Raising the Bar – Auckland – 28 August 2018

Here are a few examples:

I’m looking at you buddy! Yes, Big Brother is everywhere

Who Andrew Chen (Engineering)  Where Snickle  When 6.30pm

We are comfortable with police, traffic and public safety CCTV cameras, right? Now surveillance systems run for commercial interests collect data about our everyday lives: from tracking pedestrian traffic, biometric scanning at ATMs, and facial recognition software in supermarkets and sports events, and much more. Technological advancements in computer vision are pushing the boundaries of how machines understand videos and images.

This talk focuses on privacy implications of modern and advancing surveillance systems, our perceptions of privacy and ways to protect those being observed. That’s you. I’m looking at you. Now.

Lasers, Milk and Sperm

Who Cather Simpson (Science)  Where Mezze Bar  When 6.30pm

Cather’s endlessly-fascinating lasers at the Photon Lab were once thought to be rather useless, possibly indulgent pieces of academic kit.

A few years on those lasers (and clever researchers) have given rise to two award-winning companies: Engender Technologies (a sex-sorting business to accelerate genetic gain and cost efficiencies in large animal reproduction) and Orbis Diagnostics (providing revolutionary in-line milking measurement for the dairy industry, using microfluidics technology for protein, fat, somatic cell and progesterone).

Simple Questions With (Some) Simple Answers: Big Bangs and Black Holes

Who Richar Easther (Science)  Where Vodka Room  When 8pm

Primary school children and scientists often ponder the same questions about space. Was there more than one Big Bang? What happens when you fall into a black hole? Will the universe expand forever?

In this talk Richard outlines the ways that Einstein changed our ideas about space and time and how this leads to deep ideas about the expanding universe and black holes. Now tested with observations and experiments, Richard will share the answers we are finding to some of those questions – and which questions we’re still trying to crack.

Humanity and the machine: Is technology going to make our lives better?

Who Suranga Nanayakkara (Auckland Bioengineering Institute)  Where Birdcage  When 6.30pm

Does dealing with multiple smart devices leave you feeling discombobulated? Suranga says we either spend time figuring out smart technologies, otherwise the way we use them will disconnect us from the actual physical world around us.

So, how can we create devices which extend what we do and how we do it in a way that feels natural? The need for intuitive technology that adapts to us is increasingly apparent.

In this conversation Suranga will highlight human-machine interfaces which break down the barriers between humans and technology, creating seamless human-computer integration blurring where human input ends and technology begins.

Saving the planet – at 400 km/h!

Who Eva Hakansson (Engineering)  Where Birdcage  When 8pm

Eva Hakansson will take you on a high-speed adventure at the famous Bonneville Salt Flats. She readily admits that her 400+ km/h, red, sexy, bullet-shaped electric motorcycle “KillaJoule” is really just “eco-activism in disguise”.

Did we mention that she built it in her backyard shed, in her spare time? With the same dedication as a Greenpeace activist, she uses the unusual channel of high speed racing to open people’s eyes and minds for sustainable technology. Meet a modern version of famous kiwi racer Burt Munro.