Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:07,436 --> 00:00:09,705
[narrator] On this episode
of How Tech Works.
2
00:00:09,972 --> 00:00:11,907
We go to a lab in Florida,
3
00:00:11,907 --> 00:00:13,675
that sets fire to houses...
4
00:00:13,775 --> 00:00:14,977
on purpose.
5
00:00:15,811 --> 00:00:19,047
And, will 3D technology
of the future,
6
00:00:19,047 --> 00:00:22,451
help to unlock the
mysteries of the past?
7
00:00:22,518 --> 00:00:25,120
We'll travel to Stonehenge,
to find out.
8
00:00:25,120 --> 00:00:28,190
[electronic music]
9
00:00:28,724 --> 00:00:31,193
[show intro begins]
10
00:00:45,340 --> 00:00:47,776
Hello there, and welcome
to How Tech Works,
11
00:00:47,776 --> 00:00:50,078
the show that takes
you behind the scenes,
12
00:00:50,078 --> 00:00:51,413
up close and personal,
13
00:00:51,413 --> 00:00:53,315
and sometimes just over the top,
14
00:00:53,348 --> 00:00:55,417
on the latest
technology stories.
15
00:00:55,417 --> 00:00:57,019
from around the world.
16
00:00:57,019 --> 00:00:58,487
I'm Basil Singer.
17
00:00:58,487 --> 00:01:00,289
Today we'll meet inventors,
18
00:01:00,322 --> 00:01:02,291
who want to put you,
19
00:01:02,357 --> 00:01:04,960
in the driver seat of their
personal submersible.
20
00:01:05,060 --> 00:01:06,395
But first,
21
00:01:06,428 --> 00:01:10,432
for centuries Stonehenge has
managed to keep its secrets.
22
00:01:10,432 --> 00:01:12,701
But that hasn't
stopped researchers
23
00:01:12,734 --> 00:01:15,070
from trying to crack
it's many codes.
24
00:01:15,070 --> 00:01:17,673
Now some archaeologists
in Britain,
25
00:01:17,673 --> 00:01:22,177
are taking things in a whole
new direction and dimension.
26
00:01:23,846 --> 00:01:25,180
Five thousand years after
27
00:01:25,214 --> 00:01:27,382
the mysterious emergence
of Stonehenge,
28
00:01:27,382 --> 00:01:29,551
a technique called
Photogrammetry,
29
00:01:29,551 --> 00:01:32,421
which uses laser beams
and high tech photography,
30
00:01:32,421 --> 00:01:36,124
is going to bring some of that
blurry mystery, into fine focus.
31
00:01:36,124 --> 00:01:38,727
We're using a very
accurate laser scanner,
32
00:01:38,727 --> 00:01:40,796
which fires a beam
of laser light,
33
00:01:40,896 --> 00:01:43,498
at the stones
or at the ground's surface,
34
00:01:43,498 --> 00:01:46,668
and measures the time it takes
to come back with a reflection.
35
00:01:46,668 --> 00:01:48,103
And that gives us a distance,
36
00:01:48,103 --> 00:01:50,005
by knowing where we
are in 3D space.
37
00:01:50,305 --> 00:01:52,674
[narrator] It's one of the only
scanners in England,
38
00:01:52,708 --> 00:01:55,577
which captures data,
with ½ millimeter resolution.
39
00:01:56,211 --> 00:01:58,413
And when it's finished,
40
00:01:58,447 --> 00:02:00,816
the 3D models will be the most
comprehensive ever seen.
41
00:02:01,583 --> 00:02:05,454
It's actually going to be
an immense mine for information,
42
00:02:05,454 --> 00:02:08,023
which can be used
in all sorts of different ways.
43
00:02:08,023 --> 00:02:10,926
It can be used
to monitor the condition
44
00:02:10,926 --> 00:02:14,296
of the monument itself.
45
00:02:14,296 --> 00:02:18,634
It can be used to do research,
to do analysis,
46
00:02:18,634 --> 00:02:21,770
on the material to get to parts
we can't normally see,
47
00:02:21,770 --> 00:02:23,038
or light it
in different ways.
48
00:02:23,038 --> 00:02:24,540
[narrator] For thousands
of years,
49
00:02:24,540 --> 00:02:26,308
these 400 ton monuments,
50
00:02:26,308 --> 00:02:29,178
have been silent witness
to mysterious rituals.
51
00:02:29,211 --> 00:02:31,046
They've served as a guestbook,
52
00:02:31,046 --> 00:02:33,248
inscribed with
some famous names,
53
00:02:33,282 --> 00:02:35,684
including one very
famous architect.
54
00:02:35,684 --> 00:02:39,388
What we have here is
what is purported to be,
55
00:02:39,388 --> 00:02:42,824
the graffiti left
by Sir Christopher Wren,
56
00:02:42,824 --> 00:02:45,794
who's family actually
had a home not far from here,
57
00:02:45,794 --> 00:02:48,430
and he's known
to have visited here.
58
00:02:48,430 --> 00:02:51,967
And you have the cross
for Christopher,
59
00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,270
and then the W and
then the r- e -n.”
60
00:02:55,804 --> 00:02:57,973
The answers
to big questions like,
61
00:02:58,006 --> 00:03:00,075
'Who brought them
here?’ and ‘Why?’,
62
00:03:00,075 --> 00:03:02,611
have produced some
intriguing theories,
63
00:03:02,644 --> 00:03:04,646
but nothing ‘written in stone’.
64
00:03:06,315 --> 00:03:09,218
Yes, Stonehenge
attracts theories,
65
00:03:09,251 --> 00:03:11,854
some of which are very sensible,
66
00:03:11,854 --> 00:03:15,090
some of which are more extreme
shall we say.
67
00:03:15,090 --> 00:03:16,692
Basically it's a place
of celebration.
