How Tech Works (2012–…): Season 2, Episode 6 - Episode #2.6 - full transcript
On this episode of
How Tech Works.
We'll meet the inventor
of the world's lightest
and most portable watercraft.
And we'll vault away
in this extreme Dutch
sport called fierljeppen!
Hi there, and welcome to
How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer.
And we have a boatload
of cool stories about
new inventions,
cutting edge technology
and a Dutch sport that
combines pole-vaulting...
with puddle jumping.
We'll meet
the father-son team responsible
for keeping this 100 year old
clock tower ticking
and we'll take a ride
on a bucking bronco
that's controlled
by your emotions.
But first...
what do you get when you take
an extremely long pole,
a field of ditches
and streams
and over one hundred
years of Dutch tradition?
The answer
is both intriguing...
and difficult to pronounce!
It's called fierljeppen,
and this competitive sport
is even more challenging
than it looks.
Like all good
athletes.
Jaco de Groot trains
as often as he can.
Some of that training
and preparation is rather ...
specialized.
He's the Dutch
national champion
at a sport that involves
a very, very, long pole.
Fierljeppen is a
typical Dutch sport where you
have a pole and you
try to jump as far as
possible.
And you do this
by jumping over water.
Fierljeppen
started centuries ago.
With farmers simply trying
to cross their properties.
In the Netherlands there
are all ditches everywhere!
So it's...
40m land, ditch,
40m land, ditch and so forth.
Today it's an extreme sport.
With carbon fiber poles
and trained athletes.
Pieter Hielema has been coaching
Jaco for the past two years.
If you stand here and
you look to the other
side it's 20m further.
That's how far they jump.
It goes fast. It's explosive.
Jaco's record is 21 meters.
Go, go, go...
To be good in our sport...
you need coordination,
strength, speed.
First there's the approach.
If you run too fast,
you go pretty quick to
the other side,
you're not to the top.
If you run too slow
that's also nice,
then you fall
in the water.
Then there's the contact.
You have two ways
to jump on the pole.
One is the natural way
to dive to the pole.
your legs are
about here...
and then...
your back is curving
and before your legs are
here it takes a long time.
So the natural way
is not really good.
You need to train the way
with your knee inside.
So it's quick.
I can show you.
Like this.
In that same motion,
your head needs to be
centered behind the pole
to avoid falling to one
side or the other.
And hand position
is also important.
If you're too low,
then your weight is lower
and then you go quick.
If you grab too high,
you fall in the water.
You walk about
30 kph to the pole.
And the pole is standing
still, so you have...
not one second, not a
half second, but less
to decide to do it good.
Then
climb the 13-metre
or three and
a half story pole
as fast as possible before it
comes down on the other side.
you have to
jump off the pole so you have to
bend your body almost
like pole vaulting high,
but...
in a horizontal direction.
Of course
it doesn't always go well.
Every jump today
is better than your
best jump on Monday.
On average, one in
three jumps ends in the water.
There's a friendly rivalry
between the north and
south of the country.
Jaco's top dog in the south.
But he lost to a
guy from the north
in last year's red
bull nationals.
There's one purpose for me and
that's winning the competition.
Last year I was second
but now I want to be first.
The
weather isn't great
for today's qualifier.
But the athletes are focused.
Among them
Jaco's younger brother.
You don't want to be
beat by your brother!
Competitors have
four rounds to make their mark.
Go, go, go!
Jaco's first jump looks good.
But he's not happy.
The power
was not there today.
It's more because
of the wind and...
the walking a little bit wet.
So slippy.
So it's tough.
Everyone's fighting
the wind and the rain.
Normally
when there's rain
we don't really
continue jumping.
But it's such a small drizzle.
I think they might stop.
Actually they stopped.
I'm looking behind
and I see that
they stopped the match
because it's too much.
That's too bad for Jaco.
That last jump counts.
But it's not his worst.
It was when
I was 14 years old.
I was practicing
and I fall with
my feet in the water and
with my head to the side.
So it was a very tough landing.
I always look out
now because I still remember.
Things improve
when the rain lets up.
go, go, go!
Jump number three looks better.
It's some more
so it's quite okay.
But... I'm not satisfied.
He's only at 16m.
