And disco dancing aliens. Its technology that will put a smile on your face literally. Believe it or not, modern nursing as we know it only dates back to the 1800s, to the time of Florence Nightingale and other pioneers. The Royal College of nursing here in london is now in its 101st year. For all the Life Saving Technology that weve seen, the actual act of nursing itself is one relationship that so far has remained uniquely human. But our population is ageing. 20 ofjapan is over the age of 60. And in the uk, a quarter will be over 65 by 2045. This all means that the pressures on nursing are increasing, and looking after elderly people is becoming a pressing issue around the world. Kat hawkins travelled to helsinki, in finland, to discover whether one of these could become the new one of these. Im here in helsinki, visiting the home of marja roth sopanen. Hello hello, how are you . Nice to meet you nice meeting you shes an ex air hostess, who likes to keep active at the age of 73. Look at the hat as well that was ages ago but after a skiing accident a few years ago, she developed epilepsy. Ifell down, backwards, hit my head. I was unconscious for a little while, then got up and skied, and thats when it started. Her epilepsy means she needs daily medication and that her family, who live in new york, want to make sure shes 0k. They get this reassurance from her daily nursing visit over on the living room table. Do you think that this is as good as a nursing visit . Its better because they see, actually physical, see me, and then i dont have to wait for somebody to come. They want to check basically that i, ask basically if i took my pill, and. And just see how you are . Howi. Yeah. Face, actually, to see the picture, to see that im 0k. At the other end of the line is tuomo kuivamaki. Hes one of the nurses here in helsinkis First Virtual nursing centre. Here, teams of trained nurses each make up to 50 video calls per day to people around the city who need support. So youve still got that kind of real human. Yeah, yeah. And especially some of the older customers, thats like a highlight of the day for them, to have sort of a small chat with a friendly nurse the hope is that this will cut down on the number of home visits that nurses have to do to people who dont need physical support, freeing up more time for those that do. The software itself, called video visit, works much like any video call. So while the tech isnt that new, helsinkis unique in how wisely the government is using it, and that can mean big savings for them. An in person nursing visit can cost around a0 euros, but this new type of checkup costs as little as five. And what really comes across watching this call is that they do have a relationship. Theyre chatting away. And itjust shows that that nursing element, that real human connection, is still there, even though its a video call. People do hesitate at technology, and especially in nursing. We have virtual home care. We are actually taking care of people. Its scary that the robots are coming and taking ourjobs. Actually, the robots are in here already, but they are easing ourjob and actually giving us the freedom to focus on people who actually need our physical help. Helsinki isnt the only place trying to keep people happy in their own homes for longer. At the Bristol Robotics Lab in the uk, a mock house is being used to predict what social care of the future might look like. Patients in their homes, but supported by a host of robots and smart devices. The fridge is open. Pepper has automatically recognised that the fridge has now opened. Theres some chicken soup. You could heat that in the microwave. Theres some chicken soup, i can heat that in the microwave. As well as recognising certain sensors around the house, pepper is designed for other functions, aimed at keeping people in their own homes, such as physiotherapy exercises. Critics argue that robots can never replace the Human Interaction between carer and patient. Others point to their ability to go wrong. But if robots mean that people can live independently in their own homes for longer, then it might be we see more of them knocking around our kitchens in the future. That was kat. Now, medical technologies, of course, are improving across the board. One example is the use of Wearable Technology for tracking facial muscles. Now, this can be transformative for people with conditions like facial palsy, parkinsons and autism allowing them to control devices remotely, or even just smile naturally. We asked three volunteers to try out some of the latest tech on offer. My name is bethan Robertson Smith and im doing my daily routine. Its a series of exercises to flex the muscles in my face. In 2008, when i was at university studying to be a veterinary nurse, i had a serious car accident. I had a fractured skull, an acquired brain injury, and i was left with facial palsy also known as facial paralysis. It meant that every one of the a0 muscles that gave expression in my face had been paralysed. Years later, i had an operation that allowed me to smile like a mona lisa, using just two of the chewing muscles that were unaffected by the accident. Its very hard to know exactly what muscles i need to move to help me smile. I came down to brighton today to try out a new piece of technology thats gonna help people like myself, whove got facial palsy. One of the surgeons who operated on me is part of a team of experts developing technologies with sensors to read the muscle activities of people with facial paralysis. So, when you were first diagnosed, you had an examination called the needle emg, where the needle was put into the skin, into the muscles, to read the tiny electrical signals that the muscles emanate. With this technology, what were using is these sensors that are noninvasive. So the same kind of reading, but without the pain, like none of the. . Thats right. You have some degree of crossover between the muscles and thats why you need the Machine Learning and the Artificial Intelligence to interpret which muscle is activating. Im sarah healey and, 30 years ago, i had a brain tumour. Try to raise both eyebrows symmetrically. Raise them both together. Together. And relax. The