Lord Broers charts the development of the laser to illustrate how technology is constantly evolving and changing.

BBC: NEWS | Technology | Lecture highlights need to share

In his series of five lectures - airing on Radio Four throughout April - Lord Broers, who is president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, explores the idea that technology holds the key to the future of the human race.

BBC: NEWS | Technology | Lecture highlights need to share

The presentation was hosted and chaired by Lord Broers, Chair of the All-Party Group and Committee of the House of Lords, former President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, and a distinguished electrical engineer.

UNESCO: Basic Sciences

Lord Broers, a distinguished engineer and former vice-chancellor of Cambridge University, was worried by how little we spent on research and development as a country compared to rivals - 1.7% of GDP in the UK, as compared to 2.8% in Germany and 2.9% in the United States.

BBC: Why can't the UK produce world-beating tech companies?