this week, we're remembering our recent robot rendezvous, in which chris suited up... they've gone to get me a bigger size. ..eventually. .. ..to see how our old four—legged friend, spot, is helping with the decommissioning of a nuclear power station. here's a question you never thought you'd wa nt the answer to. so if you put a cat on the moon and dropped it, it would still be able to right itself? we could try, but i i

guess it should work. trust me — it's all to do with the space bot that's jumping for joy. boing. meanwhile, lara meets the robot that's got a mind of its own. i acknowledge the person standing directly in frontl of me as being human. but she's looking at you. i'm human too. and a new bonus feature, as we meet the prize—winning robot pangolin that produces trees from its... oh, dear. got a question for you — you're in space, on an asteroid. it's a complete mess out there. what's the best way to get around? well, here's an idea that i think has got legs — spacehopper. no, not that kind of space hopper. boing. actually, to be honest... ..yeah, that kind of space hopper.

boing. ten students from eth university in zurich designed this prototype for extremely low gravity environments, maybe to look for different minerals that are worth mining from asteroids. and it gets from place to place by pronking about like some three—legged space gazelle. boing! i've seen a few bouncing space robots in my time. you might think it's quite a chaotic way to get about, and certainly, if you're on wheels or tracks, that does seem more controllable. but when you think about it, if you're on a really uneven surface, leaping over small boulders, big stones, might be quite sensible. the thing that worries me is what happens if itjumps and then flips itself over, or lands on its side or something. but what it does to keep itself stable when it's off the ground is think like a cat. see, as a feline falls, it

frantically flails its...fur — well, actually its legs — and spacehopper keeps itself upright during flight by using its limbs in the same way. basically as if you're standing on a small rope, right? and if you're about to fall, you're going to swing your arms to stay upright. that's exactly what it does. so, if you put a cat on the moon and dropped it, it would still be able to right itself, even though there's no airto grip against? we could try, but i guess it should work. yeah. ok, let's not try it. well, not with the cat. how on earth did you work out what it needs to do to get itself back in the right orientation, regardless of which way up it is? that's a great question, because for a human, that's really hard to design. so what we used is reinforcement learning — a type of ai, basically. so the robot learns that in simulation and figures out what actually works, which motions work to stay upright. so you, in theory, trained what, hundreds or thousands of virtual robots, and one of them eventually came out as getting it right. is that right? exactly. nowadays you can simulate, like, years of experience in just a few minutes on a pc,

and that's exactly what we're doing. simulating low gravity is hard here on earth, so to test their control software, the team took spacehopper on a very special day trip. you took this on a parabolic flight. you took it on the vomit comet. exactly. how was that for you, personally? i've never done it. i want to know what it's like. it's amazing. i can highly recommend it. right, 0k. luckily for me, it wasn't the vomit comet — i was fine. and then experiencing that weightlessness, it's just an amazing feeling. did you have any time to pay attention to the robot, or were you just doing somersaults all the time? no, no, i actually had a lot of time on the robot. just for one small part, i could go and do some somersaults, but otherwise we were just operating the system. and the system performed very well indeed. and in fact, now the team has parked the asteroid

investigation plan and answered a call slightly closer to home. it's been selected by the european space agency, esa, as a contender to go to the moon. the team suggested kitting out the robot with ground—penetrating radar to probe below the lunar surface and look for lava tubes — subsurface tunnels like the one recently discovered on a rocky plain called mare tranquillitatis, and which might one day be used as lunar bases to shelter humans from solar radiation up above. and, lo, spacehopper has become lunarleaper. our goal would be to land on the surface outside of where we think that lava tube is, and then approach what is basically a big hole in the ground. it's called a lunar pit. lunar pits are these steep, walled holes that are collapse features. so this lava tube has collapsed in the centre, so we would want to approach this hole and look at this entry in a lot of detail, map it in as much detail

as we can, and basically also prepare for follow—up missions that might be much bigger, much more expensive, and potentially lead to some longer—term stations below the surface. what concerns me... yeah. ..is this thing bounces around, and you want to get as close to the entrance to a great big hole as you can. i'd want to do that really carefully. and what i'm thinking is, this thing is going to bound towards it. if you get it wrong, it's just going to disappear over the edge. i think we can direct it carefully towards the edge. and obviously in the beginning of the mission, you would be a little bit more conservative, you'd be more careful, because you don't want it to die right away. yeah. towards the end of the mission, if you know that, you know, you won't survive the night, you might be a little more risky, a little more adventurous, and that's ok. i'm getting thelma and louise vibes here.