For him it's enough to
qualify because he was...
ended up in 2nd
place last year,
so he only had to
jump over the water.
Overall,
it may not have been
the best day
for competition.
What a bad match... awful.
But it's all a part
and parcel... of fierljeppen.
It's really cool but crazy.
It's a lot of fun. And also...
so much power and technique.
You'll see
the wind and nature...
everything can go wrong.
And if it's going...
if it's all complete, one jump,
then you won't forget
it for your life.
This next story takes us all
the way to sunny California.
where we catch up with
a unique individual
doing his part to
one-up a jet ski.
Now that might sound
like a tall order
but given that he's the creator
of the world's lightest
and most portable watercraft,
he might just have a shot at it.
His name is Jason woods.
And his personal watercraft
is catching the attention
of the local search
and rescue team.
Fun on the water.
There's nothing like it.
Unless you're on a lake where
it's just a royal pain
to haul your boat
out to the water.
And then what?
Jason Woods has a plan.
The world's smallest
personal watercraft.
The Kymera is a
jet-powered bodyboard.
It flies completely in
the face of everything
personal watercraft
manufacturers
are doing right now.
At just
16 kilograms,
you just pick it up and
head to the water.
You got a start button,
for the electric start. And a
kill button to shut it off.
And a throttle control to
control the engine speed.
Other than that
steering is accomplished by
shifting your weight
left and right.
It's not just for
personal pleasure though.
Jason's invention could
soon be saving lives..
Today,
the rescue community
gets its first look at
the Kymera jet board.
Only a handful of people,
close family mostly, have
ever really seen this thing.
So it's really
exciting to be able
to unveil this to the search
& rescue team today.
Jason's spent years
toiling on this project
in his garage.
the rescue team's
feedback will be crucial
for his dreams of
making this a reality.
Will they be impressed?
Jason woods loves
being on the water.
Growing up in Napa in
Northern California,
the only choice was to hitch
the boat up to the truck,
and haul her
off to the lake.
His search was on
to find an easier,
more economical way to
get out on the water.
I had to
be able to just pick it up.
I had to be able to
fit it in my car
so I could
get it to the lake
walk it down
to the water,
and throw it
in and go ride.
He started
putting pen to paper.
I had to figure out
what it was going to look like
and how it would work.
You can see here some
of the early designs.
It's more or less a sled
to go in the water.
From the
design board to the garage.
Might just
want to hold off on that
till we get it
re-located down lower.
The first problem
I ran into was that
because nothing like this
has ever been done before
there's no parts that exist
for something like this.
His first
attempts just didn't float...
literally.
Finally,
his third prototype works well.
But it's still not
quite up to size.
The thing is so small.
You weigh exponentially more
than the craft itself does.
So the smallest shift
in weight can
really change
the center of gravity.
It can really change
where the waterline is.
Now that it's been proved
that it could be done,
the idea is to move into
the big scaled-up jet ski pump
with a much more
powerful engine.
The newest model
will pump up the power
from about two horsepower,
and about nine miles per hour,
to 18 horsepower and
about 35 miles per hour!
Now, though,
Jason's project
has taken on
a more urgent nature.
It all came about once
Jason let the word out
that he was working
on this jet board.
As soon as I did
that, I found that
the whole concept was much
bigger than I'd realized.
Today we've got the
search & rescue team from
Marine County coming out
to take a look at this.
To kind of evaluate and
give me their feedback.
Moving into the 4th version,
really of give me the things
I need to take to heart
and put into this,
to make it as ideally suited
for their job as possible.
You must be Kai.
I am, I am. Jason?
I'm Jason.
Hey, nice to meet you.
Yeah nice to meet you.
So this is it,
at long last.
That's an impressive
looking board.
Yeah this idea was just to get
something how small
and how light can it be done.
You can just shift
your body weight
and it goes where
you want it to go.
Some of the crew
get called off on
an emergency,
but the other are
anxious to see
Jason take the Kymera
for a demonstration.
It's light, it's quick,
the concept's there for sure.
It's so portable you can
carry it down to the dock.
It's definitely going to
outswim somebody, you know.
Safety's always our
number one priority.
And if that increases
the safety of that
rescue swimmer going
out to the victim,
then it's absolutely
something we'd be
interested in looking
at in the future.
