All language subtitles for Modern.Marvels.S22E14.Strange.Machines.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H264-BTN_track3_[eng]

- [Narrator] They're the
strangest machines imaginable,

able to propel you up
mountains like a superhero.

Generate fiery spectacles
three stories high.

- It can burn the
roof off the place

if I turn it all the way up.

- [Narrator] And send you
hurdle through water and air.

- It's really like a cross
between a boat and a plane.

- [Narrator] From
bizarre vintage vehicles.

- These are not things
you would see driving down

the street on your way to work.

- [Narrator] To electrifying
exhibits of light.

You'll never look at regular
machines the same way again.

On Modern Marvels

(upbeat music)

It's been said that necessity

is the mother of all invention.

But for some inventions, the
necessity remains unclear.

For decades there's been
a growing world of devices

resting on the edges of society.

The lone wolves of technology,

deviating from the norm

and all sharing a
common attribute.

They're just a touch, strange.

We launch right out of the
gate in Redding, California,

with a machine whose
looks says it all.

If you've ever wanted to swim
like a shark, or dolphin,

well, here's your chance.

Robert Innes and his team
at Innespace Productions

designed the ultimate
aquatic thrill ride.

The Seabreacher X.

This high octane machine
was born out of Innes goal

to build an underwater jet ski.

- This boat is about the
closest you're gonna get

to a sensation of a
dolphin or a shark.

You go through the
water, you jump over it.

You can totally do anything
that you can imagine.

This one is our most
extreme vehicle,

that puts out about
255 horsepower

is capable of about 50 miles
an hour on the surface.

If you've got this much
power, you can do that.

(engine roars)

- [Narrator] At the shop,
the next fleet of custom made

shark and dolphin
boats are on the line.

The shells and motors
arrive prefabricated

and the work begins.

Welders machine every part

based on the specs
of the ordered boat.

- That's pretty much where
we do all the grinding,

our specific welding,

our, our beginning stages
of the fabrication.

This is where it starts.

- [Narrator] All the main
mechanical components

of the Seabreacher are
made from non-corrosive

stainless steel or aluminum.

- We just chop it up, weld
it up and boom, we got parts.

- [Narrator] With the base
model starting at $85,000,

this is definitely not your
family's first speed boat.

- You know we have a
pretty diverse clientele

of people who buy these.

You know we have everything
from wealthy Arab clients

to adrenaline junkies.

- [Narrator] To keep
the customer safe,

the Seabreacher must remain
buoyant at all times.

- So within the walls
of the Seabreacher,

there's actually flotation,
which is urethane foam.

So even if the whole
cockpit fills with water,

the foam will keep you afloat.

So it's a safety feature
built into the fuselage

so it can't sink.

Famous last words.

- [Narrator] Just
because it won sink

doesn't mean it
can't go underwater.

To replicate the movements
of a marine mammal,

Innes had to
utilize the mechanics

of aerospace engineering.

- What we do is we
build custom built

submersible watercraft.

These are not submarines.

They fly underwater so,

it's really like a cross
between a boat and a plane.

Now a regular airplane has wings

that suck it up into the sky.

So we use forward momentum
and downwards facing wings

to suck it underneath the water.

If you push these both forward,

it's forcing the
entire boat underwater.

It's giving negative lift.

If you both pull
these both back,

it's actually bringing
it up above the surface.

So at different speeds, you're
doing different things here.

- [Narrator] The Seabreacher
also requires complex

hand and foot coordination

to maximize the
watercrafts potential.

- You actually do a
lot of the controlling

of the Seabreacher
with your feet here.

It's more like an aircraft.

You push the left
pedal to turn left

right pedal to turn right.

You can also pitch
the nose up and down

by pointing your toes forward,

that points it into a dive.

And when you push
your heels like that,

that brings the nose up.

That's how you
get the big jumps.

- [Narrator] But much of
the acrobatics performed

by the Seabreacher, stems from
a boat load of horsepower.

- This particular motor
is a three cylinder.

It's a four stroke
engine and it's it

it runs on regular gasoline.

Fire it up.

(boat engine roars)

You need a lot of horsepower

to get these things
under the water.

