0:00:02 > 0:00:04- Welcome to the genius world of... BOTH:- Monster engineering!
0:00:04 > 0:00:06THEY YELL
0:00:06 > 0:00:10'Each show we're going to introduce you to three geniuses...'
0:00:10 > 0:00:12- Yeah!- Ooh!- Wow!
0:00:12 > 0:00:15..whose ideas have quite literally built the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18'We put all their epic brilliance...'
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Yes!
0:00:19 > 0:00:20'..to the test.'
0:00:20 > 0:00:21Hit it, hit it.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24'And we tackle our own Genius monster build.'
0:00:24 > 0:00:26Don't you dare demolish this!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28'Going higher...
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Why is it swinging?!
0:00:31 > 0:00:33'..faster...
0:00:33 > 0:00:34'and scarier...'
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Oh, no!
0:00:36 > 0:00:37'..all in the name of science.'
0:00:37 > 0:00:41That is a massive piece of construction.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43What could possibly go wrong?
0:00:45 > 0:00:46THEY YELL
0:00:48 > 0:00:51'In this tunnelling spectacular we find out how the Ancient Greeks
0:00:51 > 0:00:54'put the maths into mass excavations.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:55THEY YELL
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'We have a blast finding out
0:00:57 > 0:01:00'how explosives revolutionised tunnelling.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:02- Yeah! Wow!- Ooh.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05'And we'll get up close to the scariest drill
0:01:05 > 0:01:07'since I last went to the dentist.'
0:01:44 > 0:01:45Welcome to fancy London town,
0:01:45 > 0:01:48one of the greatest cities in the world.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51This place is constantly expanding, growing upwards and outwards.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Well, all of the amazing stuff that you can see above the surface
0:01:54 > 0:01:58wouldn't be possible without the amazing tunnels beneath our feet.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Just metres beneath the surface
0:02:01 > 0:02:05lies a huge network of crisscrossing tunnels and tubes.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Transporting the likes of people, data, water and waste.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11This world beneath our feet keeps the city alive.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15This is the story of the engineering geniuses
0:02:15 > 0:02:18that have helped us build deep underground.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23Engineering underground isn't a new thing.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25In ancient times,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28- people built tunnels for defensive purposes...- Oh!
0:02:28 > 0:02:30..or to transport water.
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Soon digging underground was all about mining natural resources,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36like coal.
0:02:36 > 0:02:37And much more recently,
0:02:37 > 0:02:41engineers began to build tunnels to transport people.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43But in the modern day,
0:02:43 > 0:02:45life as we know it simply wouldn't be possible
0:02:45 > 0:02:47without the tunnels beneath our feet.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51We're here 40 metres beneath London in the Crossrail tunnel.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Yeah, with 26 miles, that's a marathon's worth, of tunnels
0:02:54 > 0:02:57running just underneath the surface of the capital,
0:02:57 > 0:03:00this really is one of the biggest and most ambitious
0:03:00 > 0:03:03tunnelling projects the world has ever seen.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Engineers on this project have used state-of-the-art machinery
0:03:08 > 0:03:11to dig with impressive speed and precision.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15This mind-blowing achievement simply wouldn't have been possible
0:03:15 > 0:03:20without a brilliant idea hatched over 2,500 years ago
0:03:20 > 0:03:22by our first genius.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25- We introduce to you...- Eupalinos.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Efkharisto!
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Eupalinos was an Ancient Greek engineer
0:03:30 > 0:03:32who had a cunning plan to solve a thirsty problem.
0:03:32 > 0:03:33A cunning plan.
0:03:33 > 0:03:35His town needed clean drinking water,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39but the supply was at the other side of the mountain.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42So, a 1km-long tunnel through the mountain was decided upon.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Just one problem.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46With the basic tools of the day
0:03:46 > 0:03:49it would take 20 years to dig from one side to the other!
0:03:49 > 0:03:51- Oh, forget this. - Cue Eupalinos's genius idea.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Why not start digging the tunnel from both ends
0:03:54 > 0:03:56to meet in the middle?
