Original subtitles

[narrator] On this episode of How Tech Works…

A mighty impressive car with cutting edge technology...

from over a hundred years ago.

And...

this piece of future tech from the European Space Agency

is turning more than a few heads as it gets ready for a trip...

to Mars!

[show opening]

Hello there! My name is Dr. Basil,

and for the next half hour you won't want to be anywhere

but right here as we check out incredible tech stories

from around the globe.

Today on How Tech Works we get up close and personal

with a hurricane and several bolts of lightning.

Talk about a force of nature. But first...

if I said the words 'hybrid car'

I'll wager you're likely to think of a vehicle

built in the last couple of years. Right?

Well what if I showed you a car with cutting age Eco-technology

that's over 100 years old?

It's from the fine folks at Porsche

and it's the coolest set of wheels

since the turn of the last century.

Take a look.

Porsche's Weissach test track is usually closed to outsiders

but today journalists from all over the world

are getting a sneak peak at a one of a kind vehicle.

It's a replica of the Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus.

A groundbreaking prototype

designed by Ferdinand Porsche himself when he was only 23.

Way back in the year 1900.

The vehicle is reborn.

Painstakingly recreated by the man behind the wheel.

My name is Hubert Drescher.

I'm a car body maker by occupation.

This is the first operational hybrid vehicle in the world.

We've got two single-cylinder fuel combustion engines here,

which provide power to two generators.

The electricity that's produced there

flows directly into the electric wheel hub motors

and the batteries.

If the combustion engines are turned off,

then the electricity from the batteries

directly powers the wheel hub motors.

[narrator] It's called Semper Vivus.

That's Latin for 'always alive'.

Because it's batteries are kept alive by power

from the petrol engines.

It's got a range of 120 miles

which is really actually quite impressive back then.

The Semper Vivus was the first functional hybrid car

in the world.

And we at the Porsche Museum,

we want to document this great idea

to our audience.

And at the moment Porsche started

a big hybrid offensive,

and for that reason this car is a great symbol of innovation,

for the ideas of Ferdinand Porsche.

[narrator] When the Porsche museum commissioned Hubert

to recreate Semper Vivus,

they also handed him a big problem.

They didn't have any plans.

My god.

The only surviving record, a couple of photographs.

One.

And two.

When Porsche asked me whether I could replicate this vehicle,

I was really surprised.

We only had two photographs to refer to,

and I was thinking to myself,

how on earth would we be able

to construct something like this

let alone replicate it?'

[narrator] Hubert's goal: to be as true to the original

as possible.

He's got a workshop in Germany's Black Forest region

where he restores cars and builds replicas.

First we had to carry out extensive research.

It was crucial for us to gather as much information as possible.

[narrator] He gathers information from archives

and scrutinizes the photos.

He uses some calipers

to calibrate the diameter of the front wheel

with its hub motor.

From the technical descriptions we had,

I knew that the wheel diameter was 875 millimeters.

Given that measure, I was able to scale up

measurements from the photos.

With the measurements he builds the car

using 3D engineering software.

On top of the challenge of having only

a few photos to refer to,

the photos showed the vehicle from one side only.

We didn't know what the car looked like

from the opposite side, nor the rear, nor the front.

So Huber has to rely on his 26 years of experience

working on old cars.

He has to reverse-engineer Sember Vivus

figuring out how all the parts work together.

Then the build starts.

Some parts he makes himself

others are outsourced

using Hubert's engineering data.

The rear tires come from a vulcanizer in Frankfurt.

They aren't shaped properly so Hubert has to shape them

on a lathe.

The project takes three years

and costs about half a million pounds.

Just before he finishes his reconstruction

the Porsche museum finds an original sketch

of Semper Vivus at an auction.

It confirms that Hubert's proportions

are pretty much bang on.

Back at Weissach...

the petrol engines are being a little fussy.

Just when I have to showcase it on camera!

A little starter fluids

does the trick.

The replica even reproduces

the quirks of the original prototype.

For example.

only the central battery case has suspension.

to protect the glass-covered batteries from bumps.

When you sit in it, the entire vehicle body moves

from side-to-side.

It takes a bit of time to get used to.

[narrator] Top speed for Semper Vivus

about 25 miles an hour.

It could go faster but it's not a good idea.

You really have to get used to the fact

that the vehicle is relatively fast

compared to the steering capabilities

the driver has.

If you drive too fast you won't be able

to keep up with the steering.

Early in the last century

automotive engineers turned away from electric power

because of the weight of the batteries.

But today, things have come full circle

and electric power is back.

It's really a very special feeling

when you sit on top and drive a vehicle

that you built yourself.”

Now it's time to return Semper Vivus

to the Porsche museum.

An awesome symbol of innovation for its time

and far too precious to be driven on the open road.

When it comes to innovations in the space industry,

let's face it, most people usually think

of NASA

but the European space agency is developing an incredible piece

of future tech called 'Eurobot'.