I think it's great,
to try and spearhead
something like this, to
affect people's lives
and to change lives by
saving one, my hat's off.
It's a little overwhelming.
You know, being able to
have all these guys here
and look at this thing
and to really
make it real.
To be here at the water
with these guys,
and shake their hands,
and to know what they
go out and do every day.
I mean they
had to go run off
while they were
here to help somebody!
I mean, it really
drives it home
how important this is,
and it just drives me
to get this thing done
as soon as possible
and into
their hands so,
if this thing can
save one life,
it justifies every year
that I've put into it.
Coming up on
How Tech Works.
This old clocktower
has been keeping
proper time,
for over 100 years.
We go behind the scenes
to find out how it's done.
And...
this bucking bronco has
a mind of its' own... giddy up!
Welcome back to
How Tech Works.
I'm basil singer.
Now, it's no secret
that the world of tech
has gone from
analog to digital.
And this applies
to all sorts of stuff.
Music, TV
and timekeeping.
But in downtown
Toronto, Canada,
one of the city's
oldest clocktowers
has been keeping
the correct time
for more than one
hundred years.
And that's without the
help of modern technology.
More recently this
has been made possible
thanks to one particular
family of experts.
In downtown
Toronto you can‘t miss this.
Old city hall
with its clock tower.
Despite the fact it
is over 100 years old
and not digital like
everything else these days
this clock
tells time... accurately.
Thanks to this father
and son team of clock workers.
Twice a month
David and Phil Abernethy
climb the 286 stairs up the bell
tower to look after the clock.
En route they stop to
check on the bells.
We physically check
to see if everything
is in good shape up there and
hanging the way it should.
And the fulcrums that
pull the hammers.
We have to make sure
they are in good condition.
Cables do tend to fray from
time to time and come loose.
Every 15 minutes
the clock bells sound off.
We've got what
we call a tenor bell
That's 11,000 plus pounds
of bell hanging there.
This guy is the hour bell
that you hear for the hour.
and these two bells are
the quarter bells,
and it's just the two notes.
We call it a Ting Tang.
Two O clock.
Time to climb some more stairs.
Hello baby, daddy is back.
At the
top of the tower
encased in glass is the century
old mechanism that keeps time.
The tower is
made of masonry.
And wherever there is
masonry, there's masonry dust.
It oxidizes,
it goes on the floor.
It's tramped away.
The dust settles on these parts.
This is in a cabinet to keep as
much of it away as possible.
It's in
good shape now.
But it wasn't when
the Abernethy family
first started working
on it in 1992.
I was pretty taken aback
because it was
acutely neglected.
There were lots of
incredibly worn gears.
This very important
component of this clock
which makes it quite unique,
is called a Remetoire.
Those series of components
was in serious disarray.
So...
we took those components
and we built them
basically to the
original pattern.
If David and Phil
hadn't restored this part,
the clock could very well
have shaken itself to pieces.
Right now what I am doing is
checking the ratchet work here
on the fan we've just
replaced this recently.
And each service visit
we'll check these parts
really carefully.
This fan
plays a key role
in stopping this clock
from self-destructing.
It is a shock absorber,
a power absorber.
It's very normal and
you find this in a lot of
industrial machinery,
particularly in clocks.
You know...
that's what that is.
And this is something we
really keep a close watch on.
Big Ben was
destroyed by it.
It cost hundreds of
thousands of pounds.
All because of one
of these failing.
And the clock was out of
service for a very long time.
The Rementoire keeps
the clock's mechanical pressure
balanced so it can stay on time.
And then when you've
done that, get this one here.
The Abernethy's
who have been in the
clock making business
for over 30 years haven't
seen too many of these.
There is only
one of four types of
this type of Rementoire
that exists in the world.
So...
we did a lot of research.
I went to the U.K twice to
study similar examples.
I came back with that knowledge
and we were able to restore it.
So, now they need to ensure
it keeps working properly.
Rementoire
is a very complex,
delicate piece of machinery.
Some people might think
it's as simple matter
of throwing oil all over
it and its going to work.
Well it is not so.
The real enemy here is dust.
This is the way you brush
your teeth, brush your teeth.
Yes we are cleaning the teeth.
You have got to keep
the teeth clean from all...
lubricants that have congealed.