0:03:56 > 0:04:00By doing so, he successfully doubled the speed of excavation
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and transformed tunnelling for ever.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Oh, yeah!
0:04:03 > 0:04:06But how, thousands of years ago, without fancy tools
0:04:06 > 0:04:09did Eupalinos work out how to get two ends of a tunnel
0:04:09 > 0:04:10to meet in the middle?
0:04:10 > 0:04:12It's trigonometry. You know...
0:04:12 > 0:04:13Sine, cosine...
0:04:13 > 0:04:15- Huh?- Huh?
0:04:15 > 0:04:16- BOTH:- Fran!
0:04:17 > 0:04:21'Meet Fran, our scientist friend, who can explain things
0:04:21 > 0:04:23'in a way that even we can understand.'
0:04:24 > 0:04:25No!
0:04:25 > 0:04:27'She loves a good experiment.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29'And best of all, she pops up...'
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- A-ha... - '..whenever we need her.'
0:04:31 > 0:04:33- Franny.- Fran! Fran!
0:04:33 > 0:04:35'Fran has asked to meet us not in a tunnel
0:04:35 > 0:04:39'but in a field somewhere in England.'
0:04:39 > 0:04:42Oooh! All right!
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Fran, why are we in a field?
0:04:44 > 0:04:48I thought the best way for you guys to look at the genius of Eupalinos
0:04:48 > 0:04:50was to put you guys right in his position.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53What he did is he had to start from two opposite ends
0:04:53 > 0:04:54of a certain place
0:04:54 > 0:04:56and then get those two paths to meet in the middle.
0:04:56 > 0:04:57But that's impossible.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00The chances of you meeting each other exactly in the middle
0:05:00 > 0:05:01are so slim...
0:05:01 > 0:05:04That's what you guys are going to try using...this.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06- Ah, the lawnmowers.- Yes.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08All right, see you there.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'We're about to do on the surface what Eupalinos did underground.
0:05:11 > 0:05:16'Now then, Fran wants us to line up our lawnmowers by eye
0:05:16 > 0:05:18'at opposite ends of the field.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21'Then we'll drive towards each other in a dead straight line
0:05:21 > 0:05:24'without steering to see if we meet in the middle.'
0:05:25 > 0:05:28But as soon as you have passed the flags
0:05:28 > 0:05:30you cannot adjust the steering wheel.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33- Yep.- Yeah.- Three, two, one.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35- Go!- And here we go!
0:05:35 > 0:05:37- And lock.- Lock the steering wheel.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40- Locked.- Do you think they're going to do it?- Not a chance.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44We're missing each other. Argh!
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Argh!
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Ha-ha-ha!
0:05:48 > 0:05:52- Literally by that. - No way!- By an inch.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Oh, well, it was no good for my hay fever.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56And we only missed by about that.
0:05:56 > 0:05:57Did you think you were lined up?
0:05:57 > 0:06:00It looked like we were going dead on for each other.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02The thing is, it's really difficult to meet in the middle,
0:06:02 > 0:06:05cos even very small differences when you start, as you go along
0:06:05 > 0:06:08they just get bigger and bigger and bigger, so you do end up missing.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12'We'd lined ourselves up by eye and still not managed to hit.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16'So, how did Eupalinos do it when there was solid rock between
0:06:16 > 0:06:18'the two start points?'
0:06:18 > 0:06:21So we're going to try that again but using maths.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24And we are going to use the same maths as Eupalinos did.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27- What, that trigo-thingy-what's-it? - Trigonometry.- Trigonometry.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Good. Right.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33'As we get our mowers manoeuvred,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36'Fran is doing some weird stuff with string and a protractor.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37'Yeah, what is she up to?'
0:06:39 > 0:06:43So, what Eupalinos did was he walked around the mountain to create
0:06:43 > 0:06:47- a series of triangles, like the ones we've got here.- I see.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Eupalinos walked in straight lines
0:06:51 > 0:06:52around the mountain,
0:06:52 > 0:06:54which allowed him to plot
0:06:54 > 0:06:55a series of triangles.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58By working out the angle
0:06:58 > 0:07:00on one side, he was then able
0:07:00 > 0:07:02to recreate that exact same angle
0:07:02 > 0:07:04on the opposite side.
