Epic Bridges Absolute Genius: Monster Builds


Epic Bridges

Similar Content

Browse content similar to Epic Bridges. Check below for episodes and series from the same categories and more!

Transcript


LineFromTo

-Welcome to the genius world of...

-BOTH:

-Monster Engineering.

0:00:020:00:05

THEY SCREAM

0:00:050:00:06

Each show, we're going to introduce you to three geniuses...

0:00:060:00:10

-Yeah, wow!

-Oooh!

0:00:100:00:12

..whose ideas have quite literally built the world.

0:00:120:00:16

We put all their epic brilliance to the test...

0:00:160:00:20

Hit it, hit it!

0:00:200:00:21

..when we tackle our own genius Monster Build.

0:00:210:00:24

Don't you dare demolish this!

0:00:240:00:25

Going higher...

0:00:270:00:29

Why is it swinging?

0:00:290:00:30

..faster...

0:00:300:00:32

..and scarier...

0:00:320:00:34

Oh, no!

0:00:340:00:35

..all in the name of science.

0:00:350:00:37

That is a massive piece of construction.

0:00:370:00:41

What could possibly go wrong?

0:00:410:00:42

On today's show, we're going up...

0:00:460:00:49

..down...

0:00:490:00:51

It's unbelievably fast!

0:00:510:00:53

..and across.

0:00:530:00:54

-Go.

-Come on! Run!

0:00:540:00:56

..as we uncover the secrets of epic bridges.

0:00:560:00:59

-Wow!

-Look at that. It really is a Monster Build, that, isn't it, eh?

0:00:590:01:03

-This is...

-Absolute Genius!

0:01:030:01:06

Here's a question for you. How do you get millions of people

0:01:420:01:45

from the city over there to the other side of the bay?

0:01:450:01:48

-Swim it.

-What? No, there's sharks!

0:01:480:01:50

-Tunnel it.

-Don't be ridiculous!

0:01:500:01:51

-Bridge it.

-Who is she?

-No, BRIDGE it!

0:01:510:01:53

Oh, bridge it. Yes, I see.

0:01:530:01:55

This is the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

0:01:560:02:00

And today's show is all about, you guessed it...

0:02:000:02:03

-BOTH:

-Bridges!

0:02:030:02:04

People have always needed to get from A to B,

0:02:050:02:08

but sometimes, there's a big problem...

0:02:080:02:10

This is a big problem.

0:02:100:02:12

..which forces engineers to get thinking.

0:02:120:02:14

-And the simplest solution, build a bridge.

-Bravo!

0:02:140:02:17

They are a brilliant fix whenever nature gets in our way.

0:02:170:02:21

-Ooh, that's got it.

-As we've become smarter, bridges have become longer,

0:02:210:02:24

taller and stronger.

0:02:240:02:26

Today, there is almost no gap too big to span.

0:02:260:02:30

But let's rewind the clock.

0:02:320:02:34

When it came to genius feats of engineering,

0:02:340:02:36

the Ancient Romans were hard to beat.

0:02:360:02:39

From amphitheatres to aqueducts,

0:02:390:02:42

they knew a thing or two about building stuff that lasts.

0:02:420:02:46

We've come to the south of France to see one of the biggest

0:02:460:02:49

and most impressive examples of Roman engineering in the world.

0:02:490:02:52

Yeah, it's such a popular tourist attraction,

0:02:520:02:54

that it's even found its way onto the back of a five euro note.

0:02:540:02:58

Pretty good, eh? Have a look. It's amazing.

0:02:580:03:00

-This is the Pont du Gard.

-The bridge over the River Gard.

0:03:000:03:04

The Pont du Gard has stood in this valley

0:03:070:03:10

since the first century AD.

0:03:100:03:12

It survived everything, from floods to gale-force winds,

0:03:120:03:15

and today, it's one of France's most famous landmarks.

0:03:150:03:19

And there's only one way to visit

0:03:200:03:22

this "magnifique" bit of construction.

0:03:220:03:24

-See you later.

-It's not a gondola.

0:03:240:03:26

# Just one Cornetto... #

0:03:260:03:28

It's not a gondola.