68
00:03:16,725 --> 00:03:19,161
It's a long lived place.
69
00:03:19,161 --> 00:03:23,699
It was in use for 1½ thousand
years, 1500 years.
70
00:03:23,699 --> 00:03:25,501
It was a place for celebration,
71
00:03:25,534 --> 00:03:28,303
it was certainly associated
with the solstices.
72
00:03:28,303 --> 00:03:31,073
The summer and the winter
solstices and change of seasons.
73
00:03:31,073 --> 00:03:34,810
But what actually went
on here and how they used it,
74
00:03:34,877 --> 00:03:37,112
that's a mystery to us still.
75
00:03:37,279 --> 00:03:39,348
[narrator] Today they're
going to scan the last
76
00:03:39,381 --> 00:03:41,183
of the two meter
high megaliths.
77
00:03:42,484 --> 00:03:45,287
So at the minute it's
basically taking,
78
00:03:45,287 --> 00:03:47,856
a series of overlapping
photographs,
79
00:03:47,856 --> 00:03:49,858
which will create a 360 mosaic,
80
00:03:49,892 --> 00:03:53,495
which will be used to colorize
the laser scan later on.
81
00:03:53,595 --> 00:03:55,397
[narrator] One crucial
aspect of the stones,
82
00:03:55,430 --> 00:03:57,266
is out of reach
of laser beams.
83
00:03:57,266 --> 00:03:59,334
The top parts, or Lintels.
84
00:03:59,668 --> 00:04:01,937
So we've got the scans
at the sides of the stones,
85
00:04:01,937 --> 00:04:04,406
and like I said that goes up
to the kind of top edge.
86
00:04:04,406 --> 00:04:06,775
So what I'm doing
is capturing angles shots,
87
00:04:06,775 --> 00:04:09,111
down onto the edge
on the top and the sides.
88
00:04:09,111 --> 00:04:12,648
So that when I generate the 3D
computer model on the top,
89
00:04:12,648 --> 00:04:15,450
we've got some overlap
so that we can register,
90
00:04:15,484 --> 00:04:17,686
the work I'm doing
to the laser scanning.
91
00:04:18,320 --> 00:04:20,289
[narrator] Cory Hope
sets up a 12 meter jib,
92
00:04:20,322 --> 00:04:22,424
and a stereoscopic camera,
93
00:04:22,424 --> 00:04:24,960
that can be positioned
above the stones.
94
00:04:25,460 --> 00:04:28,430
Photogrammetry is better
at capturing texture,
95
00:04:28,430 --> 00:04:30,465
color, and those
kind of things.
96
00:04:30,465 --> 00:04:32,067
So what we're
actually doing here,
97
00:04:32,067 --> 00:04:33,435
is we're combining the two.
98
00:04:33,869 --> 00:04:36,672
And a term that's kicking around
is called “lidar” grammetry,
99
00:04:36,672 --> 00:04:39,074
where you are combining
the laser survey,
100
00:04:39,074 --> 00:04:41,310
with high quality
stereo photography,
101
00:04:41,310 --> 00:04:45,314
to drape over it so you get a
truly photo-realistic 3D model.
102
00:04:45,881 --> 00:04:47,783
[narrator] The combination
of the two methods,
103
00:04:47,783 --> 00:04:50,252
produces a huge
amount of intricate
104
00:04:50,285 --> 00:04:52,120
and finally detailed data.
105
00:04:52,754 --> 00:04:56,458
Each physical stone had roughly
about 30 million triangles,
106
00:04:56,458 --> 00:04:58,460
needed to be processed
to create the model.
107
00:04:58,460 --> 00:05:00,929
And then over
the process of the survey,
108
00:05:00,929 --> 00:05:03,899
that we undertook over
a three week duration.
109
00:05:03,899 --> 00:05:06,568
Were up to almost
five terabytes of data.
110
00:05:06,568 --> 00:05:10,072
Which is quite difficult
to manipulate.
111
00:05:10,572 --> 00:05:12,574
[narrator] Those 30 million
triangles,
112
00:05:12,574 --> 00:05:16,144
result in this incredible
3D imagery of Stonehenge,
113
00:05:16,144 --> 00:05:18,013
never before seen.
114
00:05:19,047 --> 00:05:21,517
Now every angle,
from top to bottom,
115
00:05:21,517 --> 00:05:23,652
can be scrutinized and studied.
116
00:05:24,253 --> 00:05:26,388
A dream come true
for an archaeologist.
117
00:05:27,556 --> 00:05:29,491
We haven't studied
all of the data yet.
118
00:05:29,491 --> 00:05:31,493
I say we've only just
scratched the surface.
119
00:05:31,493 --> 00:05:33,862
We've only looked at some
of the areas we know,
120
00:05:33,862 --> 00:05:35,197
there are carvings on
121
00:05:35,197 --> 00:05:38,033
to look at them to see
what the level of resolution is.
122
00:05:38,033 --> 00:05:40,769
It's going to take
years of study,
123
00:05:40,769 --> 00:05:42,905
to be able to look at
all the stones in detail,
124
00:05:42,905 --> 00:05:46,508
and say whether or not we've got
new prehistoric carvings,
125
00:05:46,508 --> 00:05:47,743
or that sort of thing on it.
126
00:05:47,943 --> 00:05:50,245
[narrator] Dave can already
look closer than ever before,
127
00:05:50,245 --> 00:05:52,981
at graffiti that has fascinated
him for decades.
128
00:05:53,615 --> 00:05:56,585
This is a very good example
of the modern graffiti,
129
00:05:56,585 --> 00:05:59,087
that the laser scanning
will begin to show us.
130
00:05:59,087 --> 00:06:02,224
This one shows very clearly in
the light we got this morning,
131
00:06:02,224 --> 00:06:06,328
but you can see it's a Mr.