Because it wears
away these wheels.
Not only have
David and his son Phil
been working on their clock,
so has Phil's son martin.
You are going to
clean down the back there right?
This is not the only clock
the Abernethy's are
taking care of.
but it holds a special
place for them.
I am the third generation
that is worked on this clock.
Maybe there will be a fourth.
I wouldn't miss the stairs.
But I would miss the machine,
especially the Rementoire
because it is unique.
Because it is a listed
historical item.
and many, many people
come to the city
and if they don't see our
clock working properly
What are they thinking?
We consider it a civic
responsibility as much as a job.
Finally... I don't
know about you,
but when I was a
youngster at school
the possibility of becoming
a "thrill engineer"
when I grew up, was never
really on the cards.
Because such an occupation
did not exist...
or so I thought.
But that's exactly
what this team
from Nottingham
call themselves.
And these thrill
engineers have come up
with a ride
unlike any other.
it responds to your
emotions while you ride.
So step right up
and slide onto
the saddle of the bucking
bronco-matic.
At the university of Nottingham,
something wild is happening.
These mad scientists are wiring
each other from head to toe.
This is an experiment
designed for one reason.
To create a thrill ride.
The likes of which,
the world has never seen.
We're aiming to
create rides that can
customize themselves to
each riders physiology,
to create the most
thrilling ride possible.
Brendan
walker and his team
of thrill engineers want to
design the ride of the future.
One that can
sense and react to
each and every rider's
emotional state.
If I'm not
excited by a ride,
the ride itself could start
manipulating my experience
and tailoring itself to me
and my psychological needs.
It all
started six years ago.
When Brendan
created a formula
that could actually work out
those kinds of numbers.
The thrill factor
is when you get,
a rapid and large change
in pleasure and arousal.
The bigger they are, the
bigger the thrill factor is.
It was at that point we
moved from a sort of
subjective exploration.
Through to a very
scientific objective analysis
of the thrilling experience.
With the help
of a mechanical bull,
the team brings
the theme park right
inside the lab.
Good?
Fantastic.
It was a very simple experiment
We have one rider
riding the ride,
collecting all the data.
The electrodes on
the rider track heart-rate,
sweat-levels, and even
the movement of
smile and frown
muscles on their face.
All these data gets
sent back to the operator.
We were
interested in the ride operator
interpreting that data and
making ride control decisions
based on, purely
on that medical data.
If the rider's not
as excited as he should be
the operator
can crank it up.
The first step
in creating this sort of
feedback control
system for the ride.
But this, is just the beginning.
With some
geeky DIY modifications
the guys now take the human
out of the loop completely.
At one end of the circuit
a fully-automated
bucking bronco-matic
At the other end...
a simple breathing monitor
is strapped to the rider.
As Brendan breathes
you can see on
the laptop screen
we can see his breathing
going up and down.
and our control panel robot
is actually moving the bronco.
So as Brendan
breathes out,
the bronco goes one way.
And if Brendan
breathes in the bronco
goes back the other way.
It's like a
horror film setting.
We've now got a computer
controlling a human's enjoyment.
If I hold my breath...
I think I'm going to be
able to stay on quite a while.
But it's how long I can hold my
breath for which is the trick.
Rider one.
Are you ready?
Not really.
Okay...
3, 2, 1...
Go!
Even though his own body
is steering the wheel Brendan
has no control of the ride.
When you're horrified
and you become scared
you're breathing
becomes shallow,
panicked,
it becomes quickened.
I'm struggling...
to control my breathing...
but it's, quite hard!
It's surprisingly difficult and
try as you might to control it,
every time it twitches,
you just want to laugh
or scream,
which makes it go even faster.
For the bronco-
matic's final test
our producer and cameraman
decide to give it a shot.
After a well-fought
and valiant battle
both...
are handily defeated.
I am going to beat it!
I am going to beat it!
For now...
bronco-matic
is just a prototype.
But it's proof
that thrill rides can be
custom-made just for you.
Though the idea is
never going to save lives
to Brendan...
thrilling people
to death is just as good.
We all want to
experience thrill in our lives.
It's part of
what makes us tick.
I think a life
without thrill
would be really empty.
That's it!
There's no more time I'm afraid.