Typical family ski boat
is about 200 horse.

So here we have like
a 16 foot canoe,

with 250 horsepower.

So obviously it's gonna haul.

- [Narrator] This fusion
of throttle thrust,

foot pedal dynamics
and horsepower

allows for a seasoned
driver to perform jumps,

twists, and surface 180's.

- Coolest thing for me,
it's just flying underwater.

I mean, things happen so
quickly and people say,

you know, you're down there
sight seeing can you see fish?

You just get tunnel vision

because everything is
happening so quickly.

Kind of like strapping
yourself to a torpedo.

- [Narrator] But the
Seabreacher isn't

the only weird machine
sending ripples

through the nautical world.

We head to America's
final frontier.

Where a bizarre
watercraft navigates

the frigid waters
of Juneau, Alaska

- This craft is the
Archduke Grand Excelsior

ruler of the high seas.

The Archduke was designed
to be a all weather

go anywhere craft.

- [Narrator] Marine
mechanic, Cal Giordano,

single handedly built the
Duke in less than three months

in his garage.

- Just been one day I
thought that you know there's

no reason why not
I have the skills,

I work on normal boats all day.

They really don't interest me.

I wanted the boat to be unique,

have unique functions

and just be a, a
different kind of boat.

- [Narrator] 32 Feet
in length, the Archduke

is a hodgepodge of commercial
and household parts.

A large buoy was chosen
for the front of the boat.

A 500 pound propane
tank was attached

to counter the
weight in the back.

Its look is across between
a civil war submarine

and a pirate ship.

Even donning a
cannon on the bow.

To tackle a project
of this scale,

one must acquire the
right tools of the trade.

- Now this is what you
need to build the Archduke.

You need a cotton torch,
this is to cut the steel.

You need a grinder.

This is to grind the
steel you just cut.

You need a drill.

This is to drill holes

in the steel that you
just cut and ground.

This is a file, this
is for everything else.

- [Narrator] With
the haul in place.

Giordano went to work
converting the commercial pieces

into a recreational vehicle.

- Now the Archduke is
an unconventional craft

made from rather
conventional items.

For instance, the buoy here,

this is a 58 inch
diameter commercial buoy.

Now what I've used it
for is my command module

or the cabin where I drive.

We have one inch thick
tempered glass windows.

We have a Navy surplus hatch.

I can stand in the
middle of this module

and turn 360 degrees
for full visibility.

- [Narrator] A one
man hub consists

of a small steering wheel

speed throttle and gauge.

A camera is mounted
on top of the boat

and wired to a video
monitor inside the cabin.

- This is the
Archduke's video camera.

When the bows under,

it allows me to see
and control the boat

when I can't see
through the windshield.

It allows me to see and
steer better in rough water.

It allows me to see
and drive at night.

- The bow is able
to dip under water

by using two front wings

added to mimic the
physics of a submarine.

- Now this boat not
designed to be a submarine,

but early in its construction,

I saw that it could
easily have the capability

to be semi-submersible,

which means kind
of go underwater.

What we do is we
turn this crank.

Now we can see the
wings are going lower.

Now with the wings
in this position,

as the Archduke moves forward,

these wings dive, pulling the
bow underwater along with it.

- [Narrator] The
duke is propelled by

a single 90 horse-powered
outboard engine.

Traditionally built
for small speed boats,

bringing the boat to a top speed

of 12 and a half miles an hour.

But with any addition on a boat,

new weight should
always be split in two.

- This is the
Archduke's main gun.

This cannon is primarily
used as ballast.

In that it counterweights
the outboard engine.

They both weigh about the same

and that keeps the boat level.

(explosion)

- [Narrator] The
cannon has never fired

a live round on the water.

Instead relying on a film
canister of black powder

to simulate a real blast.

However, this be not be the
Duke's most unique feature.

- One of the most unconventional
features of the Archduke

is the axle underneath.

Now, the axle is used to move
the boat without a trailer.

It's also used to beach the
boat and keep it upright.

It allowed me to make the boat
basically self sufficient.

It does not rely on a
trailer to move itself.

