How Tech Works
Science & Nature · Documentary
Futuristic vehicles, groundbreaking gadgets and ingenious inventors are profiled in this series that uncovers what's next in high-tech.
StarringBasil Singer
Season 1

S01:E01 - Flight Assembled Architecture
We meet the engineers behind a flock of flying robots - robots that build enormous, organized structures without any help from humans; The Wikispeed is a car that proves that speed and gas guzzling don't have to go hand-in-hand; Shifting gears slightly, we show you a road vehicle that you can operate without leaving the comforts of your living room recliner.

S01:E02 - Rickety Downhill Challenge
We meet an online blogger who is obsessed with hot wheels: he writes about race cars and fast lap times from an old race track in Germany; Spain's new military planes may be as versatile as a cargo van, but they're made for more heavy-duty work: part transport plane, part flying hospital; Watch as a team of road warriors build home-made 'derby' cars.

S01:E03 - Tunnel Under History
An old parking lot is converted into a modular, Olympic-ready whitewater rapid course; We head to Barcelona, where they are building an underground high-speed train line under some of the city's most famous buildings - without disrupting any of the famous architecture; A 2-wheeled car is totally enclosed and totally electric. Best of all, it never tips over.

S01:E04 - Jet Bikes
We sign off this week with a high speed bike that leaves the competition in its tracks “thanks to a little help from a jet-pack engine; A 3-D camera unlocks some of the mysteries of the legendary Stonehenge“ and reveals intriguing graffiti too; A truly unique research centre that explores ways to minimize firestorm damage during natural disasters.

S01:E05 - Ancient Beer
We all know wine tastes better as it ages - but what would you say to a beer 65 million years in the making?; We find out how one inventor is taking the work out of rollerblading. After getting tired of pushing his daughter on roller skates - he just added an engine; 2 bickering brothers roast their beans with some help from Mother Nature, and a thousand tiny mirrors.

S01:E06 - If Looks Could Kill
Check out a new kind of head gear for military pilots that is changing the rules of the game; A streamlined car from scratch that is fuel efficient, good for the environment; An electric unicycle? Sound impossible? One man's invention, The Ryno, proves that it is possible to build a bike that works like a Segway with one wheel

S01:E07 - Eurobot
How do you test a lunar rover? The Spanish countryside is the perfect testing ground for the Eurobot; Find out how one lab in Wales is creating lightning bolts to make sure airplanes stay in flight when they're struck

S01:E08 - Fighter Jet Training
Flying a US Navy fighter jet is hard enough as it is - but doing it while trying not to pass out is even harder; Catching a taxi cab takes on a whole new meaning when that cab is going 300 kilometres per hour; Our embedded reporter Mark Miller travels to Japan to take on a life sized 'toy' that's part Star Wars and part Transformers.

S01:E09 - UK X-Files
We meet the British secret operative who knows a thing or two about investigating UFOs - from real life experience; What do a radiologist and an expert marksman have in common? We visit a 'sniper farm' and a radiology lab that are on target to solve the mysteries of sniper attacks.

S01:E10 - Autobahn Robot Car
Cruise down the Autobahn with reporter Dan Riskin without ever needing to touch the steering wheel; A high tech team at UC-Berkeley shows us a robot that can predict exactly where a moving object will land; Take a look at this vertical wind tunnel that is attracting attention from all walks of life, from expert paratroopers to a thrill-seeking family on vacation.

S01:E11 - Drivable Dragons
Meet the husband and wife team behind this incredible collection of home-made vehicle/spectacles; We check out the latest tech devices used to diffuse bombs - still live bombs from WW2; A university tech crew is using ping pong balls and chainmail to help get the next lunar rover on its mission in space.

S01:E12 - Extra Terrestrial Vehicle / Inside the Titanic
We meet an extraordinary person who takes factory cars and transforms them into extra-terrestrial vehicles; Go behind the scenes of this exclusive docudrama, "Inside the Titanic," to see the true villain - water - and again question what happened to this unsinkable ship.

S01:E13 - Dumpster Home
Say hello to a NASA-engineered "street legal" race car for baby boomers; Meet the artist who can show you how one man's trash can be another man's home; Robin Hood made Nottingham famous and using laser technology we 'read the signs' of the medieval caves.

S01:E14 - Nitro Methane
Reporter Alan Nursall visits the starting line of Top Fuel race cars, and puts their Nitro Methane fuel to the test - by lighting a match; We meet Jurg the Youtube sensation, thanks to his arsenal of home-made slingshots. And today he's testing his super slingshot with an iPhone as his target.

S01:E15 - Stupid Orchestra
All the way from Germany, we bring you an 'orchestra' made up entirely of household appliances; What is the secret link between jet-lag and the peak performance of an athlete?; We meet a man who has spent over 30 years building a replica of San Francisco - with toothpicks.

S01:E16 - Otherlab / Old School Golf
This 'lab' is very serious about fun and games: in fact, a typical day at the office here looks more like a funhouse. But it's all in the name of serious and scientific exploration; We travel to St. Andrew's in Scotland, where the professionals there still use wooden clubs from over 100 years ago, that stand up to modern clubs of today.

S01:E17 - Brain-Controlled Wheelchair
Not so much 'mind over matter,' but rather 'that's using your head!' We take a look at a new technology that allows severely disabled individuals to operate a wheelchair with their brain; In Seville, Spain, there's a lot more going on at the local market than fresh food. The Parasol is the world's largest wooden structure, and a work of artistic and technical genius.

S01:E18 - Solar Tunnel
We travel to Brussels to check out a small army of solar tunnels running alongside the city's railway tracks - the largest collection of working panels in the world; Reporter and self-confessed 'Batman' Dan Riskin travels to China in search of these unique creatures. They may be ugly, but their weird-shaped faces are responsible for sonar capabilities.

S01:E19 - Bucking Bronco-Matic
Take a ride on this rodeo-ready bucking bronco machine that's controlled by your emotions; Meet the inventor of what is quite possibly the world's smallest personal watercraft. Designed for fun, the Kymera is now turning the heads of a few water safety experts too.

S01:E20 - Hemp Car
Fast forward to car manufacturing featuring cannabis. It sounds odd, but it's stronger than any car on the road today; A group of scientists want to build robot ears that mimic those of bats.

S01:E21 - Avalanche Lab
Meet a team of scientists working to determine - and prevent - when and where an avalanche will strike; Is this small robot army proof that the world will soon be taken over by soulless drones?

S01:E22 - Rocket Plane
Not since the Concorde has there been a plane this fast - it travels over 3,000 mph; A robot created at University of Michigan named Mabel has graduated from baby steps to giant leaps.

S01:E23 - Floating Island / Rhino Armored Car
Rhino armored car; floating islands in South Korea; what lives inside ice; customizing bikes.

S01:E24 - Speedflying
What does it feel like to fly like a bird?; A Japanese inventor creates the ultimate tsunami survival capsule; A robot explorer beings its journey across the Pacific Ocean - autonomously.

S01:E25 - Giant Port
The United Arab Emirates has built an enormous port that's the size of a small country - and several miles off-shore; The world's first upside-down water slide.

S01:E26 - Inflatable Wetsuit
When it comes to big wave surfing, this inflatable wetsuit could be a lifesaver; Visit a research facility that takes slippery falls and trips on stairs and turns them into science.
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