Bridger who was here in 1866,
132
00:06:06,328 --> 00:06:07,863
he comes from Chichester,
133
00:06:07,896 --> 00:06:09,464
this is an abbreviation
for Chichester,
134
00:06:09,464 --> 00:06:10,532
and he's in Sussex.
135
00:06:10,566 --> 00:06:13,235
And he's even put
the nice line underneath it.
136
00:06:13,569 --> 00:06:16,138
[narrator] In time the 3D model
could tell us more about,
137
00:06:16,138 --> 00:06:18,040
Mr. Bridger’s visit
to Stonehenge.
138
00:06:18,407 --> 00:06:22,144
And good news for those of us
‘armchair archaeologists’.
139
00:06:22,144 --> 00:06:24,346
3D virtual Stonehenge,
140
00:06:24,346 --> 00:06:26,949
will eventually be made
available online.
141
00:06:30,319 --> 00:06:32,688
Now from the mysteries
of the past,
142
00:06:32,688 --> 00:06:34,323
to the mysteries of the deep,
143
00:06:34,323 --> 00:06:35,724
as in ‘Deep-sea diving’,
144
00:06:35,724 --> 00:06:38,260
something for the
Jacques Cousteau in all of us.
145
00:06:38,260 --> 00:06:42,431
The Dutch company in this
next story builds personal subs.
146
00:06:42,431 --> 00:06:44,466
I know right? Pretty cool.
147
00:06:44,466 --> 00:06:45,567
And so naturally,
148
00:06:45,601 --> 00:06:47,803
How Tech Works,
is right there,
149
00:06:47,803 --> 00:06:51,373
on the scene, for a test dive...
in a car park.
150
00:06:52,941 --> 00:06:54,142
[upbeat music]
151
00:06:55,644 --> 00:06:57,846
[narrator] This is U-Boat Worx.
152
00:06:57,846 --> 00:07:00,749
It's a company that makes
personal submersibles,
153
00:07:00,749 --> 00:07:04,720
for two to five people,
with big acrylic bubbles,
154
00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:07,523
that give spectacular views
under the sea.
155
00:07:07,523 --> 00:07:10,859
It is a very unique feeling to
drive in one of the submarines.
156
00:07:10,859 --> 00:07:13,695
You get a freedom that you
have never experienced before.
157
00:07:13,695 --> 00:07:16,465
The pressure hull keeps you at
a comfortable one-atmosphere,
158
00:07:16,465 --> 00:07:19,168
all the time so you don't feel
any pressure on your ears.
159
00:07:19,168 --> 00:07:21,136
It's a very safe feeling
to be underwater.
160
00:07:21,136 --> 00:07:23,405
And today we are doing
some very important tests,
161
00:07:23,405 --> 00:07:25,741
with our latest
C-Explorer 2 submersible.
162
00:07:26,475 --> 00:07:29,711
[narrator] The C-Explorer 2 is
the 10th sub the company's made.
163
00:07:30,345 --> 00:07:33,248
It's designed to go
down to 180 meters.
164
00:07:34,183 --> 00:07:35,517
Before they test
it in the ocean,
165
00:07:35,517 --> 00:07:37,819
they have to test it
out here, in a tank.
166
00:07:38,654 --> 00:07:40,722
Our test results will
basically determine,
167
00:07:40,756 --> 00:07:42,124
if the sub is stable enough,
168
00:07:42,257 --> 00:07:44,493
to handle extremely
rough sea conditions.
169
00:07:44,493 --> 00:07:45,994
If we are successful today,
170
00:07:45,994 --> 00:07:48,697
we can continue with our
extensive test program,
171
00:07:48,697 --> 00:07:50,666
otherwise it is back to
the drawing board,
172
00:07:50,699 --> 00:07:52,234
for a costly redesign.
173
00:07:52,234 --> 00:07:54,069
In the C-Explorer submarines,
174
00:07:54,069 --> 00:07:57,005
we really try to give people
an excessive amount of view.
175
00:07:57,105 --> 00:08:00,042
Of course they go underwater
in the end to see something,
176
00:08:00,042 --> 00:08:02,144
so we build
a huge acrylic sphere,
177
00:08:02,144 --> 00:08:05,280
in which the people can sit
and this also defines,
178
00:08:05,280 --> 00:08:07,983
or determines the entire model,
179
00:08:08,016 --> 00:08:11,053
and the construction
of the submarine.
180
00:08:11,053 --> 00:08:12,154
To give it stability,
181
00:08:12,187 --> 00:08:15,490
we have a pontoon-like structure
around these acrylic spheres.
182
00:08:15,490 --> 00:08:18,193
And these will provide
ride stability,
183
00:08:18,193 --> 00:08:20,629
and the right clearance
from the surface,
184
00:08:20,629 --> 00:08:22,598
for people to get
out and in safely.
185
00:08:22,965 --> 00:08:26,101
Let's start with
the stability test?
186
00:08:27,569 --> 00:08:30,105
[narrator] Camiel Brants
is the lead engineer and pilot.
187
00:08:30,105 --> 00:08:32,007
Michel Hell is his technician.
188
00:08:32,007 --> 00:08:33,775
Before they unbalance the sub,
189
00:08:33,775 --> 00:08:35,911
So I use this for the
horizontal position?
190
00:08:36,578 --> 00:08:39,314
they take measurements when
the sub is level in the water.
191
00:08:40,048 --> 00:08:41,216
Let's put on the weights.
192
00:08:41,216 --> 00:08:46,955
Okay, I go on the front
to put on 150 kilograms.
193
00:08:46,955 --> 00:08:48,790
[narrator] Technician
Marcus Bloem,
194
00:08:48,790 --> 00:08:50,759
adds lead weights to the bow,
195
00:08:50,759 --> 00:08:52,661
to make the sub
tilt to the front.
