How Tech Works

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.