Thank you very much for
watching How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer,
and I'll see you next time.
How Tech Works.
We'll meet the inventor
of the world's lightest
and most portable watercraft.
And we'll vault away
in this extreme Dutch
sport called fierljeppen!
Hi there, and welcome to
How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer.
And we have a boatload
of cool stories about
new inventions,
cutting edge technology
and a Dutch sport that
combines pole-vaulting...
with puddle jumping.
We'll meet
the father-son team responsible
for keeping this 100 year old
clock tower ticking
and we'll take a ride
on a bucking bronco
that's controlled
by your emotions.
But first...
what do you get when you take
an extremely long pole,
a field of ditches
and streams
and over one hundred
years of Dutch tradition?
The answer
is both intriguing...
and difficult to pronounce!
It's called fierljeppen,
and this competitive sport
is even more challenging
than it looks.
Like all good
athletes.
Jaco de Groot trains
as often as he can.
Some of that training
and preparation is rather ...
specialized.
He's the Dutch
national champion
at a sport that involves
a very, very, long pole.
Fierljeppen is a
typical Dutch sport where you
have a pole and you
try to jump as far as
possible.
And you do this
by jumping over water.
Fierljeppen
started centuries ago.
With farmers simply trying
to cross their properties.
In the Netherlands there
are all ditches everywhere!
So it's...
40m land, ditch,
40m land, ditch and so forth.
Today it's an extreme sport.
With carbon fiber poles
and trained athletes.
Pieter Hielema has been coaching
Jaco for the past two years.
If you stand here and
you look to the other
side it's 20m further.
That's how far they jump.
It goes fast. It's explosive.
Jaco's record is 21 meters.
Go, go, go...
To be good in our sport...
you need coordination,
strength, speed.
First there's the approach.
If you run too fast,
you go pretty quick to
the other side,
you're not to the top.
If you run too slow
that's also nice,
then you fall
in the water.
Then there's the contact.
You have two ways
to jump on the pole.
One is the natural way
to dive to the pole.
your legs are
about here...
and then...
your back is curving
and before your legs are
here it takes a long time.
So the natural way
is not really good.
You need to train the way
with your knee inside.
So it's quick.
I can show you.
Like this.
In that same motion,
your head needs to be
centered behind the pole
to avoid falling to one
side or the other.
And hand position
is also important.
If you're too low,
then your weight is lower
and then you go quick.
If you grab too high,
you fall in the water.
You walk about
30 kph to the pole.
And the pole is standing
still, so you have...
not one second, not a
half second, but less
to decide to do it good.
Then
climb the 13-metre
or three and
a half story pole
as fast as possible before it
comes down on the other side.
you have to
jump off the pole so you have to
bend your body almost
like pole vaulting high,
but...
in a horizontal direction.
Of course
it doesn't always go well.
Every jump today
is better than your
best jump on Monday.
On average, one in
three jumps ends in the water.
There's a friendly rivalry
between the north and
south of the country.
Jaco's top dog in the south.
But he lost to a
guy from the north
in last year's red
bull nationals.
There's one purpose for me and
that's winning the competition.
Last year I was second
but now I want to be first.
The
weather isn't great
for today's qualifier.
But the athletes are focused.
Among them
Jaco's younger brother.
You don't want to be
beat by your brother!
Competitors have
four rounds to make their mark.
Go, go, go!
Jaco's first jump looks good.
But he's not happy.
The power
was not there today.
It's more because
of the wind and...
the walking a little bit wet.
So slippy.
So it's tough.
Everyone's fighting
the wind and the rain.
Normally
when there's rain
we don't really
continue jumping.
But it's such a small drizzle.
I think they might stop.
Actually they stopped.
I'm looking behind
and I see that
they stopped the match
because it's too much.
That's too bad for Jaco.
That last jump counts.
But it's not his worst.
It was when
I was 14 years old.
I was practicing
and I fall with
my feet in the water and
with my head to the side.
So it was a very tough landing.
I always look out
now because I still remember.
Things improve
when the rain lets up.
go, go, go!
Jump number three looks better.
It's some more
so it's quite okay.
But... I'm not satisfied.
He's only at 16m.
For him it's enough to
qualify because he was...
ended up in 2nd
place last year,
so he only had to
jump over the water.
