More than half the world’s population already lives in cities, and that trend is going to continue, putting a high demand on energy and resources.

Ursula Eicker, Scientific Director at the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, guides us through the key themes that will define the cities of the future in this special Futuris documentary.

When it comes to making driving safer, much has been done over the past decades but there is still much work to do. The European Union is currently backing a scheme to analyse drivers’ habits in order to reduce the number of road accidents.

Robots are learning to become more human. But what are the goals and boundaries of such progress?

Meet Erica and Borka.

Erica – 29 years old – lives not far from Budapest. At the age of 2, a road accident left her confined to a wheelchair.

Providing information in real time in crowded places, like the Paris metro, or connecting smartphones and servers, regardless of their pre-installed operating systems – this is now possible, thanks to new digital technology that allows mobile devices to reconfigure themselves, to adapt to a changing environment, automatically.

Anette Hansson, is one of the tens of thousands that fall prey to MS across Europe, she describes the onset of the disease:

“I had a lot of balance problems. My muscles were very weak. I had pain in my eyes. It was the optic nerve, I understood afterwards. So I went to the doctor. And after a while I got the diagnosis.”

Two years ago, Rodney Schoenhardt faced having his leg amputated. A condition called critical limb ischemia meant that blockage in his arteries restricted blood flow to his legs. In an attempt to save his leg, Rodney underwent several operations; for a time the pain went, only to come back again.
It was then his doctors turned to stem cell treatment.

A recently published NASA study has revealed the Moon has shrunk significantly in the last 800 million years – a very short period of time in astronomical terms.

Scientists in Romania have discovered a new type of cell, called telocites, that could help stem cells regenerate and repair the human body.

The old radio tower which stands in the middle of Berlin’s amusement park is decked out in ribbons to mark the 50th edition of the IFA, the biggest European trade show for consumer electronics and domestic appliances.

American computer experts in California’s Silicon Valley think that within the next 5-10 years all the displays we use in daily life will become 3D – televisions, computers, laptops, mobile phones, and games consoles will all be able to show 3D images. Next-generation computers may even have built-in stereo cameras for video chats, and 3D camcorders will be available at consumer prices.

3D images have made work a little easier for surgeons at the University Hospitals of Geneva. The imaging helps plan operations and improve doctors’ precision, allowing them to see inside the body they’re about to go to work on.

On hi-tech this week – Acroban, a humanoid robot who plays with children, technology to control robotic hands and arms and Digoro the ‘Partner Robot’