Science and Technology

The latest science stories from around France, plus developments in French tech and news updates for smarter living in France.

Drones to carry urgent medical samples from French hospitals

Flying patients’ samples to laboratories will speed up diagnosis when every second counts

Village tries out AI cameras - and stops 8 fires in south of France

A white security camera overlooks a valley and a village of old stone houses

The technology, which is also in use in the US and Canada, takes photos every five seconds and monitors for changes

Why does France lag behind in the Shanghai Ranking of universities?

France only has four universities in the top 100 of this annual list, fewer than most English-speaking countries

Electricity generator moves like swimming fish in French river trials

The company explains how the device turns a flowing river into green energy

Map: best and worst areas in France for fibre optic connection

Network operators named and shamed by regulator as fibre rollout marred by complaints of poor connections

Explore 13 French landmarks with 3D Google Maps

Google Maps plans to expand its "Immersive View" feature to cover all Paris

Insoles with reversible aircon is latest from French serial inventor

We ask how 6mm silicon can keep feet warm in winter and cool in summer using the energy of your steps

Wheelchair brakes win top prize at France’s invention competition

Other winners include inflatable home flood barriers and a water-saving system for swimming pools

Artificial Intelligence can write your letters in French

Give your request in English and a French AI service will compose the letter or greetings card - and post it

Flying ‘drone taxis’ on track to carry passengers at Paris Olympics

The company behind the aircraft say it can still get certification in time for Paris 2024

Invisible ‘smart tooth’ monitors chronic disease, says French dentist

The new technology sends bio-markers from saliva to your phone or GP to help detect and control illness

Get paid to heat your French home with IT processing radiators

A French company aims to reduce vast heat loss from large data centres by putting computer chips in home radiators

British inventors enter 122-year-old French contest for first time

The UK delegation takes their design talent from TV’s The Apprentice to the prestigious Concours Lépine in Paris

Grub’s up: Insect farming for human food is French success story

How France has become a global leader in insect protein production and where you might eat it

Deaf people in France enjoy music concerts thanks to vibrating vests

The goal is for those who are hearing-impaired to join in with everybody else, says an association which supplies the vests for events

Meet Reachy, the French robot the world looks set to see a lot more of

The award-winning tech from a Bordeaux company could potentially ‘work’ as a waiter or helping people with disabilities

Toothbrush reinvented by French entrepreneurs to clean in five seconds

The new brush, which looks like a mouthguard, has proved a hit with consumers despite its cost

Drones can replace scaffolding to clean roof and walls of French homes

The small flying devices carry a hose and spray chemical onto mossy surfaces that are hard to reach

Glow-in-dark boules ball solved night game problem for French inventor

The electronics engineer found his evening pétanque sessions cut short by poor light - he invented the answer

French firm’s solar panel sails let yachts produce their own power

The OPV panels, different to more common silicon-based ones, can potentially be used on the canvas of tents, awnings and airships too

New GPS address system in place across France after a decade roll-out

A house number and street must now appear on standardised addresses by law - but local communes got to name their own streets

Mobile app helps blind hikers explore France

The Robert Louis Stevenson Trail in the south of France is now fully accessible to visually-impaired people, thanks to an app which reads out regular directions