Overall,
it may not have been
the best day
for competition.
What a bad match... awful.
But it's all a part
and parcel... of fierljeppen.
It's really cool but crazy.
It's a lot of fun. And also...
so much power and technique.
You'll see
the wind and nature...
everything can go wrong.
And if it's going...
if it's all complete, one jump,
then you won't forget
it for your life.
This next story takes us all
the way to sunny California.
where we catch up with
a unique individual
doing his part to
one-up a jet ski.
Now that might sound
like a tall order
but given that he's the creator
of the world's lightest
and most portable watercraft,
he might just have a shot at it.
His name is Jason woods.
And his personal watercraft
is catching the attention
of the local search
and rescue team.
Fun on the water.
There's nothing like it.
Unless you're on a lake where
it's just a royal pain
to haul your boat
out to the water.
And then what?
Jason Woods has a plan.
The world's smallest
personal watercraft.
The Kymera is a
jet-powered bodyboard.
It flies completely in
the face of everything
personal watercraft
manufacturers
are doing right now.
At just
16 kilograms,
you just pick it up and
head to the water.
You got a start button,
for the electric start. And a
kill button to shut it off.
And a throttle control to
control the engine speed.
Other than that
steering is accomplished by
shifting your weight
left and right.
It's not just for
personal pleasure though.
Jason's invention could
soon be saving lives..
Today,
the rescue community
gets its first look at
the Kymera jet board.
Only a handful of people,
close family mostly, have
ever really seen this thing.
So it's really
exciting to be able
to unveil this to the search
& rescue team today.
Jason's spent years
toiling on this project
in his garage.
the rescue team's
feedback will be crucial
for his dreams of
making this a reality.
Will they be impressed?
Jason woods loves
being on the water.
Growing up in Napa in
Northern California,
the only choice was to hitch
the boat up to the truck,
and haul her
off to the lake.
His search was on
to find an easier,
more economical way to
get out on the water.
I had to
be able to just pick it up.
I had to be able to
fit it in my car
so I could
get it to the lake
walk it down
to the water,
and throw it
in and go ride.
He started
putting pen to paper.
I had to figure out
what it was going to look like
and how it would work.
You can see here some
of the early designs.
It's more or less a sled
to go in the water.
From the
design board to the garage.
Might just
want to hold off on that
till we get it
re-located down lower.
The first problem
I ran into was that
because nothing like this
has ever been done before
there's no parts that exist
for something like this.
His first
attempts just didn't float...
literally.
Finally,
his third prototype works well.
But it's still not
quite up to size.
The thing is so small.
You weigh exponentially more
than the craft itself does.
So the smallest shift
in weight can
really change
the center of gravity.
It can really change
where the waterline is.
Now that it's been proved
that it could be done,
the idea is to move into
the big scaled-up jet ski pump
with a much more
powerful engine.
The newest model
will pump up the power
from about two horsepower,
and about nine miles per hour,
to 18 horsepower and
about 35 miles per hour!
Now, though,
Jason's project
has taken on
a more urgent nature.
It all came about once
Jason let the word out
that he was working
on this jet board.
As soon as I did
that, I found that
the whole concept was much
bigger than I'd realized.
Today we've got the
search & rescue team from
Marine County coming out
to take a look at this.
To kind of evaluate and
give me their feedback.
Moving into the 4th version,
really of give me the things
I need to take to heart
and put into this,
to make it as ideally suited
for their job as possible.
You must be Kai.
I am, I am. Jason?
I'm Jason.
Hey, nice to meet you.
Yeah nice to meet you.
So this is it,
at long last.
That's an impressive
looking board.
Yeah this idea was just to get
something how small
and how light can it be done.
You can just shift
your body weight
and it goes where
you want it to go.
Some of the crew
get called off on
an emergency,
but the other are
anxious to see
Jason take the Kymera
for a demonstration.
It's light, it's quick,
the concept's there for sure.
It's so portable you can
carry it down to the dock.
It's definitely going to
outswim somebody, you know.
Safety's always our
number one priority.
And if that increases
the safety of that
rescue swimmer going
out to the victim,
then it's absolutely
something we'd be
interested in looking
at in the future.
I think it's great,
to try and spearhead
something like this, to
affect people's lives
and to change lives by
saving one, my hat's off.