0:03:280:03:30

Dom, just sit down.

0:03:300:03:31

It's even more impressive from this angle.

0:03:340:03:36

And if it wasn't for our first genius's massive brain,

0:03:380:03:41

the secrets to the strength of the Pont du Gard would have been lost.

0:03:410:03:44

Introducing author, architect, engineer

0:03:440:03:47

and all-round Roman boffin,

0:03:470:03:49

-it's...

-BOTH:

-Vitruvius!

0:03:490:03:52

You've got my beard all wet.

0:03:520:03:54

Yeah, but you've got a dry moustache.

0:03:540:03:57

Genius helper Alejandro Mendez Graf

0:03:570:03:59

has arranged access-all-areas to this Roman marvel.

0:03:590:04:03

-Hi, Alejandro. How you doing?

-Nice to see you.

-Welcome.

0:04:040:04:07

It'd be great to have a look around the bridge.

0:04:070:04:09

And we're starting, where else, but right at the very top.

0:04:100:04:13

Almost 50 metres above the valley floor.

0:04:160:04:19

Alejandro, it's in really good nick, this place,

0:04:230:04:25

but how many years old is it?

0:04:250:04:26

-It's 2,000 years old.

-2,000?!

-What was it built for, though?

0:04:260:04:30

This aqueduct was built to have running water in the city of Nimes.

0:04:300:04:34

So this whole construction was made

0:04:340:04:36

to get water from that side of the river

0:04:360:04:39

all the way through this... I suppose you'd call it a tunnel,

0:04:390:04:42

over to the other side, so people there could get fresh water?

0:04:420:04:45

-That's right.

-Wow!

0:04:450:04:47

The Pont du Gard's three layers of arches aren't just for show.

0:04:470:04:51

This was the only way that the Romans

0:04:510:04:53

could build high enough to keep the pipe carrying their fresh water

0:04:530:04:56

level with the surrounding hills.

0:04:560:04:58

We are inside the pipe.

0:04:590:05:01

You have to imagine this place with water coming almost up to the roof.

0:05:010:05:04

Is this tunnel all watertight?

0:05:040:05:06

This tunnel is watertight, thanks to the mortar

0:05:060:05:09

which was on the walls here.

0:05:090:05:10

The Romans invented a super-strong mortar,

0:05:120:05:16

made from crushed volcanic rock.

0:05:160:05:18

When added to the walls of the pipe we've just seen,

0:05:180:05:21

it stuck the stones together and stopped the water leaking out.

0:05:210:05:25

Clever, but they didn't use it all over the bridge,

0:05:250:05:29

as we are about to discover.

0:05:290:05:31

So, obviously, it's been well put-together.

0:05:310:05:33

How is it actually constructed?

0:05:330:05:34

The stones which are the building,

0:05:340:05:36

our stones are coming from a quarry at about 600 metres just downriver.

0:05:360:05:40

They were transported up to here.

0:05:400:05:42

All the big stones are held together without mortar.

0:05:420:05:45

So there's no sand and cement, no bonding at all.

0:05:450:05:48

Not at all, and mainly,

0:05:480:05:49

that concerns the first and second level.

0:05:490:05:52

Amazing! But also very strange.

0:05:530:05:55

After all, this massive stone bridge weighs over 50,000 tonnes!

0:05:560:06:02

So we understand that the top of the bridge, the aqueduct,

0:06:020:06:05

is held together with mortar,

0:06:050:06:06

but what about the rest of the bridge?

0:06:060:06:08

How does it stay up? What's sticking the bricks together?

0:06:080:06:11

There's only one way to find out.

0:06:110:06:12

Le Fran!

0:06:120:06:14

Meet Fran!

0:06:160:06:18

-Our scientist friend...

-Go!

0:06:180:06:19

..who can explain things in a way that even we can understand.

0:06:190:06:24

It worked!

0:06:240:06:25

She loves a good experiment.

0:06:250:06:28

-And best of all, she pops up...

-Hello!

-..whenever we need her.

0:06:290:06:34

Franny, everybody! Eh?

0:06:340:06:37

Franny, we need your help!

