0:00:06 > 0:00:11This week, giant drone blimp football.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13A virtual peacock.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16A hot, cold shiny tank thing.
0:00:16 > 0:00:38And magic water.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42This week, we are snowed in in Zurich, Switzerland's largest city
0:00:42 > 0:00:50nestled away on the northern edge of the country and famous for its
0:00:50 > 0:00:55Fs, finance, Fifa and the Federal Instituate of Technology, but here
0:00:55 > 0:01:00it is known as ETH, that's the Eidgenossische Technische Hochschule
0:01:00 > 0:01:04if you're trying to show off.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06ETH is Switzerland's most prestigious university.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Its number one in Continental Europe and it's in the top ten
0:01:09 > 0:01:12in the world and in my humble opinion, right now it's
0:01:12 > 0:01:26one of the coolest, about -8 cool.
0:01:26 > 0:01:27Clapping like a seal.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Yes, and genuine applause is much deserved here because researchers
0:01:30 > 0:01:32at ETH have been awarded a respectable 21 Nobel prizes
0:01:32 > 0:01:38in its 160-year history.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40Here's one laureate you might recognise.
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Yes, Albert Einstein walked these halls as an undergrad
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and then professor while ruminating his theory of general relativity.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48100 years later, we are here to meet some of the researchers who may one
0:01:48 > 0:01:52day follow in his footsteps.
0:01:52 > 0:01:58You know what they say, it doesn't have to be big to be beautiful.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01So prepare to be amazed by something you can't even see with
0:02:01 > 0:02:06the naked eye.
0:02:06 > 0:02:07Wow.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10That's incredible.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And how big is that image?
0:02:13 > 0:02:17It's 270 micrometres.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19So that's 0.27 of a millimetre?
0:02:19 > 0:02:20Yes.
0:02:20 > 0:02:21The whole image?
0:02:21 > 0:02:27The whole image, yeah.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32This is the world's highest resolution inkjet printed image.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35And Doctor Patrick Gallagher has made it using quantum dots just
0:02:35 > 0:02:38for us.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40That is insanely small.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42I would have thought that's a fake.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47But...
0:02:47 > 0:02:48Can I move this?
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Oh yeah, it's gone.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53That's real, I just knocked it a tiny bit and it's gone.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58It's 270 pixels by 270 pixels.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Each one is one micrometre across.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04Wow.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06So you've got 1000 pixels per millimetre?
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Yeah.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11High five?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13And we could do it even smaller.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16I bet you could.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19It took around ten hours to print.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22Here under the microscope you can see that image being built up
0:03:22 > 0:03:26a layer by layer, colour by colour.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29To the human eye, the printer itself doesn't look
0:03:29 > 0:03:31like it's moving at all of course.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34It doesn't really look like a printer to be honest.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37It's the result of six years of research.
0:03:37 > 0:03:39But Patrick hasn't invented this so you can just run off
0:03:39 > 0:03:43your e-mails before your meeting.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46One field where it could already be interesting is
0:03:46 > 0:03:47in security applications.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50It's creating something that you cannot fake.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53You could print stuff that would look a bit like a hologram
0:03:53 > 0:03:58on a security document.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01And with improvements in the print speed, this could be
0:04:01 > 0:04:06a way of printing incredibly fine and complex electronic circuitry
0:04:06 > 0:04:12onto flexible materials.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15And you know how sometimes you find yourself inventing side projects to
0:04:15 > 0:04:18aid your research that then become cool in their own right?
0:04:18 > 0:04:23Well, here's Patrick's homegrown replacement
0:04:24 > 0:04:27for the big 10,000 euro microscope.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's a smart phone attachment controlled by an app
0:04:29 > 0:04:32which can do a similar job.
0:04:32 > 0:04:37Yes, it offers lower magnification but it also only costs 175 euros.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40Wow.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42There they are.
0:04:42 > 0:04:50It's amazing how hypnotic something so tiny can be.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Bring it back into focus.
0:04:52 > 0:04:52No way.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Personally I'm sold.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57I get the feeling in the next few years this could be massive.
0:04:57 > 0:04:58I could look at this all day.
0:04:58 > 0:04:59Have you seen this?
0:04:59 > 0:05:00Oh, you have.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03And just down the way, something else that's about to blow my mind.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07This surface is afraid of water.
0:05:07 > 0:05:13It is hydrophobic.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Now, we've seen this sort of thing a few times in the past.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Surfaces nano-coated to make them completely water repellent.