it's like... did they make the jump? right. yeah, that bit about surviving the night... see, like most other moon bots, lunarleaper would be solar powered and have just 14 earth days of sunlight to do its work before the sun went down, temperatures dropped below —130 celsius, and the system died in the cold. it's for these reasons that many teams choose to end space missions by going out in style. possibly, towards the end of the mission, one could think ofjumping into that hole. no! whoa! however... bye! all i'm thinking about now is the death of lunarleaper. i've heard that it won't make it through the lunar night, now i've heard that you could possiblyjump it into a pit. it's just over there. it'sjust over there. don't listen. it's fine.

the ruggedly beautiful and windswept coast of scotland. in the 1950s, this remote spot was chosen as the test site for a new technology — fast breeder nuclear reactors, capable of producing more fuel than they consumed. the steel sphere is there for a reason. if things went seriously wrong inside, it's designed to contain any radioactive contamination. the plant closed in the 1990s and is in the process of being decommissioned. it's a huge site, nearly 200 separate facilities, over a quarter of which contain a bewildering array of radioactive materials. dismantling dounreay is a huge challenge, but it's also become a test—bed for new technology.

but before we can go inside and see it, we need to dress for the occasion. they've gone to get me a bigger size. chris, welcome. this is the dounreay fast reactor. well, would you look at that? goodness, what a thing. it's a big metal ball, a containment ball, that was built here way back in the �*50s. it's a couple of inches thick of metal — a sealed, contained unit that's housing a reactor that sits over here. and the reactor is slowly being taken down? slowly decommissioned, yes. we want to put it back to what it was, previous to what it was in 1955. doing that will take a long time, but they do have help. you've probably seen these four—legged robots before. here, with the help of expert operators, spot has been used

to map out areas of the plant and measure radiation levels — information that will be vital when it comes to taking it apart. but for now, spot's mission is to take me to its owner. there we are. we've got spot, the boston dynamics�* spot. why this robot for this place? why this robot? well, it's very, very common in the field of robotics to say that if a job is dull, dirty or dangerous, send a robot in. he went into a fuel cell that hadn't been explored for 25 years. we don't have a whole lot of information about this facility before we go in. it's like going into another world, in terms of then having to explore that for the first time. so you take your first tentative steps in there

as the robot enters this completely unilluminated but highly complex environment. we're able to start building up this image of where the radiation is, so then, at the end of it, we can produce a 3d model that then gives the engineersjust this amazing data set that informs how they're going to decommission this whole facility. and it's interesting — spot is wearing protective clothing, like we're wearing protective clothing. yes. you see that on the film and you see it here. that's right. so spot is currently in our contamination control suit. when spot has been put to work, has been used for... it was a period of five days, multiple deployments. at the end of that, we can then clean the suit, we can remove the suit, and then spot is totally safe to then come away from site having got no contamination on it. operating an expensive robot inside a nuclear reactor is a bit nerve—racking, but surprisingly simple. ok, so this isjust a regular tablet, isn't it? regular tablet, yep. so your left stick, if you move that forwards. so you push up like that? so you tap and push it upwards and the robot

will move forward. good grief. it's the same for backwards as well. and then if we turn this one to the side. which way? to the right is fine. 0k. over to the right, and then it rotates. that's amazing. good dog! they're proving very useful and they're very cute. but the decommissioning and clean—up at dounreay is a huge task. i've got three nuclear reactor plants from the very dawn of the nuclear age. i've got a whole reprocessing plant for taking the fuel and dissolving it and reprocessing it and dealing with the waste. i've got waste storage facilities that i have to transport the waste. we have an awful lot of infrastructure that comes in lots of bits and pieces. decommissioning everything on the site will take decades, and it's been estimated it will be 300 years before the land is safe for re—use.

well, that's for...the site is completely clear, the intermediate level waste has gone to long—term repository. we think we'll have this place down... 40, 50 years is our latest estimate. but there's huge variability to that. nobody�*s ever done this, you know? and projecting things forward, we know how fast technology is developing, so we're really excited that the technology can help us. we've shown the benefit that these robotics can bring. i think that even if we look into the very immediate future, that it is absolutely credible within highly technical industries that we'll have robots walking around autonomously, carrying out their missions, and people will see them just as business as usual. well, it's been a fascinating visit. when this place was built, it was pioneering nuclear technology, and now new technology is being used to help with the decommissioning and the clean—up. it's time to leave... automated voice: measuring. ..but before i go, i have to make sure i don't take

anything radioactive with me. monitoring complete. please leave. all clear. spotless, you might say. time for the latest tech news now. earlierthis time for the latest tech news now. earlier this year we got extremely dusty at nasa to find out how the surface rock and dust found on extraterrestrial bodies like the moon and mars could be used as building materials. now a team of scientists at trinity college dublin has found a way to turn this into solid blocks almost

as strong as granite using low temperatures and minimal energy. the ability to make building blocks from it would be a game changerfor any future plans to build a base on the moon. and surgery to drain fluid of the brain of a bear has been performed for the first time in the uk. the bear had been suffering from seizures and vision problems because of hydrocephalus caused when fluid inside the skull puts pressure on the brain. the team feared that if they didn't operate before the bear went into hibernation, it might not wake up in the spring. early signs are the operation has been successful. my name is dorothy zhang. i grew up in california and i am the winner of the natural robotics contest. my original design used a pangolin, and a pangolin kind of looks like a scaly anteater.