196
00:08:52,661 --> 00:08:55,831
150 kilos doesn't sound
like much,
197
00:08:56,231 --> 00:08:58,901
but the engineers can add
more to a computer model,
198
00:08:58,901 --> 00:09:02,171
to make sure the sub can
survive even larger forces.
199
00:09:02,171 --> 00:09:05,641
The sub is tilting forward,
exactly the way they planned it.
200
00:09:05,641 --> 00:09:07,776
[man] Two-point-three, okay.
201
00:09:07,776 --> 00:09:09,511
[narrator] The goal
is to make a sub,
202
00:09:09,511 --> 00:09:11,914
that's safe and easy
for anyone to operate.
203
00:09:11,914 --> 00:09:15,083
So there'll be easy cruising
for the wealthy yacht owner,
204
00:09:15,083 --> 00:09:17,019
who ordered this particular sub.
205
00:09:17,019 --> 00:09:19,888
[Marcus] It's really interesting
for them to have a submarine,
206
00:09:19,922 --> 00:09:21,590
on their yacht so that
they can explore,
207
00:09:21,590 --> 00:09:23,125
to see what's below
the surface,
208
00:09:23,125 --> 00:09:25,994
instead of only to see
what's on top of the surface.
209
00:09:27,362 --> 00:09:29,831
[narrator] Next they put a 100
kilos on the side of the sub.
210
00:09:29,831 --> 00:09:31,500
To simulate people
standing on it.
211
00:09:31,500 --> 00:09:36,171
For example, if you have
a canoe, it's small,
212
00:09:36,171 --> 00:09:40,008
if you hang too much
to the side it will tip over.
213
00:09:40,008 --> 00:09:42,744
With this boat we want
to make sure that,
214
00:09:42,744 --> 00:09:47,482
water can never go
into the submersible,
215
00:09:47,482 --> 00:09:50,519
even if there are standing
10 people on the side.
216
00:09:50,519 --> 00:09:52,955
[radio-com] We've got a 100
kilograms on the starboard side.
217
00:09:52,955 --> 00:09:55,023
So you can do your
weight measurements.
218
00:09:55,023 --> 00:09:56,425
[narrator] The sub is listing,
219
00:09:56,425 --> 00:09:58,093
but no more than they expected.
220
00:09:58,093 --> 00:10:02,197
It passes the stability test.
Now it's time for the dive.
221
00:10:04,066 --> 00:10:06,969
Even though the test tank
is less than three meters deep,
222
00:10:06,969 --> 00:10:10,138
[radio-com] Oxygen is running.
223
00:10:10,639 --> 00:10:12,474
[narrator] They run
through the checklist,
224
00:10:12,474 --> 00:10:14,476
just like they're going
way down.
225
00:10:14,977 --> 00:10:16,211
Opening vents.
226
00:10:16,845 --> 00:10:19,081
[narrator] To submerge
the C-Explorer 2,
227
00:10:19,081 --> 00:10:20,449
the pilot opens up valves,
228
00:10:20,449 --> 00:10:21,984
that let out air,
229
00:10:21,984 --> 00:10:25,387
contained in four
expandable rubber tanks.
230
00:10:25,387 --> 00:10:27,589
That makes the sub less buoyant.
231
00:10:29,558 --> 00:10:32,027
To bring it back up,
232
00:10:32,027 --> 00:10:34,363
air is pumped back
into the rubber tanks.
233
00:10:34,363 --> 00:10:37,900
They expand,
and the submarine is buoyant.
234
00:10:37,900 --> 00:10:40,068
Even though the test
tank is no bigger,
235
00:10:40,102 --> 00:10:41,670
than two shipping containers,
236
00:10:41,670 --> 00:10:44,373
Camiel and Michel
are having fun.
237
00:10:45,541 --> 00:10:50,946
We need to put some small sharks
in here or some sucker fish!
238
00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:57,719
to topside, go a bit to the back
please for a good position.
239
00:10:57,719 --> 00:10:59,354
[narrator] Camiel
works the thrusters,
240
00:10:59,354 --> 00:11:01,690
to move the sub away
from the tank wall.
241
00:11:01,690 --> 00:11:05,427
to topside, you have permission
to blow your diving tanks.
242
00:11:10,532 --> 00:11:12,968
[narrator] The sub's
systems are working well.
243
00:11:12,968 --> 00:11:15,237
[radio-com] I would like
to do another dive,
244
00:11:15,237 --> 00:11:16,738
if that is possible?
245
00:11:16,738 --> 00:11:19,341
You have permission
to open your vents again.
246
00:11:19,341 --> 00:11:21,777
[narrator] It's time to test
the emergency gear.
247
00:11:21,777 --> 00:11:26,982
Okay we are starting procedure
to release the buoy.
248
00:11:26,982 --> 00:11:29,685
In case the submarine might
get into trouble underwater.
249
00:11:29,685 --> 00:11:32,354
The pilot might decide
to release this buoy,
250
00:11:32,354 --> 00:11:33,722
so that it goes to the surface,
251
00:11:33,722 --> 00:11:35,858
and people there can see
where the submarine is.
252
00:11:35,858 --> 00:11:37,626
[radio-com] And the buoy
has released.
253
00:11:38,794 --> 00:11:40,095
[narrator] The C-Explorer 2,
254
00:11:40,128 --> 00:11:41,830
is designed to bob
up to the surface,
255
00:11:41,830 --> 00:11:42,998
if there is a problem.
256
00:11:42,998 --> 00:11:44,733
But if that doesn't happen,
257
00:11:44,733 --> 00:11:46,969
the pilot can release
the drop weight.