0:05:22 > 0:05:29But this is the lab where much stranger things can happen.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32These researchers wanted to find out whether hydrophobic surfaces would
0:05:32 > 0:05:39still repel water in extreme conditions, for example in a vacuum.
0:05:39 > 0:05:45The answer turned out to be yes...
0:05:45 > 0:05:46And then some.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Oh my God!
0:05:48 > 0:05:53Apparently out of nowhere the water jumps, bouncing higher and higher.
0:05:53 > 0:05:55Something these guys are calling trampolining.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59But hold that Nobel Prize just for a second, we haven't just
0:05:59 > 0:06:05created energy out of nothing here.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08What's actually happening is the water is evaporating very quickly.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12And it's the pressure of the resulting vapour against
0:06:12 > 0:06:20the hydrophobic surface that makes it jump over and over and over.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23But every time it jumps it gets smaller because some is evaporating,
0:06:23 > 0:06:26so it is getting smaller and smaller and smaller and then go away.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29And eventually it will be gone but before that you still saw
0:06:29 > 0:06:30the cool behaviour.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Can you do super cool stuff with droplets that just start bouncing
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and then bounce higher and higher and higher,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37even if it's only for a small time?
0:06:37 > 0:06:40We did it with small motors, we tried to create little tiny levers
0:06:40 > 0:06:47were these droplets could make mechanical motion at smaller scales.
0:06:47 > 0:06:48Did it work?
0:06:48 > 0:06:51It did work.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52But will it be useful?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54We don't know.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56And this is how some world changing things happen,
0:06:56 > 0:06:59completely by accident and without a clue as to how they
0:06:59 > 0:07:04might be used in the real world.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07This discovery, though, already has more obvious applications.
0:07:07 > 0:07:13Is you freeze the water in the vacuum on the hydrophobic
0:07:13 > 0:07:17surface it melts off.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20So, ice-proof surfaces anyone?
0:07:20 > 0:07:24Plane wings and cars that refuse to freeze?
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Well, give it a few years and this research may lead to exactly that.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31A lot of the stuff, though, we deal with in technology happens at the
0:07:31 > 0:07:36other end of the temperature scale.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Computers get hot.
0:07:38 > 0:07:43And we actually use an awful lot of energy trying to keep them cool.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46That's why everyone is moving their data centres to cold parts
0:07:46 > 0:07:48of the world.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51And in fact, not even Switzerland qualifies for that because it's not
0:07:51 > 0:07:57like this all year round.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00They are working on one thing here, though, that is very hot
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and that makes it very cool.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Here's LJ Rich.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Being cool is especially the important
0:08:07 > 0:08:09when it comes to competing.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11Components get hot when they work hard, not unlike
0:08:11 > 0:08:14humans, some humans even jump into the sea when they're too hot.
0:08:14 > 0:08:20So why not put a datacentre at the bottom of the sea,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24which is very cold.
0:08:24 > 0:08:29This is a Project Natick which puts chips along with fish
0:08:29 > 0:08:32in this nature-proof container for three months.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37A nifty proof of concept that you actually can have clouds underwater.
0:08:37 > 0:08:42But what if you didn't need anything cold to keep something cool?
0:08:42 > 0:08:47The people at IBM are using the heat produced
0:08:47 > 0:08:49by a computer to cool it down.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Yes, using heat to cool something down actually sounds
0:08:52 > 0:08:54rather counterintuitive.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Likely Patrick at IBM Research is here to explain everything.
0:08:56 > 0:08:57How does this work?
0:08:57 > 0:09:00The goal is to have a technology that can produce
0:09:00 > 0:09:03cooling without any moving parts.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06The way we do this is by using materials like desiccants that you
0:09:06 > 0:09:09frequently find in these desiccant packs and these materials take up
0:09:09 > 0:09:11a lot of moisture, as we know.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16If this happens in a cooler system then it produces a cooling effect.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18To explain, Patrick has set up a simple experiment in front
0:09:18 > 0:09:21of a thermal camera.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25The bottle on the left contains water, water is used in lots of
0:09:25 > 0:09:29computer cooling systems often to take heat away from hot components.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31At the moment it is room temperature.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34The bottle on the right contains desiccant, basically
0:09:34 > 0:09:36the stuff that dries things out.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39You've probably got a pouch or three of these in your home.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41It turns out that desiccant spontaneously sucks
0:09:41 > 0:09:45in or adsorbs water.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48This process evaporates the water taking heat out, and it leaves the
0:09:48 > 0:09:51remaining water colder, so we can remove heat without doing anything.
0:09:51 > 0:09:57So how does this relate back to keeping things cool?
