0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to the genius world of monster engineering.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10Each show, we are going to introduce you to three geniuses...
0:00:10 > 0:00:12- Yeah! Wow!- Oh.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14..whose ideas have quite literally built the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:18We put all their epic brilliance...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Yes! ..to the test...
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Hit it. Hit it.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24..when we tackle our own genius monster build.
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Don't you dare demolish this!
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Going higher...
0:00:29 > 0:00:30Why is it swinging?
0:00:30 > 0:00:31..faster...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34..and scarier.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Oh, no.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38All in the name of science.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40That is a massive piece of construction.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43What could possibly go wrong?
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Ah!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Gah!
0:00:48 > 0:00:50On today's show, we are flying...
0:00:52 > 0:00:54..frying... Perfectly cooked bacon.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55..and fanning...
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Whoa!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02..as we join the quest for everlasting energy.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04- There we go.- Not too fast, not too fast, not too fast...- Come on.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Oh, I said not too fast.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09- This is...- Absolute Genius.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46Welcome to Las Vegas.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51We've come to the USA and to Las Vegas,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54one of the most power-hungry cities in the world.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Famous for its bright lights,
0:01:56 > 0:02:00it's a city in the desert kept cool by power-guzzling air-conditioning.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07For decades, it was powered by fossil fuels like oil and coal.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10But it now hopes to be one of the first cities in the world
0:02:10 > 0:02:13to be entirely powered by renewable energy.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16On this show, we're going to introduce you to three geniuses
0:02:16 > 0:02:20whose ideas are helping us get ever closer to everlasting energy.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24Throughout history,
0:02:24 > 0:02:28humans have always used natural resources to generate power.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32But in the late 18th-century, we discovered electricity.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34And pretty quickly we got hooked on the stuff.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38- Wowsers!- To keep the electricity flowing, we built power stations,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41burning supplies of coal, oil and gas.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44- Oi!- But reserves of those are limited,
0:02:44 > 0:02:46so engineers have gone back to basics...
0:02:46 > 0:02:50- Ah-hah!- And once again are looking to nature to give us energy.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Good old, Mother Nature.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54From sunny Vegas to windy Nottingham...
0:02:54 > 0:02:59Which is just as well, because our first genius found a way to simplify
0:02:59 > 0:03:01how we get power from wind.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03May we introduce to you Mr Edmund Lee.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05HE BURPS
0:03:05 > 0:03:07- Do you mind?- This is a serious science programme.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09I think he needs an antacid chew.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10HE FARTS
0:03:10 > 0:03:12But I'm the king of wind!
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Using wind for power isn't a new idea.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19More than 1,000 years ago,
0:03:19 > 0:03:24the ancient Persians used windmills to grind grain for eating.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27But early windmills had a pretty big flaw -
0:03:27 > 0:03:31they needed a lot of manpower to keep moving the sails
0:03:31 > 0:03:33to face the wind.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37All that changed in the 18th century when British inventor Edmund Lee
0:03:37 > 0:03:39came up with a genius plan to automate things.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Ah, but how did he do it?
0:03:43 > 0:03:45And what's any of this got to do with Las Vegas?
0:03:45 > 0:03:47Oh, we don't know, but there is a fellow in there that does.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53Genius helper John Billingham knows more than a bit about windmills,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56cos he's the miller at this incredible working mill
0:03:56 > 0:03:58near Nottingham.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Mill.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02- Hi, John. Hello. - Hi, John, how you doing?
0:04:02 > 0:04:04- Hi, Dom, how you doing?- Hi.- Thanks for letting us into your windmill.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06How is this working?