This two armed, stereo-vision martian robot

is the star attraction in a dress rehearsal

for the 56 million kilometer journey to Mars.

And it's taking place in the Spanish desert.

This is a robotic space rover.

It's got four wheels, two arms, and a camera system

for extra terrestrial reconnaissance missions.

We are here to basically, for the first time,

test it out in a real Mars-like environment.

Phillippe Shoonejans is essentially

this robot's guardian.

As project director with the European space agency,

he's decided it's time to take the Eurobot

on its first field trip to Rio Tinto, Spain.

Up to now we have tested it in the lab

It was designed to work in a real environment

but now we need to do it and we have to make sure

that nothing breaks and we have to see whether

the cameras can make their way through obstacles,

so it’s absolutely important to test it

in the real environment

[narrator] With 3D vision

and transformer like arms that have interchangeable tools,

this robot is designed to be an astronauts best friend.

It weighs nearly 600 kilograms.

And it can carry about 150 kilograms

The weight of one fully loaded astronaut

and a cargo.

But it's agile too.

It can reverse and turn on a penny.

[man] Our goal is to look at different ways

of performing tasks on the surface of the planet.

So this could be either with people alone,

or it could be the combination of people with robotics.

Or the robot alone.

We want to measure how effective all of this is.

[narrator] Eurobot doesn't move very fast though.

Only about three miles per hour.

But it can respond to voice commands

or the movements of the joystick.

It can go totally by itself or it can be telly operated

from either the earth or it can be commanded

from somebody within an orbiting station

around the moon or around Mars, and then you can operate it

without time delay.

[narrator] In development for eight years now,

many are wondering if and when it might be set

on a mission.

It could be ready in maybe 10 years or so,

but I think the more important question is

when does Europe or the world want to go to the moon or Mars

with people?

And only then will it be used

so I think it is a more political question

than a technical one at the moment.

For now, one small test

for the Eurobot on earth

in preparation for a giant leap on the moon or Mars.

I think first go to the moon as it is a lot closer and easier.

And the next step would be Mars.

But that's far away and I am not sure

I'll be there to enjoy it.

Coming up on How Tech Works:

What happens when you put a human in a wind tunnel

and subject him to hurricane force winds?

Well, fearless reporter Dan Riskin

is about to find out

all in the name of tech journalism

Zap! We visit a lab in Cardiff, Wales

that uses super high powered lightening

to test the next generation of airplane materials.

Welcome back to How Tech Works. I am Dr Basil.

Now you might call this next segment

lightening in a bottle or maybe lightening on a plane.

Have you ever wondered what happens

to a commercial aircraft

when lightning strikes it mid flight?

Then this story will hit the spot.

A lab in Cardiff

uses super high power lightening

to test the next generation of airplane materials

and the results just may shock you.

But you know, in a good way.

[lightening]

Lightening. One of the most powerful forces

in nature.

A real lightening bolt is about 3000 amps

has three times as much current.

Lightening circuits might draw say one amp.

And a kettle might use ten.

But here we got 100'000 which is a lot bigger.

We make lightning to test airplane parts.

Now that's really important because air-crafts get hit

by lightning around once per year.

Normally that's not a problem.

Things with very good conductivity

don’t really blow up at all.

So, Aluminum with no paint on top

nothing is going to happen there.

To demonstrate that, Phillippe bolts a piece of plane

to his blasting table.

This test is going to be to Aluminum.

It’s what aircraft are made of most of the time.

We’re putting in a very fine fuse wire

because we’re not interested in it conducting,

We just want it to breach the gap

between the electrode and the plate.

Creating lightning is pretty easy.

We turn the chargers on.

We put the energy into the capacitors

Once they’re full, we get to press the fire button.

That sends compressed air down to the switch

which rams one piece of copper towards another

and then when it's close enough, it sparks over.

[narrator] Phillip wants a detailed record

of what happens when his lightning hits the metal.

The camera we’ve been using is a high-speed camera.

We’ve been running it at about 30-thousand frames per second

which seems optimal.

[narrator] With a very small apparature setting.

It’s insanely bright. It's about 200 million watts

just in the arc that we're looking at.

And that's intense.

[narrator] It has to be processioned perfectly.

Okay, I'm taking it up, Chris.

Out in the lab itself

it sits inside a metal box to protect it from all the RF”.

Is it high enough, Chris?

and it's got a piece of plexiglass in front of it

to stop any debris, hitting its lens damaging it

Ready here. Carry on.

We connect to it via Fiber optics and control it

from a laptop in our control room.

[narrator] Then the entire lab is cleared and locked down.

Alright, the camera is ready.

Do you want to start the charging?

Charger on.

Charger off.

-Ready to fire? -Fire.

Okay we got it.

[narrator] On video everything looks good.

