Could this tech help millions of us sleep better?

Could this tech help millions of us sleep better?

Author: BBC World Service May 5, 2026 Duration: 26:31

An anti-snoring device is being trialled as a potential solution to sleep apnoea, a condition which affects millions and can have wide-ranging consequences on daily life. We speak to the team behind the trial. Also on the programme, two health tech entrepreneurs whose personal experiences informed their products: A man who had a heart attack at 44 and now works to help reduce hospital recovery times, and a woman who lost a close family member to breast cancer and is working to help inform women in Pakistan to spot the signs and get help.

Presenter: Shiona McCallum Producers: Tom Quinn and Imran Rahman-Jones

(Image: A man asleep in bed with a black boomerang-shaped device attached to his neck. Credit: Zeus Sleeps)


From the studios of the BBC World Service comes Tech Life, a global conversation about the tools reshaping our everyday existence. This isn't just a show about new gadgets; it's a deep dive into the human stories behind the silicon. Each episode takes you to the front lines of innovation, introducing the thinkers and tinkerers whose bright ideas are redefining how we work, learn, and connect. We go beyond the press release, getting hands-on with emerging products to understand their real-world impact. But Tech Life also tackles the harder questions, scrutinizing the immense power wielded by tech giants and examining who truly benefits-and who gets left behind-in this relentless transformation. The podcast serves as an essential guide to a future that is constantly being written, offering clarity and context on the forces that are actively making and remaking our world. Tune in for thoughtful, international reporting that connects the dots between a line of code and a change in your daily life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Tech Life
Podcast Episodes
The Olympic esports games and Saudi Arabia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
We take a look at a recent announcement from the International Olympic Committee that the inaugural Olympic esports games will be hosted in Saudi Arabia next year. While many have welcomed the competitive video gaming ev…
Turning the tables on online romance scammers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
It's called Pig Butchering - a cruel romance scam which has victims around the world. The BBC's Cyber correspondent, Joe Tidy, was targeted online. He played along to learn about the con and then turned the tables on the…
When the power goes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
How do we cope when the tech we rely on stops working? This week we look at different types of blackouts . We explore the Bangladesh internet shutdown, which affected up to 170 million people for 10 days. We turn to Sout…
Turning the racetrack electric [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Alasdair Keane is at the season finale of the Formula E, taking a look at how the tech has advanced over 10 years. We hear from the co-founder of the fully electric car racing event and ask where it goes next. What do th…
Tech at the Olympics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
Ahead of the Olympics in Paris, we look at tech in sport. How is it used by athletes to improve their performance? And how is it used to deliver the spectacle to viewers at home? We also follow the quest to bring mountai…
Tech that refuses to die [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
As Japan axes the use of floppy discs for official government business, presenter Chris Vallance looks at other old tech that's still in use. From magnetic tape to a clockwork interplanetary rover, he discovers some vint…
If we could talk to the animals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
We hear from Peter Gabriel, who is endorsing a competition to find a way of decoding animal communications using AI and then talk back to them. We get more details of the challenge from the chair of the prize, Prof Yossi…
Detecting cancer using artificial intelligence [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:29
Experts develop a new blood test that could change the way suspected cases of bowel cancer are managed. At the heart of it is A.I. analysis to calculate a patient's cancer risk. We speak to the team behind the PinPoint T…
Bionic arms and robotic thumbs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:28
Presenter Shiona McCallum is joined by technology reporter Paul Carter to look at some of the latest developments in artificial limb tech. Paul talks about his own personal experiences of trying out different prosthetics…

«1...678910