0:04:06 > 0:04:09Erm, well, the clue is in the name, windmill.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13The wind drives the sails and the power is all brought down here
0:04:13 > 0:04:15to these big cogs here, which turns our grinding stone, and you might
0:04:15 > 0:04:18be able to hear the grain being knocked into the middle there.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21So you are grinding grain to produce flour.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22We are, yeah.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26It's all working very smoothly inside the mill,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30and that's because Edmund Lee's genius idea is working its magic
0:04:30 > 0:04:31on the outside.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35OK, guys, right, if you want to just look up there.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Now, that bit that's on the opposite side to the sails,
0:04:38 > 0:04:39that is what Edmund Lee invented.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- That's what we call a fantail. - All right, like a mini windmill.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45- But how does that work?- That fantail is attached to a gear system that
0:04:45 > 0:04:47goes into the cap, and all the cogs,
0:04:47 > 0:04:51they turn together and force the cap frame round.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53- Cogs.- Cap frame.- Cap frame.- Cogs.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Lovely explanation and thank you very much.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56But I didn't really...
0:04:56 > 0:04:59We're not meaning to be rude but we didn't understand a word you said.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01There is one person that we know
0:05:01 > 0:05:03that can translate what you're saying into our brains.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04- Fran.- Fran!
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Meet Fran,
0:05:08 > 0:05:09our scientist friend...
0:05:09 > 0:05:13- Go.- ..who can explain things in a way that even we can understand.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16It worked, Franny!
0:05:16 > 0:05:18She loves a good experiment.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20No!
0:05:20 > 0:05:22And best of all, she pops up...
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- Hello.- A-ha. ..whenever we need her.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Franny, everybody. Hey.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29ROARING
0:05:29 > 0:05:34Stop. Stop. Fran, stop. Stop!
0:05:34 > 0:05:36There are no leaves.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37- Oh.- Oh.- I know that.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40This is not for blowing leaves, it's for doing science.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43You might be able to help us cos we don't understand what a fantail is.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- We need it simplifying.- Right,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47so what's the first thing that a windmill needs in order to work?
0:05:47 > 0:05:49BOTH: Wind.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- Ta-da.- Oh. Tiny windmill.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54So you might think that to make the sails of a windmill turn,
0:05:54 > 0:05:56you blow from the side like this.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00- Well, it works.- It works, yeah.- It does. But you can make it blow much
0:06:00 > 0:06:01faster if you blow from head on.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- Go on.- Like this.- Brr. OK, fair point.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07So, for the windmill to work the best it can,
0:06:07 > 0:06:10you want the sails of the windmill to always be facing the wind.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12Yeah, but this is, this is hard, because we all know the wind
0:06:12 > 0:06:15- changes direction.- Ah, it does.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20To show us how the fantail ensures that windmills always face the wind,
0:06:20 > 0:06:24Fran's got a demo using a swivel chair and a bit of board.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26This board is going to be like our fantail,
0:06:26 > 0:06:28and this is obviously our windmill.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30- Let's make some flour.- OK.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33- I'm coming over to join you.- OK.- I'm not standing over there with him.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34- OK, let's do it.- Yeah.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36All right. Oh!
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Oh!
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Wow, Fran!
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Amazing.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43- So, what happened?- Well, I'll tell you what happened -
0:06:43 > 0:06:46you blew this whiteboard, which turned Richard to the side,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49which meant that the wind was then blowing straight into the sails.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Exactly, and that was Edmund Lee's genius idea.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56He used the fantail so that the windmill turns when it's side-on to
0:06:56 > 0:06:57the wind, but when it's in line,
0:06:57 > 0:07:00it stops and points in the direction the wind is coming from.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03There we have it, ladies and gentlemen, a Fran tale fantail.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08Because the fantail is at right angles to the main sails,
0:07:08 > 0:07:10it will catch the wind when they don't.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14And via a system of cogs and gears,
0:07:14 > 0:07:17it turns them to once again face the wind.
0:07:17 > 0:07:22Today's modular wind power turbines couldn't function without automation
0:07:22 > 0:07:24inspired by Lee's genius.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Still to come, we use the desert sun to cook up a tasty treat...
0:07:31 > 0:07:33No gas. No electricity.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39And we attempt to build our own unique everlasting energy machine.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41That's a serious amount of power you're pulling on there.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42But before all of that...