0:07:04 > 0:07:05This meant that he knew
0:07:05 > 0:07:07the starting points on both sides
0:07:07 > 0:07:08of the mountain
0:07:08 > 0:07:10were lined up precisely.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- So, if we can measure the angle here...- Yeah.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- ..at one side of the mountain... - Yes.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20..and then make the angle at the other side of the mountain match...
0:07:20 > 0:07:22- Right. - ..then you should be able to go
0:07:22 > 0:07:24in a straight line and meet each other.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26And that's all thanks to trigonometry?
0:07:26 > 0:07:28All thanks to trigonometry.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30So if you follow this line at both sides of the mountain
0:07:30 > 0:07:31you should meet in the middle.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34- No more guessing? This was precise? - Completely.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- Shall we try it out? - Let's see if it works.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40'So, Fran's string is a re-creation of what Eupalinos did
0:07:40 > 0:07:42'when he walked round the mountain.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45'If we line our mowers up along this line
0:07:45 > 0:07:47'on this occasion we should meet
0:07:47 > 0:07:49'bang in the middle.'
0:07:49 > 0:07:50Go!
0:07:56 > 0:07:57- Yes.- Oh-ho-ho!
0:07:57 > 0:07:59- Yes.- Here we go.
0:07:59 > 0:08:03- Yes, yes, yes, yes. Yes.- Yes!
0:08:03 > 0:08:06- Ha!- It worked, Franny.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09- Hey!- Look at that.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10Trigonometry!
0:08:11 > 0:08:16And it was all thanks to Eupalinos. So, all about triangles and angles.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17And that's it.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20But because of Eupalinos, you could now build a tunnel
0:08:20 > 0:08:22starting at both ends and you knew you would meet in the middle.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26- It was the start of a new era of tunnel building.- Completely.
0:08:26 > 0:08:30Wow, Franny. And, Eupalinos, you are an absolute genius!
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Eupalinos brought precision to tunnelling,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35a skill vital for modern engineers.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41'Still to come, we get up close to some serious machinery.'
0:08:41 > 0:08:44This is the actual cutter?
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'And we attempt a monster build of our very own.'
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Thanks to Eupalinos, the speed at which we could make tunnels
0:08:49 > 0:08:51took a giant leap forward.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55- And our next genius created a real boom in tunnelling.- Literally.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Ha-ha! Like it. Boom, yeah.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Introducing the explosive genius of Alfred Nobel.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Boom, baby, boom!
0:09:02 > 0:09:03Shut it.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04Mm-mm-mm!
0:09:04 > 0:09:07You might have heard of him before because of the prizes
0:09:07 > 0:09:09awarded in his name.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12But Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist
0:09:12 > 0:09:16who gave the world a safe way to use high explosives.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Prior to Nobel, explosives had been used in tunnelling
0:09:18 > 0:09:21but they tended to be dangerous and ineffective.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25Nobel changed all that by inventing dynamite,
0:09:25 > 0:09:27a super-powerful explosive that was far safer
0:09:27 > 0:09:29than what had gone on before.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32It would transform how quickly engineers could tunnel.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38We're going to meet Genius helper Mike Sansom.
0:09:38 > 0:09:39He's an explosive expert
0:09:39 > 0:09:43and the man behind some of the big blasts you see on television.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45We want to know a bit more about Nobel.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47What did he do for tunnelling?
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Right, so Nobel - he didn't invent explosives.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52- But he transformed the way explosives were used.- Ah.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55OK, so tunnellers used to use black powder.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Black powder, or gunpowder as it is sometimes called,
0:09:59 > 0:10:01wasn't the ideal tool.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Using it for tunnelling was a risky practice,
0:10:03 > 0:10:06as Mike is now going to show us.