0:06:370:06:39

The Pont du Gard was beautiful.

0:06:390:06:42

But the bottom part of it was stuck together with nothing,

0:06:420:06:45

-not a saucisson!

-Rien!

0:06:450:06:46

You think it was stuck together with nothing?

0:06:460:06:48

Well, in fact, it's stuck together with friction.

0:06:480:06:51

-Friction.

-Yeah, but friction slows moving objects down.

0:06:510:06:53

It does, but friction can also stick objects together

0:06:530:06:56

and stop them from moving completely.

0:06:560:06:59

I want to show you with this stuff.

0:06:590:07:01

Right, so what are you going to do, cook us a curry?

0:07:010:07:04

-I've got a little bit of a challenge for you.

-Yes.

0:07:040:07:06

I want to see how much of this rice you can pick up

0:07:060:07:09

-just using this stick.

-What?!

0:07:090:07:11

-Give it a try.

-You go.

0:07:110:07:13

-Go on. Challenge.

-Just in different ways...

0:07:130:07:17

-See how much rice you can pick up.

-How much rice have you got?

0:07:170:07:20

-Oh! Oh!

-Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!

0:07:200:07:22

No, no, no!

0:07:220:07:24

-Oh!

-Aw!

-Give up. Silly experiment!

0:07:240:07:26

Fran, why you not use pasta?

0:07:260:07:28

What if I told you that using friction,

0:07:280:07:31

we could pick up the whole of this jar of rice.

0:07:310:07:33

Not possible - you can't use that stick to pick up all that rice.

0:07:330:07:35

-Well, we'll see.

-No.

-So, Dick, take this.

0:07:350:07:38

Just jab the stick in a few times. Just try it.

0:07:380:07:40

-Jab it?

-Just jab it in.

0:07:400:07:42

And lift it out and then put it in.

0:07:420:07:45

And each time you are doing that,

0:07:450:07:47

it's jiggling the rice about in such a way

0:07:470:07:49

that more and more rice is touching the stick,

0:07:490:07:53

and, eventually, there'll be enough rice touching the stick

0:07:530:07:57

for the friction between them to be enough

0:07:570:07:59

to lift up the whole of the jar.

0:07:590:08:01

-I say no.

-Let's see.

0:08:010:08:02

Lift it. Lift it right out.

0:08:020:08:04

So you've got to lift it right out

0:08:040:08:06

and then put it right in

0:08:060:08:07

and then lift it out

0:08:070:08:09

and then put it in.

0:08:090:08:10

Oh, oh, go on! Go on!

0:08:100:08:13

Go on!

0:08:130:08:15

THEY CHEER AND LAUGH

0:08:150:08:17

Oh, look at that! Friction!

0:08:180:08:21

FRAN SCREAMS, DICK GROANS

0:08:260:08:29

Mamma mia, you make a big mess!

0:08:290:08:32

But how does that relate to stones holding together a bridge?

0:08:320:08:36

What the Roman engineers did,

0:08:360:08:38

they cut the stones really precisely so they fitted perfectly together

0:08:380:08:42

and that meant there was a lot of them touching each other

0:08:420:08:45

and touching means more friction, which means the friction was enough

0:08:450:08:49

to hold the bridge up without mortar.

0:08:490:08:52

And the technique is called opus quadratum.

0:08:520:08:54

-BOTH: Told you!

-And the reason we know about it

0:08:540:08:57

is because of the writings of Vitruvius.

0:08:570:08:59

VITRUVIUS CHUCKLES

0:08:590:09:00

Now we understand how it was made,

0:09:010:09:04

the Pont du Gard is even more spectacular.

0:09:040:09:07

It's amazing to think that, 2,000 years later,

0:09:070:09:09

that bridge is still standing,

0:09:090:09:11

thanks to the genius way it was built.

0:09:110:09:13

And if it wasn't for this man,

0:09:130:09:15

we wouldn't know how the Romans built it.

0:09:150:09:16

Vitruvius, you are a rock-solid genius.

0:09:160:09:19

Oh, yeah, boys! You can't knock me down!

0:09:190:09:22

Ohh... Argh!