0:07:44 > 0:07:46We're back on the Las Vegas strip,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48one of the most famous places in the world.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51And this place owes a lot to a piece of monster engineering
0:07:51 > 0:07:53that you can find a few miles east.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57This is the Hoover Dam.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01When it was built in the 1930s,
0:08:01 > 0:08:05people saw it as one of history's greatest engineering achievements.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Standing at over 220 metres tall,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15there's enough concrete in the dam to lay a pavement that would stretch
0:08:15 > 0:08:17all the way around the world.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Our next genius is the woman who
0:08:20 > 0:08:23helped turn this place into a huge power source.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Introducing genius number two, Edith Clarke.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Oh, please, call me Edie.
0:08:30 > 0:08:32Edith Clarke was America's
0:08:32 > 0:08:36first ever professional female electrical engineer.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Her electrical expertise and ideas were a crucial part
0:08:39 > 0:08:41of the Hoover Dam project.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44And her genius, hidden deep within this mammoth build,
0:08:44 > 0:08:48is still doing its job over 80 years later.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Edith didn't pick up a balsa chisel and get her sand and cement out.
0:08:51 > 0:08:52Oh, no, she didn't build it.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55No. To find out what she did do, we need to go down there.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01We are heading to meet genius helper, Kathy Stewart.
0:09:04 > 0:09:05- Hey, Kathy.- Hello!
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Hey, Kathy, lovely to meet you.
0:09:07 > 0:09:08It's nice to meet you too.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- So this is the beast?- It's amazing.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12Yes. Yes. That is Hoover Dam.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15It is one of the most amazing structures that we have here
0:09:15 > 0:09:16in the United States.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17But what is the dam actually do?
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It can hold back 9.3 trillion gallons of water.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Trillion?- Trillion.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28By blocking the Colorado River, the dam creates Lake Mead.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32In doing so, it stores up the potential to power millions
0:09:32 > 0:09:34of American homes.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36But how?
0:09:36 > 0:09:40Water falls through openings in these inlet towers.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Powered by the immense water pressure of the lake above,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47and the force of gravity, it flows down a system of pipes,
0:09:47 > 0:09:51accelerating to high speeds.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54When the water reaches turbines around 150 metres below,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56the flow sets them spinning,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59generating huge amounts of electricity.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02Come on in, folks.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07What you are seeing is our generator floor.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- Yeah.- And on this side of our power plant,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12we actually have nine generators.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15What was Edith's genius behind these generators?
0:10:15 > 0:10:19She was crucial in the development of the technology used.
0:10:19 > 0:10:25She also was a pioneer in the use of using the environment to generate
0:10:25 > 0:10:28- this electricity.- So that was a big passion of hers anyway?
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Very much so.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Edith had helped create turbines
0:10:32 > 0:10:34that could harness the power of water
0:10:34 > 0:10:36on a scale the world had never seen before.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41So we thought, "How do you demonstrate the power of water
0:10:41 > 0:10:43"in a very serious, experimental way?"
0:10:43 > 0:10:46Well, we've come a few miles down the road to do this.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50These are water jet packs.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55They use the force of fast-flowing water not to power turbines
0:10:55 > 0:10:57but to lift people up in the air.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Looks pretty easy, right?
0:11:01 > 0:11:02Rich, you'll be fine.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05Good luck. I'm proud of you.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10There he goes, TV's Mr Action Man.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Ah!
0:11:12 > 0:11:14And if you've seen this show before,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17you'll know that I don't have a very good relationship with water.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21But in the name of science, I'll give it a go.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26I can't wait to see him flying in the air.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28The world's most scared man.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30I don't know how long this is going to last.
0:11:30 > 0:11:31Go on, Rich!
0:11:32 > 0:11:34Why do they keep making me do these things?
