How Tech Works (2012–…): Season 1, Episode 11 - Episode #1.11 - full transcript
On this episode
of How Tech Works..
Trying not to have a blast.
How cutting edge technology
is being used to diffuse bombs
from World War II
that are still live!
And... we meet a husband
and wife team responsible
for some of the coolest
vehicle designs,
all built from scratch.
Download MyTotal.TV to watch your favorite TV
www.mytotal.tv THE BEST TV APP
Hi there!
My name is Dr. Basil
and you are in
for one phenomenal episode
of How Tech Works.
We're going to go
ten rounds with a life-size,
rock-'em, sock-'em
mechanical boxer.
Plus, we'll see
how the creation
of a lunar land rover
requires hi-tech knowhow...
and ping pong balls.
But first...
the team of two
in this next story
perfectly captures
the creative spirit
of invention and innovation.
Not only have they
been working together
on their hand-made
creations for years,
they are also
husband and wife.
So, really, you could call it
a labor of love
that is equal parts
art and science.
I present to you...
the drivable dragons.
Inside this workshop,
evil is lurking.
Right now,
it's just lines on paper.
But soon,
this husband and wife team
will unleash their beasts
on the world!
Introducing...
the serpent twins.
The serpent twins
are Jolungul, and Jormungand.
I can't even pronounce the names
of these things.
Jolungul is the rainbow serpent.
So she's a bringer
of light and hope.
While Jormungand is what
we're always sort of afraid of
out in the dark.
With thousands
of custom built parts,
an arsenal
of intricate electronics,
and just a few months
‘til burning man festival,
for these two,
there's no time to rest.
It's a really big
project for us.
I hope our marriage survives.
Jon Sarriugarte
and Kyrsten Mate
have been building wild wheels
since their marriage in 2004.
The first year we were together
we built a crazy little art car
for Burning Man
called the SS Alpha Fox.
After that, we decided
to build a giant snail.
What ended up being
the Golden Mean.
The next project we did
was the electrobyte.
It's a trilobite,
prehistoric vehicle
that we built on a wheelchair.
And then, did the Zeppelini,
which is
kind of a steampunk vehicle
for World War II.
This time around,
the team is taking their cue
from an unlikely source.
Sitting in an airport
and watching the little
tug motors drive around
the, baggage carts.
And I thought, wow,
that would be
a really cool little creature.
I really like how that moves.
So that was my inspiration.
But instead
of baggage carts,
Jon and Kyrsten are using
sleek 55-gallon drums.
Ten white plastic
and ten black steel.
To match the scale
of the barrels,
I knew I needed
a fairly narrow vehicle,
that also had
a good tow capacity.
So I, I spent months
looking for that vehicle.
When a local
car factory closed down,
opportunity
knocked on Jon's door
in the form of a three-wheeled
warehouse cart.
- Two for twelve hundred bucks.
They're made to tow,
so they were perfect for us.
A lot of torque,
not a lot of speed.
The next challenge;
building
an unforgettable light show
into the belly
of their beasts.
We're adding
a lot more of the,
this kind
of cutting edge technology,
that actually, I don't know how,
we're going to accomplish.
We're pushing the envelope
on almost all this stuff.
The rainbow serpent
has 300 fully programmable
red, green and blue LEDs
per barrel.
Linked
to custom built software,
moving patterns of any color
can be sent from head to tail.
For the dark serpent,
the team took
a different approach.
We laid out
a pattern of scales,
and then cut them out
and popped each scale out
a little bit,
so it made a scale pattern
through the whole thing.
We filmed fire,
and then used that,
that playback loop,
in the LEDs so,
from a distance,
it, it's pretty
convincing that it's on fire.
Now the final part,
and biggest challenge of all.
Turning all these parts
into two giant snakes.
There's a lot of technical
skills in this project...
Blacksmithing, sheet metal work,
welding, finish work.
At this point,
we have 40 people on the crew.
As usual,
one of those members
is Jon and Kyrsten's
five year old daughter,
Zolly May.
I remember when we first
took her to preschool
and her telling everybody,
"I have a giant snail!"
And the teachers
sort of looking at me
and looking at her and going,
"Yeah right, a giant snail."
