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[narrator] On this episode of
How Tech Works.
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We’ll meet the inventor
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of the world’s lightest
and most portable watercraft.
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And we’ll vault away
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in this extreme Dutch
sport called fierljeppen!
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[electronic music]
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[intro music]
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Hi there, and welcome to
How Tech Works.
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I’m Basil Singer.
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And we have a boatload
of cool stories about
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new inventions,
cutting edge technology
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and a Dutch sport that
combines pole-vaulting...
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with puddle jumping.
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[narrator] We’ll meet
the father-son team responsible
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for keeping this 100 year old
clock tower ticking
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and we’ll take a ride
on a bucking bronco
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that’s controlled
by your emotions.
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But first...
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what do you get when you take
an extremely long pole,
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a field of ditches
and streams
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and over one hundred
years of Dutch tradition?
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The answer
is both intriguing...
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and difficult to pronounce!
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It’s called fierljeppen,
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and this competitive sport
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is even more challenging
than it looks.
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[soft vibrant music]
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[narrator] Like all good
athletes.
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Jaco de Groot trains
as often as he can.
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Some of that training
and preparation is rather ...
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specialized.
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He’s the Dutch
national champion
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at a sport that involves
a very, very, long pole.
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[Jaco de Groot ]
Fierljeppen is a
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typical Dutch sport where you
have a pole and you
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try to jump as far as
possible.
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And you do this
by jumping over water.
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[narrator] Fierljeppen
started centuries ago.
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With farmers simply trying
to cross their properties.
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In the Netherlands there
are all ditches everywhere!
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So it's...
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40m land, ditch,
40m land, ditch and so forth.
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[narrator]
Today it’s an extreme sport.
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With carbon fiber poles
and trained athletes.
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Pieter Hielema has been coaching
Jaco for the past two years.
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[Pieter Hielema]
If you stand here and
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you look to the other
side it’s 20m further.
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That’s how far they jump.
It goes fast. It’s explosive.
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[narrator]
Jaco’s record is 21 meters.
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[Pieter Hielema]
Go, go, go...
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To be good in our sport...
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you need coordination,
strength, speed.
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[narrator]
First there’s the approach.
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[Jaco] If you run too fast,
you go pretty quick to
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the other side,
you're not to the top.
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If you run too slow
that’s also nice,
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then you fall
in the water. [laughs]
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[narrator]
Then there’s the contact.
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[Jaco] You have two ways
to jump on the pole.
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One is the natural way
to dive to the pole.
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your legs are
about here...
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and then...
your back is curving
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and before your legs are
here it takes a long time.
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So the natural way
is not really good.
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You need to train the way
with your knee inside.
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So it’s quick.
I can show you.
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Like this.
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[narrator]
In that same motion,
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your head needs to be
centered behind the pole
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to avoid falling to one
side or the other.
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And hand position
is also important.
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[Jaco]
If you’re too low,
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then your weight is lower
and then you go quick.
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If you grab too high,
you fall in the water.
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[Jaco] You walk about
30 kph to the pole.
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And the pole is standing
still, so you have...
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not one second, not a
half second, but less
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to decide to do it good.
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[narrator] Then
climb the 13-metre
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or three and
a half story pole
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as fast as possible before it
comes down on the other side.
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[Pieter] you have to
jump off the pole so you have to
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bend your body almost
like pole vaulting high,
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but...
in a horizontal direction.
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[narrator] Of course
it doesn’t always go well.
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[Jaco]
Every jump today
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is better than your
best jump on Monday.
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[narrator] On average, one in
three jumps ends in the water.
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[crowd screaming]
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[speaks Dutch]
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[narrator]
There’s a friendly rivalry
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between the north and
south of the country.
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Jaco’s top dog in the south.
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But he lost to a
guy from the north
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in last year’s red
bull nationals.
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There’s one purpose for me and
that’s winning the competition.
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Last year I was second
but now I want to be first.
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[narrator] The
weather isn’t great
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for today’s qualifier.
But the athletes are focused.
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[upbeat music]
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[narrator] Among them
Jaco’s younger brother.
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[speaks Dutch]
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You don’t want to be
beat by your brother!
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[narrator] Competitors have
four rounds to make their mark.
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[loudspeaker]
Go, go, go!
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[narrator]
Jaco’s first jump looks good.
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But he’s not happy.
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The power
was not there today.
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It’s more because
of the wind and...
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the walking a little bit wet.
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So slippy.