0:10:06 > 0:10:07So what they would do
0:10:07 > 0:10:10is they would bore a hole into some rock with a hammer and chisel.
0:10:10 > 0:10:12Smacking it in.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14Once they got their hole,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16they would pour black powder into it.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Then, to make a very primitive fuse,
0:10:19 > 0:10:21they would fill up a quill with black powder.
0:10:21 > 0:10:24So this is the same as like a fuse on Mission: Impossible
0:10:24 > 0:10:26- when it burns really slowly...? - Exactly the same.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29- So they would stick that fuse into the rock...- Yes.- ..and run away.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32- Is that it?- That's it. - That's not very safe, is it?
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Not at all.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36'To show us just exactly how unsafe it is,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38'Mike is going to ignite some black powder.'
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Bit of gunpowder.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Right, little saw, little sparker.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45- Strike it. It sets it off.- OK.
0:10:45 > 0:10:46'Glasses - check!'
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- Are you ready?- Yes.- We don't know what's going to happen.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52This should be interesting. Three, two, one.
0:10:52 > 0:10:53Eeeh.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54Ha-ha!
0:10:54 > 0:10:55All right.
0:10:55 > 0:10:56THEY YELL
0:10:56 > 0:10:58What?! OK!
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The powder ignites very easily,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04making it hugely dangerous to those using it.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08And to top it all off, it's not very good at shattering rock.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10So, here's where Nobel came in.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Oh, yes. I want to go boom!
0:11:13 > 0:11:15Actually, that wasn't that powerful.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19So, Nobel, he experimented with a high explosive,
0:11:19 > 0:11:21- something that had a lot more explosive energy.- What was it?
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Nitroglycerine.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Nobel was fascinated by nitroglycerine's power.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29It produces 13 times more pressure than gunpowder.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32So it was very effective at blasting rock.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Just one problem -
0:11:34 > 0:11:37it's also very volatile.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- A box of nitroglycerine. - What? Is that it?- Look.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Trust me. It's enough.
0:11:43 > 0:11:47'This stuff is so powerful we are going to use just one drop.'
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- We're going to hit it with a hammer. - Ah.- Is that it?- Of course we are(!)
0:11:49 > 0:11:51One of you is going to hit it with a hammer.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53'Here we go.'
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- Ready?- Argh. I don't like it!
0:11:59 > 0:12:01- Oh.- Argh. How high?
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Go on, just hit it.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- What you mean, just hit it? - Just hit it.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08One. Two. Three.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11THEY YELL
0:12:16 > 0:12:18'Incredible.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22'Just one little drop left Dom and I scampering like scaredy-cats.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25'Check out Mike, though. Cool as a cucumber.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'Which is more than could be said for Rich.'
0:12:28 > 0:12:30It made me fly backwards!
0:12:30 > 0:12:34'Yes. But how did Nobel manage to turn such a dangerous chemical
0:12:34 > 0:12:37'into a safe tool for tunnellers?'
0:12:37 > 0:12:41OK, so we've seen how a tiny little drop makes a massive explosion.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44So that was that problem solved. But how do we make it safe?
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Right, so, Nobel, he experimented with nitroglycerine.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50And he mixed it with a kind of earth that was very absorbent.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54- And he made his greatest invention, dynamite.- Oh, dynamite sticks.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Ah, dynamite. You've seen it in the cartoons.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57Well, there it is in real life.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00- And this was the future of tunnelling.- Exactly.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03- It made it nice and safe. - Great. So where do we light it?
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Right. This is quite powerful, so, come with me.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11Nobel's discovery led to him opening huge dynamite factories
0:13:11 > 0:13:14that mixed nitroglycerine with fine clay
0:13:14 > 0:13:17to create his revolutionary explosive.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18Oh, yes, I like the look of this.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21'So we can see it in action, Mike has drilled a hole in a rock
0:13:21 > 0:13:26'and packed it with a 21st-century equivalent of Nobel's dynamite.'
0:13:26 > 0:13:29So that is the new version of dynamite sticks?