0:11:37 > 0:11:38Oh, here he goes.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43This all feels completely unnatural.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Oh, we've got a bit more water pressure.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48That's it. He is up about that much.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52In my head, I'm soaring above the lake.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55A bit more thrust. Come on. But you're not, are you?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Your little chicken legs are just flapping about. Oh, yes.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01His legs are out.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05Enough. Stop. This is just humiliating.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Get me out. OK, stop.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11There he is, the new James Bond, 00 Dickie.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13What was that?
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Well, I thought that went marvellously well.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20Erm... I went up a little bit and came back down again.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21Time for a brew, I think.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Right, shorts. See you in a minute.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29My go. Different machine, same principle.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Come on, then, let's see how it's done.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- This is all your fault, you know. - I know. It always is.- Eh?
0:12:37 > 0:12:39In fairness, this is nerve-racking.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44But pretty quickly I seem to get the knack.
0:12:44 > 0:12:45Ah! Ooh!
0:12:45 > 0:12:48- Felt it.- I don't think so.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56But after a few more goes, I seem to have nailed it.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! Yes!
0:12:59 > 0:13:01Are you sure this counts as science?
0:13:04 > 0:13:07There is no doubt that water is seriously powerful.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12And Edith Clarke found a way to use it on a massive scale.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13Absolute genius.
0:13:13 > 0:13:15Oh, no!
0:13:19 > 0:13:23Thanks to the tech behind turbines and generators, globally,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26hydroelectricity now produces enough power
0:13:26 > 0:13:28to supply over 1 billion people.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Still to come, we tackle one of our most ambitious and unpredictable
0:13:36 > 0:13:38monster builds yet.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39Oh!
0:13:41 > 0:13:44But first, how about some renewable-energy-based
0:13:44 > 0:13:46random geniusness?
0:13:49 > 0:13:50In London town,
0:13:50 > 0:13:55sweaty heat energy from millions of underground travellers is being put
0:13:55 > 0:13:57to good use, heating hundreds of nearby homes.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03Meanwhile, in Iceland, they also love a bit of subterranean power.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Because there's so much volcanic activity there,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09the water that comes out of the ground is hot enough to heat homes
0:14:09 > 0:14:10and generate electricity.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12What?
0:14:12 > 0:14:15And at waste-water treatment plants all over the UK,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19methane gas is being extracted from - wait for it - human poo.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23Yes, to create clean energy - stinky clean energy.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27HE WRETCHES
0:14:28 > 0:14:31So we can tick wind and water power off the list.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36The best place to study our final genius
0:14:36 > 0:14:40is out here in the scorching Nevada Desert.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44We've got a thermometer and it's reading at 45 degrees Celsius.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Which means there's a lot of energy hitting this place from the sun.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Burning at 15 million degrees C,
0:14:53 > 0:14:57the sun is the most powerful energy source we have.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01It's estimated that it transmits more energy to Earth in an hour
0:15:01 > 0:15:03than we consume in a year.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08Now, our next genius worked out a way of taking all of this power
0:15:08 > 0:15:09and turning it into electricity.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Introducing to you, Edmond Becquerel.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14It's so hot I could cook an egg.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18In 1839,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22a young French physicist called Edmond Becquerel was working in his
0:15:22 > 0:15:27dad's lab on an experiment with some chemicals and two metal electrodes.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30- Ha-ha-ha-ha!- When the sun shone through the window
0:15:30 > 0:15:31and hit the electrodes,
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Becquerel noticed that it created an electrical current.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39By accident, he'd made the first-ever solar cell,
0:15:39 > 0:15:42and solar power as we know it today was born.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43Literally brilliant!
0:15:43 > 0:15:44Ha-ha!
0:15:46 > 0:15:50But how in the middle of the desert are we going to find out about
0:15:50 > 0:15:51a French physicist?
0:15:53 > 0:15:55I know, let's ask this guy.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It's genius helper John Howard.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01- Hey, John. How are you doing?- Good. How are you?- Yeah.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04Can you tell us a little bit more about what Becquerel did?
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Becquerel was a scientist who discovered the photovoltaic effect.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11- Hang on, the what? - The photovoltaic effect.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Combine the two words - photo, voltaic - so light and voltage.