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So it’s tough.
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[upbeat music]
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[narrator] Everyone’s fighting
the wind and the rain.
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[Pieter] Normally
when there’s rain
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we don’t really
continue jumping.
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But it’s such a small drizzle.
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I think they might stop.
Actually they stopped.
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I’m looking behind
and I see that
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they stopped the match
because it’s too much.
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[narrator]
That’s too bad for Jaco.
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That last jump counts.
But it’s not his worst.
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[Jaco] It was when
I was 14 years old.
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I was practicing
and I fall with
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my feet in the water and
with my head to the side.
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So it was a very tough landing.
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[laughing] I always look out
now because I still remember.
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[loudspeaker]
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[narrator] Things improve
when the rain lets up.
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[yelling]
go, go, go!
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[narrator]
Jump number three looks better.
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[Jaco] It’s some more
so it’s quite okay.
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But... I'm not satisfied.
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[Jaco]
He’s only at 16m.
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For him it’s enough to
qualify because he was...
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ended up in 2nd
place last year,
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so he only had to
jump over the water.
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[narrator] Overall,
it may not have been
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the best day
for competition.
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[Pieter]
What a bad match... awful.
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[Jaco laughs]
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[narrator] But it’s all a part
and parcel... of fierljeppen.
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It’s really cool but crazy.
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It’s a lot of fun. And also...
so much power and technique.
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You’ll see
the wind and nature...
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everything can go wrong.
And if it’s going...
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if it’s all complete, one jump,
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then you won’t forget
it for your life.
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[speaks Dutch]
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This next story takes us all
the way to sunny California.
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where we catch up with
a unique individual
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doing his part to
one-up a jet ski.
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Now that might sound
like a tall order
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but given that he's the creator
of the world’s lightest
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and most portable watercraft,
he might just have a shot at it.
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His name is Jason woods.
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And his personal watercraft
is catching the attention
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of the local search
and rescue team.
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[upbeat music]
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[narrator]
Fun on the water.
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There’s nothing like it.
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Unless you’re on a lake where
it’s just a royal pain
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to haul your boat
out to the water.
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And then what?
Jason Woods has a plan.
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The world’s smallest
personal watercraft.
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The Kymera is a
jet-powered bodyboard.
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It flies completely in
the face of everything
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personal watercraft
manufacturers
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are doing right now.
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[narrator] At just
16 kilograms,
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you just pick it up and
head to the water.
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[Jason] You got a start button,
[motor noises]
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for the electric start. And a
kill button to shut it off.
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And a throttle control to
control the engine speed.
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Other than that
steering is accomplished by
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shifting your weight
left and right.
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[narrator] It’s not just for
personal pleasure though.
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Jason’s invention could
soon be saving lives..
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Today,
the rescue community
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gets its first look at
the Kymera jet board.
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Only a handful of people,
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close family mostly, have
ever really seen this thing.
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So it's really
exciting to be able
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to unveil this to the search
& rescue team today.
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[narrator]
Jason’s spent years
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toiling on this project
in his garage.
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the rescue team’s
feedback will be crucial
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for his dreams of
making this a reality.
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Will they be impressed?
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Jason woods loves
being on the water.
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Growing up in Napa in
Northern California,
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the only choice was to hitch
the boat up to the truck,
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and haul her
off to the lake.
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His search was on
to find an easier,
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more economical way to
get out on the water.
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[Jason] I had to
be able to just pick it up.
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I had to be able to
fit it in my car
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so I could
get it to the lake
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walk it down
to the water,
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and throw it
in and go ride.
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[narrator] He started
putting pen to paper.
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[Jason]
I had to figure out
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what it was going to look like
and how it would work.
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You can see here some
of the early designs.
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It's more or less a sled
to go in the water.
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[narrator] From the
design board to the garage.
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[Jason] Might just
want to hold off on that
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till we get it
re-located down lower.
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The first problem
I ran into was that
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because nothing like this
has ever been done before
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there's no parts that exist
for something like this.
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[narrator] His first
attempts just didn’t float...
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literally.
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[air bubbles]
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[narrator] Finally,
his third prototype works well.
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But it’s still not
quite up to size.
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The thing is so small.
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You weigh exponentially more
than the craft itself does.
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So the smallest shift
in weight can
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really change
the center of gravity.
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It can really change
where the waterline is.
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Now that it's been proved
that it could be done,
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the idea is to move into
the big scaled-up jet ski pump
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with a much more
powerful engine.
