiple users should get a decent signal at

the same time. And because fewer gadgets use five gigahertz, they

shouldn't be as much interference. Great. The problem is that some of

the older devices you may want to get online with may not use it

either. Not so great. And for some, as prices fall, a high data 4G

contract could be the winner. It could work out cheaper, you won't

even need a home phone connection, and it can have better upload

speeds. What would then come in handy is one of these, a 4G router.

The strength of your connection is of course dependent on the mobile

network you are using. But it does give greater freedom as to where it

can be placed. So play around for long enough and you may find the

perfect spot. It was a difficult week for Facebook this week, as a

Belgian court gave at 48 hours to stop tracking people who are not

members of the social network. Facebook say it will appeal the

decision but could face a fine of up to ?180,000 if it fails to comply

with the court order. And it was the week that SnapChat revealed it got 6

billion video views every day. Google makes its service available

online and Sony bids fond farewell to Betamax, although it was a

surprise it was making it at all. And a high-speed printer that makes

circuit boards wins and engineering award. Four scientists scooped a

?40,000 prize for their machine. It uses ink to turn circuit board

designs into working prototypes. That is on top of the ?300,000 they

got from kick starter. So clearly they are not doing too badly. And

finally, if you just happen to be in New York this week then you might

believe that a man could fly. This man took a trip around the Big Apple

powered eye gallons of kerosene and two jet engines. Unfortunately it

will only give you about ten minutes of actual flight time before you

have to return to the earth. And before you ask, they have no plans

to sell it to the public. That's cool, I didn't want an awesome jet

pack anyway. Now, this week Apple announced that it has sold over 7

million of its posh watches. That is more in six months than all other

smart watches combined, in the last year. Goodness! At there is one

thing we think all smart watches still share, in our humble opinion.

They look really, really, really, really geeky. Now, though, it is the

return of the classic watch brands to try and make something special.

We sent Dave Lee to New York. Thanks to them, the Swiss watch industry is

connected. Today is the marriage of watch Valley and Silicon Valley. We

are giving birth to eternity in a box -- thanks to TAGHeuer. We have a

computer inside the watch. Now, in case he didn't quite get that, what

Jean-Claude was trying to say was that his company, TAGHeuer, is

making its first ever smart watch. TAGHeuer has more than 150 years of

watchmaking in the bag, and this watch is about saying to Apple, the

Samsung, to Motorola, all those other companies, they just don't

know what they're doing when it comes to making a stylish timepiece.

But will this be enough to turn the opinions of people who just love

classic watches? Yes. Certain people, yes. Not everybody, of

course. Certain people, it is good. You are wearing two watches at the

moment. Yes. One of them is a smart watch, the other one is on. Yes, and

you hardly see the difference. I'm going to wager you will take the

smart watch fairly certain. Not necessary. Why? Because it is very

light, it is very comfortable, and then it's quite nice to play with

it! The watch is powered by Google's Android wear. Meaning it

has all the existing apps made for other watches until now. And it has

that authentic TAGHeuer look. On the inside, the electronics are made by

Intel, a company which is desperate to make sure it doesn't miss out on

the smart watch industry in the same way it was left behind with

smartphones. This is a part of us not being absent from the next big

thing. And I think, you know, you're seeing our efforts in wearable

devices. You saw us make some acquisitions this year in wearable

devices. Both for the wrist and for the head worn eyeglasses, and there

are many other segments of devices that we are making sure that we

don't miss the next big thing. But unfortunately the watch still

suffers from the same problems as many of its competitors, the battery

just about lasts a day, and it's a it big. So the watch is quite big,

quite chunky, safe to say it is definitely a man's watch. Are you

hoping to make a Lady's smart watch as well? We need a lady's watch. A

woman, you know, the phone rings, will she find it in her bag? The

phone has stopped ringing. So for women, it is quite practical to have

information on the wrist. But it will never compete with an elegant,

wonderful watch, for sure. This will set you back a tasty

$1500. It is not a perfect device but they seem pretty confident.

Although we get the feeling he might always be like this. LAUGHTER. Well,

there is a man who loves his job. I wonder what he would make of this,

possibly the most unusual smartwatch I have seen in a while. This does

not just tell the time calls and messages, it knows what you want.

All these objects you interact with, your phone, your tablet, even

your refrigerator, they admit -- emit electronic noise. And that

flows into the body because the body is conductive. Once that signal goes

into the body, the smartwatch since on your wrist can sense that signal.

And these signals are very characteristic. Each object has its

own little magnetic profile. OK. Applications like what? Researchers

say it can unlock your computer or give you real time directions simply

by touching an appropriate object. So this could really be a properly

smartwatch, one that will know when you are rushing your teeth and start

timing you, or one that knows you are about to lose and drilling and

brings up an instruction manual on how to do it. But a really, really

smart advice -- device might advise you to read that first before...