258
00:11:46,969 --> 00:11:50,138
A 100 kilos of lead.
So the sub rises.
259
00:11:50,138 --> 00:11:53,242
[radio-com] Alright
we will start procedure,
260
00:11:53,242 --> 00:11:54,443
dropping drop weight.
261
00:11:54,543 --> 00:11:56,879
[narrator] It happens fast.
262
00:11:56,879 --> 00:11:59,948
[radio-com] And it has dropped.
Really nice.
263
00:11:59,948 --> 00:12:03,385
[narrator] This dive went well,
but many more need to be done.
264
00:12:03,385 --> 00:12:05,921
[Marcus] This C-Explorer,
it is destined to go through
265
00:12:05,954 --> 00:12:08,824
a much more
extensive test program,
266
00:12:08,824 --> 00:12:10,792
that will be done
under the supervision,
267
00:12:10,826 --> 00:12:12,761
of an external
classification authority.
268
00:12:12,761 --> 00:12:14,863
Once it is completely certified,
269
00:12:14,863 --> 00:12:16,465
it will be delivered
and commissioned,
270
00:12:16,498 --> 00:12:17,633
together with the end user.
271
00:12:17,633 --> 00:12:19,234
[narrator] As to the cost,
272
00:12:19,234 --> 00:12:22,738
U-Boat Worx Subs start
at around 600,000£.
273
00:12:22,738 --> 00:12:27,442
With a price tag like that,
the view has to be priceless.
274
00:12:29,411 --> 00:12:30,445
Do not go away.
275
00:12:30,445 --> 00:12:33,582
We'll be right back with lot's
more, How Tech Works.
276
00:12:34,550 --> 00:12:35,784
[intro music]
277
00:12:38,720 --> 00:12:41,657
Welcome back to
How Tech Works.
278
00:12:41,657 --> 00:12:42,724
I’m Basil Singer,
279
00:12:42,724 --> 00:12:45,394
and now we're off
to a lab in Florida,
280
00:12:45,427 --> 00:12:47,663
who do something, totally crazy.
281
00:12:47,663 --> 00:12:51,867
Because they set fire
to houses, on purpose.
282
00:12:51,867 --> 00:12:53,235
I know!
283
00:12:53,235 --> 00:12:56,605
I want to go there and checkout
their latest in fire prevention.
284
00:12:56,605 --> 00:12:58,874
We call it,
‘Burning the house down'.
285
00:12:58,874 --> 00:13:01,610
[intro music]
286
00:13:02,845 --> 00:13:05,147
[narrator] This is a place
where people,
287
00:13:05,147 --> 00:13:07,216
love to set things on fire.
288
00:13:07,216 --> 00:13:09,051
I will admit to being
a bit of a pyro.
289
00:13:09,051 --> 00:13:10,752
[narrator] Today Julie Rochman,
290
00:13:10,786 --> 00:13:12,554
is setting a whole house
on fire.
291
00:13:12,554 --> 00:13:14,723
We are actually making
for the first time,
292
00:13:14,756 --> 00:13:15,891
anywhere in the world,
293
00:13:15,891 --> 00:13:18,894
indoors, in a controlled
environment ember storms.
294
00:13:18,894 --> 00:13:21,797
[narrator] It's all being
done in the name of safety.
295
00:13:23,866 --> 00:13:27,135
At this one of a kind
facility in Tampa, Florida.
296
00:13:32,241 --> 00:13:36,812
The IBHs research center was
created for the single purpose,
297
00:13:36,812 --> 00:13:41,250
of trying to identify, evaluate
and promote effective ways,
298
00:13:41,250 --> 00:13:42,451
to reduce property losses,
299
00:13:42,451 --> 00:13:45,320
from a variety of natural
disasters including wildfire.
300
00:13:46,722 --> 00:13:49,258
[narrator] Wildfires
are becoming more,
301
00:13:49,258 --> 00:13:50,792
and more of a problem.
302
00:13:50,792 --> 00:13:54,329
[Julie] In 2011 we saw
record wildfire losses,
303
00:13:54,329 --> 00:13:55,497
throughout the south west.
304
00:13:55,497 --> 00:13:56,832
At one point this Spring,
305
00:13:56,832 --> 00:13:58,467
Texas was on fire
from border to border.
306
00:13:58,467 --> 00:14:00,769
There was a wildfire in
virtually every county.
307
00:14:00,769 --> 00:14:02,437
At this point in
the United States,
308
00:14:02,437 --> 00:14:04,439
one out of three housing units,
309
00:14:04,439 --> 00:14:07,009
is actually located where
the brush and the trees,
310
00:14:07,009 --> 00:14:08,677
meet development.
311
00:14:08,677 --> 00:14:12,181
[narrator] Advancing walls
of fire can cause damage.
312
00:14:12,181 --> 00:14:14,650
But they're not the only threat.
313
00:14:14,650 --> 00:14:17,486
The problem when it comes
to property protection,
314
00:14:17,486 --> 00:14:20,822
are the embers or the fire
brands that travel on the wind,
315
00:14:20,822 --> 00:14:22,891
a mile or more beyond
the perimeter,
316
00:14:22,891 --> 00:14:24,526
that the fire services
have set up.
317
00:14:24,526 --> 00:14:26,795
Those embers will find
something to ignite,
318
00:14:26,795 --> 00:14:29,164
on or near or inside a home,
319
00:14:29,164 --> 00:14:30,499
and those homes will then burn,
320
00:14:30,499 --> 00:14:32,401
because there is nobody
there to protect them.
321
00:14:32,401 --> 00:14:34,203
[narrator] Julie and her team,
322
00:14:34,203 --> 00:14:37,306
want to learn how to protect
homes from these embers.
323
00:14:37,306 --> 00:14:39,341
The best way to do that?