0:09:220:09:24

Next!

0:09:250:09:26

After the Romans,

0:09:290:09:31

things went a bit quiet in the world of bridge building.

0:09:310:09:34

In fact, they went A LOT quiet for nearly 2,000 years!

0:09:340:09:38

But from the late 1700s,

0:09:380:09:40

engineers had cast iron and then steel at their disposal.

0:09:400:09:43

These new materials set off a golden age of bridge building.

0:09:430:09:47

And nowhere went bigger on bridges than New York.

0:09:470:09:51

That's the Brooklyn Bridge, crossing the East river,

0:09:540:09:56

linking Manhattan to Brooklyn.

0:09:560:09:58

Yeah, it's a suspension bridge

0:09:580:10:00

and when it was first built in the late 1800s,

0:10:000:10:02

it was the longest of its type in the world.

0:10:020:10:05

But without our next genius,

0:10:050:10:06

that incredible structure would never have been built.

0:10:060:10:09

Well, who is it? Don't leave me hanging!

0:10:090:10:12

That's exactly what we're doing.

0:10:120:10:15

Introducing to you, the man who created twisted steel cable...

0:10:150:10:19

-Twisted steel cable?

-Yes,

0:10:190:10:21

-it's the thing we're going to fly down in a minute at 100mph.

-Great(!)

0:10:210:10:25

..Wilhelm Albert!

0:10:250:10:27

Happy flightings, Dick und Dom!

0:10:270:10:29

-Oh, no!

-Whoa!

-Nooooo!

0:10:290:10:32

HE SCREAMS

0:10:330:10:34

Stop that. That's silly.

0:10:340:10:35

We'll come back to that terrifying moment later.

0:10:350:10:37

Wilhelm Albert was in charge of a German mine.

0:10:390:10:42

He was fed up by the number of accidents caused

0:10:420:10:45

when the iron link chains, used to haul heavy loads, snapped.

0:10:450:10:49

His genius idea -

0:10:490:10:50

a much stronger twisted steel cable, originally known as Albert Rope.

0:10:500:10:56

Today, Albert's invention can be found

0:10:560:10:59

on many of the world's most famous bridges,

0:10:590:11:01

even ones that are still being constructed.

0:11:010:11:03

-Wow!

-Look at that. It really is a Monster Build, that, isn't it?

0:11:050:11:08

This is the Queensferry Crossing,

0:11:080:11:10

a new road bridge currently being built

0:11:100:11:12

over the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh.

0:11:120:11:15

When it opens, this 2.7km span

0:11:150:11:18

will be the longest three-towered cable-stayed bridge

0:11:180:11:21

in the entire world.

0:11:210:11:23

That is a MASSIVE piece of construction.

0:11:240:11:27

We've been given special permission to visit the deck

0:11:270:11:30

where the road will be built once the bridge is finished.

0:11:300:11:32

Wouldn't want his job! Look at him.

0:11:320:11:34

Look at him up there, look at his job.

0:11:340:11:36

He's just dangling!

0:11:360:11:38

Right. Goodbye, everyone.

0:11:380:11:40

The deck is suspended 55 metres above the water.

0:11:410:11:45

That's about the height of 11 double-decker buses.

0:11:450:11:48

-Whoa!

-Whoa! Hey!

-High!

0:11:480:11:50

This is the THIRD bridge to cross the FORTH Estuary...

0:11:530:11:56

Get it? ..joining the incredible 19th-century rail bridge

0:11:560:12:00

and the 1960s road bridge.

0:12:000:12:02

This project is too mammoth for just one genius helper, so we've got two.

0:12:040:12:08

Gerard Kiely and Ralph Hildebrand!

0:12:100:12:14

So, the cables on this bridge, what are they used for?

0:12:160:12:19

So, what we're standing on right now is the road deck of the bridge

0:12:190:12:22

and the cars will be driving across here in a couple of months' time.

0:12:220:12:25

-Yeah.

-So, to stop the cars falling into the river,

0:12:250:12:28

these cables stop the deck and they keep it floating in the air.

0:12:280:12:32

How much weight will these cables be taking?