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[narrator] The newest model
will pump up the power
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from about two horsepower,
and about nine miles per hour,
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to 18 horsepower and
about 35 miles per hour!
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[narrator] Now, though,
Jason’s project
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has taken on
a more urgent nature.
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It all came about once
Jason let the word out
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that he was working
on this jet board.
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As soon as I did
that, I found that
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the whole concept was much
bigger than I'd realized.
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[Jason] Today we've got the
search & rescue team from
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Marine County coming out
to take a look at this.
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To kind of evaluate and
give me their feedback.
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Moving into the 4th version,
really of give me the things
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I need to take to heart
and put into this,
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to make it as ideally suited
for their job as possible.
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[soft vibrant music]
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00:10:07,369 --> 00:10:09,204
[Jason] You must be Kai.
I am, I am. Jason?
242
00:10:09,204 --> 00:10:10,939
[Jason] I'm Jason.
Hey, nice to meet you.
243
00:10:10,973 --> 00:10:12,040
Yeah nice to meet you.
244
00:10:12,207 --> 00:10:13,942
So this is it,
at long last.
245
00:10:14,009 --> 00:10:15,444
That's an impressive
looking board.
246
00:10:15,477 --> 00:10:16,979
[Jason]
Yeah this idea was just to get
247
00:10:17,012 --> 00:10:18,914
something how small
and how light can it be done.
248
00:10:18,981 --> 00:10:20,449
You can just shift
your body weight
249
00:10:20,482 --> 00:10:22,017
and it goes where
you want it to go.
250
00:10:22,651 --> 00:10:23,719
[narrator]
Some of the crew
251
00:10:23,752 --> 00:10:25,254
get called off on
an emergency,
252
00:10:25,254 --> 00:10:27,122
but the other are
anxious to see
253
00:10:27,155 --> 00:10:29,825
Jason take the Kymera
for a demonstration.
254
00:10:30,158 --> 00:10:31,660
[motor noises]
255
00:10:33,428 --> 00:10:35,898
[Kai] It's light, it's quick,
the concept's there for sure.
256
00:10:36,131 --> 00:10:38,200
It's so portable you can
carry it down to the dock.
257
00:10:38,433 --> 00:10:41,036
[Kai] It's definitely going to
outswim somebody, you know.
258
00:10:41,270 --> 00:10:43,038
Safety's always our
number one priority.
259
00:10:43,071 --> 00:10:44,773
And if that increases
the safety of that
260
00:10:44,806 --> 00:10:46,675
rescue swimmer going
out to the victim,
261
00:10:46,708 --> 00:10:48,744
then it's absolutely
something we'd be
262
00:10:48,777 --> 00:10:50,345
interested in looking
at in the future.
263
00:10:50,479 --> 00:10:52,614
I think it's great,
to try and spearhead
264
00:10:52,648 --> 00:10:55,450
something like this, to
affect people's lives
265
00:10:55,484 --> 00:10:58,287
and to change lives by
saving one, my hat's off.
266
00:10:58,820 --> 00:10:59,922
[sighs]
267
00:11:00,455 --> 00:11:03,025
It's a little overwhelming.
You know, being able to
268
00:11:03,058 --> 00:11:05,894
have all these guys here
and look at this thing
269
00:11:05,928 --> 00:11:07,496
and to really
make it real.
270
00:11:07,663 --> 00:11:09,364
To be here at the water
with these guys,
271
00:11:09,398 --> 00:11:11,166
and shake their hands,
and to know what they
272
00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:12,267
go out and do every day.
273
00:11:12,267 --> 00:11:13,769
I mean they
had to go run off
274
00:11:13,769 --> 00:11:15,337
while they were
here to help somebody!
275
00:11:15,671 --> 00:11:17,105
I mean, it really
drives it home
276
00:11:17,105 --> 00:11:19,007
how important this is,
and it just drives me
277
00:11:19,041 --> 00:11:21,476
to get this thing done
as soon as possible
278
00:11:21,543 --> 00:11:23,011
and into
their hands so,
279
00:11:23,045 --> 00:11:24,046
if this thing can
save one life,
280
00:11:24,112 --> 00:11:26,181
it justifies every year
that I've put into it.
281
00:11:27,616 --> 00:11:29,785
Coming up on
How Tech Works.
282
00:11:29,818 --> 00:11:32,054
[narrator] This old clocktower
has been keeping
283
00:11:32,054 --> 00:11:34,823
proper time,
for over 100 years.