0:16:14 > 0:16:15- Oh, oh, OK.- Solar power.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19So what he did as a 19-year-old in his parents' basement was he had
0:16:19 > 0:16:21a solution of silver chloride,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23and he noticed that when he shined light on it,
0:16:23 > 0:16:24he established a voltage.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28And this surely led onto solar panelling, is that right?
0:16:28 > 0:16:29- Or solar cells?- Correct.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33Today we use solid solar cells instead of the liquid ones,
0:16:33 > 0:16:35for a number of reasons, and they're more efficient.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41Solar cells can be found everywhere, from helping to power people's homes
0:16:41 > 0:16:44to fuelling the International Space Station.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49So this is a smaller version of what one might normally see
0:16:49 > 0:16:50on a house or on a building.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53Basically, what we can show is that when we are shining this directly at
0:16:53 > 0:16:55the sun, you can actually get quite a high voltage.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58So, we're up at 4.6.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00And when we take the light away,
0:17:00 > 0:17:03we see that the voltage levels will significantly decrease.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05- So if I was to cover it up... - Yeah, into the shade.- Yeah, yeah.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- Look at that.- The voltage level significantly drops.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10And that's all down to Becquerel's genius.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14- Correct.- I understand why solar panels are here in the desert with
0:17:14 > 0:17:17the sun, you get a lot of heat, but how do they work in the UK?
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Well, fortunately, we don't need the heat as much as we need the light.
0:17:20 > 0:17:21As Becquerel showed with his experiments,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24it was the light that caused the voltage.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28To show you just how powerful sunlight can be,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32we've set up a desert diner with a difference.
0:17:32 > 0:17:33It's a solar cooker.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Let's cook. Oh, bacon sarnie.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42- Look at that.- This dish is taking all of the heat from the sun and
0:17:42 > 0:17:44directing it all into one sweet spot,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46which is right underneath the pan at the moment,
0:17:46 > 0:17:48which I can see right now.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51It is so hot that it is actually cooking this bacon.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56The condensed rays of the sun mean the pan is cooking at around
0:17:56 > 0:18:00400 degrees C. That's hotter than a hob in your kitchen.
0:18:00 > 0:18:01No gas, no electricity...
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Look at that - perfectly cooked bacon.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Right. Shame you're a vegetarian.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09You're going to starve out in the desert.
0:18:09 > 0:18:10There you go.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13- How is it?- Delicious.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15- Is it good?- Same as cooking it at home.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21The sun's almost limitless energy fuels life on Earth.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25But thanks to Becquerel, it can now also power our cities.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29Across the globe, solar panels and solar power plants are capturing
0:18:29 > 0:18:31that energy and turning it into electricity.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33And we're cooking bacon.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35On our energy road trip,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38we've seen how Edmund Lee brought automation to wind power...
0:18:38 > 0:18:41- Oh!- Oh!
0:18:41 > 0:18:44..and how Edith Clarke helped harness power from water
0:18:44 > 0:18:46on an epic scale.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56We've learned a lot about the science behind how to produce
0:18:56 > 0:19:00- everlasting energy.- And that's handy because our monster build challenge
0:19:00 > 0:19:03is to design and make our very own unique power station.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Here's the plan. Our power station will work along the principle
0:19:10 > 0:19:14of a Rube Goldberg machine. There it is. The name for an ingenious chain
0:19:14 > 0:19:18of linked contraptions that work by one thing triggering the next part,
0:19:18 > 0:19:20which triggers the next and the next and the next and the next
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and the next, and that triggers the next, and then...
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- Oh.- Our machine will have to incorporate everything we've learned
0:19:26 > 0:19:30so far - fantails, water power, solar cookers,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and anything else we can think up.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37The problem is we've got the ideas but we don't know how to make it.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39- We don't know how to make it. - I have a plan.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41- What?- Grant.- Grant.