As the electronics
and metal work
finally come together,
five months of hard work
light up the Oakland night.
I was just like, "My God!
Look at this thing.
This is just gorgeous!"
I was so exhausted
that I never had that moment.
Out on the plain
at Burning Man,
as the grand finale unfolds
the giant serpent twins
look right at home.
When we finally
took them out there,
it was so great to see
everybody look at them.
They were just floored,
and it was really,
it was really great...
It's moments like that,
when you realize,
we did a really good job,
and it was very successful.
And appreciated.
This next story
has a slightly different
tone to it,
as it underscores the necessity
for having high-tech expertise
in critical and explosive
job situations.
You see,
even though World War II ended
more than six decades ago,
astoundingly,
there are still live bombs
in some of Germany's
busiest centers.
So we take you now
to Brandenburg,
where you will meet members
of the highly skilled
bomb squad.
If you think
your job is stressful...
take a look at this.
Bernd Schäfer
is a troop leader
in Brandenburg's bomb squad.
Today he's on his way
to investigate
a possible live bomb.
One of 30,000 that fell
on his town in World War II.
As opposed to any other place
in Germany,
the problem that we
face here in Oranienburg
is that during the war
bombs with time-delay fuses
were dropped.
Today,
the 40,000 residents
of Oranienburg
live over hundreds of tons
of unexploded munitions.
The most lethal of the lot:
An American-built time bomb
that's still ticking
after all these years.
The danger is that these kinds
of bombs
can explode at any time.
It's already happened
six times in Oranienburg,
when bombs suddenly blew up
all by themselves.
Any movement could
set them off...
So if they can't
be immobilized and defused...
The town is evacuated
for a kilometer
in every direction.
And the bomb squad
detonates them.
Today's threat...
a large metal object
has been detected
beneath
a residential neighborhood.
A bomb detection contractor
is carefully digging
to take a closer look.
Bernd knows that
precision is paramount...
Because one of these
time-delay bombs
just killed
three of his colleagues.
It happened a few days ago
in Göttingen.
When they tried to defuse
a bomb at a construction site.
Word from police sources is...
Somebody made a wrong move.
Well, it was a truly
sad occasion.
And the lesson we've learned
from all of this
is that we need to concentrate
and focus on our work.
Oranienburg was
targeted for intense bombing
because atom bomb-related
work was going on there.
To cause chaos,
one in five bombs had
time-delay fuses in the tail.
As they fall...
rushing air
turns an arming vane.
It turns a threaded spindle,
Which crushes an ampoule
containing
the solvent acetone.
The acetone dribbles down
and soaks a piece of felt
the bomb hits...
But it doesn't explode.
The acetone slowly eats away
at celluloid parts
holding back
a spring-loaded firing pin.
By controlling how fast
the acetone
consumes the celluloid
detonation can be delayed
to up to six days.
But when these bombs
hit Oranienburg
many of time-delay fuses
were slowed down even more...
It's because of the soil.
The town is built
on marshland.
On top,
a layer of wet, soft soil.
And beneath that, gravel.
When bombs hit...
Many bounced off the gravel
and turned nose up.
So the acetone
dripped the wrong way,
leaving only fumes
to slowly eat away
the celluloid.
On the surface,
life went on as usual.
But underground,
the firing pin
remained cocked...
...and easily triggered.
When someone submits
a building application,
Brandenburg's bomb disposal team
assigns a company that scans
the area for explosive weapons.
At today's site
A truck loaded with hay bales
is standing by;
used to dampen the shockwave
if a bomb has to be blown up.
The foreman says there's
still half a meter to go.
They still don't know
if it's a bomb.
But they've checked
aerial reconnaissance photos
taken here during the war.
Tiny craters give clues
to where time-delay bombs
might still be today.
The company
sends out a survey crew.
They sink plastic pipes
five meters into the ground,
and drop in a magnetic probe.
Metal things that can
be found in the soil
emit magnetic fields.
The probe measures
this magnetic field,
which is then printed out
as a graph.
In this case,
the probes show
there's something big and metal
about five meters down.
If we're dealing
with a time-delay fuse,
every measure
will be taken immediately
to ensure that the whole area
is locked off
and that the bomb
is disabled the same day.
If defusing it is not possible,
we detonate the bomb.
Live time-delay bombs
are almost always nose up.
They expose the tail
to get at the fuse.
The bomb is stabilized
by chains and ropes
so that there is
no movement at all.
The key thing
is to concentrate
on groping one's way
to the tail of the bomb
without moving it.
To defuse it,
they set up
a remote-controlled
high-pressure water jet.
Inside the jet,
grains of sand
cut through the thread
that joins the fuse
to the bomb.
The bomb is dead...
when the fuse is pulled out.
Then it's safe
to move the bomb
to the Brandenburg
bomb squad's depot,
where it is carefully stacked
with other munitions...
- and detonated.
It's really staggering to think
that we'll be dealing
with this deadly toxic Waste
for maybe the next
50 years here in Oranienburg.
Over the years,
large areas of the town have
been swept clean of bombs,
but everyone knows
hundreds still remain...
Underfoot,
waiting to explode.
Coming up on "How Tech Works".
When an air pump
is not an option...
Gum balls just
might be the answer!
We're pumping up the Mars
land rover's new set of wheels!
And Take your best shot!
Boxer jocks let you release
your inner beast
without all those annoying
bruises and black eyes!
Welcome back
to "How Tech Works".
I'm Dr. Basil.
This next story,
takes a look
at a very different set
of inventive minds...
Their task?
To use wire mesh
and ping pong balls
in the construction
of the next generation
of land rovers.
But this vehicle isn't set
to 'rove' just any land.
It's heading to mars.
Just wait 'til you see
what they came up with!
Climbing a new frontier...
Yeah!
These wheels are getting a grip
on what it really might ‘feel'
like on the moon or mars..
We have plains, hills,
rock falls, a mesa,
we even have a large crater...
It's a space-junkie's
dream test site.
The 'Mars Yard'
at the Canadian Space Agency.
Today, mechanical engineers
from McGill University
are putting prototype
lunar rover tires to the test.
What I can tell you
is that the iRings prototype
that you see today,
is a unique concept
that was developed in Canada.
Peter Radzieszweski
is leading the charge.
He and his McGill pit crew
have been tasked
with developing wheels
that can move
the 7,000,000 pound Juno rover
on another planet.
Canadarm II will be
relocated back to the Z-I...
That could become as iconic
as say the Canadarms
on the space shuttle,
or the robotic systems
on the space station.
This is exciting!
This is like... Geez!
They wanted us
to look at traction...
heel traction, particularly.
Undergrad teams
started to roll around ideas.
One
of our undergraduate teams,
two and a half years ago,
basically came up with this
design, this wheel design.
When you lift it and drop it,
it bounces around;
similar to what you'd have
with a pneumatic tire.
That's interesting,
but in a vehicle that's
going on the moon,
it hits a rock,
it will basically
bounce off that rock.
A flash of inspiration.
This simple tumbling mill
got heads spinning.
And this is where we came
to that idea of a mill
having particulates in it,
filling that, in a tire
and,
basically seeing what happens.
And this is what happens
in this particular case
So... it absorbs
that impact energy,
so,
potentially this wheel here
would allow a lunar rover
to travel faster,
absorb impacts more easily.
Inside,
small plastic balls
the size of marbles.
Thousands of them.
Next, Peter looked
to his son's playroom
for inspiration.
All the signs said, you know,
I can make this.
So, I went home,
took my son's bean bag
and we, I basically machined
two or, two discs
that basically formed
the rim of the wheel
and I sandwiched the bean bag
between the two discs
and that was the first mock up.
It worked...
but needed refinement,
and some inspiration
from the armor
of the middle ages.
It's basically composed
of three elements.
There's the central rim
which is rigid.
There's the tire part
which is actually chainmail,
it's a fabric,
and then what's,
what's inside is particulate.
Which is,
in this case plastic balls.
They created
the tire small enough
to fit on this
remote control car.
Then, like kids,
they let it rip.
And even gave the small scale
rover a run at the big yard.
Success!
Now, size it up.
Sixty one centimeters
put a shiny red rim on it
and enough weight to burn
some serious metal.
Nervous yes and no.
We've done our own tests,
we're very confident with the
results that we've obtained,
quite successful,
now it's very much
to give it to the CSA
and basically say, "Okay,
well, do your best to break it."
So, We did try it sideways.
Yes, we tried it
forward, backwards.
Erick Dupuis
heads up robotics for the CSA.
With a close eye
and hands on the controls,
he scrutinizes
the performance.
It's very good
at absorbing the shocks
and making sure
that you don't bounce around.
It is very good
at conforming to the terrain.
The disadvantage is it also
takes more energy to drive.
Still,
these tires easily navigate
the obstacles here.
Over walls, down hills
and into craters..
Several other
space organizations
have recognized the importance
of having flexible wheels
and of all the models
that I've seen,
this one with the chainmail
and particle filling,
the iRings concept
is truly unique.
I'm impressed!
Being able to see it on this
scale is like... great!
So have a good look
at these tires here.
Soon you might see them
with a familiar logo...
in a galaxy far, far away.
And last,
but by no means least.
You all know the movie
Toy Story, right?
Woody and Buzz Lightyear
and the rest of the gang?
well one of the fascinating
things about that movie
is the notion of toys
actually coming to life.
The inventor in this next story
couldn't agree more.
He just decided to take it
one step further.
Take a look.
Take a good look
at these characters.
Questionable form...
way past their prime.
Okay, gentlemen. Let's have
a good, clean fight.
Yet, determined
to bare-knuckle it anyway.
Today,
heads will roll,
but no blood will spill.
This is a cage match
for the not-so
rough and tumble.
Inventor Mark Wild
calls them "Boxer Jocks".
A lot of wives and husbands
like to duke it out
amongst themselves.
Knocking your
opponent's block off
is exactly what
this fight is all about.
It gives you the thrill
of participating
in a boxing match
and of course,
you will not get hurt.
Every neck-breaking blow
earns the striker a point.
When you do get hit,
you feel a slight nudge
from the other person's glove
and the gloves will give you
a slight cushioning effect
where it's not
too shock-intensive
on your machine.
The arms are controlled
by pneumatic cylinders
Basically the arm motion
is like this... semi-automatic.
Push the button,
the arm comes up
and the arm retracts
when you release the button.
Three minute rounds
provide ample opportunity.
Upon getting hit by the machine
we have an inside scoreboard
that indexes the scoreboard up
and the lightbar that signifies
that you have been hit.
But winning
takes moves like Lennox Lewis.
You're constantly moving.
The better riders
move forward and backward
and are always pivoting around.
The less coordinated riders
go static and then they just
try to punch out each other.
The base is driven
by a hydraulic system
that controls
the mobility of the machines
through two joystick controls.
The person controls the pivoting
action of the machines
to put your robot
in the strategic position
where you can knock
the opposing robot's head back.
Remind you of these guys?
Boxer Jocks
are a life-sized version
of the rock-'em,
sock-'em robots.
Precisely the goal.
Mark Wilde takes making his
boxing bots pretty seriously.
And for good reason.
Getting them fight-ready
has been
a different type of battle.
Our first
pre-production prototype
started off
with electric drive vehicles
that were somewhat larger
than the boxer jock units now,
they were some eight feet tall,
fifteen-hundred pounds
but we found them too unwieldy.
So that is why we went
to the gasoline
internal combustion engine
which would give us longevity
in terms of ride cycle,
and we carefully honed
the design down
to make it more reliable
and more flexible.
It is something that is,
I have been working on
for the past 15 years
and right now starting
to mass market the machines.
His biggest challenge?
Ensuring these guys
can take the heat.
They do take
a lot of punishment
in the atmosphere
of the game cycle
and therefore we have
to make a durable product
that is long lasting.
Today,
they're performing like champs.
Good thing.
Because after this test match
they're headed
to an amusement park,
where the hits won't stop.
Building a set
of machines for a customer
will take approximately
three to four weeks
if all the parts
are in inventory.
Which means you can
settle a grudge of your own
pretty quickly.
It's a game, it's a game. Yes.
The machine
takes all the punishment
and it is just
basically an enhancement
of the ego for the winner.
You caught me
robot dancing there.
That's all the time
we've got for today.
Thank you very much
for watching How Tech Works,
until next time,
I'm Dr. Basil Singer. Bye-bye.
of How Tech Works..
Trying not to have a blast.
How cutting edge technology
is being used to diffuse bombs
from World War II
that are still live!
And... we meet a husband
and wife team responsible
for some of the coolest
vehicle designs,
all built from scratch.
Download MyTotal.TV to watch your favorite TV
www.mytotal.tv THE BEST TV APP
Hi there!
My name is Dr. Basil
and you are in
for one phenomenal episode
of How Tech Works.
We're going to go
ten rounds with a life-size,
rock-'em, sock-'em
mechanical boxer.
Plus, we'll see
how the creation
of a lunar land rover
requires hi-tech knowhow...
and ping pong balls.
But first...
the team of two
in this next story
perfectly captures
the creative spirit
of invention and innovation.
Not only have they
been working together
on their hand-made
creations for years,
they are also
husband and wife.
So, really, you could call it
a labor of love
that is equal parts
art and science.
I present to you...
the drivable dragons.
Inside this workshop,
evil is lurking.
Right now,
it's just lines on paper.
But soon,
this husband and wife team
will unleash their beasts
on the world!
Introducing...
the serpent twins.
The serpent twins
are Jolungul, and Jormungand.
I can't even pronounce the names
of these things.
Jolungul is the rainbow serpent.
So she's a bringer
of light and hope.
While Jormungand is what
we're always sort of afraid of
out in the dark.
With thousands
of custom built parts,
an arsenal
of intricate electronics,
and just a few months
‘til burning man festival,
for these two,
there's no time to rest.
It's a really big
project for us.
I hope our marriage survives.
Jon Sarriugarte
and Kyrsten Mate
have been building wild wheels
since their marriage in 2004.
The first year we were together
we built a crazy little art car
for Burning Man
called the SS Alpha Fox.
After that, we decided
to build a giant snail.
What ended up being
the Golden Mean.
The next project we did
was the electrobyte.
It's a trilobite,
prehistoric vehicle
that we built on a wheelchair.
And then, did the Zeppelini,
which is
kind of a steampunk vehicle
for World War II.
This time around,
the team is taking their cue
from an unlikely source.
Sitting in an airport
and watching the little
tug motors drive around
the, baggage carts.
And I thought, wow,
that would be
a really cool little creature.
I really like how that moves.
So that was my inspiration.
But instead
of baggage carts,
Jon and Kyrsten are using
sleek 55-gallon drums.
Ten white plastic
and ten black steel.
To match the scale
of the barrels,
I knew I needed
a fairly narrow vehicle,
that also had
a good tow capacity.
So I, I spent months
looking for that vehicle.
When a local
car factory closed down,
opportunity
knocked on Jon's door
in the form of a three-wheeled
warehouse cart.
- Two for twelve hundred bucks.
They're made to tow,
so they were perfect for us.
A lot of torque,
not a lot of speed.
The next challenge;
building
an unforgettable light show
into the belly
of their beasts.
We're adding
a lot more of the,
this kind
of cutting edge technology,
that actually, I don't know how,
we're going to accomplish.
We're pushing the envelope
on almost all this stuff.
The rainbow serpent
has 300 fully programmable
red, green and blue LEDs
per barrel.
Linked
to custom built software,
moving patterns of any color
can be sent from head to tail.
For the dark serpent,
the team took
a different approach.
We laid out
a pattern of scales,
and then cut them out
and popped each scale out
a little bit,
so it made a scale pattern
through the whole thing.
We filmed fire,
and then used that,
that playback loop,
in the LEDs so,
from a distance,
it, it's pretty
convincing that it's on fire.
Now the final part,
and biggest challenge of all.
Turning all these parts
into two giant snakes.
There's a lot of technical
skills in this project...
Blacksmithing, sheet metal work,
welding, finish work.
At this point,
we have 40 people on the crew.
As usual,
one of those members
is Jon and Kyrsten's
five year old daughter,
Zolly May.
I remember when we first
took her to preschool
and her telling everybody,
"I have a giant snail!"
And the teachers
sort of looking at me
and looking at her and going,
"Yeah right, a giant snail."
As the electronics
and metal work
finally come together,
five months of hard work
light up the Oakland night.
I was just like, "My God!
Look at this thing.
This is just gorgeous!"
I was so exhausted
that I never had that moment.
Out on the plain
at Burning Man,
as the grand finale unfolds
the giant serpent twins
look right at home.
When we finally
took them out there,
it was so great to see
everybody look at them.
They were just floored,
and it was really,
it was really great...
It's moments like that,
when you realize,
we did a really good job,
and it was very successful.
And appreciated.
This next story
has a slightly different
tone to it,
as it underscores the necessity
for having high-tech expertise
in critical and explosive
job situations.
You see,
even though World War II ended
more than six decades ago,
astoundingly,
there are still live bombs
in some of Germany's
busiest centers.
So we take you now
to Brandenburg,
where you will meet members
of the highly skilled
bomb squad.
If you think
your job is stressful...
take a look at this.
Bernd Schäfer
is a troop leader
in Brandenburg's bomb squad.
Today he's on his way
to investigate
a possible live bomb.
One of 30,000 that fell
on his town in World War II.
As opposed to any other place
in Germany,
the problem that we
face here in Oranienburg
is that during the war
bombs with time-delay fuses
were dropped.
Today,
the 40,000 residents
of Oranienburg
live over hundreds of tons
of unexploded munitions.
The most lethal of the lot:
An American-built time bomb
that's still ticking
after all these years.
The danger is that these kinds
of bombs
can explode at any time.
It's already happened
six times in Oranienburg,
when bombs suddenly blew up
all by themselves.
Any movement could
set them off...
So if they can't
be immobilized and defused...
The town is evacuated
for a kilometer
in every direction.
And the bomb squad
detonates them.
Today's threat...
a large metal object
has been detected
beneath
a residential neighborhood.
A bomb detection contractor
is carefully digging
to take a closer look.
Bernd knows that
precision is paramount...
Because one of these
time-delay bombs
just killed
three of his colleagues.
It happened a few days ago
in Göttingen.
When they tried to defuse
a bomb at a construction site.
Word from police sources is...
Somebody made a wrong move.
Well, it was a truly
sad occasion.
And the lesson we've learned
from all of this
is that we need to concentrate
and focus on our work.
Oranienburg was
targeted for intense bombing
because atom bomb-related
work was going on there.
To cause chaos,
one in five bombs had
time-delay fuses in the tail.
As they fall...
rushing air
turns an arming vane.
It turns a threaded spindle,
Which crushes an ampoule
containing
the solvent acetone.
The acetone dribbles down
and soaks a piece of felt
the bomb hits...
But it doesn't explode.
The acetone slowly eats away
at celluloid parts
holding back
a spring-loaded firing pin.
By controlling how fast
the acetone
consumes the celluloid
detonation can be delayed
to up to six days.
But when these bombs
hit Oranienburg
many of time-delay fuses
were slowed down even more...
It's because of the soil.
The town is built
on marshland.
On top,
a layer of wet, soft soil.
And beneath that, gravel.
When bombs hit...
Many bounced off the gravel
and turned nose up.
So the acetone
dripped the wrong way,
leaving only fumes
to slowly eat away
the celluloid.
On the surface,
life went on as usual.
But underground,
the firing pin
remained cocked...
...and easily triggered.
When someone submits
a building application,
Brandenburg's bomb disposal team
assigns a company that scans
the area for explosive weapons.
At today's site
A truck loaded with hay bales
is standing by;
used to dampen the shockwave
if a bomb has to be blown up.
The foreman says there's
still half a meter to go.
They still don't know
if it's a bomb.
But they've checked
aerial reconnaissance photos
taken here during the war.
Tiny craters give clues
to where time-delay bombs
might still be today.
The company
sends out a survey crew.
They sink plastic pipes
five meters into the ground,
and drop in a magnetic probe.
Metal things that can
be found in the soil
emit magnetic fields.
The probe measures
this magnetic field,
which is then printed out
as a graph.
In this case,
the probes show
there's something big and metal
about five meters down.
If we're dealing
with a time-delay fuse,
every measure
will be taken immediately
to ensure that the whole area
is locked off
and that the bomb
is disabled the same day.
If defusing it is not possible,
we detonate the bomb.
Live time-delay bombs
are almost always nose up.
They expose the tail
to get at the fuse.
The bomb is stabilized
by chains and ropes
so that there is
no movement at all.
The key thing
is to concentrate
on groping one's way
to the tail of the bomb
without moving it.
To defuse it,
they set up
a remote-controlled
high-pressure water jet.
Inside the jet,
grains of sand
cut through the thread
that joins the fuse
to the bomb.
The bomb is dead...
when the fuse is pulled out.
Then it's safe
to move the bomb
to the Brandenburg
bomb squad's depot,
where it is carefully stacked
with other munitions...
- and detonated.
It's really staggering to think
that we'll be dealing
with this deadly toxic Waste
for maybe the next
50 years here in Oranienburg.
Over the years,
large areas of the town have
been swept clean of bombs,
but everyone knows
hundreds still remain...
Underfoot,
waiting to explode.
Coming up on "How Tech Works".
When an air pump
is not an option...
Gum balls just
might be the answer!
We're pumping up the Mars
land rover's new set of wheels!
And Take your best shot!
Boxer jocks let you release
your inner beast
without all those annoying
bruises and black eyes!
Welcome back
to "How Tech Works".
I'm Dr. Basil.
This next story,
takes a look
at a very different set
of inventive minds...
Their task?
To use wire mesh
and ping pong balls
in the construction
of the next generation
of land rovers.
But this vehicle isn't set
to 'rove' just any land.
It's heading to mars.
Just wait 'til you see
what they came up with!
Climbing a new frontier...
Yeah!
These wheels are getting a grip
on what it really might ‘feel'
like on the moon or mars..
We have plains, hills,
rock falls, a mesa,
we even have a large crater...
It's a space-junkie's
dream test site.
The 'Mars Yard'
at the Canadian Space Agency.
Today, mechanical engineers
from McGill University
are putting prototype
lunar rover tires to the test.
What I can tell you
is that the iRings prototype
that you see today,
is a unique concept
that was developed in Canada.
Peter Radzieszweski
is leading the charge.
He and his McGill pit crew
have been tasked
with developing wheels
that can move
the 7,000,000 pound Juno rover
on another planet.
Canadarm II will be
relocated back to the Z-I...
That could become as iconic
as say the Canadarms
on the space shuttle,
or the robotic systems
on the space station.
This is exciting!
This is like... Geez!
They wanted us
to look at traction...
heel traction, particularly.
Undergrad teams
started to roll around ideas.
One
of our undergraduate teams,
two and a half years ago,
basically came up with this
design, this wheel design.
When you lift it and drop it,
it bounces around;
similar to what you'd have
with a pneumatic tire.
That's interesting,
but in a vehicle that's
going on the moon,
it hits a rock,
it will basically
bounce off that rock.
A flash of inspiration.
This simple tumbling mill
got heads spinning.
And this is where we came
to that idea of a mill
having particulates in it,
filling that, in a tire
and,
basically seeing what happens.
And this is what happens
in this particular case
So... it absorbs
that impact energy,
so,
potentially this wheel here
would allow a lunar rover
to travel faster,
absorb impacts more easily.
Inside,
small plastic balls
the size of marbles.
Thousands of them.
Next, Peter looked
to his son's playroom
for inspiration.
All the signs said, you know,
I can make this.
So, I went home,
took my son's bean bag
and we, I basically machined
two or, two discs
that basically formed
the rim of the wheel
and I sandwiched the bean bag
between the two discs
and that was the first mock up.
It worked...
but needed refinement,
and some inspiration
from the armor
of the middle ages.
It's basically composed
of three elements.
There's the central rim
which is rigid.
There's the tire part
which is actually chainmail,
it's a fabric,
and then what's,
what's inside is particulate.
Which is,
in this case plastic balls.
They created
the tire small enough
to fit on this
remote control car.
Then, like kids,
they let it rip.
And even gave the small scale
rover a run at the big yard.
Success!
Now, size it up.
Sixty one centimeters
put a shiny red rim on it
and enough weight to burn
some serious metal.
Nervous yes and no.
We've done our own tests,
we're very confident with the
results that we've obtained,
quite successful,
now it's very much
to give it to the CSA
and basically say, "Okay,
well, do your best to break it."
So, We did try it sideways.
Yes, we tried it
forward, backwards.
Erick Dupuis
heads up robotics for the CSA.
With a close eye
and hands on the controls,
he scrutinizes
the performance.
It's very good
at absorbing the shocks
and making sure
that you don't bounce around.
It is very good
at conforming to the terrain.
The disadvantage is it also
takes more energy to drive.
Still,
these tires easily navigate
the obstacles here.
Over walls, down hills
and into craters..
Several other
space organizations
have recognized the importance
of having flexible wheels
and of all the models
that I've seen,
this one with the chainmail
and particle filling,
the iRings concept
is truly unique.
I'm impressed!
Being able to see it on this
scale is like... great!
So have a good look
at these tires here.
Soon you might see them
with a familiar logo...
in a galaxy far, far away.
And last,
but by no means least.
You all know the movie
Toy Story, right?
Woody and Buzz Lightyear
and the rest of the gang?
well one of the fascinating
things about that movie
is the notion of toys
actually coming to life.
The inventor in this next story
couldn't agree more.
He just decided to take it
one step further.
Take a look.
Take a good look
at these characters.
Questionable form...
way past their prime.
Okay, gentlemen. Let's have
a good, clean fight.
Yet, determined
to bare-knuckle it anyway.
Today,
heads will roll,
but no blood will spill.
This is a cage match
for the not-so
rough and tumble.
Inventor Mark Wild
calls them "Boxer Jocks".
A lot of wives and husbands
like to duke it out
amongst themselves.
Knocking your
opponent's block off
is exactly what
this fight is all about.
It gives you the thrill
of participating
in a boxing match
and of course,
you will not get hurt.
Every neck-breaking blow
earns the striker a point.
When you do get hit,
you feel a slight nudge
from the other person's glove
and the gloves will give you
a slight cushioning effect
where it's not
too shock-intensive
on your machine.
The arms are controlled
by pneumatic cylinders
Basically the arm motion
is like this... semi-automatic.
Push the button,
the arm comes up
and the arm retracts
when you release the button.
Three minute rounds
provide ample opportunity.
Upon getting hit by the machine
we have an inside scoreboard
that indexes the scoreboard up
and the lightbar that signifies
that you have been hit.
But winning
takes moves like Lennox Lewis.
You're constantly moving.
The better riders
move forward and backward
and are always pivoting around.
The less coordinated riders
go static and then they just
try to punch out each other.
The base is driven
by a hydraulic system
that controls
the mobility of the machines
through two joystick controls.
The person controls the pivoting
action of the machines
to put your robot
in the strategic position
where you can knock
the opposing robot's head back.
Remind you of these guys?
Boxer Jocks
are a life-sized version
of the rock-'em,
sock-'em robots.
Precisely the goal.
Mark Wilde takes making his
boxing bots pretty seriously.
And for good reason.
Getting them fight-ready
has been
a different type of battle.
Our first
pre-production prototype
started off
with electric drive vehicles
that were somewhat larger
than the boxer jock units now,
they were some eight feet tall,
fifteen-hundred pounds
but we found them too unwieldy.
So that is why we went
to the gasoline
internal combustion engine
which would give us longevity
in terms of ride cycle,
and we carefully honed
the design down
to make it more reliable
and more flexible.
It is something that is,
I have been working on
for the past 15 years
and right now starting
to mass market the machines.
His biggest challenge?
Ensuring these guys
can take the heat.
They do take
a lot of punishment
in the atmosphere
of the game cycle
and therefore we have
to make a durable product
that is long lasting.
Today,
they're performing like champs.
Good thing.
Because after this test match
they're headed
to an amusement park,
where the hits won't stop.
Building a set
of machines for a customer
will take approximately
three to four weeks
if all the parts
are in inventory.
Which means you can
settle a grudge of your own
pretty quickly.
It's a game, it's a game. Yes.
The machine
takes all the punishment
and it is just
basically an enhancement
of the ego for the winner.
You caught me
robot dancing there.
That's all the time
we've got for today.
Thank you very much
for watching How Tech Works,
until next time,
I'm Dr. Basil Singer. Bye-bye.