0:13:29 > 0:13:31That is it. We've got a wireless firing system.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34We link it all up with an electrical igniter and then we go
0:13:34 > 0:13:36all the way over there, and I'm going to give you
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- a button to press. - Let's press the right button.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Let's show them what I can do.
0:13:40 > 0:13:45'This stuff is so powerful, we are having to walk 150 metres
0:13:45 > 0:13:47'to a safe position.'
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- Wait till you see what happens next.- Right.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51- BOTH:- Three, two.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53Hang on, is there a safety switch you have to press?
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- No, it's off. It's live. - It's off. It's off.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Three, two, one.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04- Yes!- Wow.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07- Ooh! Brilliant.- Tiny, little pieces.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10- Yeah, that completely shattered. - Completely shattered, yes.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12- Can we go and have a look?- Let's go.
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Look at that!
0:14:16 > 0:14:20This is the remnants of Nobel's genius shattered into pieces.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22That's right. So, because of that,
0:14:22 > 0:14:25now we can tunnel safely and a lot quicker.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29- Mike, great explosions, thanks a lot. And, Nobel, genius.- Genius!
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Dick and Dom, you flatter me!
0:14:31 > 0:14:35Alfred Nobel had given the world an explosive
0:14:35 > 0:14:40that was far more powerful and far safer than anything
0:14:40 > 0:14:41previously available.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44And it's still used in tunnelling today.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Yep, tunnellers could tunnel anywhere,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and they got pretty creative with some of their ideas.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53It's time for some random genius-ness-s-s-es!
0:14:54 > 0:14:57What do you do when a tree gets in the way of your road?
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Go over, under or around?
0:14:59 > 0:15:01No, tunnel through it!
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Like this bizarre tunnel in America.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Sticking with trees, this is the Tunnel of Love in Ukraine.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It is a three-mile-long clearing through a forest,
0:15:09 > 0:15:13said to be the most romantic tunnel in the world. Mwah!
0:15:13 > 0:15:16But for weirdness, none of that can beat this,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18the Bund Tunnel in Shanghai -
0:15:18 > 0:15:20a visitor attraction designed to show off
0:15:20 > 0:15:23some seriously weird lightshows.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26True random genius-ness-s-s-es.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Hot on the trail of our final subterranean genius,
0:15:31 > 0:15:34we've headed to the Austrian mountains.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36# Yodelayheehoo! #
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Austria. Look, isn't it beautiful? And it's home to Mozart...
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- Sound Of Music... - And hills, mountains! Loads of them.
0:15:44 > 0:15:46Over half the country is covered in them,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48so tunnelling through them is pretty important.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Now over there, in that mountain over there, is one of the most
0:15:51 > 0:15:54amazing ambitious tunnelling projects in the whole world.
0:15:54 > 0:15:56And it's all thanks to our final genius
0:15:56 > 0:15:58who invented a monster piece of technology.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00James Robbins.
0:16:00 > 0:16:01# Yodelayheehoo! #
0:16:01 > 0:16:02HE COUGHS
0:16:02 > 0:16:06American engineer James Robbins is the inventor of perhaps
0:16:06 > 0:16:09the most important tunnelling technology ever -
0:16:09 > 0:16:12a massive circular drill called a tunnel boring machine,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14or TBM for short.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18These epic machines are used on most underground projects today,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22carving huge holes in the rock at amazing speeds.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25To find out more, we're about to go under the mountains to see
0:16:25 > 0:16:27the tunnelling project up close.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32We're going to meet Genius helper Daniel Porubsky.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34He's an engineer on this monumental project.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41- Hi, Daniel.- Hello.- Guten Morgen. - Guten Morgen.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Thank you for having us.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47- So, is this the start of the tunnel? - No, this is just the access tunnel.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50The tunnel project is midway through,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53so we are getting the train to catch up with the TBM.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55And how deep under the ground are we now?
0:16:55 > 0:17:00We have an overburden between 0 to about 800 metres.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Engineers are creating a 14-mile-long tunnel
0:17:04 > 0:17:08that will channel water and generate hydroelectric power.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10When the water passes through this tunnel,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14it generates power, and what are you using the power for?