0:19:43 > 0:19:44Grant and his genius brother, James,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47have made some weird and wonderful builds for us in the past,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50and I'm sure at this job's right up their street.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56To show us how a machine like this could work...
0:19:56 > 0:19:58Hey, look, you've already built one!
0:19:58 > 0:20:01..the boys have rigged up a couple of stand-alone elements
0:20:01 > 0:20:02of a Rube Goldberg machine.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06That's the name for a contraption where one thing triggers another
0:20:06 > 0:20:07in succession a few times, yeah?
0:20:07 > 0:20:09- Exactly.- OK.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14The first is a water-powered seesaw, loaded with a surprise.
0:20:14 > 0:20:15As it fills up with water,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17the seesaw drops straight down really rapidly.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21- Uh-huh.- That goes up, pulls the string on the two party poppers...
0:20:21 > 0:20:23- Nice.- ..and bang. - Let's give it a go.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29- All right, the water's going in. - Hey, look, I can see the resistance.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Oh, yeah, it's starting to move.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33- Oi!- Wow, that was great!
0:20:33 > 0:20:35- Good work.- That was brilliant.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37The next demo is all about fire.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40And you might need your safety goggles for this one.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43- Oh, good. Now, this is what I'm talking about.- Fire.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Remember, Grant knows what he's doing. Never mess with fire.
0:20:47 > 0:20:48We've got a fire pit here.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51This will ignite, and hopefully burn through the string -
0:20:51 > 0:20:54that will release our weighted wheel and smash down the blocks.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- Yeah.- OK.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05- Oh, yeah.- There you are. It's on it. - Oi! Well done.- Great.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08It might look simple enough,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11but Rube Goldberg machines incorporate lots of elements,
0:21:11 > 0:21:15and if even one of them fails, the whole thing is ruined.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19It goes without saying that ours will be planned meticulously.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Start with a monkey.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24A monkey? Leave it to the experts, mate.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26A few balls going into the pipe.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28So we should switch on some form of solar power.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30- Nice. Nice.- Fry an egg.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34The weight drops on a mousetrap. The mousetrap...
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Then that needs to turn like a blade, a little fan or something,
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- doesn't it?- Yeah. Tick, tick, tick, tick, boom.
0:21:39 > 0:21:41- So what have we got? - We've got wind...
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- Wind.- Fire.- Seesaws. Steam.- Monkeys.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47- Move on from the monkey. - Right, OK, monkeys aside,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49I think we've got a brilliant plan here.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51- Build it.- Yeah. Let's go.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58As usual, it's now left to Grant and James to turn our nonsense
0:21:58 > 0:22:00into something actual.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Three weeks later and they've only gone and built it.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Oh, Grant. Looks like you've been hard at work.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I think you'll be impressed with what we've done.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13The machine is a brilliant collection of elements,
0:22:13 > 0:22:17taking in everything from a drone to a racing car track.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19Once it's rolling, it will power itself,
0:22:19 > 0:22:22but we'll have to create the initial injection of energy...
0:22:22 > 0:22:27- Tandem.- ..using this bike with a difference.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30Basically, we've hooked the back wheel up to an electric motor...
0:22:30 > 0:22:31- Yeah.- We've created a dynamo,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34so your peddling we're turning straight into DC voltage.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38There you go. So you're at 28 volts.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41That's a serious amount of power you're putting on there.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45That voltage will send a toy car hurtling around a track,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49fast enough to make a jump and strike this barrier.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50If we get it right,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54it'll start a chain reaction and the barrier will pivot,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57causing a bright light to hit a solar cooker
0:22:57 > 0:23:00like the one we used in the desert.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03It's so hot that it is actually cooking this bacon.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07This foam will be holding the ball up.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08You see, that will start burning.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10The ball gets released and down the tube.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15The next stage is some Hoover Dam inspired water power.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17So we have water stored at a height.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Like the dam, the stored water will create water pressure by being
0:23:21 > 0:23:22funnelled through a narrow opening.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25It then turns the water wheel, so that's like a turbine, I suppose.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27- Exactly.- Right. And then it all goes into the bucket.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31When it fills the bucket, the bucket will drop down into position.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34And all that should cause our giant finger to move.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Well, what does it control?