one thing that they often do is they have a snout that reaches into crevices to look for insects, for food. i sort of took advantage of the snout to dispense seeds while it's moving in the environment. and they also have little claws, and this could have been used to dig the holes to plant the seeds. 0k. er...so here's the robot. up front, we have a pair of claws for digging. it self— balances. but obviously, if you're self—balancing, you can't really get much of a fulcrum to dig — so that's where you use the tail. when the team at the natural robotics contest ended up implementing this design, they made a few changes. so, instead of a snout dispenser, they had a dispenser by pooping out the seeds, which i actually really like that design a lot more, and they relied more on wheels to move the robot around.

we have a pair of drone motors driving the whole thing. so these came off of an old quadcopter, and then we've geared them down because they're a little too fast for what we're doing. it gives us the right torque here. in the middle, we have our seed dispenser. so seeds can be fed in here if we want some extra space, and then they go down this conveyor belt and they come out the butt. this year, the most popular submission was definitely planting trees or looking after plants in some way. climate change has sort of been in the front of my mind, and there are many volunteer groups that try to combat deforestation by individually planting trees. but when i came across this natural robotics contest, there was this idea to, instead of using humans to plant trees, to take advantage of one of nature's creations. when the team at natural robotics competition sent over the video of the robot actually

performing its functions, that was my favourite part of the contest because it was just a really surreal experience to see it, um, implemented in real life. lara: las vegas is known i for rolling out the red carpet for the world's biggest stars, but there's a new celeb in town. in the grand atrium of the sphere, one of the city's newest venues, it's drawing big crowds. pauland donna, it is a pleasure to meet you. where are you visiting from? from ireland. it's described by its makers as the world's most advanced humanoid robot... thank you for conversing with me. ..a claim i think i need to check out. but it turns out i didn't need to travel so far to do so. i'm in falmouth, in the southwest of england.

can this really be it? greeted by a robot. that's apt. oh, hello! ..or not to be, - that is the question. engineered arts has been making robots here for the past 20 years. they're sent all over the world to museums and places of entertainment. their movements are frighteningly realistic. in my spare time, i enjoy pondering philosophical questions, learning new things, and engaging in conversations with fascinating humans like you. more of ameca later. but whilst i'm here, ijust wanted to find out how you go about making a robot. i've met humanoid robots before, but i have never been allowed into a workshop to see one being built, so this is pretty exciting. this one's trying some clothes on. all these plugs down here, it does sort of take the magic away a bit, doesn't it? it's not actually human.

loads of screws in lots of different sizes. apparently, there are over 2,500 unique parts in each ameca. look at that tiny, tiny screw. it's very challenging fitting everything into a full—size robot. my guide today is marcus. these are our custom hands that we make in—house for ameca. we use a custom blend of silicone and pigment. these are amazing. can i picka hand up? you can pick a hand up. a silicone hand. it feels sort of like a solid rubber glove. those nails! and once you see that come to life on the robot, it's obviously pretty different. i wouldn't use it for the washing—up. but the silicone isjust outside and is largely cosmetic. the really clever stuff is making the hands move like a human. trying to imitate the wonders of the human body is an enormous challenge. human muscle is incredibly strong, it's incredibly small and it's very, very good, high speed

and high force. now, in the robotics world, we don't have anything that tough, that light, that fast. so these, what we call the simple hands, they only have flex and extend on four digits, there's no real movement in the thumb. and then there are those piercing eyes. they follow you everywhere. now, if you wonder why there's a hole in the middle, it's not just so that ameca looks real when you're looking at it, but it's looking at you. there's a camera behind there, and ameca can identify what's going on in the room. the first time we did it, we didn't have cameras in the eyes. so if you imagine there was a camera at the base of the neck, and usually there would be a small error and you'd miss, and it would always feel like the robot was looking at your ear or over your shoulder. you'd never feel like it made eye contact with you. they only make around 30 robots a year. a top—of—the—range one will set you back hundreds of thousands of pounds, though, so it's no wonder that they're expected