- [Narrator] By welding the
axle directly to the hull,

it can be towed right
out of the water

with nothing more than a
small hitch and a chain.

Giordano relies on a semi to
haul the duke around town.

- You don't have to worry
about separating them.

It's very convenient
knowing that the boat

can be hauled on its own.

I'm never gonna be
captain of a real sub,

but that's not gonna stop me
from making my own little boat

and then driving around.

And I just really,
really enjoy it.

Strange machines are everywhere

and can arrive in
any shape or size.

Some even show
practical potential.

(wind blowing)

Scaling a mountain has
become the metaphor

for taking on a nearly
impossible task.

The slow difficult climb to
an almost unforeseeable end.

Now imagine a
device that replaces

the human effort completely.

Allowing you to literally
dance up a rock surface.

Atlas Devices devices
built a machine

enabling you to do just that.

(man shouts)

No bigger than a large shoebox.

The Power Ascender is
a reverse repeller,

capable of hauling over
20 times its own weight.

- The easiest description
for it is actually,

that's kind of like
Batman's tool belt.

It's literally the part
that pulls you up the rope.

We've got a big battery here,

motor in your gearbox and
an electronic control unit

that controls the speed.

So I can just clip with
any standard carabiner.

And I'm ready to climb.

So once it's threaded,

I can adjust the speed,

I can climb very, very slowly.

And then when I descend,

releases the brake,

if I let go, hands free anytime,

I'm gonna stay there in place.

If I want to go up,

I just adjust that
variable speed trigger

and can go slow,

or it can move pretty quick.

- [Narrator] In 2004,

a group of MIT students who
later started Atlas Devices

were enlisted by the army to
build a new climbing instrument

for tactical missions that
would allow for quick ascents

across the mountainous
regions of Afghanistan.

- So they wanted
something roughly

the size of a shoe box,
weighs about 25 pounds,

to lift guys up and
down in the air.

And this is that prototype
that we've first built.

- [Narrator] The students
developed a device

by following the mechanics
of a common household tool.

- It's kind of inspired
by a power drill.

There's a handle or a grip
right here by my finger.

And when I squeeze
this red button,

it turns on the system

and then it rides up
and down the rope.

So instead sort of
winding the rope

maybe like a normal winch would,

this actually goes
up and down the rope.

So the rope becomes a highway.

- [Narrator] In addition to
helping troops in the field,

the office of Naval research

also foresaw potential
in the Ascender

for maritime and
rescue operations,

by threading rope
through a litter

and the harness of the rescuer.

The device can pull the
weight of two people

out of a compromising area.

- So in other words

I can become a one
man rescue operation,

where now we would have to use

two or three people
in the same situation.

It can do the same
thing from a helicopter.

(helicopter engine roaring)

- [Narrator] Traditionally
heli rescue efforts

required aircrafts with
specialized winches,

to airlift
endangered personnel.

The Ascender has the potential
to convert any helicopter

into a rescue vehicle

with its ability to lift
hundreds of pounds at once.

At the Atlas headquarters
in Chelmsford, Massachusetts,

the team conducts a
weight verification test

to ensure its maximum
weight capacity.

- Right now I have the Ascender

attached to 500 pounds
of just pure weight.

And this is well above what
it's actually rated for.

It gives us an
opportunity to make sure

that the system can do not
only what it's supposed to do,

but also get that
a little bit extra

when the customer needs it.

- The reason the Power
Ascender is actually able

to pull so much weight
with a battery is

really due to a very highly
integrated mechanical

electro mechanical
design in the system.

- [Narrator] Beyond
the proprietary design,

the power to mass
ratio technology

enables a small battery to lift
enormous amounts of weight.

The ability of a standard charge

depends on the
weight being lifted.

As the pounds increase,

the length and speed the
Ascender can travel, decreases.

The lesser the weight,

the faster you can
skim up a rock surface.

- The Ascender weighs
roughly 26 pounds

compared to 500 pounds, one
20th of what it's lifting.

It's pretty incredible.

So it's, it's
quite a power tool.

- The sensation of moving upward

at walking to running speed
along a vertical surface

is just it's really
out there, very fun.