324
00:14:39,341 --> 00:14:40,709
Burn one down!
325
00:14:40,709 --> 00:14:42,878
But before you can burn it,
326
00:14:42,878 --> 00:14:45,848
you have to build it.
And it is no doll house.
327
00:14:46,315 --> 00:14:47,549
The IBHS research center,
328
00:14:47,549 --> 00:14:49,451
is the only facility
of its kind on the planet.
329
00:14:49,451 --> 00:14:51,053
We are the only place
where you can do,
330
00:14:51,053 --> 00:14:54,256
full scale one and two story
building specimens,
331
00:14:54,256 --> 00:14:56,024
up to about 2000 square feet.
332
00:14:56,024 --> 00:14:59,361
On which we hang different
types of siding and roofing,
333
00:14:59,361 --> 00:15:00,362
and gutter materials.
334
00:15:00,362 --> 00:15:02,898
Windows are installed,
we put mulch and vegetation,
335
00:15:02,898 --> 00:15:05,534
around the specimen so it
is not finished on the inside,
336
00:15:05,534 --> 00:15:08,070
because we are really looking
at exterior ignition points.
337
00:15:08,370 --> 00:15:10,672
[narrator] To ignite
the fire here,
338
00:15:10,672 --> 00:15:12,508
chief engineer Tim Reinhold,
339
00:15:12,508 --> 00:15:15,310
is burning mulch
and dowels in a chamber.
340
00:15:15,511 --> 00:15:18,247
The biggest challenge was
in generating the embers,
341
00:15:18,247 --> 00:15:22,384
and getting the system to work
where we had a good dispersion,
342
00:15:22,384 --> 00:15:24,887
of the embers coming
in at the houses.
343
00:15:24,887 --> 00:15:28,790
[narrator] 105 fans will blow
hot sparks at the house.
344
00:15:28,790 --> 00:15:31,426
[Tim] A fan blows those embers
up through ducts,
345
00:15:31,426 --> 00:15:33,295
and release it into
the wind stream,
346
00:15:33,295 --> 00:15:34,463
from there the wind,
347
00:15:34,496 --> 00:15:37,366
carries the embers and
they attack the building,
348
00:15:37,366 --> 00:15:40,302
the way the embers
would in real world.
349
00:15:40,302 --> 00:15:41,970
where they are ducted
around the building,
350
00:15:41,970 --> 00:15:43,539
and the swirling
motion of the wind.
351
00:15:43,539 --> 00:15:45,841
Typically the most
dangerous wildfires,
352
00:15:45,841 --> 00:15:47,543
are the ones that occur
when you’ve got,
353
00:15:47,543 --> 00:15:48,944
a fairly strong
wind environment,
354
00:15:48,944 --> 00:15:50,045
blowing the embers.
355
00:15:50,045 --> 00:15:54,283
Sometimes over complexed
ranged 70 or 80 miles an hour.
356
00:15:54,283 --> 00:15:57,786
And those are the ones that
the fronts move like crazy.
357
00:15:58,187 --> 00:16:00,923
[narrator] Everyone’s watching
where the embers will go.
358
00:16:00,923 --> 00:16:03,425
[Julie] What we hope to learn,
359
00:16:03,425 --> 00:16:06,728
is exactly how different sizes
and types of embers catch,
360
00:16:06,728 --> 00:16:07,863
so the smaller embers,
361
00:16:07,896 --> 00:16:10,399
that tend to be blown
or drawn into openings,
362
00:16:10,399 --> 00:16:12,501
like soffits or gable end vents,
363
00:16:12,501 --> 00:16:15,270
or the larger embers
that will sit on the top,
364
00:16:15,270 --> 00:16:16,872
of an untreated wood shake roof,
365
00:16:16,872 --> 00:16:20,075
and burn unnoticed until
they actually fall through,
366
00:16:20,075 --> 00:16:21,143
the layers of shake,
367
00:16:21,143 --> 00:16:23,145
into the home and burn
it from the inside out.
368
00:16:24,613 --> 00:16:26,582
[narrator] Today they are
getting some answers.
369
00:16:26,949 --> 00:16:28,851
[Tim] One of the myths
that was out there,
370
00:16:28,851 --> 00:16:32,154
was that you should leave one
window open for the fire dept.
371
00:16:32,154 --> 00:16:33,422
to have access to your house.
372
00:16:33,422 --> 00:16:35,123
You don’t want to do that.
373
00:16:35,123 --> 00:16:37,993
If a flame gets up there
a screen is going to melt,
374
00:16:37,993 --> 00:16:39,027
in a heart beat,
375
00:16:39,027 --> 00:16:40,462
and now you've got
a pathway,
376
00:16:40,462 --> 00:16:42,497
for the embers to come
right into your house.
377
00:16:42,497 --> 00:16:44,833
It's very important to seal up,
378
00:16:44,833 --> 00:16:47,836
keep things out as much
as you possibly can.
379
00:16:47,970 --> 00:16:49,838
[narrator] Getting this kind
of information,
380
00:16:49,838 --> 00:16:52,074
is exactly what makes
this facility,
381
00:16:52,074 --> 00:16:54,176
and these kinds
of tests important.
382
00:16:54,176 --> 00:16:56,478
When you break things
you learn a lot.
383
00:16:56,478 --> 00:16:59,515
You learn a lot more
from destroying things,
384
00:16:59,515 --> 00:17:01,250
than you do from
when they work well.
385
00:17:01,250 --> 00:17:03,385
[narrator] This is just
the beginning.
386
00:17:03,385 --> 00:17:06,255
They plan to do lots
more tests in the future.
387
00:17:06,255 --> 00:17:09,892
For Julie it makes being
a pyro all worthwhile.