0:12:320:12:34

In total, all of the bridge deck is going to be close to 100,000 tonnes.

0:12:340:12:39

-Unimaginable.

-That's like 50,000 two-tonne cars.

0:12:390:12:42

-What?

-A lot.

-And it's all thanks to the genius way

0:12:420:12:45

that these cables are constructed, right?

0:12:450:12:47

Correct. On each strand, what we have here,

0:12:470:12:50

we have seven wires.

0:12:500:12:51

We have one wire in the middle and you have six wires bent around

0:12:510:12:55

and they are holding a lot of force together. Yeah?

0:12:550:12:57

So in each one of the stay cables, we have between 55 and 109 pieces.

0:12:570:13:02

35,000 miles of strength inside, so they can take a lot of load.

0:13:020:13:07

But if that was just one central wire,

0:13:070:13:10

and all the other wires around it were just running straight along,

0:13:100:13:12

it wouldn't be able to carry as much weight, right?

0:13:120:13:15

It's the fact that they are twisted,

0:13:150:13:16

that enables to take the massive amount of weight.

0:13:160:13:18

-Correct.

-And this is all down to Wilhelm Albert's genius?

0:13:180:13:21

Without him, there wouldn't be a bridge like this?

0:13:210:13:23

Exactly. Without him, it would not exist.

0:13:230:13:25

Suspension and cable-stayed bridges, like the one we've just seen,

0:13:270:13:31

can safely carry massive loads over big gaps.

0:13:310:13:35

Whilst vertical forces run up and down the towers,

0:13:350:13:37

Wilhelm Albert's twisted steel cables are being stretched

0:13:370:13:41

between the deck and tower, creating a rigid structure.

0:13:410:13:45

That means the roadway which carries vehicles

0:13:450:13:48

is locked securely in place.

0:13:480:13:50

-There's no denying Albert's genius, but what better...

-Or scarier!

0:13:500:13:55

..way to put his invention to the test than this -

0:13:550:13:57

a mile-long zip wire, suspended more than 150 metres above a quarry?!

0:13:570:14:03

-No!

-Whoa!

0:14:070:14:10

So fast!

0:14:170:14:20

It's unbelievably fast!

0:14:210:14:23

Aaargh!

0:14:230:14:25

Oh, isn't he brave?! I'm fine, though,

0:14:250:14:27

because this stuff is strong enough

0:14:270:14:29

to hold up to 100,000 tonnes of bridge, remember!

0:14:290:14:33

Wey-hey!

0:14:330:14:34

Oh, wow, ow!

0:14:340:14:35

Urgh...

0:14:350:14:37

What?! DOM LAUGHS

0:14:370:14:39

-That was amazing!

-Not doing it again.

0:14:390:14:41

-It was brilliant!

-It was fast.

0:14:410:14:43

-It's like you're flying.

-Just fast. I just remember it being fast.

0:14:430:14:46

Just to think that twisted steel cable was the one thing

0:14:460:14:49

that was responsible for you not dropping.

0:14:490:14:51

All day my lovely cable will keep you in the air!

0:14:510:14:55

Up to the top again. Come on!

0:14:550:14:57

-Coming up...

-Go!

-We are put through our paces...

0:14:590:15:02

Oh, it's hard work, this.

0:15:020:15:03

..in a military Monster Build.

0:15:030:15:05

PEOPLE SHOUT

0:15:050:15:07

Push it, push it.

0:15:070:15:09

But now it's time for some...

0:15:110:15:12

This London Bridge isn't falling down.

0:15:150:15:17

In fact, it's gently unrolling.

0:15:170:15:19

Thanks to nifty hydraulics,

0:15:190:15:21

this link across the Grand Union Canal

0:15:210:15:23

can be rolled and unrolled to allow boats to pass.

0:15:230:15:26

This suspension bridge in China

0:15:280:15:30

is paved with 99 panes of extra-thick glass.

0:15:300:15:34

It's 300 metres above the ground, so, in case of emergency...

0:15:340:15:38

..definitely don't break here!

0:15:390:15:41

It looks like something you'd see at a funfair,

0:15:420:15:45

but this is the Tees Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough.

