Science View

Carbon-14 is well known for its use in measuring the ages of very old things. But it's now being used in some surprising fields of research. And its improved accuracy is rewriting history. It found a 10-thousand year mistake in the dating of an Antarctic ice shelf collapse. In lakebed sediments, it shed new light on the history of Mount Fuji's eruptions. In marine biology, it can be used to trace whale movements, and more! We'll look at some of these exciting new applications.

8K ultra-high definition TV broadcasts will begin in Japan in December 2018. The attention-getting picture quality has 16 times as much detail as conventional high definition TV. And 8K video holds promise for a number of specialized uses, like disaster preparations and relief, such as locating people in need of help. 8K video from an aerial survey after the April 2016 earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture found new ground displacements as small as 5cm. Doctors at a university hospital are exploring tele-medical applications, using 8K images to remotely diagnose a patient on a distant island. This episode explores new uses for the stunning clarity of 8K video.

Virtual Reality is a booming frontier in the vital video games sector of the Japanese economy. VR headsets precisely track the speed and direction of the wearer's movements, instantly updating the onscreen images and sound to immerse the wearer in a stunningly realistic 3D world. A new wristband controller brings the wearer's real-world hand movements into the virtual world. Low-level electric currents are being used to detect and trigger muscle contractions and nerve signals, letting the user really feel the weight of an onscreen object. VR can also be used to help teach challenging physical skills or for immersive sports training visualizations, like the feeling of a world record Usain Bolt 100-meter sprint. This episode explores the blossoming potential of VR tech.

Wearable sensors have been used mainly to promote health and improve sports performance. However, by linking them with artificial intelligence, wearable sensors are now expanding to surprising fields. We'll look at an ear-clip sensor that is helping to reduce traffic accidents by detecting a driver's drowsiness. Find out how the latest wearable sensors are also being applied to create easy-to-follow instruction manuals for children and even improve the level of satisfaction at a workplace.