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Going from this two-bottle demo to a technical system you would install
0:10:01 > 0:10:03now in an actuall adsorption chiller, you would need to apply
0:10:03 > 0:10:07the desiccant to a heat exchanger.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11And this kind of heat exchanger can look like the following.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14That does look quite big.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Sending hot or cold water through that massive heat exchange system
0:10:17 > 0:10:20changes how it works.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Cold water makes the desiccant coating suck
0:10:21 > 0:10:25in water and hot water restarts the process by drying the desiccant
0:10:25 > 0:10:29out ready to do it all over again.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31If this is making no sense, try this.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36The water takes the heat away from the computer servers by heating up.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38The desiccant sucks this water up causing
0:10:38 > 0:10:43the cooling effect we saw earlier.
0:10:43 > 0:10:46All great so far but now we have desiccant saturated with water
0:10:46 > 0:10:49so it can't carry on cooling.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52But never fear as now the waste heat from the
0:10:52 > 0:10:56servers is used to dry this out, and as the water evaporates away and the
0:10:56 > 0:10:58desiccant dries, the whole process can begin again and thus computers
0:10:58 > 0:11:02can be cooled using their own heat.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Incredible.
0:11:05 > 0:11:12Currently this test rig can only cool a system the same size, so it
0:11:12 > 0:11:14does need to be a little smaller.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17Patrick says once it's finished the system should pay for itself
0:11:17 > 0:11:20in saved electricity bills over just a couple of years.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22By introducing another technology that can use waste heat
0:11:22 > 0:11:24by satisfying cooling demand is a very sustainable
0:11:24 > 0:11:32and energy efficient approach.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Hello and welcome to the week in tech.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36It was the week BT broadband went down, leaving several hundreds
0:11:36 > 0:11:41of thousands of customers without Internet access.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43The outage lasted most of the day before being restored
0:11:43 > 0:11:48and BT apologised, blaming a router problem.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Microsoft bought UK-based predictive keyboard company SwiftKey
0:11:50 > 0:11:55for over ?170 million.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01The ever elusive mixed reality firm Magic Leap was valued at ?3 billion.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Google's parent company Alphabet overtook Apple
0:12:03 > 0:12:13as the world's most valuable public company at a cool ?370 billion.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16It was also the week that GoPro revealed a new promo video
0:12:16 > 0:12:19for its upcoming 4K Karma drone.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Again without actually showing it, but it did give away some clues
0:12:22 > 0:12:25about its features, specifically its apparent ability to carry on
0:12:25 > 0:12:34flying after its operator releases it, even while on the move.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40It was also the week that Uber got a facelift.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42And if you ever thought you weren't getting the most out
0:12:42 > 0:12:48of your leaf blower, ex-NASA engineer Mark Roper has turned his
0:12:48 > 0:12:49into a snowball firing machine-gun.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52The wearable contraption can fire up to 15 icy balls
0:12:52 > 0:12:55at once with a magazine reload load speed of three seconds.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Ghostbuster getup not compulsory.
0:12:57 > 0:13:05Now, while you're away from home, have you ever wondered what's going
0:13:05 > 0:13:10on?
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Hopefully not this.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Although this intruder was caught by a free home security app,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20this one called Manything.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23As connectivity and cameras improve, it's a fast expanding area, as Lara
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Lewington has been finding out.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30The latest home security gadgets are closer to another pair of eyes
0:13:30 > 0:13:34and ears than ever before.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39Many have remote access via the Web and some even add a spot of
0:13:39 > 0:13:42artificial intelligence to the mix.
0:13:42 > 0:13:48Myfox is one way of simplifying the whole home security experience.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52As soon as you enter your house, this key fob will connect via
0:13:52 > 0:13:57bluetooth to the home security system and automatically disarm it.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01Up to four cameras can be used at once, and if you are at home
0:14:01 > 0:14:05and want a spot of privacy, you can simply close the shutter.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08There are also these sensors, that can be attached to doors or
0:14:08 > 0:14:10windows, which monitor vibration.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13A clever algorithm will tell whether it is just, say, a ball
0:14:13 > 0:14:19hitting the window, or someone trying to force their way in.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Netatmo's prototype camera comes complete with a floodlight,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27and also aims to spot suspicious signs ahead of any problem.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Its software can decipher between people, cars and animals,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35so it will provide alerts of only relevant incidents.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40You can also watch videos back via the app at a later date.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42As well as the LED light, it also has night-vision,
0:14:42 > 0:14:46so there is no risk of missing anything taking place at night.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50If the camera gets stolen, the footage on the card can only be
0:14:50 > 0:14:54viewed with the phone the camera has been synced to.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56There is also the option of backing up all
0:14:56 > 0:15:01of the content to a secure server.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04With over half of UK break-ins quite surprisingly occurring
0:15:04 > 0:15:09at the front of houses, it makes sense to be focusing on that area.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12This HD video doorbell allows every member of the family to receive
0:15:12 > 0:15:16an alert each time someone comes to the door, so as long as they have
0:15:16 > 0:15:25internet connection, wherever they are in the world, they can remotely
0:15:25 > 0:15:28answer the door, see who's there, speak to them, and if they have
0:15:28 > 0:15:31an electronic door lock, they can let them in, which could come in
0:15:31 > 0:15:34handy if you are late for guests.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37I will be there in a couple of minutes.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38Just drying my hair!