0:15:450:15:49

This moving gondola can carry up to 200 people, or 9 cars.

0:15:490:15:53

Scream if you want to go faster!

0:15:530:15:55

SCREAMING

0:15:550:15:57

We've seen how genius ideas from the past

0:15:570:15:59

have helped create some truly breathtaking bridges.

0:15:590:16:02

That's the past, but what about the future?

0:16:020:16:04

Well, let's meet our next genius.

0:16:040:16:06

Mr Chuck Hull.

0:16:060:16:07

Hey, how you doing, boys?

0:16:070:16:09

-Yes, very well, thank you.

-Yes, thank you very much, very nice.

0:16:090:16:12

Back in the 1980s, Charles "Chuck" Hull

0:16:150:16:18

was working for a company that put thin plastic coverings on furniture.

0:16:180:16:22

In a spark of genius,

0:16:220:16:24

Chuck tried putting thousands of thin layers of plastic

0:16:240:16:27

on top of each other, before using light to etch the blocks

0:16:270:16:30

into simple three-dimensional shapes.

0:16:300:16:33

Mmm! Smells ready!

0:16:330:16:34

3-D printing was born and now, over 30 years later,

0:16:340:16:37

it's beginning to revolutionise the way we build.

0:16:370:16:40

Whee! Gnarly!

0:16:400:16:42

The Dutch city of Amsterdam is famous for its canals

0:16:470:16:50

and is already home to over 1,000 bridges.

0:16:500:16:54

Look, there's one. See, told you!

0:16:540:16:56

Beginning to take shape in this warehouse behind us

0:16:560:16:59

is one of the newest and strangest of the lot.

0:16:590:17:01

Welcome to the home of the world's first-ever 3-D printed bridge.

0:17:010:17:07

-What?

-What? 3-D printed bridge?

-Is it?

-Go figure.

0:17:070:17:10

-What is it?

-Bridges.

-Bridges.

0:17:130:17:15

To find out more, we're meeting Tim Geurtjens.

0:17:210:17:25

He works for the company who are making the bridge.

0:17:250:17:27

-Tim, hi. Lovely to meet you.

-Hi, Tim.

-Hi, welcome.

0:17:290:17:32

Could you tell us what 3D printing is?

0:17:320:17:34

How is this machine working behind us?

0:17:340:17:36

We have a robotic arm which can move freely in the air

0:17:360:17:39

and it squeezes out a little bit of molten metal at the same time.

0:17:390:17:42

It's almost like drawing in midair. You can just draw lines in the air.

0:17:420:17:45

It can move any direction - left, right, up, down?

0:17:450:17:47

Anywhere. Yeah.

0:17:470:17:48

And so it ejects layers and layers and layers of liquid metal

0:17:480:17:52

into any shape that you programme on a computer?

0:17:520:17:55

Yeah, exactly.

0:17:550:17:56

Mind-blowing!

0:17:590:18:01

Tim and his robots have even managed to 3D print a bike frame.

0:18:010:18:06

So that whole frame is 3D printed?

0:18:060:18:09

-It is completely 3-D printed, out of stainless steel.

-What?!

0:18:090:18:11

-Right, can I have a ride?

-Sure. Give it a go.

-OK.

0:18:110:18:14

-Oh, it's pretty heavy!

-Is it heavy?

-Yeah.

0:18:140:18:17

-No brakes.

-No, no brakes. No, we couldn't print those.

0:18:170:18:21

-Let's see what happens.

-So, what are you going to do?

-Cycle it!

0:18:210:18:24

-You've never ridden it before!

-My legs are too short!

0:18:240:18:26

-Look at that.

-It's going very well.

-Absolutely.

0:18:260:18:29

-Solid as a rock.

-Yeah.

0:18:290:18:31

# I like to ride my bicycle! #

0:18:310:18:34

-BIKE BELL RINGS

-Very sturdy.

0:18:340:18:36

I mean, it's like any other bike.

0:18:360:18:38

Is it? Works a treat!

0:18:380:18:41

-There's no brakes!

-Stop!

0:18:410:18:43

Aaargh!