284
00:11:34,857 --> 00:11:38,260
We go behind the scenes
to find out how it’s done.
285
00:11:38,393 --> 00:11:39,394
And...
286
00:11:39,394 --> 00:11:42,564
this bucking bronco has
a mind of its’ own... giddy up!
287
00:11:42,598 --> 00:11:43,632
[laughing]
288
00:11:48,136 --> 00:11:49,972
Welcome back to
How Tech Works.
289
00:11:50,005 --> 00:11:51,206
I'm basil singer.
290
00:11:51,306 --> 00:11:53,709
Now, it’s no secret
that the world of tech
291
00:11:53,709 --> 00:11:56,111
has gone from
analog to digital.
292
00:11:56,378 --> 00:11:58,614
And this applies
to all sorts of stuff.
293
00:11:58,714 --> 00:12:01,283
Music, TV
and timekeeping.
294
00:12:01,583 --> 00:12:04,720
But in downtown
Toronto, Canada,
295
00:12:04,720 --> 00:12:07,189
one of the city’s
oldest clocktowers
296
00:12:07,222 --> 00:12:09,558
has been keeping
the correct time
297
00:12:09,558 --> 00:12:11,527
for more than one
hundred years.
298
00:12:11,527 --> 00:12:14,429
And that’s without the
help of modern technology.
299
00:12:14,930 --> 00:12:17,432
More recently this
has been made possible
300
00:12:17,432 --> 00:12:20,235
thanks to one particular
family of experts.
301
00:12:20,402 --> 00:12:21,670
[soft vibrant music]
302
00:12:22,671 --> 00:12:25,340
[narrator] In downtown
Toronto you can‘t miss this.
303
00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:27,776
Old city hall
with its clock tower.
304
00:12:27,976 --> 00:12:30,312
Despite the fact it
is over 100 years old
305
00:12:30,345 --> 00:12:32,814
and not digital like
everything else these days
306
00:12:32,948 --> 00:12:35,250
this clock
tells time... accurately.
307
00:12:35,684 --> 00:12:38,620
Thanks to this father
and son team of clock workers.
308
00:12:38,987 --> 00:12:41,590
Twice a month
David and Phil Abernethy
309
00:12:41,590 --> 00:12:45,727
climb the 286 stairs up the bell
tower to look after the clock.
310
00:12:46,361 --> 00:12:48,730
En route they stop to
check on the bells.
311
00:12:49,164 --> 00:12:51,500
[David] We physically check
to see if everything
312
00:12:51,500 --> 00:12:53,802
is in good shape up there and
hanging the way it should.
313
00:12:54,169 --> 00:12:57,139
And the fulcrums that
pull the hammers.
314
00:12:57,139 --> 00:12:59,074
We have to make sure
they are in good condition.
315
00:12:59,441 --> 00:13:02,678
Cables do tend to fray from
time to time and come loose.
316
00:13:03,111 --> 00:13:05,747
[narrator] Every 15 minutes
the clock bells sound off.
317
00:13:05,914 --> 00:13:07,649
[David] We’ve got what
we call a tenor bell
318
00:13:08,283 --> 00:13:11,486
That's 11,000 plus pounds
of bell hanging there.
319
00:13:11,954 --> 00:13:14,990
This guy is the hour bell
that you hear for the hour.
320
00:13:15,657 --> 00:13:18,660
and these two bells are
the quarter bells,
321
00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:21,029
and it's just the two notes.
322
00:13:21,330 --> 00:13:22,798
We call it a Ting Tang.
323
00:13:22,898 --> 00:13:23,899
[bell rings]
324
00:13:23,999 --> 00:13:26,668
[narrator] Two O clock.
Time to climb some more stairs.
325
00:13:26,802 --> 00:13:28,704
[David]
Hello baby, daddy is back.
326
00:13:29,137 --> 00:13:30,606
[narrator] At the
top of the tower
327
00:13:30,639 --> 00:13:34,309
encased in glass is the century
old mechanism that keeps time.
328
00:13:35,477 --> 00:13:37,246
[David] The tower is
made of masonry.
329
00:13:37,779 --> 00:13:39,948
And wherever there is
masonry, there's masonry dust.
330
00:13:40,449 --> 00:13:42,951
It oxidizes,
it goes on the floor.
331
00:13:42,985 --> 00:13:46,688
It's tramped away.
The dust settles on these parts.