0:17:14 > 0:17:17We're going to use the power for 90,000 people
0:17:17 > 0:17:19- to supply them with power.- 90,000?
0:17:19 > 0:17:23The tunnel we passed through so far has been made by drilling
0:17:23 > 0:17:24and blasting with explosives.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29But the main part will be carved by the TBM.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31But this tunnel that we've just travelled down,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34I mean, it seems perfect. I know you used explosives to make it,
0:17:34 > 0:17:38but why didn't you just carry on doing that instead of this?
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Because the tunnel drive executed by TBM,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44it's safer and quicker.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46How fast is the TBM?
0:17:46 > 0:17:50We have calculated an average speed of 20 metres per day.
0:17:50 > 0:17:55- 20 metres?- With...thinking about a top speed of 40 metres a day.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58Let's go and see the machine.
0:17:58 > 0:18:00TBMs are rock-chomping monsters.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02One part drills the rock,
0:18:02 > 0:18:03another channels waste backwards,
0:18:03 > 0:18:06while a third reinforces the tunnel
0:18:06 > 0:18:08and lays a concrete lining.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11And we're getting special access to the lethal cutting edge
0:18:11 > 0:18:13of the machine.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Right, then, this is it, this is the TBM.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18The first thing that strikes you is how long it is. How long is this?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20It's about 190 metres long, the whole TBM.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22Whereabouts are we actually in the machine?
0:18:22 > 0:18:24We are next to the cutter head,
0:18:24 > 0:18:27which is right now a safe position, as we stopped the tunnel drive.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30- Oh, so if this was moving right now, we couldn't be here?- Yes, exactly.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Oh, OK.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34So down here, what is that?
0:18:34 > 0:18:36- This is the rock. - That is the mountain?
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- This is the mountain.- This is what you've just been cutting through?
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Have a look at this. This is amazing.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42That's the middle of the mountain.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45- Can we go and have a look at the cutter?- For sure.
0:18:45 > 0:18:46But space is limited.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49So I guess it's best to put in the smallest person.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Always the smallest person, isn't it? Come on, then.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57- Oh, it's small in here. Is there room for me?- Not really.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59- It's really tight and cosy. - What can you see?
0:18:59 > 0:19:03This thing in front of me here is the actual cutter.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05So this is the inside of the cutter.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08The other side of this is the mountain itself and all of the rock.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10So what happens when it starts - see here?
0:19:10 > 0:19:13This disc will spin around that way, like a plate.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16And then this whole cutter will also spin this way.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20And together with this movement it absolutely mashes any rock
0:19:20 > 0:19:23- that is standing in its way. - Right, you'd best get out.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25- I think they are going to start it again.- Yeah, good idea.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26Right, yes, quick.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29Once the rock is cut,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33the TBM will then slot in concrete slabs that will form the tunnel,
0:19:33 > 0:19:37just like you can see here on the London Crossrail project.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42- So, just to recap, cutting the tunnel, making the tunnel.- Exactly.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44- That's what's happening here? - Exactly.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47The inner lining will be placed here.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50This tunnel boring machine means that clean energy
0:19:50 > 0:19:53will come to thousands of homes in this part of Austria.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56And without James Robbins's intervention,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59other huge-scale tunnelling projects around the world
0:19:59 > 0:20:02simply wouldn't be possible.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05- A true Genius monster machine. - Oh, gee, thanks, gents.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10In this episode we found out...
0:20:10 > 0:20:13how an ancient engineer used angles to make tunnelling quicker
0:20:13 > 0:20:15and more precise.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16- Yes!- Yes!
