When he was a child, Ian «The Gadget Guru» Ellery always wanted to be Iron Man. He joined us on this week's show to talk about one piece of technology that can make that dream come true: 
Switzerland could ban mobile phones in schools; Self-driving cars authorised on Swiss roads; Coop launches brand of by-product foods
News for 4 March, 2025
Following a parliamentary motion to this effect, the Federal Council said it is ready to consider banning smartphones in class, for under-16-year-olds, given the risks to the health and concentration abilities of young people. The government is basing its readiness to implement this measure on research suggesting that following TikTok, Instagram and other social media on their smartphones, disrupts the development of children and adolescents, also damaging their mental health as well as limiting their ability to learn.
Since the introduction of smartphones, rates of depression, anxiety disorders, and suicidal thoughts among young people have increased sharply, research referenced by the Federal Council indicates.
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From March 1st, automated vehicles are legal on Switzerland’s roads; this means that drivers are allowed to let go of the steering wheel and no longer have to constantly monitor the traffic around them. With this new technology, the government hopes to improve road safety and traffic flow.
“Autonomous vehicles, driven by artificial intelligence, aim to eliminate human error, the main cause of road accidents," said Alexandre Alahi, assistant professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Lausanne (EPFL), and head of the Visual Intelligence for Transportation Laboratory, which conceived and developed the project. However, the theory still diverges from practice: no car manufacturer has to date applied for approval of such a system in Switzerland.
"For the time being, no one will be able to use it," said Patrizia Portmann, head of the Road User Regulations department at the Federal Roads Office.
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Switzerland’s second-largest supermarket chain is preparing to introduce a new line called ‘Nice to Save Food'. Nice to Save Food: is Coop’s own brand that creates delicious products from previously unused production streams. In this way, Coop is making a contribution to the complete utilization of food.
As it explained in a press release, these products will be made up of ingredients left over after the actual food is produced — that is, raw materials generated during the manufacturing process.
Examples include okara, a by-product of tofu and soy milk production, or grain residue obtained during the production of oat flakes.