0:18:430:18:45

But it's bridges we are interested in, not bikes.

0:18:450:18:48

Of course, your big project is building a bridge.

0:18:480:18:51

-How do you go about that?

-Well, I mean, obviously,

0:18:510:18:54

the robot is not big enough to build a full bridge.

0:18:540:18:56

So when the robot goes out of reach,

0:18:560:18:57

we just move the robot a little bit further,

0:18:570:18:59

and then we continue printing.

0:18:590:19:01

So by doing that, we can print... unlimited in size, almost.

0:19:010:19:04

So, this is a bridge that we printed before.

0:19:060:19:08

It's a miniature version of the bridge we're going to print.

0:19:080:19:10

It doesn't look strong enough to be able to take the weight of a person.

0:19:100:19:13

-May we?

-Yeah, sure, sure, sure. Be my guest.

0:19:130:19:16

-It's really sturdy!

-Is it not bending under your feet?

0:19:180:19:21

-No, it's perfect.

-Can two of us go on it?

0:19:210:19:23

-Sure. Yeah, you can...

-Oh, it's fine. It's really bizarre.

0:19:230:19:25

It looks really thin and flimsy, but it's actually as strong as anything.

0:19:250:19:29

-You can even jump up and down on it.

-Don't do that!

-All right.

0:19:290:19:31

So, what are the ambitions for this?

0:19:310:19:33

This is a small bridge. What about the big one?

0:19:330:19:36

Well, the big one is going to be, obviously, a lot bigger,

0:19:360:19:38

it will be about eight metres.

0:19:380:19:39

It's going to be able to support bicycles, pedestrians.

0:19:390:19:43

In the future, do you think we'd see 3-D printed bridges

0:19:430:19:46

spanning big rivers? You can put lorries on there and cars?

0:19:460:19:49

Yeah, I mean, yeah, as I said,

0:19:490:19:50

it's just as strong as any other stainless steel,

0:19:500:19:53

so you could print it, theoretically, as big as you want.

0:19:530:19:56

We think your imagination should be your only limitation,

0:19:560:19:59

so, with 3-D printing, you can print anything.

0:19:590:20:01

The full-size bridge is still a work in progress,

0:20:010:20:04

but when it's finished,

0:20:040:20:05

it will span a canal in central Amsterdam.

0:20:050:20:08

It's been a real eye-opener, looking at the future of bridge building.

0:20:080:20:12

And none of this would have been possible

0:20:120:20:14

without the 3D mind of Chuck Hull.

0:20:140:20:16

Shucks, you're making me blush!

0:20:160:20:19

-A 3-D printed...

-BOTH:

-Absolute Genius!

0:20:190:20:22

Thanks to the three geniuses we've met in this show...

0:20:270:20:30

That is a MASSIVE piece of construction.

0:20:300:20:33

..bridging gaps that WERE impossible...

0:20:330:20:36

Look at it! Wow!

0:20:360:20:38

..now feel like a hop and a step.

0:20:380:20:40

It's time for our Genius Monster Build Challenge.

0:20:430:20:45

And we're joining forces with the real deal.

0:20:450:20:48

The British Army's Royal Engineers.

0:20:480:20:50

Engineers have played an important role in armies

0:20:560:20:59

ever since Roman times, and the Royal Engineers

0:20:590:21:02

have been a key part of the British Army for 300 years.

0:21:020:21:06

We've come to the home of

0:21:060:21:07

3 Royal School of Military Engineering in Surrey.

0:21:070:21:10

2,000 soldiers are trained here every year

0:21:100:21:13

and they use their skills all over the world. We'd better behave,

0:21:130:21:17

because we're under the command of Captain Luke Parker.

0:21:170:21:20

-Captain Parker!

-Captain Parker, sir!

0:21:230:21:25

What exactly do engineers do in the Army?

0:21:250:21:27

The engineers allow the Army to live, to move and to fight.

0:21:270:21:31

They learn how to build bridges, create obstacles, breach minefields.

0:21:310:21:34

You mentioned bridges.

0:21:340:21:35

What kind of conditions would they have to build a bridge under?