0:20:17 > 0:20:20How Alfred Nobel blasted his way to the history books
0:20:20 > 0:20:22by giving us the tools to smash through rock
0:20:22 > 0:20:24in a safe and effective way.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26- Yes.- Wow.- Ooh.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30And how nowadays monster machines are boring through mountains
0:20:30 > 0:20:32at incredible speeds.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35It absolutely mashes any rock that is standing in its way.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Yeah, thanks to these three, digging, blasting and tunnelling
0:20:43 > 0:20:45through the earth has come a long way.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Inspired by everything we've learned so far,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50our Monster Build challenge is to create our very own
0:20:50 > 0:20:52monster boring machine.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55- And when we say boring, we mean... BOTH:- Boring!
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Here's how it will work.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01We'll need to build a machine capable of getting its way
0:21:01 > 0:21:03through three different obstacles.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06The first is solid steel.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10If it manages it, then it will have to get its way through glass.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13And finally, a wall.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16But can we make a boring machine that's up to the job?
0:21:18 > 0:21:21To help us make it, we are going to see our old mate Grant.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24He's come up with some brilliant builds for us in the past,
0:21:24 > 0:21:27so let's see if he can help us with this.
0:21:27 > 0:21:29- Grant.- There he is. All right?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31So we've got a new monster challenge.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36We've got to try and build a monster tunnel boring machine.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39And it's got to bore through glass, a wall and metal. Tricky?
0:21:39 > 0:21:41We need your help.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- Have you got any ideas? - He hasn't got any.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- No fancy theories?- He hasn't got any either.- We haven't got any ideas.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49So basically it's down to you, as per usual.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Well, I'm pretty busy, so I think you guys are going to have to take
0:21:51 > 0:21:54a look around and work out what you want, come back and we'll make it.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58- We just get to smash things up? - Yeah, knock yourself out.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59Literally!
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Put that down!
0:22:01 > 0:22:02Right, metal.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05'Let's work out which tools our tunnelling machine will need.'
0:22:05 > 0:22:07See if you can saw through it. Does this robot need a saw on it?
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- I don't think so. - Well, let's find out.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15- Strong, in't he(?)- Shut up!
0:22:15 > 0:22:17'Yeah, this is too slow to get through metal.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18'It's never going to work.'
0:22:21 > 0:22:22Arghhhh!
0:22:22 > 0:22:25'The saw is too slow. What about a hammer?'
0:22:25 > 0:22:26It's working!
0:22:26 > 0:22:28'What about a saw AND a hammer?'
0:22:28 > 0:22:30'At the same time!'
0:22:30 > 0:22:31'A hammer saw.'
0:22:31 > 0:22:33Hit it, hit it!
0:22:33 > 0:22:34Drill it, drill it.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36'Yes, drill. Good plan.'
0:22:36 > 0:22:38The conclusion is we need an instant kind of saw,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41because that kind of worked, but we need something quicker than that.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43And a hammer.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47- Something with a, like, laser or something.- Something a bit lasery?
0:22:47 > 0:22:49- Lasery.- Grant!- Got a laser?
0:22:49 > 0:22:51- Yep.- 'Course he has.'
0:22:51 > 0:22:53- OK, so this is the laser machine? - Yes, that's the one.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54It can cut through metal?
0:22:54 > 0:22:57It can cut through to about inch-thick metal, this.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00- Ooh!- We've got to see this in action. Right, safety stuff on.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Argh.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04- Come on, move it.- It's cutting it!
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Oh, look. Look, look, look.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11That is nice. Look at that.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Like a knife through butter, that is.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15- Can we attach one of these to the boring machine?- Yeah, sure can.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18- Good.- Good. So here is what we want. We need a hammer mechanism.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- A laser cutter.- And drill. - Excellent.- All possible?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25- Yeah, I don't see why not. - Can we leave you with that?- Yeah.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28- Nice one, Grant. - 'Grant is a good lad, isn't he?'
0:23:32 > 0:23:37Much building later and we're ready to rock. It's boring day.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41We're here at a disused industrial estate in Birmingham.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Just the place for some destruction.
0:23:43 > 0:23:45Let's see what our machine is all about.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50- Grant, how's it gone?- Yeah, good, I think. Do you want to have a look?
0:23:50 > 0:23:51Yes, please.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Oh-ho-ho!