388
00:17:10,492 --> 00:17:11,593
Everything that we do here,
389
00:17:11,593 --> 00:17:14,563
is designed to help home
and business owners,
390
00:17:14,563 --> 00:17:15,998
better protect their property.
391
00:17:15,998 --> 00:17:18,734
We want to teach people how
to demand better construction.
392
00:17:18,734 --> 00:17:20,435
How to get safer construction,
393
00:17:20,435 --> 00:17:24,173
and how to reduce losses so we
don’t see injuries and deaths,
394
00:17:24,173 --> 00:17:26,808
and property destruction
as a result of wildfire,
395
00:17:26,808 --> 00:17:28,210
and other natural disasters.
396
00:17:30,279 --> 00:17:33,749
Finally, when it comes
to high-tech toys,
397
00:17:33,749 --> 00:17:36,585
this next gadget
is just, wicked.
398
00:17:36,585 --> 00:17:38,987
It's a pulse jet bike,
powered by,
399
00:17:38,987 --> 00:17:41,890
you got it, the jet
from an airplane.
400
00:17:41,890 --> 00:17:44,159
I'm not sure if it comes
with training wheels,
401
00:17:44,159 --> 00:17:46,962
but we warn you,
it might get loud.
402
00:17:51,900 --> 00:17:54,269
[narrator] The sound
will take your breath away.
403
00:17:55,070 --> 00:17:56,071
[motor blaring]
404
00:17:56,538 --> 00:17:58,273
It sounds like a 1000
sledgehammers,
405
00:17:58,273 --> 00:17:59,541
pounding on a rail-road track.
406
00:18:01,810 --> 00:18:04,346
It's not good,
but it's interesting.
407
00:18:04,913 --> 00:18:06,481
[upbeat music]
408
00:18:06,815 --> 00:18:09,585
-[narrator] Bob Maddox
likes interesting.
409
00:18:09,585 --> 00:18:12,588
He took a simple
schematic of a V1 bomb,
410
00:18:12,588 --> 00:18:14,389
from The Second World War,
411
00:18:14,389 --> 00:18:15,824
[buzzing noise]
412
00:18:16,625 --> 00:18:20,529
and he turned it into,
locomotion with attitude.
413
00:18:20,529 --> 00:18:24,032
This time it's a bomb
strapped to a bicycle.
414
00:18:24,933 --> 00:18:28,637
Well no, it's a jet engine
strapped to a bicycle.
415
00:18:28,637 --> 00:18:30,005
The pulse jet's not a bomb.
416
00:18:30,005 --> 00:18:31,874
It's just an engine
like anything else.
417
00:18:31,874 --> 00:18:34,843
It's just a kind of the
model T of jet engines.
418
00:18:34,843 --> 00:18:37,012
As far as dangerous
it's about as dangerous,
419
00:18:37,045 --> 00:18:38,547
as the car that you’re driving.
420
00:18:38,547 --> 00:18:40,682
Other than they get
extremely hot.
421
00:18:40,682 --> 00:18:42,217
[motor blaring]
422
00:18:43,285 --> 00:18:47,422
[narrator] Bob's motivation is
pure and simple, he likes speed.
423
00:18:48,023 --> 00:18:50,626
[Bob] Loud is fun. Fire is fun.
Explosions are fun.
424
00:18:50,626 --> 00:18:52,561
I guess that's the draw to it.
425
00:18:52,794 --> 00:18:54,263
[narrator] Being on
a limited budget,
426
00:18:54,263 --> 00:18:57,699
he made his own V1 pulse
jet engine from scratch.
427
00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:00,335
So I went to my shop
and I started chiseling away,
428
00:19:00,369 --> 00:19:02,204
trying to figure out
how to make one work.
429
00:19:02,204 --> 00:19:03,305
It took a few months but,
430
00:19:03,305 --> 00:19:05,040
I finally got an
operational engine.
431
00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:07,242
So I decided you know if
you’re making something,
432
00:19:07,242 --> 00:19:08,877
that makes a lot of
power and thrust,
433
00:19:08,877 --> 00:19:10,612
you want to put it on
something to go fast.
434
00:19:10,612 --> 00:19:11,880
[laughs] So...
435
00:19:12,314 --> 00:19:14,716
First thing I could really find
was an old cruiser bicycle,
436
00:19:14,716 --> 00:19:17,052
that was leaning up against
the wall at my shop.
437
00:19:17,653 --> 00:19:19,988
[narrator] After the first
run on that rickety bike,
438
00:19:19,988 --> 00:19:21,190
he was hooked.
439
00:19:21,190 --> 00:19:23,892
It felt pretty darn good
because it pulled pretty hard.
440
00:19:23,892 --> 00:19:25,594
It made about
60 pounds of thrust,
441
00:19:25,594 --> 00:19:28,363
and it took off pretty good,
it was a lot of fun.
442
00:19:28,363 --> 00:19:31,567
The little jet bikes
are a lot of fun to ride.
443
00:19:32,568 --> 00:19:34,536
[narrator] Bob used to spend
his time,
444
00:19:34,536 --> 00:19:38,240
making tiny delicate
pencil strokes as a fine artist.
445
00:19:38,974 --> 00:19:40,075
It really wasn't my speed,
446
00:19:40,075 --> 00:19:42,744
and talking to all
the artsy-fartsy people.
447
00:19:42,744 --> 00:19:45,414
I felt you know,
a little out of place.
448
00:19:45,414 --> 00:19:46,715
It didn’t hold my interest.
449
00:19:46,715 --> 00:19:48,951
Like designing and building
the jet powered vehicles,
450
00:19:48,951 --> 00:19:50,252
and stuff that I do.
451
00:19:50,252 --> 00:19:52,988
[narrator] Now he's molded
his talents into hand crafting,
452
00:19:52,988 --> 00:19:55,824
these engines from
flat pieces of metal.
