Seattle's cutting edge technology

Seattle - best known for its giant Space Needle, Starbucks and software - in particular Microsoft's Windows operating system.

Since Microsoft co-founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen moved the software firm to Redmond in 1986, the city has attracted lots of programming talent.

Many technology companies have research centres in the city and the University of Washington provides them with plenty of fresh engineering expertise.

Companies like Intel have arranged tie-ins with the university, and have a particular interest in any new invention that might need to be fitted with one of its chips.

Seattle is not Silicon Valley, but the city is certainly benefiting from the presence of all those hi-tech companies and is definitely on the map when it comes to innovation.

Below are just a few examples of the technologies being developed in the city.

SAT-NAV FOR PEOPLE

Find out about pedestrian GPS systems

GPS devices have made navigating from A to B a lot easier. But when you swap four wheels for two legs, finding your way around can become more tricky.

Car sat-nav systems are designed to only work on roads and not to guide people who are walking, so what are the solutions?

Spencer Kelly looks at some of the latest sat-nav technology and how the information could be displayed in a blink of an eye.

CYBER SIGHT AND TOUCH

Find out how computers are being taught to recognise the world around them

Humans will normally recognise a simple object like a mug from any angle, but teaching a computer to do the same has proved difficult over the decades.

But now an object recognition system is having surprising results.

Spencer Kelly investigates how computers are being taught to see and pick up objects without damaging them.