- [Narrator] Since
their founding in 2005,

Atlas Devices has developed
a series of ascenders

and other ergonomic products

to help not just the army,

but first responders and
even utility companies.

And while the Power
Ascender's goal

is to alleviate
vertical obstacles,

the next mechanical oddity

is destined to ease the
efforts of everyday life.

What could be weirder,
yet more appealing

than to have your
own personal robot.

At your service to
greet you with the door.

Open a window.

Even fill in as a
workout partner.

Though this futuristic automaton

may not be ready
for domestic use.

It does have a special role

within the realm
of the U.S. military.

Developed at Vecna
Technologies, BEAR

or Battlefield
Extraction Assist Robot

is a 21st century
night in shining armor.

Designed to engage in casualty
rescue, bomb disposal,

and perform all around
workhorse tasks.

This robot demanded an extremely
robust operating platform.

A tall order made
possible through a complex

electrical and hydraulic system.

- The BEAR is the Hercules
of humanoid robotics.

The way hydraulics works

is it takes electrical
energy and turns a pump.

That pump builds
up high pressure,

hundreds of times greater
than atmospheric pressure.

And then we use valves
to release that pressure

to all the different joints.

- [Narrator] The system
creates so much strength

that each finger alone
can lift over 100 pounds.

Beyond its brute
force the hydraulics

provide the joint articulation

needed when transporting humans

or handling complicated
bomb removals.

- The BEAR arms each have
six degrees of freedom.

We have a shoulder,
an elbow and a wrist.

Each of those can move
in two different ways.

That gives us a lot
of flexibility on

how to pick things up.

There's not just
one way to reach out

and grab onto an object

There are multiple ways.

- The idea is that the BEAR
has to be very, very flexible

because you don't know
what you're gonna run into.

Doesn't know what obstacles
are going to be in the way.

It doesn't know what objects
it's going to have to move.

So the goal was to design
something that's very capable.

- [Narrator] And BEAR's
look is fashioned

to also enhance that capability.

In a rescue situation,
assessing the mental state

of the victim is imperative.

Vecna designed the face

in a way to exude a calming
sense, even provoke laughter

to ease a victim's
agitated condition.

Cameras within the eye sockets

are designed to take
commands from hand gestures

as well as record information
for future analysis,

an invaluable application
for combat extractions.

The team behind the BEAR robot

has its sights beyond
tactical command.

Slowly gaining traction
to one day becoming

a household fixture.

- When the word robot was
invented, it was invented to,

to describe a general
purpose worker.

I believe that the future will
be a feature full of robots.

- [Narrator] Today the
lines between humans

and humanoids are
increasingly blurred.

As robots assist with
a wide range of tasks,

from delivering packages
to space exploration.

And while robots may
help simplify our lives,

there is one machine built
to do just the opposite.

By converting a simple task
into a highly complex one.

Since their debut
over a century ago,

Rube Goldberg's
cartoon still inspire

the engineering world today
in no fewer than 10 steps.

Los Angeles, California.

In 2011, the rock band OK Go

crafted its "This Two
Shall Pass" music video

based on the popular
invention cartoon series.

(indistinct conversation)

- If you want the smaller
one, you got smaller.

- No, this is perfect.
- Yeah.

- [Narrator] The video
treatment called for

a massive chain reaction
sequence to be constructed,

better known as a
Rube Goldberg machine.

- Does it always jumping in?

- It seems to be,
seems to be jumping

on this area not up here.

- A Rube Goldberg invention
is something that's important

because it's not important.

It's a device that takes
something that is really simple,

really easy to do in
your everyday life

and make it really complex.

- [Narrator] For example,
here is a Goldberg machine

that was built especially for us

to power up a television.

The rat trap knocks
the wheel forward,

sending the CO2 rocket
into the pendulum,

which travels down and
closes the pyramid,

forcing stonehenge to
rise, pushing the mallet

to fall on the spatula
that pulls a string,

activating the gumball machine,

kicking a tire that
rolls to the cannon

shooting the shot foot which
funnels down the catcher rig

depressing the hand,

completing the task
of turning on the TV.

