Digital Planet

Click hears from the project co-ordinator, Dr Richard Damoah about the launch of GhanaSat-1. The satellite, developed by students at All Nations University in Koforidua, was sent into orbit from the International Space Station. Kate Arkless Gray offers an assessment of the launch. Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil poses a frightening scenario. Our credit rating, our job prospects, our education, our spending habits, our justice system and our politics are all determined to some extent by algorithms. We cannot see them or negotiate with them and most of us do not understand how they work, but behind the scenes these mathematical models hold a huge amount of control over our lives and are altering the nature of our society. With many proven examples of racist, sexist and prejudiced systems, Cathy O’Neil tells Click that it is time to start worrying about algorithms. Researchers from MIT aim to develop robots that can both manoeuver on land and fly. In a new paper, the team presented a system of eight quadcopter drones that can fly and drive through a city-like setting with parking spots, no-fly zones, and landing pads. Click talks to the lead author, Brandon Araki. (Photo caption: The International Space Station orbiting over planet Earth © Nasa) Producer: Colin Grant