332
00:13:47,089 --> 00:13:50,826
This is in a cabinet to keep as
much of it away as possible.
333
00:13:51,093 --> 00:13:52,628
[soft uplifting music]
334
00:13:52,794 --> 00:13:54,162
[narrator] It’s in
good shape now.
335
00:13:54,162 --> 00:13:56,198
But it wasn’t when
the Abernethy family
336
00:13:56,231 --> 00:13:58,433
first started working
on it in 1992.
337
00:13:59,868 --> 00:14:01,370
[Phil]
I was pretty taken aback
338
00:14:01,403 --> 00:14:03,505
because it was
acutely neglected.
339
00:14:03,539 --> 00:14:05,841
There were lots of
incredibly worn gears.
340
00:14:05,874 --> 00:14:09,011
This very important
component of this clock
341
00:14:09,011 --> 00:14:11,180
which makes it quite unique,
is called a Remetoire.
342
00:14:11,180 --> 00:14:13,615
Those series of components
was in serious disarray.
343
00:14:13,649 --> 00:14:15,184
So...
344
00:14:15,551 --> 00:14:18,587
we took those components
and we built them
345
00:14:18,587 --> 00:14:20,622
basically to the
original pattern.
346
00:14:20,756 --> 00:14:23,158
[narrator] If David and Phil
hadn’t restored this part,
347
00:14:23,358 --> 00:14:26,195
the clock could very well
have shaken itself to pieces.
348
00:14:26,528 --> 00:14:30,098
Right now what I am doing is
checking the ratchet work here
349
00:14:30,332 --> 00:14:33,001
on the fan we've just
replaced this recently.
350
00:14:33,569 --> 00:14:34,603
And each service visit
351
00:14:34,636 --> 00:14:36,672
we’ll check these parts
really carefully.
352
00:14:37,005 --> 00:14:38,640
[narrator] This fan
plays a key role
353
00:14:38,674 --> 00:14:41,076
in stopping this clock
from self-destructing.
354
00:14:41,210 --> 00:14:43,478
It is a shock absorber,
a power absorber.
355
00:14:43,679 --> 00:14:46,181
It's very normal and
you find this in a lot of
356
00:14:46,215 --> 00:14:49,351
industrial machinery,
particularly in clocks.
357
00:14:49,785 --> 00:14:51,286
You know...
that's what that is.
358
00:14:52,154 --> 00:14:54,957
And this is something we
really keep a close watch on.
359
00:14:55,324 --> 00:14:57,059
Big Ben was
destroyed by it.
360
00:14:57,092 --> 00:15:00,162
It cost hundreds of
thousands of pounds.
361
00:15:00,362 --> 00:15:02,264
All because of one
of these failing.
362
00:15:03,065 --> 00:15:05,267
And the clock was out of
service for a very long time.
363
00:15:05,634 --> 00:15:07,069
[narrator]
The Rementoire keeps
364
00:15:07,102 --> 00:15:10,372
the clock’s mechanical pressure
balanced so it can stay on time.
365
00:15:10,572 --> 00:15:12,074
[machinery noises]
366
00:15:12,875 --> 00:15:14,877
And then when you’ve
done that, get this one here.
367
00:15:15,310 --> 00:15:16,445
[narrator]
The Abernethy's
368
00:15:16,478 --> 00:15:18,213
who have been in the
clock making business
369
00:15:18,247 --> 00:15:20,616
for over 30 years haven’t
seen too many of these.
370
00:15:21,183 --> 00:15:23,385
There is only
one of four types of
371
00:15:23,418 --> 00:15:26,755
this type of Rementoire
that exists in the world.
372
00:15:26,788 --> 00:15:28,590
So...
we did a lot of research.
373
00:15:28,590 --> 00:15:33,028
I went to the U.K twice to
study similar examples.
374
00:15:33,695 --> 00:15:37,199
I came back with that knowledge
and we were able to restore it.
375
00:15:38,033 --> 00:15:39,501
[narrator]
So, now they need to ensure
376
00:15:39,568 --> 00:15:41,036
it keeps working properly.
377
00:15:41,136 --> 00:15:43,505
[David] Rementoire
is a very complex,
378
00:15:43,805 --> 00:15:45,541
delicate piece of machinery.
379
00:15:45,908 --> 00:15:49,244
Some people might think
it's as simple matter
380
00:15:49,278 --> 00:15:52,114
of throwing oil all over
it and its going to work.
381
00:15:52,648 --> 00:15:53,682
Well it is not so.