- What if this quick
release were on a,

on a pole here or something.

- [Narrator] For the band
building a Goldberg machine

was one facet of
a larger vision.

Each step had to coincide
with particular song cues

throughout the four
minute running time.

- The line that
is sung in there-

- Yeah.

- Is not gonna happen
till ting, ting, ting, ting

is done no matter what.

- [Narrator] And of course
the fate of their performance

rests on the machine
smooth operation

captured in one continuous shot.

Strange machines
are often the result

of an imagination run wild.

And though many inventors build
machines to solve problems.

Rube Goldberg was an
expert at finding

new ways to complicate them.

After graduating with a
degree in engineering in 1904,

Rube Goldberg
quickly changed gears

to pursue a career
in cartooning.

He soon began penning comics
for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Lampooning the changing times
of early 20th century life.

In 1912, he debuted his
satirical invention series

greatly influenced by his
engineering background.

Goldberg described
his inventions

as symbols of man's capacity
for exerting maximum effort

to accomplish minimum results.

A typical invention consisted
of several household items,

including animals
linked together

to accomplish a common goal

such as a haircut or
self operating napkin.

- His cartoons were
particularly popular

during the machine era
where lots of people

were going out and
trying to invent machines

to solve any problem
they possibly could.

So Rube Goldberg was really
making fun of the fact that,

okay, we can design
all this technology,

but does it really
make our lives simpler?

That's left up to the reader.

- [Narrator] During his
70 year career,

Goldberg produced
over 50,000 cartoons,

but his legacy will always be
linked to his strange machines.

Inspired by these
challenging mechanics,

engineering students
across the country

compete in Purdue University's
annual Rube Goldberg contest.

It's a celebration of gadgetry

with students concocting the
ultimate Goldbergen machines.

- So the competition has
a certain set of rules,

which everyone has to abide by.

Some of it is the
machine has to be built

six foot by six
foot by six foot.

No live animals can be
used in the machine.

No dead animals can be
used in the machine,

no fire and no explosions

and nothing is allowed
to leave the machine.

Other than that, as long as

you don't injure or
hurt anybody, have fun.

- [Narrator] The same task
is assigned to each team

such as cracking a walnut.

Or frying some eggs, to be
done in no fewer than 20 steps.

Known as the Engineering
Olympics of America

these Goldberg machines
now incorporate

over 200 separate steps.

- We work 2000 hours
on these machines.

And right down to the
minute before we run it,

these things might
still be finicky.

Luck, the humidity, the given
day, where the sun is aligned,

everything plays a major factor
in how these things operate.

- [Narrator] Ironically,
over the 50 years

he drew the invention cartoon,

Goldberg never
constructed one himself.

- Rube Goldberg never
built his inventions

and really he never
intended them to be built.

His goal was just to draw
cartoons that were funny

and would help people laugh
at their everyday lives.

- Everybody go.

- [Narrator] Back
in Los Angeles,

the OK Go video crew has
gone through several takes

of their Rube Goldberg
machine with little success.

- I'm hoping we can
get past the verse,

15 seconds of the
song. Ok, I gotta go.

- 3, 2, 1 Action

(upbeat gentle music)

- Ball.

- Ball

- Ball still got caught.

- [Narrator] Anything a
fraction of an inch off

can bring the entire machine
to a screeching halt.

- Sets the halt.

- [Narrator] Closing
in on their 85th tick.

The production team
believed they problem solved

every bug out of the machine.

- 3, 2, 1 action.

- [Narrator] A tap of a domino
ignites the chain reaction.

Cueing the music along the way.

by the end, OK Go's Goldberg
machine included over 50 steps

to accomplish its task.

Each band member appears
at four separate locations

throughout the
single take video.

(upbeat rock music)

The sequence unfolds over
two levels of the building.

(upbeat rock music)

And in the final
seconds of the song,

a fusillade of gadgetry
rips across the room.

(upbeat rock music)

And all of this,
built to trigger

a firing range
of paint cannons.

(audience cheering)

What constitutes
a weird machine?

Is it the shell of the device

or the function underneath?

Steampunk is a sub genre
that believes it must be both

fusing sculptural design
with mechanical engineering.