0:23:53 > 0:23:55- That's a borer if I ever saw one. - Look at that!
0:23:55 > 0:23:59You and your team have been hard at work. Look at that!
0:23:59 > 0:24:02- What do you think of that?- I mean, it looks incredible, doesn't it?
0:24:02 > 0:24:03Mmm.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07This little rascal is fully tooled up.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09At the front is a wall-munching drill.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11Right, so we've got the drill.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14- What else have we got? What's this? - So this is a concrete breaker.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18- This is what you use for digging out concrete floors.- Dig, dig, dig.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21'And finally the piece de resistance...
0:24:21 > 0:24:22'the laser cutter.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25'This should make LIGHT work of the metal.'
0:24:25 > 0:24:26- Look at that.- Yes.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28You should be able to cut a nice circle.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30Grant, genius as always.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33- Shall we put it to the test?- There you go.- Metal first. Metal first.
0:24:33 > 0:24:34Here we go.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Our borer's course awaits. First it will have to cut through
0:24:38 > 0:24:39a wall of solid metal.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44If it succeeds with that, it faces a plate of toughened glass.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And the final challenge is to drill its way through a wall.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Surely the only thing that could go wrong
0:24:52 > 0:24:54is that we are at the controls.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57- Right.- Are we ready?- Ready. - Let bore some holes!
0:24:57 > 0:24:59GENTLE PIANO MUSIC
0:25:00 > 0:25:02So sorry. Wrong music!
0:25:02 > 0:25:04LOUD DUBSTEP
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Let's rock!
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- Brilliant.- Yeah.- Look at that!
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Literally like something out of a James Bond movie.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Looks like you're cutting open a safe.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15- Come on.- Is it perfect?
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Yes!
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Hammer it out. Go on.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22- Ha, yeah!- Bored.- That's it.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26'Look at that. The metal is no match for the might of the borer.'
0:25:26 > 0:25:28Stop, stop, stop!
0:25:28 > 0:25:30It's going to break. Oh, now, look.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33'I think we passed test one.'
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Woohoo!
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- One hole.- One down, two to go.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43'Surely the reinforced glass will be no test for this monster.'
0:25:43 > 0:25:45The hammer.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59- Glass dismissed.- Two out of two. Finally, the wall.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Ho-ho! This looks a lot more difficult.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04I don't fancy their chances.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08We've cut it, we've smashed it and now it's time to bore it.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09- Drill it.- Are you ready?
0:26:11 > 0:26:14- Nearer. Nearer.- Back.- Nearer.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19That's it. Oh!
0:26:20 > 0:26:23- Yeah!- Bore it! Bore it, bore it!
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Ha-ha-ha! So simple.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28Like a knife through butter.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31Yes!
0:26:39 > 0:26:41There's no stopping it. Look what it's done to the wall.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45Everything is wrecked. The wall is broken. The machine is broken.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48- The camera is even broken. - Now THAT is boring.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49Huh!
0:26:51 > 0:26:52There we have it.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Our boring machine might not have the scientific accuracy
0:26:55 > 0:26:59of the real things, but metal, glass and a wall proved no match
0:26:59 > 0:27:01for its sheer power.
0:27:01 > 0:27:02Everything is wrecked!
0:27:03 > 0:27:07'Our underground mission has proved that our three geniuses
0:27:07 > 0:27:09'have given us the precision...'
0:27:09 > 0:27:11- Look at that.- Trigonometry!
0:27:12 > 0:27:14'..the explosive power...'
0:27:16 > 0:27:18'..and the monster machines required
0:27:18 > 0:27:21'to build the world beneath our feet.'
0:27:21 > 0:27:23- That is the mountain? - This is the mountain.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25This is what you've just been cutting through?
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Have a look at this. This is amazing.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28Smashed it!
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Quite literally, smashed it to pieces.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32And thanks to our three geniuses,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36now travelling from A to B underground is anything but boring.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Eupalinos, Nobel and Robbins, you are all...absolute genius.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59He's loving it.
0:27:59 > 0:28:00I hate it!