operation to take it out left me with paralysis on the right hand side of my face. 0k. Now smile with lips together. Im certainly not alone, as there are about 100,000 people in the uk who have had facial paralysis for years. So each one of these dots represents the position on your face. 0k. And so, for example, if you were to try and do a left sided smile. Just smile. And relax. And the darker the red, the bigger the signal. So because my left side is better and stronger. Thats right. Its showing up as stronger on the screen. Thats right. This is great because for the first time, im getting Accurate Information about what is going on with my face. I tend to overwork this side of my face, so this really is giving me feedback that i have to dampen down the movements i dont want, and this isjust so good at doing that. I sort of try and practise in front of a mirror. Its not quite as subtle as this, is it . And also, im not that keen on looking in mirrors, to be quite honest. But it doesnt end there. This headset takes all the information from sensors just like in the goggles but now translates it into real time expressions on a 3 d cartoon. Yeah, so im trying really hard to make her do a full smile. Yes. But it feels funny on my face. Doing it to a mirror, you kind of tell yourself what it looks like. Whereas she is like, oh, no, thats not what it looks like. My names george dowell, im the owner of worthing football club. A lot on my day to day work involves using a computer and it can often be quite time consuming. Before i had my car accident, in 2010, i was a player for the club and on my way up. The accident left me with a broken spine and ten months in hospital. It was obviously a very tough time for me, but after a lot of rehab, i decided i wasnt gonna give up on football and i used my compensation pay off from the accident to buy the club i used to play for. How are you doing, you all right . Nice to see you. And you. So there are quite a few companies now looking to see whether they can use vr as a new work space. Yeah. So by using this type of technology to sort of allow you to type much faster and interact with other people. If you thought it was quite funny, you can give it an eye wink. Or if you didnt like it, you can now do a frown and itll do a frowny face. There you go. He looks grumpy, doesnt he . With this new headset, i should be able to control the keyboard and options using a wink or a frown, which will open up a whole new world for me. Yeah, its very responsive. Youre really slick on that now it might sound strange to say, but for the First Time Since my accident, im able to see what my smile actually looks like. Not to make it sound like, i dunno, a strange way, but youre kind of doing it with somebody else. Yes. And its not such a lonely thing. My biggest aim for this would be to be able to help me smile symmetrically. Thats been one of my aims for the last 30 years. Welcome to the week in tech. It was the week instagram admitted a flaw in its systems revealed a number of celebrities phone numbers and email addresses to cyber attackers. Nasa announced a replacement for the Space Shuttle could be one step closer to happening. Its called dream chaser and its being developed by a private company. And pizza delivery drivers could be out of a job if dominos and fords Autonomous CarDelivery Service trials take off in the usa. A German University has scooped top prize spacexs hyperloop pod design competition, with a pod that reached a top speed of 20 mph. But their trial has been topped by elon musks tesla pod, which has been used to give the students efforts a push start, recording a speed of 220 mph. And uber took steps to change its public image with the arrival of a new ceo, dara khosrowshahi. The firms made a u turn on its policy allowing it to track users for five minutes afterfinishing a ride. The update, due to be rolled out this week, means tracking ends immediately once a ride is finished. And finally, google announced it would replace its augmented reality effort tango with one called arcore. The technology will first be available on the Samsung Galaxy s8 and google pixel phone. Not to be outdone, apple gathered developers together to show off some of the new apps soon to be available thanks to its new ar kit from ikeas app that lets you place furniture virtually in your home, all the way to one very hungry caterpillar. Weve now seen robots doing many things, but the idea of them keeping us company is, for many, still quite hard to comprehend, but thats something a few companies are hoping to overcome. Meet miro. Whilst the hardware is finished, the software is still being worked on, but the aim is to create a cute companion for the elderly which will also be able to provide some practicalfunctions. Now, theyre all made possible by a host of sensors which are built in here. Weve got two directional microphones, so we can tell where the sounds coming from, two cameras here in the eyes that are going to be tracking emotions, a sonar sensor here in the nose, which should stop the creature from bumping into anything. There are also cliff sensors here, so it shouldnt fall off the edge of anything. And light sensors all around can tell whether its night or day, so itll act appropriately because if you give it a stroke, you can see just how excited it can actually get. The bot is already available to developers, with a consumer unit expected later this year. The aim is that by then, itll feature facial recognition, voice control, c02 smoke and temperature sensors and a constant record function. Long term, the hope is itll become a therapy robot for those with a variety of conditions, including autism and dementia. So whilst the dog, rabbit or is it a cow . Keeps an eye on you, its also gonna be synching up to its companion app and also this bracelet, which can sense falls. Now, itll keep track of all that data and if anything is out of the ordinary, if a user was to break their routine, then it could make chosen relatives or friends aware. But whilst part of its role is caring, its also intended to provide emotional engagement. Its definitely watching. A huge amount of effort has gone into the body language the