Technology
How do touchscreens actually work?
They're everywhere! But have you ever wondered how touchscreens actually work? Dr Fakhural Alam is a professor of engineering, computer, and mathematical sciences at AUT.
He is currently developing a… Audio
A-Zof Aotearoa: Inventions
From the 40-hour working week and Daylight Savings time, Jet Boats, and the whistle, all the way through to splitting the atom and creating the virtual cow fence... The history of inventing runs deep… Audio
Midday Report Essentials for Thursday 25th September 2025
In today's episode, Health Minister Simeon Brown says new funding for Health New Zealand will expand access and reduce wait times; There's déjà vu on the streets of New York as New Zealand's foreign… Audio
Can AI chatbots be used to solve relationship problems?
A Swiss researcher says AI could act as an impartial moderator for couples with relationship problems.
Tech: How dark patterns are messing with your privacy
How dark online patterns are messing with your privacy Audio
World’s first commercial space station getting closer to launch
NASA will essentially buy "station services" from a private contractor tasked with launching a modern ISS successor.
New portal lets Aucklanders assess beach conditions
Aucklanders can now check out conditions at the beach before they even leave the house thanks to a new online tool. Audio
What early cinema tells us about the appeal of 'AI slop'
Talking monkeys vlogging from sacred sites, three-legged sharks wearing Nike sneakers, babies trapped in space… if you spend any time on social media these days you're likely to come across such… Video
Detecting cow burps from space
A methane-detecting satellite, supported by $32 million of government funding, is lost in space. What data did it manage to collect before it went dark?
Looking at the positive effects of social media for Maori
We often hear about the negative effects of social media, but our next story looks its transformative impact for kaupapa Maori. Its power in connecting with Maori communities was highlighted in the… Audio
Age assurance experts on how social media bans for young users can work
Two of the world's top age verification experts on how social media bans for under-16s can be enforced. Audio
The terrifying prospect of being replaced by AI
The Detail: A workplace performance expert warns that introducing artificial intelligence simply to replace people will backfire badly for companies.
When AI in the workplace goes wrong
A workplace performance expert warns that introducing artificial intelligence simply to replace people will backfire badly for companies. Audio
Aerospace and aviation sectors wants CAA to sharpen up
The aerospace and aviation sectors want the CAA to speed up the process for drone certifications. Audio
Xi hints TikTok deal has blessing - if Trump makes concessions
Analysts say Chinese leaders are using TikTok as leverage to extract far more consequential concessions.
Batteries on board: what are the risks?
Shawn Pruchnicki discusses the fire danger on aircraft posed by lithium batteries and whether fumes on board are harmful to pilots, crew and frequent fliers. Audio
Stage set for much more facial recognition in shops
Auror's number-plate recognition technology is currently under legal scrutiny in the Wellington Court of Appeal.
Tiki Taane on why he's taken his music off Spotify
The latest musician to remove his music from the platform isn't shy about speaking out, in fact he's released a track called 'Bye Bye Spotify'. He tells Kara "this isn't my first rodeo making protest… Audio
Teaching AI to read the stars
Amidst growing concerns about artificial intelligence and its implications for how we engage with the world, AI is also being put to use in remarkable ways. Audio
What we know about the fatal Optus outage
It's been two days since three people died after a devastating Optus outage in Australia caused hundreds of emergency calls to fail.
