if i remember correctly he said it was a moral problem, due to the Troubles, and laughed off that technology could solve it (which was the main talking point at the time in UK media, so i'm not surprised the even more uniformed Rob parroted it)

That proposed border had two problems - The Republic of Ireland having free movement with the EU while NI doesnt, and the ROI following EU trade standards and NI not having to.

The first problem was never a real issue between ROI and the UK, only with the EU. To solve it you need a hard border and the UK and ROI both knew that neither of them would ever build that border. Ever. The people of NI are guaranteed free movement to Ireland through the Good Friday agreement and it is tantamount to holocaust denial in the UK to suggest breaking that. Everyone in Britain knew this before the vote. (Rob is right that the EU were making noises about a hard border for leverage in deals).

The second problem of trade standards can 100% be solved by technology (kinda). It essentially amounts to streamlining trade applications/permit checks, and also somehow reducing goods checks, ie physically checking trade goods, to an acceptable minimum. Both of which can in theory be solved by technology, hence the talking point, but the technology - digitalisation of permits/permit checks and other niggly things dont exist. Mainly because no other country in the world would have politics fucked up enough to ever need it. Hardly anyone considered this before the vote. It was definitely mentioned though.

No-one ever said technology could solve the free movement problem.

Personally i think the UK should annex then Special Military Operation the ROI. Would solve this forever.