It's a little overwhelming.
You know, being able to
have all these guys here
and look at this thing
and to really
make it real.
To be here at the water
with these guys,
and shake their hands,
and to know what they
go out and do every day.
I mean they
had to go run off
while they were
here to help somebody!
I mean, it really
drives it home
how important this is,
and it just drives me
to get this thing done
as soon as possible
and into
their hands so,
if this thing can
save one life,
it justifies every year
that I've put into it.
Coming up on
How Tech Works.
This old clocktower
has been keeping
proper time,
for over 100 years.
We go behind the scenes
to find out how it's done.
And...
this bucking bronco has
a mind of its' own... giddy up!
Welcome back to
How Tech Works.
I'm basil singer.
Now, it's no secret
that the world of tech
has gone from
analog to digital.
And this applies
to all sorts of stuff.
Music, TV
and timekeeping.
But in downtown
Toronto, Canada,
one of the city's
oldest clocktowers
has been keeping
the correct time
for more than one
hundred years.
And that's without the
help of modern technology.
More recently this
has been made possible
thanks to one particular
family of experts.
In downtown
Toronto you can‘t miss this.
Old city hall
with its clock tower.
Despite the fact it
is over 100 years old
and not digital like
everything else these days
this clock
tells time... accurately.
Thanks to this father
and son team of clock workers.
Twice a month
David and Phil Abernethy
climb the 286 stairs up the bell
tower to look after the clock.
En route they stop to
check on the bells.
We physically check
to see if everything
is in good shape up there and
hanging the way it should.
And the fulcrums that
pull the hammers.
We have to make sure
they are in good condition.
Cables do tend to fray from
time to time and come loose.
Every 15 minutes
the clock bells sound off.
We've got what
we call a tenor bell
That's 11,000 plus pounds
of bell hanging there.
This guy is the hour bell
that you hear for the hour.
and these two bells are
the quarter bells,
and it's just the two notes.
We call it a Ting Tang.
Two O clock.
Time to climb some more stairs.
Hello baby, daddy is back.
At the
top of the tower
encased in glass is the century
old mechanism that keeps time.
The tower is
made of masonry.
And wherever there is
masonry, there's masonry dust.
It oxidizes,
it goes on the floor.
It's tramped away.
The dust settles on these parts.
This is in a cabinet to keep as
much of it away as possible.
It's in
good shape now.
But it wasn't when
the Abernethy family
first started working
on it in 1992.
I was pretty taken aback
because it was
acutely neglected.
There were lots of
incredibly worn gears.
This very important
component of this clock
which makes it quite unique,
is called a Remetoire.
Those series of components
was in serious disarray.
So...
we took those components
and we built them
basically to the
original pattern.
If David and Phil
hadn't restored this part,
the clock could very well
have shaken itself to pieces.
Right now what I am doing is
checking the ratchet work here
on the fan we've just
replaced this recently.
And each service visit
we'll check these parts
really carefully.
This fan
plays a key role
in stopping this clock
from self-destructing.
It is a shock absorber,
a power absorber.
It's very normal and
you find this in a lot of
industrial machinery,
particularly in clocks.
You know...
that's what that is.
And this is something we
really keep a close watch on.
Big Ben was
destroyed by it.
It cost hundreds of
thousands of pounds.
All because of one
of these failing.
And the clock was out of
service for a very long time.
The Rementoire keeps
the clock's mechanical pressure
balanced so it can stay on time.
And then when you've
done that, get this one here.
The Abernethy's
who have been in the
clock making business
for over 30 years haven't
seen too many of these.
There is only
one of four types of
this type of Rementoire
that exists in the world.
So...
we did a lot of research.
I went to the U.K twice to
study similar examples.
I came back with that knowledge
and we were able to restore it.
So, now they need to ensure
it keeps working properly.
Rementoire
is a very complex,
delicate piece of machinery.
Some people might think
it's as simple matter
of throwing oil all over
it and its going to work.
Well it is not so.
The real enemy here is dust.
This is the way you brush
your teeth, brush your teeth.
Yes we are cleaning the teeth.
You have got to keep
the teeth clean from all...
lubricants that have congealed.
Because it wears
away these wheels.