From light fixtures and
small hot engines to cars

and even provocative gas masks.

Steampunk brings history,
art form and moving parts

all into one strange piece.

The term steam is
used to pay homage

to the look and mechanics
of the steam engine

during the Victorian
era of the 1800's.

A time known as the
age of invention

While punk symbolizes
the lone wolf

do it yourself engineer.

- The importance of the
Victorian era Steampunks

is that the Victorian era had

all the famous
scientists and inventors.

They were creating
everything from gramophones

to locomotive engines, to
the electric light bulb.

- [Narrator] Today's Steampunks
utilized oil, propane gas,

and even the heat of candles
to fuel their machines.

Much of the metal is
conditioned to appear aged

as if it came right out of
Thomas Edison's workshop.

Artist and engineer
Jon Sarriugarte

has found his niche in
the Steampunk world,

at his Oakland, California
based company Form and Reform.

He specializes in the
ultimate punk machine.

The Art Car.

- These are weird machines.

They're these are not
things you would see

in the shopping mall
or, or driving down

the street on your way to work.

- [Narrator] One of his largest
pieces is the Golden Mean,

for the onlookers the Snail Car.

- This is the Golden Mean.

It's a giant iron Snail Car

made on a 1966-67 VW bug.

This was a, a honey
do project for my wife

who wanted a giant snail.

- [Narrator] Built to California

Department of Motor
Vehicles standard.

The Golden Mean is street legal

with a top speed of
55 miles an hour.

Oh, and one more thing,
it breathes fire.

Starting with just the chassis
and engine of the VW bug.

Sarriugarte built the snails
frame and custom designs.

To gain the look and feel of
a true Steampunk aesthetic,

he went back to a traditional
form of metal working.

- I incorporated a
lot of blacksmithing

into the work that I do.

I like the organic feel that
it gives a hand touched.

You can tell that
it's not just come out

of the processing machine.

It gives my work an edge,
it is not just fabricated.

There's also some really
great canned work in it.

- [Narrator] In total,
Sarriugarte added

over 2000 pounds

of new sheet metal and steel
to the existing chassis.

The Snail Car was outfitted
with an air ride system.

A flip of a switch will
raise or lower the car

to adjust to the
number of passengers.

- Depending on how many
people I have in here.

I've had up to 19 people.

I can turn up to 120 PSI and
still maintain suspension.

- [Narrator] And about
those flame throwing eyes.

- Fire.

One of the big features
of the Snail Art Car

is fire come out
of its eye socks.

We have a liquid
fuel propane source.

This fuel is boiled
off at room temperature

and converted to gas, which
we're storing inside of here.

I have a valve that
I can control that

gas when it comes out

by pulling on that, it
releases gas out the top.

I have a separate system
that's feeding the,

the pilot light that's up here,

a needle valve to
control how much of gas

I want out of that.

- [Narrator] The tank is
housed in the neck of the snail

with leather reins
attached to the gas valve.

- Pull on these.

(canon explosion sound)

We got fireballs.

- [Narrator] This rig
launches fireballs

up to 16 feet in the air,

a Steampunk's visceral load

to the legendary
machines of yore.

And almost every
year since 1990.

Art Car's such as the Golden
Mean make a pilgrimage,

to the vast open
roads for burning man.

Nestled in northern Nevada,

the 10 day retreat unfolds
within the Black Rock Deserts

400 square miles of
arid hardened dirt.

The burning man project
has become a mecca

for the weird and creative.

Allowing for tens of
thousands of people

to showcase their strange
toys and machines.

Artists arrive with their
latest performance vehicles,

weird cars and
art installations.

The enormous desert backdrop
serves as the ultimate arena

to celebrate these
gargantuan machines.

And when the sun goes down,

another strange machine emerges

to captivate the
burning man audience.

(electric spark sound)

California based
performance group.

Omega Recoil has plugged into
the high voltage converter

known as the Tesla coil

Born from the genius mind of
Nikola Tesla in the late 1800's

this electrical oddity
still baffles its audiences

over 100 years after
it was invented.

The device acts
as a transformer.