382
00:15:53,882 --> 00:15:55,884
[narrator]
The real enemy here is dust.
383
00:15:56,051 --> 00:15:58,420
This is the way you brush
your teeth, brush your teeth.
384
00:15:58,654 --> 00:16:00,055
[laughs]
[clock teeth rattles]
385
00:16:00,122 --> 00:16:01,790
Yes we are cleaning the teeth.
386
00:16:02,157 --> 00:16:04,760
You have got to keep
the teeth clean from all...
387
00:16:05,994 --> 00:16:07,696
lubricants that have congealed.
388
00:16:08,230 --> 00:16:09,865
Because it wears
away these wheels.
389
00:16:10,265 --> 00:16:12,301
[narrator] Not only have
David and his son Phil
390
00:16:12,334 --> 00:16:14,870
been working on their clock,
so has Phil's son martin.
391
00:16:15,003 --> 00:16:17,272
[David] You are going to
clean down the back there right?
392
00:16:18,340 --> 00:16:19,842
[narrator]
This is not the only clock
393
00:16:19,875 --> 00:16:21,276
the Abernethy's are
taking care of.
394
00:16:21,310 --> 00:16:23,345
but it holds a special
place for them.
395
00:16:23,779 --> 00:16:25,981
I am the third generation
that is worked on this clock.
396
00:16:26,181 --> 00:16:27,416
[metal teeth rattle]
397
00:16:27,516 --> 00:16:28,717
Maybe there will be a fourth.
398
00:16:29,051 --> 00:16:30,819
I wouldn’t miss the stairs.
399
00:16:31,486 --> 00:16:33,188
But I would miss the machine,
400
00:16:33,222 --> 00:16:35,090
especially the Rementoire
because it is unique.
401
00:16:35,591 --> 00:16:37,759
Because it is a listed
historical item.
402
00:16:38,060 --> 00:16:40,295
and many, many people
come to the city
403
00:16:40,329 --> 00:16:42,231
and if they don’t see our
clock working properly
404
00:16:42,264 --> 00:16:43,699
What are they thinking?
405
00:16:44,099 --> 00:16:47,569
We consider it a civic
responsibility as much as a job.
406
00:16:48,003 --> 00:16:49,505
[soft uplifting music]
407
00:16:51,673 --> 00:16:53,442
Finally... I don’t
know about you,
408
00:16:53,575 --> 00:16:55,244
but when I was a
youngster at school
409
00:16:55,244 --> 00:16:57,513
the possibility of becoming
a “thrill engineer”
410
00:16:57,546 --> 00:17:00,282
when I grew up, was never
really on the cards.
411
00:17:00,449 --> 00:17:02,818
Because such an occupation
did not exist...
412
00:17:03,218 --> 00:17:04,253
or so I thought.
413
00:17:04,486 --> 00:17:06,288
But that’s exactly
what this team
414
00:17:06,321 --> 00:17:08,056
from Nottingham
call themselves.
415
00:17:08,257 --> 00:17:10,225
And these thrill
engineers have come up
416
00:17:10,225 --> 00:17:12,528
with a ride
unlike any other.
417
00:17:12,861 --> 00:17:15,764
it responds to your
emotions while you ride.
418
00:17:15,898 --> 00:17:18,267
So step right up
and slide onto
419
00:17:18,300 --> 00:17:21,370
the saddle of the bucking
bronco-matic.
420
00:17:22,437 --> 00:17:24,039
[soft Mexican music]
421
00:17:24,506 --> 00:17:26,642
[narrator]
At the university of Nottingham,
422
00:17:26,842 --> 00:17:28,844
something wild is happening.
423
00:17:29,278 --> 00:17:33,015
These mad scientists are wiring
each other from head to toe.
424
00:17:33,882 --> 00:17:36,685
This is an experiment
designed for one reason.
425
00:17:37,452 --> 00:17:39,054
To create a thrill ride.
426
00:17:39,087 --> 00:17:41,990
The likes of which,
the world has never seen.
427
00:17:42,224 --> 00:17:44,126
[Brendan] We’re aiming to
create rides that can
428
00:17:44,159 --> 00:17:46,595
customize themselves to
each riders physiology,
429
00:17:46,628 --> 00:17:48,864
to create the most
thrilling ride possible.
430
00:17:48,964 --> 00:17:49,965
[drum roll]
431
00:17:50,165 --> 00:17:51,733
[narrator] Brendan
walker and his team
432
00:17:51,733 --> 00:17:54,837
of thrill engineers want to
design the ride of the future.