453
00:19:55,824 --> 00:19:57,593
[motor blaring]
454
00:20:02,064 --> 00:20:03,932
What I’m trying
to do is build up,
455
00:20:03,932 --> 00:20:07,703
a limited edition really
high-end type of bikes.
456
00:20:07,703 --> 00:20:10,939
Probably in the 25-60
thousand dollar range.
457
00:20:12,341 --> 00:20:15,410
[narrator] He also sells designs
engines and kits online.
458
00:20:15,410 --> 00:20:18,947
So you too can build
your own jet powered stuff!
459
00:20:19,848 --> 00:20:23,085
At first glance, the engine
just looks like an empty tube.
460
00:20:23,085 --> 00:20:25,320
But that's just
the beauty of the design.
461
00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:27,823
[Bob]The whole tube
is the engine.
462
00:20:27,823 --> 00:20:30,158
You set off an explosion
up in the front of it.
463
00:20:30,158 --> 00:20:32,728
And all the gases rush out
the tailpipe.
464
00:20:34,029 --> 00:20:35,330
[narrator] Here’s how it works.
465
00:20:35,330 --> 00:20:37,032
[Bob] The way the pulse
jet engine runs,
466
00:20:37,032 --> 00:20:38,400
is it has to create turbulence,
467
00:20:38,400 --> 00:20:40,202
that mixes the fuel
and the air together.
468
00:20:40,202 --> 00:20:41,937
And when that fuel
and air mixture,
469
00:20:41,937 --> 00:20:43,272
get down to the spark plug,
470
00:20:43,272 --> 00:20:45,674
the spark plug sets it off,
and goes off like a cannon.
471
00:20:45,674 --> 00:20:49,378
Boom! When it does, it shuts
this one-way reed valve,
472
00:20:49,378 --> 00:20:50,546
causes all the gases,
473
00:20:50,579 --> 00:20:53,415
to rush out of the tail pipe,
just like a canon.
474
00:20:53,415 --> 00:20:57,486
At supersonic speed.
So that creates a suction.
475
00:20:57,486 --> 00:21:00,522
It creates a negative pressure
inside the whole engine.
476
00:21:00,522 --> 00:21:02,457
It opens the one-way reed valve.
477
00:21:02,457 --> 00:21:05,694
Sucks air which mixes with fuel
that's spraying all the time.
478
00:21:05,694 --> 00:21:07,963
And then there’s so much
negative pressure here
479
00:21:07,963 --> 00:21:10,098
that is sucks air all the way
back up the tail pipe.
480
00:21:10,098 --> 00:21:12,868
And it brings some of the fire
from that previous explosion
481
00:21:12,868 --> 00:21:15,671
back up with it and the fire
that it brought back up,
482
00:21:15,671 --> 00:21:18,740
sets off that new charge
and bang it goes off again.
483
00:21:18,740 --> 00:21:20,475
And like a canon again,
484
00:21:20,475 --> 00:21:21,877
the whole sequence repeats.
485
00:21:21,877 --> 00:21:24,913
So it's like a canon going off
70 times every second.
486
00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:27,449
[narrator] The complexity
of it all is forgotten,
487
00:21:27,449 --> 00:21:31,587
when Bob forgets his pedals
and starts to melt metal.
488
00:21:31,587 --> 00:21:32,821
[Bob] When you’re riding it,
489
00:21:32,821 --> 00:21:34,456
you just have to get
it into your head
490
00:21:34,456 --> 00:21:36,325
that you’re riding
a motorcycle not a bicycle.
491
00:21:36,325 --> 00:21:38,627
cause if you’re thinking I’m
going 60 miles an hour
492
00:21:38,627 --> 00:21:40,762
or 83 miles an hour,
you just don’t want to think
493
00:21:40,762 --> 00:21:42,364
that I’m on a bicycle
with bicycle tires.
494
00:21:42,364 --> 00:21:44,132
You want to think I’m
on a motorcycle.
495
00:21:44,132 --> 00:21:45,534
And it's going to hold together!
496
00:21:45,534 --> 00:21:47,836
And those tires aren’t going
to blow apart any second!
497
00:21:48,937 --> 00:21:52,174
[narrator] Bob's next project
is putting one of his engines
498
00:21:52,174 --> 00:21:54,009
into a vintage Lakester.
499
00:21:54,009 --> 00:21:56,478
The amount of thrust
in this one
500
00:21:56,478 --> 00:21:59,781
could take Bob to speeds
of epic proportion.
501
00:22:00,983 --> 00:22:02,017
[shouting]
502
00:22:02,217 --> 00:22:04,853
[Bob] So it only weighs about
700 or 750 pounds,
503
00:22:04,853 --> 00:22:07,322
and the buzz bombs
weighed 4500 pounds,
504
00:22:07,322 --> 00:22:09,224
and flew 400 miles an hour.
505
00:22:09,224 --> 00:22:11,093
So it should be able
to go fairly fast.
506
00:22:12,160 --> 00:22:13,328
[motor blaring]
507
00:22:13,795 --> 00:22:15,797
[narrator] His only
challenge with that,
508
00:22:15,797 --> 00:22:18,433
will be getting the Lakester
back home with his bike,
509
00:22:18,433 --> 00:22:20,469
at least he has options.
510
00:22:21,870 --> 00:22:23,071
Good thing I have pedals.
511
00:22:23,071 --> 00:22:24,306
[chuckles]
512
00:22:25,574 --> 00:22:29,011
Well that's it for today,
I’m Basil Singer.
513
00:22:29,011 --> 00:22:31,079
Thank you very much
for watching,
514
00:22:31,079 --> 00:22:33,582
How Tech Works.
See you next time.
515
00:22:34,850 --> 00:22:35,851
[ending music]
41228
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.