0:23:38 > 0:23:40- The drone.- Yes, brilliant.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42But the drone's just going to fly off in the air.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44We've attached this piece of string to it.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46And when it pulls the string...
0:23:46 > 0:23:49- Oh. Yeah.- Wind. Great.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52And that leads onto the fantail.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53This should catch the wind,
0:23:53 > 0:23:57but instead of making a windmill change direction,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00it'll turn the blowtorch towards a huge pile of...
0:24:00 > 0:24:03..that. Yes, that.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06- And that'll create our explosive ending.- An explosive ending.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08- Nice.- What could possibly go wrong?
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Everything.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13If even one element fails, the machine won't work.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15There is just time for one last test.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17- Go.- It worked.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18Yes.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23- CLANK Right.- Oh!
0:24:24 > 0:24:26You idiot.
0:24:26 > 0:24:27- It's broken.- You idiot.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29It's broken.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Looks like we'll have to let Grant and the team fix that, I think.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Get your bag of spanners out, come on.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36A bit of mending later...
0:24:38 > 0:24:40It's time to give the machine a go.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Can we turn human power into a chain reaction of energy?
0:24:46 > 0:24:49This is the only bit of the experiment that relies on us.
0:24:50 > 0:24:51Let's find out.
0:24:51 > 0:24:52Are you ready, then, guys?
0:24:52 > 0:24:56- BOTH: Ready.- Three, two, one...
0:24:56 > 0:24:58- Go.- Here we go.- Not too fast, not too fast...- Come on.- Not too fast.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Oh, I said not too fast!
0:25:00 > 0:25:02Let's try again. Right... Slowly.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04- Slowly.- And...
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Could have just done one big straight, really, couldn't we?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- Wait.- Are you ready? Oh!
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Get off!
0:25:10 > 0:25:15Again... Slowly. Slowly. Slowly.
0:25:15 > 0:25:17Steady. Go! Yes!
0:25:17 > 0:25:20- Come on! That was too slow. Too slow.- What do you mean, too slow?
0:25:24 > 0:25:27- OK, are we ready?- We were ready the last time and the time before that.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29- I'm ready. I'm doing it properly. - It's him at the back.- Just go.
0:25:29 > 0:25:30BOTH: Right.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Get ready. Now take your feet off.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48- Oh! Yes!- It's working.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50Quick, quick. Go... Quick.
0:25:50 > 0:25:51Yeah, the burn's working.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54- And...- Look at that. It's gone.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Yes, there goes the ball. Into the pot.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Smooth action.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Yeah, absolutely.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02There goes the turbine.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Filling up the bucket.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06OK, when the bucket gets a certain weight,
0:26:06 > 0:26:07that's going to flick the switch.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- The drone is airborne!- Wow!
0:26:14 > 0:26:16The drone's gone up. The fan's going.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18The poo's going to set on fire.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Once the dung is alight, the fire should release this truck,
0:26:23 > 0:26:26which should set the Absolute Genius logo on fire.
0:26:26 > 0:26:27Poo power is lit.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30- The truck's going down. Yes. - The truck's going to go down.
0:26:33 > 0:26:35- Yes!- And it's lit.- It's going up. Yes!
0:26:35 > 0:26:36What's going to happen?
0:26:41 > 0:26:43- Oh!- Gah!
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Oh, Grant certainly delivered on his explosive promise.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49Ah!
0:26:49 > 0:26:51- Oh, yes.- It worked. Look, it all worked!
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Result. Our Rube Goldberg machine worked a treat.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Ah! And in this episode,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03we've seen how the bright ideas of three geniuses have moved us
0:27:03 > 0:27:06ever closer to the dream of everlasting energy.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Lee, Clarke, Becquerel, you are all Absolute Genius.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- He's loving it.- I hate it!