433
00:17:55,003 --> 00:17:57,039
One that can
sense and react to
434
00:17:57,039 --> 00:17:59,675
each and every rider’s
emotional state.
435
00:18:00,075 --> 00:18:01,577
[soft vibrant music]
436
00:18:01,944 --> 00:18:03,512
[Brendan] If I'm not
excited by a ride,
437
00:18:03,545 --> 00:18:05,781
the ride itself could start
manipulating my experience
438
00:18:05,781 --> 00:18:07,115
and tailoring itself to me
439
00:18:07,149 --> 00:18:09,084
and my psychological needs.
440
00:18:09,751 --> 00:18:11,420
[narrator] It all
started six years ago.
441
00:18:11,687 --> 00:18:13,288
When Brendan
created a formula
442
00:18:13,322 --> 00:18:16,258
that could actually work out
those kinds of numbers.
443
00:18:16,491 --> 00:18:18,260
The thrill factor
is when you get,
444
00:18:18,293 --> 00:18:21,630
a rapid and large change
in pleasure and arousal.
445
00:18:21,897 --> 00:18:24,132
The bigger they are, the
bigger the thrill factor is.
446
00:18:24,299 --> 00:18:26,068
It was at that point we
moved from a sort of
447
00:18:26,068 --> 00:18:27,703
subjective exploration.
448
00:18:27,870 --> 00:18:30,339
Through to a very
scientific objective analysis
449
00:18:30,372 --> 00:18:31,840
of the thrilling experience.
450
00:18:32,140 --> 00:18:33,342
[narrator]
With the help
451
00:18:33,342 --> 00:18:34,843
of a mechanical bull,
the team brings
452
00:18:34,877 --> 00:18:37,379
the theme park right
inside the lab.
453
00:18:38,213 --> 00:18:39,348
Good?
454
00:18:40,048 --> 00:18:41,083
Fantastic.
455
00:18:41,216 --> 00:18:42,651
It was a very simple experiment
456
00:18:42,684 --> 00:18:44,086
We have one rider
riding the ride,
457
00:18:44,152 --> 00:18:45,888
collecting all the data.
458
00:18:46,255 --> 00:18:48,590
[narrator] The electrodes on
the rider track heart-rate,
459
00:18:48,690 --> 00:18:50,826
sweat-levels, and even
the movement of
460
00:18:50,826 --> 00:18:52,961
smile and frown
muscles on their face.
461
00:18:53,195 --> 00:18:55,664
All these data gets
sent back to the operator.
462
00:18:56,298 --> 00:18:58,467
[Brendan] We were
interested in the ride operator
463
00:18:58,500 --> 00:19:01,670
interpreting that data and
making ride control decisions
464
00:19:01,937 --> 00:19:03,705
based on, purely
on that medical data.
465
00:19:03,906 --> 00:19:05,207
[narrator]
If the rider’s not
466
00:19:05,240 --> 00:19:06,675
as excited as he should be
467
00:19:06,842 --> 00:19:08,477
the operator
can crank it up.
468
00:19:08,977 --> 00:19:11,413
The first step
in creating this sort of
469
00:19:11,813 --> 00:19:13,815
feedback control
system for the ride.
470
00:19:14,183 --> 00:19:16,185
[narrator]
But this, is just the beginning.
471
00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:19,421
[soft vibrant music]
472
00:19:19,588 --> 00:19:22,191
[narrator] With some
geeky DIY modifications
473
00:19:22,491 --> 00:19:25,394
the guys now take the human
out of the loop completely.
474
00:19:25,627 --> 00:19:26,662
[machine noises]
475
00:19:26,895 --> 00:19:28,463
[narrator]
At one end of the circuit
476
00:19:28,497 --> 00:19:30,866
a fully-automated
bucking bronco-matic
477
00:19:31,466 --> 00:19:32,634
At the other end...
478
00:19:32,801 --> 00:19:35,304
a simple breathing monitor
is strapped to the rider.
479
00:19:36,104 --> 00:19:37,739
As Brendan breathes
480
00:19:37,873 --> 00:19:39,708
you can see on
the laptop screen
481
00:19:40,209 --> 00:19:42,544
we can see his breathing
going up and down.
482
00:19:43,278 --> 00:19:48,083
and our control panel robot
is actually moving the bronco.