Using magnetically
resonating coils

as energy is transferred from
a primary to secondary coil,

the voltage is multiplied

causing extremely high
voltage bursts of electricity

to emit from the discharge ring.

John Behrens of Omega Recoil
helped build a mini Tesla coil

to better demonstrate
how it works

and to study the
behavior of electricity.

- In an essence we're
simulating lightning

by using the Tesla coil to
create a high enough voltage

that it will jump
through the air.

The effect of the arc
that we see is electrons

trying to find
their way to ground.

And in the process of that,

ionizing the atmosphere and
creating little arch trails.

- [Narrator] The coils potential
can be best demonstrated

using a simple fluorescent tube.

- Usually you have to
have this connected

to an electrical circuit.

The coil itself creates a field.

(electric spark sound)

That just causes it to light
by the proximity of it.

- [Narrator] With
this strange machine,

Tesla believed he
could wirelessly

transmit power globally

using the earth
as the conductor.

Though the plan was
never fully realized

the coil did lead to
wireless radio technology.

And today it lives on in a
brilliant spectacle of light.

Behrens and the
Omega Recoil team

bring theatrics to Tesla's
invention using nine foot coils,

producing 14 foot arcs,

that range anywhere
between 500,000

and 1 million volts
of electricity.

- How does a guy end
up in this situation?

- [Narrator] A performer
wears a Faraday suit,

which is made of
steel and copper.

This conductive shield
allows for the electricity

to skate across the top of the
metal, as it heads to ground

leaving the performer unscaved.

Anything that is not metal

or a poor conductor of
electricity will burn

or catch fire as the
current passes through it,

The result a symphony
of electricity

and a fitting tribute
to a man's dream

of illuminating the world.

Eccentric machinery
takes many forms,

some of which are a playful

mix of creativity
and practicalty

deep in the woods of
Durham Town, Georgia.

A unique set of
wheels is shredding up

the back country trails.

The Motocrossboard or MXB,
is a hybrid breakthrough

that allows you to
ride the dirt trails

with a gliding elegance
of a snowboard,

yet fueled by the grit
and power of a dirt bike.

The MXB is the brainchild

of extreme sportsmen
and inventor, Andy Keel.

- With the background
in in snowboarding

and Motocross racing

I was able to pick out
the most interesting

and best parts of those.

I realized that I
could create a vehicle

that was extremely lightweight,

that could be maneuvered
like a snowboard,

and have the suspension
of a motorcycle.

- [Narrator] The board
rests on two custom-built

aluminum wheels.

The frame is composed of
tubular aircraft steel.

Coil Springs are used to absorb

the shock and the rough terrain

and foot platforms allow for
the rider to easily balance on.

The handheld throttle
includes a brake lever

and a small thumb throttle

allowing you to
regulate the speed.

The fuel tank holds enough gas

to produce an hour's
worth of riding time.

It took Keel several years
to develop a motorized board

that could be controlled
without a steering wheel.

And his eureka moment,

came from a trip down
the grocery store aisle.

- I was pushing a shopping
cart in the shopping center

and the wheel was
swiveling on the front.

For some reason, I picked the
back of the shopping cart up

and put a little bit
of angle in that castor

on the front of that shopping
cart and it stopped wobbling.

So I realized that if
this thing has got a,

you know a little
bit of angle on it,

it, it becomes more stable.

So I began to think, how can
I have this castor like design

and not have it in
front of the wheel.

And the solution was to
sort of reinvent the wheel.

- [Narrator] Keel took
the shopping carts

outer castor design
and conformed it

within the circumference
of the MXB wheel.

This allowed for a 60 degree
angle needed for lean to steer

leaving the driving to the
shifts and the rider's weight.

- The first one I had
built in my basement

on a budget of about $300.

So I took bicycle
parts that I found

a BMX bike at a
thrift store for $5.

And I found a small two-stroke
engine for 60 or 70 bucks

and ordered some steel
tubing and welder and,

and started putting it together.

And the first time I
stepped on it to try it

it actually worked.

- [Narrator] And
according to Keel,

the most novice of riders
can adopt to his off-roader

in a matter of minutes.

