What's the Big Idea

200 hundred years ago no one would have believed that every house in Ireland would have electricity and a phone. 30 years ago no one would have believed that mobile phones and the internet would be an essential part of every day life. These are just some of the ideas that have shaped our present.

In "What's the Big Idea?" we'll be looking at the ideas that will shape our future.

Programme 1: To start off the series we'll be looking at the weird and wonderful world of Science Fiction. Since HG Wells and Jules Verne science fiction writers have tried to put a shape to the future. Back as far as Leonardo Da Vinci future watchers have predicted everything from flying machines and to horseless carriages. What can Sci Fi writers tell us about the future that is yet to unfold?

Guests: Michio Kaku internationally renowned physicist , Michael Carroll Sci Fi writer and Prof Rob Kitchin from Maynooth University

Programme 2: The Human Body- in the future will we be part flesh and blood part machine? The futuristic image of humans with robotic implants giving them superhuman physical and mental prowess is no longer a distant dream according to some experts. Is the age of the Cyborg upon us?

Guests : Prof Kevin Warwick (Who claims to be the first living Cyborg!) and Donald Fitzmaurice of e planet ventures.

Programme 3: This week we look at the Big Ideas in space exploration and observation-Could outer space hold the key to dwindling resources and over population on earth? Or is astronomy's real contribution to mankind an intellectual one- will our observations of space ultimately help us to understand the nature of reality and our place in Universe? Big questions about some very Big Ideas!

Guests: Dr Paul Callanan from UCC, Professor Luke Drury from the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies and Dr Niall Smith from UCC and the Blackrock Castle Observatory

Programme 4: This week we look at the ideas that will shape our homes and cities in the future- architecture is a visionary discipline and our guests push the boundaries of what might be possible over the next 100 years. What will our homes and cities be made of? We hear about radical designs for living breathing homes and structures made out of cultivated pig cells. We also explore the possibility of intelligent buildings that can communicate with their inhabitants. Join us and find out what your home may have in store for you!

Programme 5: Syd Mead and the Big Ideas in Transport
Syd Mead is a "Visual Futurist." A former creative designer with Ford Motors his visions have been hugely influential through the medium of film. Unless you've been hiding under a rock for 30 or 40 years the chances are that your idea of what the future will look like has been influenced by Syd's amazing designs and creative vision. The flying cars, looming skyscrapers and vindictive parking meters of Ridley Scott's "Bladerunner" were all designed by Syd. He's also worked on Aliens, Tron and Mission Impossible. But enough about the movies....... in this programme Syd shares his ideas about how we will be getting from A to B in the future. Will Individual Gyroscopic pods become the cars of the future? How will we fuel transport devices in the future? Will we end up staying put in our homes while holographic versions of ourselves do any necessary travelling?

For more information about Syd Mead and his art, visit his official website at WWW.SYDMEAD.COM

Programme 6: The sea is a vast and still largely mysterious part of the earth. Often called "inner space" some people claim we know less about it than we do about outer space. Tonight we explore the possibility of creating floating cities and towns, we hear about how developments in technology happening here in Ireland may allow us to probe the very depths of the ocean, and we discuss how the untapped biodiversity in the oceans could hold the key to pharmaceutical breakthroughs.

Guests: Eoin Sweeney from the Marine Institute, Dr Dan Toal from the University of Limerick and Patri Friedman from The Sea Steading Institute in California.

If you fancy tapping into your pioneering spirit check out www.seasteading.org/ where you can hear about plans to create viable cities floating on the sea...

Listen to the series

Audio links to the series.