0:15:38 > 0:15:40The camera's face recognition will identify members of the family, or
0:15:40 > 0:15:44if a person seems undesirable, you can sound an alarm and shine a light
0:15:44 > 0:15:53on them to hopefully scare them off.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55For something a bit different, this remote control robotic ball is
0:15:56 > 0:15:57actually a wide lens HD camera.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00It also records sound, and it means instead of setting up
0:16:00 > 0:16:02various cameras throughout your home, you can just move this
0:16:02 > 0:16:13to whatever you want to look at.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15It's only a beta at the moment.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18There will be an app available soon when it is released.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Right now, you have use a fiddly website.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23But it is fun once you see the camera up and running.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26The prototype is tricky to control, but the finished product should be
0:16:26 > 0:16:30a little smoother.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33If you don't want to shout out on a full-scale device,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35one option is using an app that will re-purpose an old smartphone
0:16:36 > 0:16:37to turn it into a security camera.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41All you need to do is make sure the device is connected to the home
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Wi-Fi, then you can log into it anywhere in the world via the web.
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Presence works this way, and after a successful launch last year,
0:16:47 > 0:16:50sensors and even smart bulbs can now be integrated into the system.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Manything is another, free to download and easy to set up.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56When you open it, you'll be presented with the option
0:16:56 > 0:17:00of continuous recording or just recording motion.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05If you have something like a window in shot or a fish tank
0:17:05 > 0:17:08that will set off alerts too often, then you can set up a detection
0:17:08 > 0:17:29zone so that area is blocked out.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Watching your home from a distance does not make
0:17:31 > 0:17:33for a very relaxing holiday.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35But this tech could give that extra peace of mind to rest
0:17:36 > 0:17:41a little more easily.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44The one good thing about virtual reality taking so long to go
0:17:44 > 0:17:47on sale is that researchers have had a massive lead time in order to
0:17:47 > 0:17:50work out the full capabilities of VR kit.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52We will take a break from snowy Switzerland now
0:17:52 > 0:17:53and head to sunny California.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55The University of Southern California's Institute
0:17:55 > 0:17:57for Creative Technologies is where the brains behind Oculus Rift
0:17:57 > 0:17:59used to work before he hit the big-time,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02and they are on the cutting edge of VR research.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04We have been to see what they are up to.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07While most of us wait for VR headsets to hit the shops,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09engineers and researchers at the University of Southern California
0:18:09 > 0:18:28are already thinking about the next stage of VR's revolution.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30We're inside USC's Mixed Reality Lab, and just through here,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33they are working on taking a limited amount of space and turning it
0:18:33 > 0:18:36into an almost unlimited amount of space using virtual reality.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38If that sounds a little bit complicated and difficult to get
0:18:38 > 0:18:41your head around, imagine this room is the very first version
0:18:41 > 0:18:43of the holodeck from Star Trek.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45This warehouse is fitted with motion tracking sensors, which wirelessly
0:18:45 > 0:18:51communicate with a computer attached to a VR headset.
0:18:51 > 0:18:52Here's the laptop.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55This little thing is a communication device for our tracking system, and
0:18:55 > 0:18:57we pack it up inside a backpack.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59You will be touring the virtual village.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00We will guide you around.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03You'll see the green waypoints there.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04Think of it as GPS.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06It shows you where you would like to go.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Occasionally, the system might decide to switch paths
0:19:08 > 0:19:09and change waypoints.
0:19:09 > 0:19:17You look for the new one and go there.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19I will not just be walking around.
0:19:19 > 0:19:35I also have to take panoramic photos while inside the virtual world.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37I do this by moving my head and clicking
0:19:37 > 0:19:39the hand controller at the same time.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41So there are elements of a game as well as exploration.