- Even my 73 year old dad has
a mastered the Motocross board

It didn't take him
more than five minutes

before he was actually
riding it on his own.

And I don't believe
he would ever be able

to learn how to snowboard.

- [Narrator] The
MXB can be geared

to reach up to 50 miles an hour.

At this speed many riders
would prefer to be strapped in

to closer mimic the carving
techniques of a snowboard.

- This version is
equipped with the

intuitive release
binding system,

which allows the rider to be
either free from the board

or to be clamped in securely

the way they would
on a snowboard

by squeezing this lever on the
back of the control handle.

When this lever is closed,

the bindings shut
down on the boot

and the rider is
completely secure.

It has a lot of control the
way they do with snowboard.

And then when the rider
decides to get off the board,

an intuitive motion allows
the rider to open the bindings

when the handle is released,

the binding's open and
the rider is able to

to get off the board,

unlike with snowboarding,

where you're always
secured to the board.

(upbeat gentle music)

- [Narrator] From the grocery
aisle to the muddy paths,

this mean little
two wheeled machine

blazed a whole new trail
in the X games world.

- I don't know what the
people in the grocery store

were thinking when I was

maneuvering that
shopping cart around,

but I'm, I'm certain
they weren't thinking

that I would come up with
an idea like this from it.

- [Narrator] Strange machines
and head turning creations

are often by products of
the prototyping business.

Standard metal products,

a machining business
in San Francisco

walks a fine line between
making the practical

and the bizarre.

- So I'm often
asked what I do I I,

and I'll usually just look
on the table around the shop

to see what's in here
to answer that question

because it's that diverse.

But in the past year,

I have repaired a
sauce pan handle

in exchange for two cookies
with an 85 year old woman.

And at the same time,

I was prototyping
a wind tunnel model

for a super-sonic wind
tunnel test for NASA.

- [Narrator] Kevin Binkert
special set of skills

is constantly enlisted
to tackle an array

of off-kilter projects,

Such as the Spirit
of America Three,

Craig Breedlove sound
barrier breaking jet car.

In 1996, Binkert
machined the parts

for the car's third incarnation.

Which reportedly reached
speeds up to 675 miles an hour.

But the prototyping business

can also pose many
smaller challenges.

- Here's a, an example
of a one of a kind,

this is basically demonstrating

that a straight object
spinning through space,

counterintuitively does
not trace out a cylinder.

It actually traces out
a hyperbolic shape.

So we prototyped this

with the idea that it
could be a, a ride.

Someone would get
into this contraption

and their straight
body would go through

a curved slot in the wall.

- [Narrator] However, SMPs
most outrageous invention

was formed from a vision
right out of a subconscious.

- This is the flame tornado.

It's a, it's a piece that I made

after having a powerful
dream of a, of a fire vortex.

And it can be small or it can
burn the roof off the place

if I turn it all the way up.

- [Narrator] By using
aluminum blades,

a 20 gallon propane tank,

a small 1.5 horse-powered
engine and a single match

Binkert is able to create
this massive tower of fire.

- Well, it works a lot
like a, a regular tornado

we're pulling air
in from the bottom.

So the simple answer to
what's happening here

is that we've got
a series of blades

that are creating a, a
rotating column of air.

You want laminar flow so there's
not a lot of chaotic air.

And as the air rushes in
convection is pulling it up,

and it's a self perpetuating
vortex of flame.

And ideally the neighbors
don't call the fire department.

- [Narrator] The result, a
spectacular cyclone of fire

reaching up to 40
feet in height.

The flame tornado has
become a fixture at SMP,

but the neighborhood
is yet to embrace

its entertainment value.

During this demonstration,

the San Francisco fire
department was called,

not the first time
for Kevin Binkert

The matter was quickly resolved,

but not before Binkert showcased
his latest gorter valve

fabricated for the city.

However, the moral of the story,

this towering inferno
should not be tried at home.

These strange machines symbolize

the very nature of who we are

and mark how far we've come

capturing the likes
of Jules Verne,

R2-D2, Batman and
even James Bond

while showcasing American
ingenuity at its finest

and nuttiest.