Well, maybe that is just me. One of the problems of virtual reality we

have talked a lot about recently is the fact you can see and hear your

surroundings but you cannot feel what is going on and that rather

breaks the illusion. For example, wouldn't it be great if you were

virtual reality skate boarding to be able to feel the ground beneath your

feet. That has been the question on my lips for months now, I promise.

Fortunately, we have found a solution in Japan. Who doesn't want

a vibrating virtual reality skate boarding simulator? Yes, the Tokyo

Institute of Technology has built this amazingly involved boardgame.

This is brilliant. These skateboarders vibrating... Can you

hear the difference? The cobbles! It lets riders feel the ground texture

change beneath their feet as if they were skateboarding on real ground.

And this is the best bit. Because I'm in virtual reality, I can get

all of the thrills of high speed riding in real life with none of the

consequences when I fall off or inevitably bash into the scenery.

Normally when you were virtual reality goggles, you can't

experience things in the same way. I'm going to stop for a second

because I'm meant to be telling you about this. That is really

incredible! Adding that sensory element really does bring a game

like this to life. The sound, the feeling of the vibration and

certainly the actual physical peril. I really was quite reliant on

this hole and I did not think I would need that at all. To get a

sound, they mounted microphones underneath a real skateboard and

record the sound of different road textures. Then the sound for it

texture is played back during the game depending on the texture being

played -- displayed on the screen. Underneath, we have a pair of 50

watts bass speakers. Basically, it is using low-frequency sound to give

that sense of vibration. And then under here, we have a collection of

microcontrollers, of are sending data back to the Peter. You have --

back to the computer. You have your skateboard, your treadmill, your

amplifier and the oculus rift. It is a very ambitious project but it does

work. The system also recognises when you tilt the skateboard. The

computer-generated world responds accordingly. Plus there is a sense

or in the treadmill. And when you kick the treadmill, it detects the

force. And the beauty matches speed to the force. -- the computer. And

no, it is not as easy as it looks. Visit our producer trying it for the

first time. -- this is our producer. LAUGHTER. Frivolity aside,

I was impressed by how easily I accept it and learn from feedback in

the virtual world. This is massive intentional. A world that feels real

enough to landscape or in, no matter what level of reality you are

actually in. -- real enough to learn to skateboard in. And from one

exhilarating ride to another. The London Underground is a busy bit of

old bump and grind stone. Sun plans to visit. Even without an incident,

some parts get clogged just by people waiting to get home. And when

things do start bundling up, this is where the decisions are made about

what to do. I love the fact that we have all of these big bits that are

not on the Tube map. You can do such clever things with trains. The

oldest Tube network in the world spans over 1000 kilometres and if

something goes wrong in one section, it can affect other

sections hours later. The team in this control room try to keep things

moving to minimise delays. All trains report their whereabouts and

over the last decade or so, some have been upgraded to the fully

automated, the driver here becoming more of a supervisor. The strains

automatically change speed to maintain the gaps between them and

regulate the service. -- these trains. Some have been fitted with

scales, weighing the load and estimating the number of passengers

on board. Even with all this information, the plans in place to

avoid overcrowding and delays are surprisingly low-tech. At the moment

for the Central line, we would look at the pinch points that we have. A

team appear would be bringing around different locations on the network

where we know we have high volumes of cars is and where experience

tells us we have pinch points. -- high volumes of customers. And based

on the way the network operates at the moment, we have additional areas

of the network where other lines will take the normal loading for

those sections. We also have a lot of contingency plans, well versed

plans and our teams then go into to address these kinds of issues. If we

have crowding issues or potential capacity issues around Oxford

Circus, we have a team there is well-trained and that practices a

lot and they will those plans to help us. Will helm has developed an

algorithm that can predict the knock-on problems across a network

over the next couple of hours. Compressed two years of work into

three sentences, please. We take the information out of the train system,

where the train is at a certain time, and we look at how that looks

in a pattern of historical data. And then we say that this is a pattern

we have seen before. And then we can predict. The system sucks up all of

the real-time data from the Stockholm rail network, not just

will helm 's very lovely train set here, and repeatedly makes

predictions every single minute. That means as an incident develops

or resolves, the numbers change. What will the officials be able to

do with this information? If they see there is a problem and this is

how it will look into hours, what can they do? What they want to do is

screw my model up. You say there will be delayed, they say they are

going to solve that. The problem today is that we are looking at

trains, not humans. If you combine that with information as to how has

the train is, you can say that you have a very heavy train, lots of

people on board, and then say let us run by train all the way through.

That will minimise the total amount of delays for humans. But today, all

of those systems look at the train. The ultimate goal is to get these

numbers is close to the real arrival time as possible and, of course, no

more last-minute cancellations. In fact, travellers and dock when will

still have access to -- soon have access to the information themselves

via the app. Incidentally, do you know which underground station the

guys at transport for London told me they had to close most often because

of overcrowding? Victoria. Correct. Six o'clock every evening, this

place is crazy. I wonder if anyone would mind if I knocked off early

tonight and beat the rush. See