483
00:19:48,250 --> 00:19:49,985
So as Brendan
breathes out,
484
00:19:50,018 --> 00:19:51,687
the bronco goes one way.
485
00:19:51,920 --> 00:19:53,522
And if Brendan
breathes in the bronco
486
00:19:53,555 --> 00:19:54,556
goes back the other way.
487
00:19:54,790 --> 00:19:56,291
It’s like a
horror film setting.
488
00:19:56,491 --> 00:19:59,828
We’ve now got a computer
controlling a human’s enjoyment.
489
00:19:59,895 --> 00:20:01,029
If I hold my breath...
490
00:20:01,563 --> 00:20:03,732
I think I'm going to be
able to stay on quite a while.
491
00:20:04,066 --> 00:20:06,668
But it’s how long I can hold my
breath for which is the trick.
492
00:20:06,702 --> 00:20:07,703
[laughs]
493
00:20:07,836 --> 00:20:09,438
Rider one.
Are you ready?
494
00:20:09,638 --> 00:20:10,639
Not really. [laughs]
495
00:20:10,672 --> 00:20:11,673
Okay...
496
00:20:11,707 --> 00:20:13,709
3, 2, 1...
497
00:20:14,009 --> 00:20:15,010
Go!
498
00:20:15,110 --> 00:20:16,879
[electronic music]
499
00:20:17,112 --> 00:20:18,714
[narrator]
Even though his own body
500
00:20:18,714 --> 00:20:21,416
is steering the wheel Brendan
has no control of the ride.
501
00:20:21,583 --> 00:20:22,985
[music continues]
[laughs]
502
00:20:23,685 --> 00:20:25,687
When you’re horrified
and you become scared
503
00:20:25,921 --> 00:20:27,523
you’re breathing
becomes shallow,
504
00:20:27,556 --> 00:20:28,991
panicked,
it becomes quickened.
505
00:20:29,191 --> 00:20:30,259
I’m struggling...
506
00:20:30,859 --> 00:20:32,594
to control my breathing...
507
00:20:32,895 --> 00:20:34,463
but it’s, quite hard!
508
00:20:35,230 --> 00:20:36,732
[music continues]
509
00:20:38,066 --> 00:20:41,236
It’s surprisingly difficult and
try as you might to control it,
510
00:20:41,270 --> 00:20:44,006
every time it twitches,
you just want to laugh
511
00:20:44,806 --> 00:20:46,441
or scream,
which makes it go even faster.
512
00:20:46,508 --> 00:20:47,643
[heroic music]
513
00:20:47,776 --> 00:20:49,711
[narrator] For the bronco-
matic’s final test
514
00:20:50,112 --> 00:20:52,714
our producer and cameraman
decide to give it a shot.
515
00:20:55,250 --> 00:20:57,653
After a well-fought
and valiant battle
516
00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:00,088
both...
are handily defeated.
517
00:21:00,556 --> 00:21:02,624
I am going to beat it!
I am going to beat it!
518
00:21:04,426 --> 00:21:05,527
[narrator] For now...
519
00:21:05,561 --> 00:21:07,196
bronco-matic
is just a prototype.
520
00:21:07,462 --> 00:21:08,497
But it’s proof
521
00:21:08,697 --> 00:21:11,500
that thrill rides can be
custom-made just for you.
522
00:21:12,634 --> 00:21:14,903
Though the idea is
never going to save lives
523
00:21:15,103 --> 00:21:16,171
to Brendan...
524
00:21:16,205 --> 00:21:18,707
thrilling people
to death is just as good.
525
00:21:19,308 --> 00:21:21,276
We all want to
experience thrill in our lives.
526
00:21:21,310 --> 00:21:22,611
It’s part of
what makes us tick.
527
00:21:22,744 --> 00:21:24,179
[machine noises]
[laughs]
528
00:21:24,279 --> 00:21:25,447
[Brendan]
I think a life
529
00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:27,616
without thrill
would be really empty.
530
00:21:27,783 --> 00:21:29,151
[camera noises]
531
00:21:29,751 --> 00:21:30,819
[laughs]
532
00:21:31,386 --> 00:21:33,255
That’s it!
There's no more time I'm afraid.
533
00:21:33,255 --> 00:21:35,257
Thank you very much for
watching How Tech Works.
534
00:21:35,457 --> 00:21:37,693
I’m Basil Singer,
and I’ll see you next time.
535
00:21:37,926 --> 00:21:40,629
[ending music]
41946
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