Create the Future

How might flocks of birds, nests of ants, and swarms of bees influence the future behaviour and self-organisation of robots? Welcome to the world of swarm engineering, where sci-fi meets bio-mimicry.

George Imafidon hosts a soaring conversation with Dr. Razanne Abu-Aisheh, a robot swarms expert from Bristol University.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find episode transcripts on our website.

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Robotic spacecrafts? Manned missions to Mars? Affordable tourist trips to the stars? New life found? What is the likely future of space flight?

Host Guru Madhavan pilots a soaring, speculative conversation with:

Charles F. Bolden Jr., who in 2009 was appointed NASA Administrator by President Obama, making him only the second astronaut to hold that position.

Professor Dava Newman, aerospace engineer, director of the MIT Media Lab, and holder of the Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics chair at MIT.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find podcast transcripts on our website.

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Could the creation of reversible glue unlock a new future for the way we recycle plastic bottles and their labels?

Host George Imafidon gets stuck into a sticky conversation about glue with:

Professor Mark Geoghegan, Roland Cookson Professor of Engineering Materials at Newcastle University

Dr Adriana Sierra Romero, a nanotechnologist with a focus on polymer and polymer nanocomposites

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find episode transcripts on our website.

Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more.

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Cement production creates around 7% of man-made carbon emissions. Meanwhile, in the UK crumbling concrete is forcing schools to close ...

So how big a problem is concrete, exactly?! George Imafidon gets in the mixer to discuss it with:

Prof. Kevin Paine, Director of the Centre for Climate Adaptation and Environment Research at the University of Bath, focussing on the development of smart and innovative concrete technology.

Dr Cyrille Dunant, Principal Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, working on zero emissions cement.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find episode transcripts on our website.

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The way we make music is changing. AI songs are everywhere - even The Beatles used the technology last year. So what does a digitised, computerised future mean for the fate of artists and their acoustic instruments?

Episode host Anna Ploszajski - a materials scientist and keen trumpeter - faces the music with:

Lex Dromgoole, audio engineer & CEO of Bronze AI.

Tom Fox, instrument maker, music hacker, & creative director of Hackoustic.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find podcast transcripts on our website.

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Why do we fixate on plastic as the main waste issue of our time? Is all plastic bad? Have we got Bags For Life and paper straws totally wrong?

Anna Ploszajski - materials scientist and storyteller - assembles her first edition of Create The Future with:

Dr Alicia Chrysostomou, polymer consultant and author of Plastics: Just A Load Of Rubbish?

Dr Kat Knauer, polymer scientist and CTO of the BOTTLE Consortium, who are focused on developing new chemical upcycling strategies for today's plastics and redesigning tomorrow's plastics to be recyclable-by-design.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find podcast transcripts on our website.

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From AR shopping to new age sustainable materials to wearable AI, the world of fashion tech is starting to look very vibrant.

Host Roma Agrawal weaves together a seamless conversation with:

Louise Katzovitz, clothes designer & mechanical engineer.

Tanya Saha Gupta, fashion-tech entrepreneur empowering fashion brands with access to circularity.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find podcast transcripts on our website.

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What happens after we flush? Sanitary engineers might just be the unsung heroes of civilisation, ensuring the safe disposal of waste water and assuring a supply of safe drinking water.

Host Guru Madhavan gets his hands dirty, discussing sanitation systems with:

Pam Elardo, former Deputy Commissioner for New York's Bureau of Wastewater Treatment

Andrew Russell, science historian and Provost at Suny Poly

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find podcast transcripts on our website.

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Graphene is the world's thinnest, super-strong, super-flexible material. It could have dramatic applications in everything from engineering tissue to making new technological devices.

George Imafidon discusses the possibilities - and the possible drawbacks - of this wonder material with James Baker, CEO of the Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) at the University of Manchester.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

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In February, the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering was awarded to Andrew Garrad CBE and Henrik Stiesdal for their achievements in advancing the design, manufacture and deployment of high-performance wind turbines.

Host Roma Agrawal talks to them about the political barriers they've faced, and the future of wind energy in the face of the climate crisis.

New episodes - conversations about how to rebuild the world better - every other Friday.

Find episode transcripts on our website.

Follow @QEPrize on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook for more.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.