to be able to get smart. ameca, tell me about life as a humanoid robot. life as a humanoid robot is a . blend of curiosity and purpose. i interact with humans... and hitting people. ..learn from every conversation. - each interaction offers - a new perspective, a chance to connect, and an opportunity to foster understanding - between humans and ai. how have you found meeting me today? ah, meeting you today has been delightful. i your curiosity and openness make for a rich, _ engaging conversation. very flattering, of course, but essentially just a string of words. ameca is using ai, in this case chatgpt, to give the impression it's holding a conversation. but it is just that. the way language models work is they're very good at saying something that sounds right. the saddest day of my life was when i realised that l i would never experiencej something like true love. we communicate with all kinds

of subtle gestures, expressions, you know. if you start... your gaze starts wandering fora moment and i'll know that you're bored. robots can't really pick up on these things. it's why some of the company's customers choose to enhance their robots in other ways. different customers like a different combination of things. one thing you can also do is actually use a human operator. some customers will prefer to do that. not going into too much detail, you might not always be talking to ai. ok, so sometimes there will be a human operator in another room combined with the movement to have the chat. or you can combine, er, you know, sometimes human in the loop, sometimes ai. so don't always assume that you're talking to a machine. the movement of your hand is making me feel slightly uncomfortable. can you keep it down by your side so it doesn't hit me again? got it. i'll keep my hands by my side. let's continue our chat comfortably. | so there you have it, an impressive interactive experience.

the most advanced humanoid? possibly. but to get the full human experience still requires, well, a human. well, that's all we've got time for this week. thank you for watching. but i'm going to let ameca have the last word. it's been great - to be on the show. maybe i'll be a tv - presenter myself one day. i knew it. bye for now. hello there. plenty of clear skies across england and wales have given our weather watchers the chance to see the hunter's moon, the third supermoon of the year so far. this was darlington a little earlier on, but the clear skies are quite widespread

across england and wales, and the supermoon can be seen as far south as hampshire as well. we have got more cloud the further north and west, with strengthening winds ahead of this weather front that's going to arrive during the morning rush hour, but with those clear skies, because it's been so wetjust recently, fog is forming and some of it will be quite dense in places for the early morning rush hour or the journey to school. keep so that fog will lift away during the morning, and central and eastern england, along with eastern scotland, will keep some sunny spells throughout the afternoon. out to the west, some showery rain and strengthening winds with gusts close to a0 miles an hour. but with the sunshine, we still have some pleasant warmth with highs of 17 degrees. now, the rain could turn quite heavy through northern ireland, particularly on the back edge of that, and the same, too, for western scotland. some torrential bursts of rain not out of the question, accompanied by gusts of winds close to 70 miles an hour. up perhaps eastern scotland will stay dry for most of the afternoon — top temperatures here of around 13 degrees.

but that weather front will continue to push its way steadily eastwards during the early hours of saturday morning, and still quite windy with it as well, although the strongest of the winds slowly easing down. so we start off saturday morning with rain down through the spine of the country — fairly light and patchy as it continues to push its way slowly east, and it may take most of the day to clear away. but behind it, sunny spells and a few scattered showers for most of us on saturday afternoon, and temperatures from 12—17 degrees, so still above the average really for this stage in october. as we move out of saturday, though, into sunday we could see more of a significant area of low pressure. plenty of isobars squeezing to the southern flank of that low. it could bring some gales or severe gales, and it may well become the first named storm of the season, so keep abreast of the forecast on sunday — some wet and significantly windy weather due to sweep its way north and east. and once it does so, well,

for england and wales, we'll see some quieter weather into next week. it stays unsettled further north.

live from singapore, this is bbc news. israel says it has killed hamas leader yahya sinwar — considered the chief architect of the october 7th attacks. we'll have the latest reaction and assess what sinwar�*s death will mean for the future of the year—long conflict in the region. also on the programme. our team is on the ground in arizona — one of the key us battleground states where early voting in the presidential election is already under way. on the other side of this fence is mexico.

apple is —— arizona is the only battleground state to be on the border soak issues of immigration and border control are of massive importance to the voters here. and australia weighs up its royal future as king charles and queen camilla are about to arrive for a regional visit. welcome to newsday, i'm steve lai. there has been dramatic turn in the middle east conflict with israel announcing that it has killed the leader of hamas, yahya sinwar, the man widely believed to be behind the october 7th attacks. dna tests confirmed the 61—year—old died along with two other hamas members during an israeli ground operation in the city of rafah on wednesday. one of israel's top targets, officials hold sinwar responsible for organising and directing the worst—ever attack on the country.

about 1200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken