How Tech Works (2012–…): Season 2, Episode 12 - Episode #2.12 - full transcript
On this episode
of How Tech Works.
Take a spin on these
tricked out wheelchairs,
like you've never seen before.
And this massive
construction site in Abu Dhabi
is on target to become one
of the world's largest ports.
If there's a bigger one
out there,
we don't know where it is.
Hello. I am Basil Singer
and you are watching
How Tech Works,
the show that is brimming
with cool stories
of science and technology
from around the planet.
Today you're in
for one thrill ride show.
We're jetting upside down
in this whale of a water slide
and we're trying not to lose
the map or the steering wheel
in this life-sized simulation
of driver distractions.
But first...
sometimes able-bodied people
take for granted
some of the things in life
that physically-challenged
people can't normally enjoy.
Like walking, cycling,
swimming...
flame-throwing.
Okay... that last one
may sound extreme.
But the inventor
in this next story
has one very "fired-up"
imagination.
This isn't
your ordinary wheelchair.
I don't think
anybody's gonna mess
with a disabled person driving
something like this, do you?
Yes, everything
created here at Greathouse Labs
is made to grab attention.
And there's nothing ordinary
about any of it.
They pop wheelies,
they shoot fire,
they're not normal.
You want normal, there's
plenty of normal out there.
There's always something cool
under construction,
at Greathouse Labs.
I'm Lance Greathouse,
and I'm a builder.
More than anything,
Lance builds dreams.
Specially-built wheelchairs
that offer a new-found freedom
for their occupants.
It all started for Lance
when his brother Brent,
his best friend,
became ill
with Parkinson's disease.
He died eight years ago.
He used to be
a big strapping guy,
champion racquetball player,
motorcycle rider.
And ended up being fed
with a spoon.
It's pretty hard seeing
someone go out that way.
Lance got the idea to build
the tricked-out wheelchairs
in an effort to help Brent.
I saw my brother,
how people treated him
differently in his wheelchair.
So I built him a really
cool looking wheelchair
with big tires on it.
And the transformation,
the way people treated him,
was completely different.
It went from pity to like,
"Wow, dude, that's awesome."
I just saw how it changed,
it changed everything.
Brent may be gone now,
but every day
he inspires Lance.
I want his legacy
to live on,
and it does live on
through my work.
Actually, my brother
was a much better fabricator
and designer
than I could ever be.
Unfortunately,
he lost his abilities,
and he's gone now.
I think about him
every day,
and all my work
is dedicated to my brother.
Now, Lance's goal
is to build custom wheelchairs
for everyone.
I wanna make
one of a kind chairs,
for one of a kind people.
Right now they've one wheelchair
that fits everybody.
I wanna make a wheelchair
for each person's personality.
This is the Dr. Evil Chair.
Complete functional wheelchair
with mp3 player,
sirens, horns, lights...
beer holder...
Everything
anybody needs in a wheelchair.
In fact,
he has a whole fleet
of tricked-out rides.
With attachments
like rocket-launchers,
rotating turrets,
and fake machine-guns...
The Dr. Strangelove Chair,
it works just like
a regular wheelchair.
But it also has a turret.
You can drive it
like an Abrams tank,
any direction.
So just how exactly
does he come up
with these things?
Let's just say, with Lance,
there's no shortage of ideas.
People say they're bored.
I don't know how
anybody's ever bored.
I have so many ideas
and so many things I wanna do.
I just don't have the time.
I like building things
that are different.
I don't like normal things.
I guess having a childhood
where I grew up watching sci-fi,
Jules Verne, Lost in Space...
And he just builds
them out of junk.
One man's junk
is another guy's treasure.
There's no junk here,
it's all good stuff.
My wife might have a different
opinion.
But to me, it's all treasure.
He's even
convinced his neighbors
to leave any spare parts
they find, at his gate.
I think I've a good eye
for looking at things,
and saying
"This could be this or that",
and meld them together.
Same size, perfect.
My friends are going
"I've never seen anybody
so excited about
a universal joint."
I find all the parts,
get 'em in a pile,
and then just start building.
I don't draw, I just start.
I don't wanna waste a step
by taking time
to draw something.
I already have it up here.
[narrator
Lance has certainly created
a number of off-the-wall gadgets
over the years.
Would you like a beverage?
But by far
he gets the most satisfaction
out of donating
his specialty wheelchairs.
There's nothing like
giving a chair to someone
that can't afford one.
The look on their face
is hard to explain.
His friend Ryan
is confined to a wheelchair,
and he knows the value
of a tricked-out ride.
Having a wheelchair
that's made for having fun
rather than made
for medical purposes
is very liberating,
and very fun,
and you definitely
get a lot of attention that way.
Every physically challenged
person I've seen
says "Dude,
you're on the right path."
This is what we want.
We want something different.
It doesn't have to be
so serious all the time.
For now, Lance
is doing it all non-profit,
on the side.
But someday,
he'd like to have the means
to be able to do this full-time
and to leave his own legacy.
I wanna leave this world knowing
that I left it a little better
than I found it.
That I wasn't here
just trying to make money,
but actually trying
to do something constructive
for other people.
I'm doing what my brother
no longer can.
Next up, we're off
to an enormous port
and industrial zone
in the United Arab Emirates.
And while we've come to expect
super-sized engineering
from the U.A.E.
this particular port,
the size of a small country,
is a little bit different.
It all has to do with
where it's being built.
This is
what it takes to build a giant.
A forest of cranes...
an army of workers...
and a sea of cement.
But words
just don't do it justice
and at ground level
you don't get a sense
of its scale.
But have a look at the plan.
This is Kizad.
The Khalifa industrial zone
in Abu Dhabi.
It's 420 square kilometers
when it's fully developed out
and let's put that
into perspective
That's two thirds
the size of Singapore.
It's two thirds
the size of Toronto.
So this is almost
a small country in scale.
When it is finished
the deep water port
will handle two
million containers a year
and 12 million tons.
And that's just
phase one of five.
And to contrast that
with Abu Dhabi's existing port,
that's four times
bigger from day one.
There'll be a range
of industries here.
Served by roads...
a brand new railroad...
and three nearby airports.
What does it cost?
7.2 billion dollars.
Is it the largest
industrial zone in the world?
That's a great question.
If there's a bigger one
out there,
we don't know where it is.
[narrator
Kizad is made of sediments
dragged from the sea.
Had we been here two years ago,
we'd have been bobbing around
in the ocean right now.
Listen to how much
they brought up
to make the port island.
20,000 Olympic classes
swimming pools.
And the industrial zone...
We've had to raise
over 20 square kilometers
by about two meters,
the size of a big tall guy.
And all that dredging
causes turbidity
and milky water is a problem
for the silt-sensitive
neighbors.
You see, Kizad sits
next to a desalination plant
and the largest coral reef
in the Arabian gulf.
It is already battered
by high water temperatures
and steep salinity.
Silt could smother
photosynthesis and kill the reef
But they saw that coming up
and have several ways
to stop the silt.
Their environment manager
takes us out to see them.
What we're looking at here
is basically the inside of the
environmental breakwater,
which is about
seven kilometers wall
that was built to protect
the environment around the port.
Like an arm basically.
During the construction,
it stops any sediments or silt
from traveling across
to the neighboring reef.
The other side
of the breakwater
is more open to waves.
So its outer layer
is protected with accropodes.
These are specially designed
and molded concrete blocks.
As you see
they're interlocking,
so you are using the weight
as well as
the interlocking power
of these things
to stay in place.
So when a wave hits,
it breaks this
and then
it dissipates the energy.
They chose to build
the port far from shore dredging
and five kilometers away
from those sensitive spots.
Instead of solid causeways
they built bridges.
They are the country's first
and third longest.
Keeping watch
are two coral scientists.
They first dove on the reef
well before construction.
And now the company
brings them in
once every four months.
On this outing
they are happy to see
a lot of young fish.
A sign of a healthy reef.
We haven't noticed any major
drops in coral coverage
or coral density
and we take it from that
that the reef
is in good shape.
It shows we can build
such a large construction
and with appropriate measures
and investment
we can keep that construction
from impacting the reef.
By the time
the first ship arrived
that investment was huge.
154 million pounds
for the breakwater alone.
It was a non-negotiable
part of the deal.
Well into the future
that investment
will serve Kizad well.
Because even normal operations
will stir up silt.
This is a case
of great engineering
that's worked
and it's protected
a national asset
for generations to come.
When Kizad is fully
finished it's gonna be a giant.
But as you see,
it is a gentle giant.
Coming up on How Tech Works.
We test the limits
of dangerous driver distraction.
And we go deep inside the world
of extreme
waterslide technology.
Welcome back to How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer.
Now distractions while driving
can be extremely dangerous,
and they're pushing some drivers
to unsafe limits
on the motorways
all over the world.
Especially with the prevalence
of mobile phones
and other hand-held devices.
At a university in Florida,
with the help
of a "virtual" truck,
they're uncovering
stunning new information
about driver distraction.
Not to mention
some pretty scary habits.
[narrator
A weaving 18-wheeler.
We're killing
40-thousand a year.
Every driver's
nightmare.
Twenty five
to thirty five percent
of the fatalities
occurring in the U.S.
are either directly
or indirectly related
to distracted driving.
A text,
or even a complicated
maneuver on the road
is enough to put any vehicle
on the hard shoulder.
Distracted driving
is three times more serious
in terms of distraction
than drunk driving.
And that's a big a-ha.
Ron Tarr is taking
the issue to the next level.
As a simulation expert
at the University
of Central Florida,
he's determined to find out
what throws riggers off.
Ted can you go ahead and dial
the last number
in your phone please.
I'm not unrealistic enough
to believe that people
are going to stop
using their cell phones
because Americans
live by their phones.
But if we can raise
their awareness
and start having an effect,
even at the 10 percent level
it will hopefully save lives
and reduce accidents.
One driver
who welcomes the research
is Ted Price.
Well my father
was a truck driver
and I've always been
intrigued by trucks.
Ted's been hauling 18-wheels
for more than 20 years.
He's now teaching
rules of the road
to a new generation
of gadget craved drivers.
Ways that we are teaching
students
is ideally not using
the cell phone
but if the cell phone
has to be used,
get a hands free device.
It's time to put
the new driving simulator
to the test.
What we're going
to do today
is we're going to take Ted
and put him through
a few scenarios
to find out exactly
how we can record
what's going on
in terms of distractions.
Instead of an engine,
a computer interface
and sensors attached
to hydraulics.
All on this real truck cab.
Alright, driver's ready,
scenario starting.
In this scenario we have
the driver going through
the work zone arena.
Which is
the external distraction.
And we're going to add
the internal distraction.
We're going to listen
as the driver interacts.
Hello.
Hey ted this is Scott,
how are you doing?
Hello Scott.
From the control
room, a series of questions.
All designed to tie-up
Ted's attention.
What you can see
is the driver is wavering a bit.
An indication of distraction.
Put some rain on him.
What we can do
is add weather effects
as we go through the process
that further complicates
the driver's situation.
Ted,
can you go ahead and dial
the last number in your
phone, please?
Now this is
an internal distraction
but it's a different
specific task
where the driver needs
to manipulate the instrument
instead of just answering it.
He's going into
the work zone now,
so let's watch
and see how he does.
Finished the distraction,
get him back on track
Hit snow.
Now there's a distraction
for Orlando
Even with snow
flying in this virtual world
Ted keeps his grip.
Ted is a real steady driver,
He's got lots of experience.
We threw additional distractions
on him and he stayed solid.
We had a couple
that were not so good.
They tended
to be really affected
by the distractions.
And in the post interview
they reported
that they would probably
not be using the phone
in the future.
Ron's findings
don't stop here.
This kind of research is pushing
dashboard distractions
off the road.
Last up it's time to call
on the services
of our fearless reporter,
Mark Miller.
You see,
Mark is a guy who can access
some pretty cool
behind-the-scenes stuff.
Plus,
he loves to play test pilot.
So when the folks
at the world's first
indoor upside down
waterslide came calling,
Mark answered.
Indoor
upside down waterslide.
Take it away, Mark.
The race to build
the ultimate thrill ride
is being turned up a notch.
This is Whitewater West
in Vancouver.
They specialize in terror.
Their engineering philosophy...
the scarier the ride,
the more people
will want to ride it.
But there is a catch.
Anyone can come up with
a ride that's safe but boring.
Likewise they can come up
with a ride
that is very exciting,
but not safe.
Where White Waters
technical expertise really lies
is finding that peak
where you have got
the maximum...
...fun.
The maximum excitement
without compromising safety
at all.
Today they're trying
to hit that maximum peak.
Testing something
that no indoor water park
has ever attempted before...
a full loop.
For years water slide builders
have been chasing
roller coaster engineers
where loops are possible
because of seat belts
and sophisticated restraints.
But slides like this
are about to change all that.
This is what White Water
and West Edmonton Mall
call their baby.
He's going
to be our first rider.
If it works
and if I can survive
the test runs,
it will be opened to the public.
Okay, ready to launch.
The world's first
indoor looping water slide.
The aqua loop.
Today I'm part
of a team of a half dozen people
working out the bugs.
You gotta screw driver
to do the...
Claudio Barrera has been here
since early this morning.
Ya, I could ask
for a little bit of filler here.
Checking
and re-checking
the safety systems.
They're infrared.
From motion sensors
that tell operators
when a rider has passed by...
And that will let us know
that the ride's now empty
and we're safe to start
launching the next person.
to the escape hatch
used if a rider
doesn't build up enough speed
to get around the loop.
You have the person come out,
you help them out,
the key is in the door
so you can't reactivate
the system anymore.
̇.. ya,
we're connected back up.
From the moment you step
into the launch capsule,
you know
this is no kiddie slide.
The ride starts
with a free fall...
One...
to build up
enough speed
to get you over the loop.
But unlike
conventional water slides
where a river of water
helps propel riders downhill,
the loop meant
the traditional river of water
simply wouldn't work.
The water won't go
as high as the rider will.
The solution
was a series of spray nozzles
throughout the loop.
So these spray nozzles
going up the loop here
are pretty much
the only source of lubrication
that you have for the slide,
for the uphill trajectory
on the aqua loop.
Once over the top
of the loop,
it's another near
free fall to the finish area...
where the only tool
they have to slow a rider down
from 50 kilometers an hour is,
you guessed it, water.
And that's a very
critical item.
Is our hydraulic jump.
You know that is our brake
and if we don't have the brake
where we want it,
we don't want anybody
coming close to the end.
Getting the water
right in the finish area
is a delicate balance.
Too much water and...
You could actually get injured
just by slamming
into a water wall.
But not enough water
could send a rider rocketing off
the end of the slippery ride
and onto the concrete.
You want to get them
into thick water
and braking
before they get to the end.
Getting this tweaked
is the last thing
that needs to be done
before the ride can be opened.
Just give it a sec to equalize,
I'll let you know though, ok?
The water depth here
is controlled by a dam.
Do you want the water
deeper, the shim comes up?
Correct. We'll just
put thicker shims in there.
And that will move the sort
of move this water brake
so to speak back further?
Yes, so it's one
of the two variables
we get to play with.
We get to play
with the weir height
and we get to play
with the water flow.
Ok, so now
we're sending Mark down.
This is no free ride.
The moment
I exit the aqua loop,
Claudio wants information.
So how did that feel?
It was awesome.
There's no bumps, nothing.
It was smooth
all the way down?
Smooth all the way down.
And how did it feel
when you came
into the shutdown lane?
Did you feel the transition
as being abrupt or--
-No.
-Did you notice it even?
You know it's funny,
actually
I had a bit of water in my face
on that last corner
so I might have closed my eyes.
I actually
didn't even notice I...
I knew I stopped
but I don't think I noticed.
I didn't feel
like I hit anything.
I didn't feel anything abrupt,
I didn't feel a break.
Right, great.
No that's perfect.
By the end of the day,
the aqua loop gets signed off
by the test pilots
and the engineers.
- How was that?
- That was awesome.
- How did it feel?
- Crazy.
That's it for now,
thank you very much
for watching How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer
and I'll see you next time.
of How Tech Works.
Take a spin on these
tricked out wheelchairs,
like you've never seen before.
And this massive
construction site in Abu Dhabi
is on target to become one
of the world's largest ports.
If there's a bigger one
out there,
we don't know where it is.
Hello. I am Basil Singer
and you are watching
How Tech Works,
the show that is brimming
with cool stories
of science and technology
from around the planet.
Today you're in
for one thrill ride show.
We're jetting upside down
in this whale of a water slide
and we're trying not to lose
the map or the steering wheel
in this life-sized simulation
of driver distractions.
But first...
sometimes able-bodied people
take for granted
some of the things in life
that physically-challenged
people can't normally enjoy.
Like walking, cycling,
swimming...
flame-throwing.
Okay... that last one
may sound extreme.
But the inventor
in this next story
has one very "fired-up"
imagination.
This isn't
your ordinary wheelchair.
I don't think
anybody's gonna mess
with a disabled person driving
something like this, do you?
Yes, everything
created here at Greathouse Labs
is made to grab attention.
And there's nothing ordinary
about any of it.
They pop wheelies,
they shoot fire,
they're not normal.
You want normal, there's
plenty of normal out there.
There's always something cool
under construction,
at Greathouse Labs.
I'm Lance Greathouse,
and I'm a builder.
More than anything,
Lance builds dreams.
Specially-built wheelchairs
that offer a new-found freedom
for their occupants.
It all started for Lance
when his brother Brent,
his best friend,
became ill
with Parkinson's disease.
He died eight years ago.
He used to be
a big strapping guy,
champion racquetball player,
motorcycle rider.
And ended up being fed
with a spoon.
It's pretty hard seeing
someone go out that way.
Lance got the idea to build
the tricked-out wheelchairs
in an effort to help Brent.
I saw my brother,
how people treated him
differently in his wheelchair.
So I built him a really
cool looking wheelchair
with big tires on it.
And the transformation,
the way people treated him,
was completely different.
It went from pity to like,
"Wow, dude, that's awesome."
I just saw how it changed,
it changed everything.
Brent may be gone now,
but every day
he inspires Lance.
I want his legacy
to live on,
and it does live on
through my work.
Actually, my brother
was a much better fabricator
and designer
than I could ever be.
Unfortunately,
he lost his abilities,
and he's gone now.
I think about him
every day,
and all my work
is dedicated to my brother.
Now, Lance's goal
is to build custom wheelchairs
for everyone.
I wanna make
one of a kind chairs,
for one of a kind people.
Right now they've one wheelchair
that fits everybody.
I wanna make a wheelchair
for each person's personality.
This is the Dr. Evil Chair.
Complete functional wheelchair
with mp3 player,
sirens, horns, lights...
beer holder...
Everything
anybody needs in a wheelchair.
In fact,
he has a whole fleet
of tricked-out rides.
With attachments
like rocket-launchers,
rotating turrets,
and fake machine-guns...
The Dr. Strangelove Chair,
it works just like
a regular wheelchair.
But it also has a turret.
You can drive it
like an Abrams tank,
any direction.
So just how exactly
does he come up
with these things?
Let's just say, with Lance,
there's no shortage of ideas.
People say they're bored.
I don't know how
anybody's ever bored.
I have so many ideas
and so many things I wanna do.
I just don't have the time.
I like building things
that are different.
I don't like normal things.
I guess having a childhood
where I grew up watching sci-fi,
Jules Verne, Lost in Space...
And he just builds
them out of junk.
One man's junk
is another guy's treasure.
There's no junk here,
it's all good stuff.
My wife might have a different
opinion.
But to me, it's all treasure.
He's even
convinced his neighbors
to leave any spare parts
they find, at his gate.
I think I've a good eye
for looking at things,
and saying
"This could be this or that",
and meld them together.
Same size, perfect.
My friends are going
"I've never seen anybody
so excited about
a universal joint."
I find all the parts,
get 'em in a pile,
and then just start building.
I don't draw, I just start.
I don't wanna waste a step
by taking time
to draw something.
I already have it up here.
[narrator
Lance has certainly created
a number of off-the-wall gadgets
over the years.
Would you like a beverage?
But by far
he gets the most satisfaction
out of donating
his specialty wheelchairs.
There's nothing like
giving a chair to someone
that can't afford one.
The look on their face
is hard to explain.
His friend Ryan
is confined to a wheelchair,
and he knows the value
of a tricked-out ride.
Having a wheelchair
that's made for having fun
rather than made
for medical purposes
is very liberating,
and very fun,
and you definitely
get a lot of attention that way.
Every physically challenged
person I've seen
says "Dude,
you're on the right path."
This is what we want.
We want something different.
It doesn't have to be
so serious all the time.
For now, Lance
is doing it all non-profit,
on the side.
But someday,
he'd like to have the means
to be able to do this full-time
and to leave his own legacy.
I wanna leave this world knowing
that I left it a little better
than I found it.
That I wasn't here
just trying to make money,
but actually trying
to do something constructive
for other people.
I'm doing what my brother
no longer can.
Next up, we're off
to an enormous port
and industrial zone
in the United Arab Emirates.
And while we've come to expect
super-sized engineering
from the U.A.E.
this particular port,
the size of a small country,
is a little bit different.
It all has to do with
where it's being built.
This is
what it takes to build a giant.
A forest of cranes...
an army of workers...
and a sea of cement.
But words
just don't do it justice
and at ground level
you don't get a sense
of its scale.
But have a look at the plan.
This is Kizad.
The Khalifa industrial zone
in Abu Dhabi.
It's 420 square kilometers
when it's fully developed out
and let's put that
into perspective
That's two thirds
the size of Singapore.
It's two thirds
the size of Toronto.
So this is almost
a small country in scale.
When it is finished
the deep water port
will handle two
million containers a year
and 12 million tons.
And that's just
phase one of five.
And to contrast that
with Abu Dhabi's existing port,
that's four times
bigger from day one.
There'll be a range
of industries here.
Served by roads...
a brand new railroad...
and three nearby airports.
What does it cost?
7.2 billion dollars.
Is it the largest
industrial zone in the world?
That's a great question.
If there's a bigger one
out there,
we don't know where it is.
[narrator
Kizad is made of sediments
dragged from the sea.
Had we been here two years ago,
we'd have been bobbing around
in the ocean right now.
Listen to how much
they brought up
to make the port island.
20,000 Olympic classes
swimming pools.
And the industrial zone...
We've had to raise
over 20 square kilometers
by about two meters,
the size of a big tall guy.
And all that dredging
causes turbidity
and milky water is a problem
for the silt-sensitive
neighbors.
You see, Kizad sits
next to a desalination plant
and the largest coral reef
in the Arabian gulf.
It is already battered
by high water temperatures
and steep salinity.
Silt could smother
photosynthesis and kill the reef
But they saw that coming up
and have several ways
to stop the silt.
Their environment manager
takes us out to see them.
What we're looking at here
is basically the inside of the
environmental breakwater,
which is about
seven kilometers wall
that was built to protect
the environment around the port.
Like an arm basically.
During the construction,
it stops any sediments or silt
from traveling across
to the neighboring reef.
The other side
of the breakwater
is more open to waves.
So its outer layer
is protected with accropodes.
These are specially designed
and molded concrete blocks.
As you see
they're interlocking,
so you are using the weight
as well as
the interlocking power
of these things
to stay in place.
So when a wave hits,
it breaks this
and then
it dissipates the energy.
They chose to build
the port far from shore dredging
and five kilometers away
from those sensitive spots.
Instead of solid causeways
they built bridges.
They are the country's first
and third longest.
Keeping watch
are two coral scientists.
They first dove on the reef
well before construction.
And now the company
brings them in
once every four months.
On this outing
they are happy to see
a lot of young fish.
A sign of a healthy reef.
We haven't noticed any major
drops in coral coverage
or coral density
and we take it from that
that the reef
is in good shape.
It shows we can build
such a large construction
and with appropriate measures
and investment
we can keep that construction
from impacting the reef.
By the time
the first ship arrived
that investment was huge.
154 million pounds
for the breakwater alone.
It was a non-negotiable
part of the deal.
Well into the future
that investment
will serve Kizad well.
Because even normal operations
will stir up silt.
This is a case
of great engineering
that's worked
and it's protected
a national asset
for generations to come.
When Kizad is fully
finished it's gonna be a giant.
But as you see,
it is a gentle giant.
Coming up on How Tech Works.
We test the limits
of dangerous driver distraction.
And we go deep inside the world
of extreme
waterslide technology.
Welcome back to How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer.
Now distractions while driving
can be extremely dangerous,
and they're pushing some drivers
to unsafe limits
on the motorways
all over the world.
Especially with the prevalence
of mobile phones
and other hand-held devices.
At a university in Florida,
with the help
of a "virtual" truck,
they're uncovering
stunning new information
about driver distraction.
Not to mention
some pretty scary habits.
[narrator
A weaving 18-wheeler.
We're killing
40-thousand a year.
Every driver's
nightmare.
Twenty five
to thirty five percent
of the fatalities
occurring in the U.S.
are either directly
or indirectly related
to distracted driving.
A text,
or even a complicated
maneuver on the road
is enough to put any vehicle
on the hard shoulder.
Distracted driving
is three times more serious
in terms of distraction
than drunk driving.
And that's a big a-ha.
Ron Tarr is taking
the issue to the next level.
As a simulation expert
at the University
of Central Florida,
he's determined to find out
what throws riggers off.
Ted can you go ahead and dial
the last number
in your phone please.
I'm not unrealistic enough
to believe that people
are going to stop
using their cell phones
because Americans
live by their phones.
But if we can raise
their awareness
and start having an effect,
even at the 10 percent level
it will hopefully save lives
and reduce accidents.
One driver
who welcomes the research
is Ted Price.
Well my father
was a truck driver
and I've always been
intrigued by trucks.
Ted's been hauling 18-wheels
for more than 20 years.
He's now teaching
rules of the road
to a new generation
of gadget craved drivers.
Ways that we are teaching
students
is ideally not using
the cell phone
but if the cell phone
has to be used,
get a hands free device.
It's time to put
the new driving simulator
to the test.
What we're going
to do today
is we're going to take Ted
and put him through
a few scenarios
to find out exactly
how we can record
what's going on
in terms of distractions.
Instead of an engine,
a computer interface
and sensors attached
to hydraulics.
All on this real truck cab.
Alright, driver's ready,
scenario starting.
In this scenario we have
the driver going through
the work zone arena.
Which is
the external distraction.
And we're going to add
the internal distraction.
We're going to listen
as the driver interacts.
Hello.
Hey ted this is Scott,
how are you doing?
Hello Scott.
From the control
room, a series of questions.
All designed to tie-up
Ted's attention.
What you can see
is the driver is wavering a bit.
An indication of distraction.
Put some rain on him.
What we can do
is add weather effects
as we go through the process
that further complicates
the driver's situation.
Ted,
can you go ahead and dial
the last number in your
phone, please?
Now this is
an internal distraction
but it's a different
specific task
where the driver needs
to manipulate the instrument
instead of just answering it.
He's going into
the work zone now,
so let's watch
and see how he does.
Finished the distraction,
get him back on track
Hit snow.
Now there's a distraction
for Orlando
Even with snow
flying in this virtual world
Ted keeps his grip.
Ted is a real steady driver,
He's got lots of experience.
We threw additional distractions
on him and he stayed solid.
We had a couple
that were not so good.
They tended
to be really affected
by the distractions.
And in the post interview
they reported
that they would probably
not be using the phone
in the future.
Ron's findings
don't stop here.
This kind of research is pushing
dashboard distractions
off the road.
Last up it's time to call
on the services
of our fearless reporter,
Mark Miller.
You see,
Mark is a guy who can access
some pretty cool
behind-the-scenes stuff.
Plus,
he loves to play test pilot.
So when the folks
at the world's first
indoor upside down
waterslide came calling,
Mark answered.
Indoor
upside down waterslide.
Take it away, Mark.
The race to build
the ultimate thrill ride
is being turned up a notch.
This is Whitewater West
in Vancouver.
They specialize in terror.
Their engineering philosophy...
the scarier the ride,
the more people
will want to ride it.
But there is a catch.
Anyone can come up with
a ride that's safe but boring.
Likewise they can come up
with a ride
that is very exciting,
but not safe.
Where White Waters
technical expertise really lies
is finding that peak
where you have got
the maximum...
...fun.
The maximum excitement
without compromising safety
at all.
Today they're trying
to hit that maximum peak.
Testing something
that no indoor water park
has ever attempted before...
a full loop.
For years water slide builders
have been chasing
roller coaster engineers
where loops are possible
because of seat belts
and sophisticated restraints.
But slides like this
are about to change all that.
This is what White Water
and West Edmonton Mall
call their baby.
He's going
to be our first rider.
If it works
and if I can survive
the test runs,
it will be opened to the public.
Okay, ready to launch.
The world's first
indoor looping water slide.
The aqua loop.
Today I'm part
of a team of a half dozen people
working out the bugs.
You gotta screw driver
to do the...
Claudio Barrera has been here
since early this morning.
Ya, I could ask
for a little bit of filler here.
Checking
and re-checking
the safety systems.
They're infrared.
From motion sensors
that tell operators
when a rider has passed by...
And that will let us know
that the ride's now empty
and we're safe to start
launching the next person.
to the escape hatch
used if a rider
doesn't build up enough speed
to get around the loop.
You have the person come out,
you help them out,
the key is in the door
so you can't reactivate
the system anymore.
̇.. ya,
we're connected back up.
From the moment you step
into the launch capsule,
you know
this is no kiddie slide.
The ride starts
with a free fall...
One...
to build up
enough speed
to get you over the loop.
But unlike
conventional water slides
where a river of water
helps propel riders downhill,
the loop meant
the traditional river of water
simply wouldn't work.
The water won't go
as high as the rider will.
The solution
was a series of spray nozzles
throughout the loop.
So these spray nozzles
going up the loop here
are pretty much
the only source of lubrication
that you have for the slide,
for the uphill trajectory
on the aqua loop.
Once over the top
of the loop,
it's another near
free fall to the finish area...
where the only tool
they have to slow a rider down
from 50 kilometers an hour is,
you guessed it, water.
And that's a very
critical item.
Is our hydraulic jump.
You know that is our brake
and if we don't have the brake
where we want it,
we don't want anybody
coming close to the end.
Getting the water
right in the finish area
is a delicate balance.
Too much water and...
You could actually get injured
just by slamming
into a water wall.
But not enough water
could send a rider rocketing off
the end of the slippery ride
and onto the concrete.
You want to get them
into thick water
and braking
before they get to the end.
Getting this tweaked
is the last thing
that needs to be done
before the ride can be opened.
Just give it a sec to equalize,
I'll let you know though, ok?
The water depth here
is controlled by a dam.
Do you want the water
deeper, the shim comes up?
Correct. We'll just
put thicker shims in there.
And that will move the sort
of move this water brake
so to speak back further?
Yes, so it's one
of the two variables
we get to play with.
We get to play
with the weir height
and we get to play
with the water flow.
Ok, so now
we're sending Mark down.
This is no free ride.
The moment
I exit the aqua loop,
Claudio wants information.
So how did that feel?
It was awesome.
There's no bumps, nothing.
It was smooth
all the way down?
Smooth all the way down.
And how did it feel
when you came
into the shutdown lane?
Did you feel the transition
as being abrupt or--
-No.
-Did you notice it even?
You know it's funny,
actually
I had a bit of water in my face
on that last corner
so I might have closed my eyes.
I actually
didn't even notice I...
I knew I stopped
but I don't think I noticed.
I didn't feel
like I hit anything.
I didn't feel anything abrupt,
I didn't feel a break.
Right, great.
No that's perfect.
By the end of the day,
the aqua loop gets signed off
by the test pilots
and the engineers.
- How was that?
- That was awesome.
- How did it feel?
- Crazy.
That's it for now,
thank you very much
for watching How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer
and I'll see you next time.