Not only have
David and his son Phil
been working on their clock,
so has Phil's son martin.
You are going to
clean down the back there right?
This is not the only clock
the Abernethy's are
taking care of.
but it holds a special
place for them.
I am the third generation
that is worked on this clock.
Maybe there will be a fourth.
I wouldn't miss the stairs.
But I would miss the machine,
especially the Rementoire
because it is unique.
Because it is a listed
historical item.
and many, many people
come to the city
and if they don't see our
clock working properly
What are they thinking?
We consider it a civic
responsibility as much as a job.
Finally... I don't
know about you,
but when I was a
youngster at school
the possibility of becoming
a "thrill engineer"
when I grew up, was never
really on the cards.
Because such an occupation
did not exist...
or so I thought.
But that's exactly
what this team
from Nottingham
call themselves.
And these thrill
engineers have come up
with a ride
unlike any other.
it responds to your
emotions while you ride.
So step right up
and slide onto
the saddle of the bucking
bronco-matic.
At the university of Nottingham,
something wild is happening.
These mad scientists are wiring
each other from head to toe.
This is an experiment
designed for one reason.
To create a thrill ride.
The likes of which,
the world has never seen.
We're aiming to
create rides that can
customize themselves to
each riders physiology,
to create the most
thrilling ride possible.
Brendan
walker and his team
of thrill engineers want to
design the ride of the future.
One that can
sense and react to
each and every rider's
emotional state.
If I'm not
excited by a ride,
the ride itself could start
manipulating my experience
and tailoring itself to me
and my psychological needs.
It all
started six years ago.
When Brendan
created a formula
that could actually work out
those kinds of numbers.
The thrill factor
is when you get,
a rapid and large change
in pleasure and arousal.
The bigger they are, the
bigger the thrill factor is.
It was at that point we
moved from a sort of
subjective exploration.
Through to a very
scientific objective analysis
of the thrilling experience.
With the help
of a mechanical bull,
the team brings
the theme park right
inside the lab.
Good?
Fantastic.
It was a very simple experiment
We have one rider
riding the ride,
collecting all the data.
The electrodes on
the rider track heart-rate,
sweat-levels, and even
the movement of
smile and frown
muscles on their face.
All these data gets
sent back to the operator.
We were
interested in the ride operator
interpreting that data and
making ride control decisions
based on, purely
on that medical data.
If the rider's not
as excited as he should be
the operator
can crank it up.
The first step
in creating this sort of
feedback control
system for the ride.
But this, is just the beginning.
With some
geeky DIY modifications
the guys now take the human
out of the loop completely.
At one end of the circuit
a fully-automated
bucking bronco-matic
At the other end...
a simple breathing monitor
is strapped to the rider.
As Brendan breathes
you can see on
the laptop screen
we can see his breathing
going up and down.
and our control panel robot
is actually moving the bronco.
So as Brendan
breathes out,
the bronco goes one way.
And if Brendan
breathes in the bronco
goes back the other way.
It's like a
horror film setting.
We've now got a computer
controlling a human's enjoyment.
If I hold my breath...
I think I'm going to be
able to stay on quite a while.
But it's how long I can hold my
breath for which is the trick.
Rider one.
Are you ready?
Not really.
Okay...
3, 2, 1...
Go!
Even though his own body
is steering the wheel Brendan
has no control of the ride.
When you're horrified
and you become scared
you're breathing
becomes shallow,
panicked,
it becomes quickened.
I'm struggling...
to control my breathing...
but it's, quite hard!
It's surprisingly difficult and
try as you might to control it,
every time it twitches,
you just want to laugh
or scream,
which makes it go even faster.
For the bronco-
matic's final test
our producer and cameraman
decide to give it a shot.
After a well-fought
and valiant battle
both...
are handily defeated.
I am going to beat it!
I am going to beat it!
For now...
bronco-matic
is just a prototype.
But it's proof
that thrill rides can be
custom-made just for you.
Though the idea is
never going to save lives
to Brendan...
thrilling people
to death is just as good.
We all want to
experience thrill in our lives.
It's part of
what makes us tick.
I think a life
without thrill
would be really empty.
That's it!
There's no more time I'm afraid.
Thank you very much for
watching How Tech Works.
I'm Basil Singer,
and I'll see you next time.