blinking, the way the head moves and the tail moves, and the things like that. And that is really as important as the other functionality. And the trouble is with a lot of these humanoid robots, theyre not. And, you know, they cant behave like a human. They can sort of wave their arms around in a mechanical manner, but they dont have that what the japanese call kawaii, or cuteness. And when i started working in robotics, i realised that there was a real opportunity to make, you know, mechanical devices emotionally engaging. This isnt the only device in this space. Parihug has just completed a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign and aims to provide Long Distance cuddles. Yes, Long Distance cuddles the idea is that the wi fi connected toy can give a hug via another of the creatures to loved ones you miss especially parents away from kids. Of course, none of this is about robots replacing the need for real pets or human company, but if they could offer a little bit of support when its needed, then how can we really think thats an issue . Night night huh. Hey, how you doing . You all right . Yeah, man, illjoin you in a bit. Have you heard the one about the alien who walks into a bar and says. Mmm, ill have a blue milk. Hmm. Put it in a glass. Now, as impressive as this bizarre setup looks, these motion capture suits and stages are actually the standard way that industrial light magic uses actors to give realistic movements to Computer Generated principal characters. Thank you very much. No worries you were very frightening. Ah, good. I mean, hes a nice dad, i think, jalien. Even the fact that jalien here is being rendered in real time for the director to see during the performance is not in itself new. I remember back in, i think it was 2007, i went to ilm in san francisco. I wore the ball suit and they turned me into a green alien, live right there in the studio, and i was absolutely blown away by it. Ten years on, just look at this guy hey, check me out hi, man. Hey. What is brand new here is the live rendering ofjethros facial expressions. Now, although facial capture has been a thing for a few years, so far, the director hasnt been able to see the results on the characters face during the recording. You know, our big focus was around the face and being able to capture the face at the same time as the body. And we can determine what expressions are happening each frame, and then directors can see that live and make decisions on if the character is working as a character, whether his expressions need to change in terms of the model. In order to process an actors expressions quickly enough, only one face cam and a few mo cap dots are used. This simplified live data is then compared to a higher resolution 3 d capture of the actors face thats taken beforehand on a rig called. The medusa. Now, unlike other facial ca ptu re systems weve seen which take still images of the actors face, here theyre shooting video of my face moving into and out of each emotion. That means that the facial recreation and the animations will look a lot more natural. The live, high quality rendering of both face and body can also become a magic mirror on sets to help the actor to get into the part. So i feel like this is how i get to know who i am, what my limitations are, what my body is, what my girth is, how it moves, how it sort of doesnt move. You see i have a nice heavy arm. Whether i have to consider that weight. And i guess it really does make you move differently when youre on set, if youre playing a half tonne alien, to you being a svelte young man. It totally does, as long as i engage my imagination. Because if you can see, im totally beautifully. He laughs. You know, in a way that jalien cant, my wet suit moves in a way that maybe that arm and that outfit doesnt move. Its good showing you my, er, my stuff. So here, theyre bringing digital characters to life for the director and the performers to work with, but there are ways to bring digital characters to entire audiences live on stage. In fact, its something we tried out on our click live show at the end of last year. So when we heard that the nederlands dans theater was dabbling in this kind of stuff too, we sent nick kwek clicks finest ballet dancer to investigate. Welcome to the world of modern dance conservative, traditional, disciplined. But at the same time, innovative, rebellious, perpetually striving to push the envelope. Today, choreographers and dancers of ndt are working with a new medium for artistic expression. Theyre taking two excerpts from their show called stop motion and adapting it to include holographic projections. Its almost an imax type experience, without the need for glasses, you know . Every detail has been carefully crafted. Theyre projecting a falling white giant and dust onto a black backdrop, playing with the themes of light and dark and destruction. Technology needs to embrace the art, but not with sticking out all by itself. It needs to help. Its like a glove to the art, to the expression. The holographic illusion is created with the help of two very high end projectors and a special lightweight mesh screen. By playing out videos on the front mesh and back wall, it creates an optical illusion of 3 d depth. For the performers, its actually a really good rig to work with because they can see the projections on this side whilst theyre on stage performing. With other systems, you dont really get that same wall. Its really realistic, actually also handy if you fancy giving a very expensive powerpoint presentation, as one of these novo line rigs costs anywhere from 15 grand for a weeks rental. We wanted to have a full space for a dancer, a performer, a ceo to talk. We wanted that you could touch it. The other system, you cant touch it because its smeared, its a fragile, reflective surface. This, you can wrap around, we could create curves with it. And of course, it can go to massive sizes. And to take the whole thing even further, theyre introducing real life flour to complement the virtual stuff, blending the boundaries between real and virtual. Sort of. Weve got a bit of technical difficulty. But luckily, pauls in his pants. So, a man in pants will surely save the day