This captured really nicely. We can really see

exactly where the arc was and we can see

the reflecting in the aluminum surface.

If that was the wing of an airplane

it would be absolutely fine.

[narrator] Even with Philippe’s super lightening

there's barely a mark on the aluminium.

Slight blemish on the surface.

Superficial really.

[narrator] That's great news for the planes today

but Phillippe has his eye on the future

when planes will be made out of Carbon Fiber.

Aircraft companies want to use Carbon Fiber

because it's a lot lighter.

And it resists fatigue so much better than aluminium.

But there's a downside.

It isn't so good against lightning.

It’s 500 times more resistant,

which means it's 500 times harder

to get electricity to go through it.

And it does get 500 times hotter when you hit it with lightening.

If you just had untreated Carbon Fiber,

with no means of conducting the current around it,

it's almost certainly gonna have a hole in it.

And that's not good.

[narrator] Building a plane out of untreated Carbon Fiber

would be suicide.

So Phillippe tests Carbon Fiber coated with a thin layer

of conductive metal.

-Okay, ready? -Fire.

I think we got it.

Phil, this looks good. Wanna come out and look?

That’s just the top few plys

that have evaporated under the epoxy,

but let's take out and have a look on the other side.

-There you go, Chris. -Absolutely nothing.

So, all's good.

Aircraft skin is absolutely fine for use in flight.

[narrator] The layer of conductive mesh did its job.

And you can see that it's not good enough to carry

all the current in one small area.

But it doesn't have to be.

Once it's gone around about this big,

the current going out through it

it isn't enough to melt it

even though we've got 100 thousand amps

Phillippe will continue to test a variety of coatings.

different metals and different frequencies.

All to make sure,

planes of the future can survive the biggest blasts

that mother nature can dish out.

And while we're on a perfect storm kick,

You weather buffs out there

most unpredictable and devastating phenomena.

Thankfully not many of us will ever experience

a hurricane first hand

But we found someone who will.

All in the name of science.

Meet Dr. Dan Riskin.

Our intrepid reporter.

Hurricanes, one of natures deadliest forces.

[man] Ripping winds, surging waters

combining to cause destruction of a massive magnitude.

Getting caught in one? Definitely scary.

Choosing to experience one?

Maybe crazy.

How do you find out what it's like to be

in a hurricane without actually having to be

in a hurricane?

You have to find a big chamber where they can blow

a lot of wind at you and a lot of rain.

Check this out.

Alright we’re in the wind tunnel before we get up to hurricane

let's just try to see what it's like in a tropical storm.

Most can 'weather' a tropical storm.

[laughs]

[tropical storm simulation]

High winds and heavy rain are nasty alright.

But they often get worse.

A hurricane can span the size of a small country

and last for days.

Alright.

We're gonna see what a real hurricane feels like.

I've got a helmet, got goggles.

I got a windbreaker and I am harnessed to the ground

so I don't go blowing out of here.

[wind]

I’d say this is windier than I’ve ever experienced.

Going to go a little higher.

[laughs]

This is starting to feel like I am skiing.

This is a hundred kilometers an hour.

Alright now it's getting...

this is a little bit extreme.

It's hard to believe it could be this windy in the real world.

I’m now going 150 kilometers an hour.

This is insane.

[hurricane simulation]

Wow this hurts.

My clothes are hitting my skin hard enough that it's...

[screams]

Turns out I made it past the category two and into a three.

Sustaining winds of 200 km an hour.

The only reason I could handle that is because I was tethered,

right?

On your two feet, you would have flown.

So I managed these winds all tied down.

But we wanted to show you what category 3 winds would do

to a street sign.

First, safety.

Flying steel could hit us or slice through the mesh

protecting the fans

Mistakes no one wants to make.

So what do you guys think is gonna happen to this?

Well we’re going to see a bit of resonance on that sign.

Just like a standing wave, sort of a wiggle?

Well, you’re going to get more than a wiggle.

-It's about to fall. -Take it down.

Going down.

It sure blows your mind

that the wind can bend metal like that.

If a category three can bend metal,

we're gonna see if a category 5 can move metal.

A 1200 kg compact car to be exact.

Even with steel chains as anchors, and the roof tied down,

wheels are spinning

and this car is getting pushed around.

Look at the hood.

[laughs loudly]

Alright so you've seen what the wind does to a car,

but in a hurricane there'd be rain too right?

So let's throw some of that in.

I think I get why you're not supposed to go outside

during a hurricane.

In addition to everything else that's cool about that story,

I love the fact that it's actually someone's job

to create and build those wind tunnels.

Just imagine if it was you,

and someone asked you at a cocktail party what you did.

Yeah, I make wind tunnels.

I've got loads of fans.

Get it? See what I did there?

Well that's all the time we've got for today.

Thank you very much for watching

How Tech Works. Until next time, I'm Dr. Basil.

[ending music]