0:19:41 > 0:19:55Exactly.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Why did you introduce the gaming elements?
0:19:57 > 0:20:00To give people something else to do as they explore the space?
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Partially it is to make it more interesting but also to
0:20:02 > 0:20:04make sure we can reorient you.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06It is a bit of a trick.
0:20:06 > 0:20:06Smoke and mirrors.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09As the panoramic photo is taken, the computer is recalculating my route.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12It should fool me into making me think I am walking
0:20:12 > 0:20:14around in a larger space than I am.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15Put the headset on.
0:20:15 > 0:20:18If I look around I can see what looks like a mediaeval village.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21If you follow those little arrows on the edges to see where
0:20:21 > 0:20:22the first waypoint is.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24It is really unusual being inside this virtual space
0:20:24 > 0:20:25knowing I am in...
0:20:25 > 0:20:26Oh!
0:20:26 > 0:20:28..knowing I am in a warehouse.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30This is the clever bit these guys have introduced
0:20:30 > 0:20:31into their environment, where it
0:20:31 > 0:20:34recalibrates and makes use of the limited space by making me
0:20:34 > 0:20:36think there is more space here.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39This view shows me the route I am actually walking
0:20:39 > 0:20:40if viewed from the top down.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Part of my brain is worried I will end up walking into a wall,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47even though I'm pretty sure there is not much chance of that happening.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52That is really, really cool.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Let's see if I can walk back the way I came.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57I just walked into a wall.
0:20:57 > 0:20:57LAUGHTER.
0:20:57 > 0:21:03Next up, the team showed off their version
0:21:03 > 0:21:06of a VR art gallery, complete with 3-D stop motion exhibits.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09It is not wireless, as I am tethered to a computer by cables, but it does
0:21:10 > 0:21:19have a trick up its sleeve.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21I have been instructed to walk towards
0:21:21 > 0:21:22a stop motion animated museum.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23My hands have appeared on screen.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24I wasn't expecting that.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27So this is a mixture of a whole bunch of different technologies.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30They have strapped an Elite Motion motion tracking sensor to the front
0:21:30 > 0:21:33of the headset, which monitors what my hands are doing, seamlessly
0:21:33 > 0:21:35introducing them into the virtual world and further
0:21:35 > 0:21:48making me feel like I have disappeared down a VR rabbit hole.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51A giant leap for VR, and just like the holodeck, safety protocols
0:21:51 > 0:21:53need to be observed at all times.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56That was Mark, and we'll finish our trip to ETH in a giant hangar,
0:21:56 > 0:22:06where something big is in the air.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Meet Project Skye, an inflatable drone that
0:22:08 > 0:22:10the team are hoping will entertain and film audiences at concerts
0:22:10 > 0:22:19and other large indoor venues.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21Is it wise to have it fly over there?
0:22:21 > 0:22:46It is not wise, but it is not a problem.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Full of helium and protected from punctures by a double-layered
0:22:49 > 0:22:53hull, this is being billed as a heck of a lot safer than a normal drone.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54This could go anywhere.
0:22:54 > 0:22:54There we go.
0:22:54 > 0:22:55LAUGHTER.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56It is ever so slightly heavier than air,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59which means if it loses power, there is no high-speed crash.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03And this does, in my mind at least, qualify as a drone rather than just
0:23:03 > 0:23:06a blimp, because if you give it a push, it intelligently maintains
0:23:06 > 0:23:08its orientation.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10If it were outside and armed with GPS, it could also
0:23:10 > 0:23:12in theory keep its position.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Now, about that control system.
0:23:13 > 0:23:14Can I have a go?
0:23:14 > 0:23:21You want to fly it?
0:23:21 > 0:23:22Let's try it first.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Here is the ground station.
0:23:24 > 0:23:24Sorry, serious.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26I am a very good drone pilot.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29I have only ever seen three crashes and two of them were my fault.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32So anyway...
0:23:32 > 0:23:35So it turns out you fly with a 3-D mouse that is usually used
0:23:35 > 0:23:38for computer-aided design, and delicate movements are the order
0:23:38 > 0:23:45of the day, ladies and gentlemen.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Just like any drone, it is important not to panic and jam the thing
0:23:48 > 0:23:49in the opposite direction.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Apart from that, if I'm honest, it is just plain fun.
0:23:52 > 0:23:56That is it from Click in Zurich.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Thank you very much for watching.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01I hope you've had a good time.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04If you can't tell by my face, I have.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05So we'll see you soon.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09I will just try a landing.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Come on.