0:21:350:21:38

In almost any conceivable conditions.

0:21:380:21:40

What? I take it they're not exactly light, these bridges, as well?

0:21:400:21:43

No, the bridges are extremely heavy and it takes a soldier

0:21:430:21:46

ten weeks to learn how to build all these bridges.

0:21:460:21:48

-We haven't got that long.

-You've not got that long.

0:21:480:21:50

However, what we do have is a lake that needs crossing.

0:21:500:21:53

We've got a bridge that needs building and not much time to do it.

0:21:530:21:56

-To the bridge!

-To this bridge build.

-All right.

0:21:560:21:59

Get ready for Team Dick versus Team Dom

0:22:000:22:03

in a frantic race to cross a lake.

0:22:030:22:06

Working alongside a highly trained team of Royal Engineers,

0:22:060:22:09

we must each build a 22 metre-long footbridge.

0:22:090:22:12

The first team to finish their bridge and use it

0:22:120:22:14

to move a casualty on a stretcher

0:22:140:22:16

from one bank of the lake to the other

0:22:160:22:18

will be crowned the winners.

0:22:180:22:20

Hooray, I've won!

0:22:200:22:22

There's just time for a few last-minute preparations.

0:22:230:22:27

Perfect.

0:22:310:22:32

We certainly look the part...

0:22:350:22:37

..but will we be able to act it?

0:22:400:22:43

A friendly callsign has been in contact with the enemy

0:22:430:22:45

across the other side of the river.

0:22:450:22:47

We have been tasked to retrieve the casualties across the river

0:22:470:22:50

using the infantry assault bridge

0:22:500:22:52

and extract them to the casualty post.

0:22:520:22:54

The team that gets their casualty to the Land Rover first wins!

0:22:540:22:58

Go!

0:22:580:23:00

'And we're off!'

0:23:000:23:01

Right, here we go! Faster!

0:23:010:23:03

This infantry assault bridge is a favourite of the British Army.

0:23:050:23:09

Its brilliantly simple design

0:23:090:23:10

means it can be built and dismantled quickly in virtually any conditions.

0:23:100:23:15

Go, go, go, go, go!

0:23:150:23:17

Cor, it's heavy!

0:23:170:23:18

Come on, sweaty, put your back into it!

0:23:180:23:21

SOLDIERS SHOUT My legs!

0:23:210:23:24

Get the next piece! Dick! Next piece!

0:23:240:23:26

All right! It's hard work, this.

0:23:260:23:28

Each of these aluminium bridge sections

0:23:310:23:33

is around four and a half metres long and weighs 55kg.

0:23:330:23:37

I don't know if this can last, though.

0:23:370:23:39

My legs are starting to give way.

0:23:390:23:41

-It's neck and neck.

-Come on, Dom!

0:23:410:23:42

No slacking, Dominici, keep going.

0:23:420:23:44

Urgh!

0:23:440:23:46

I could never be in the Army.

0:23:460:23:48

It's not for me. I'll stick with TV!

0:23:480:23:50

The joined-up sections are pushed out across the water

0:23:520:23:55

and rested on floats.

0:23:550:23:57

We're halfway across and Team Dom have opened up a small lead!

0:24:020:24:05

BREATHLESSLY: We've got one more piece there.

0:24:050:24:08

Nice work, team.

0:24:080:24:10

Final piece, final piece.

0:24:100:24:12

Dom is still in front, but McCourt's no quitter!

0:24:130:24:16

Good! Next piece, next piece!

0:24:190:24:21

Come on, they're catching up. Come on!

0:24:220:24:26

This is where we test out how strong the bridge actually is.

0:24:260:24:29

The completed bridge weighs a hefty 278kg,

0:24:290:24:33

which is nearly 2,000 ham sandwiches with the crusts on.

0:24:330:24:38

-Shattered.

-A stretcher can now be slotted on to the handrails

0:24:380:24:42

to allow our casualty to be moved safely across.

0:24:420:24:45

My team are first to try out a finished bridge.

0:24:460:24:49

It's wobbly. Oh, it's wobbly!

0:24:490:24:51

Wow! Wobbly!

0:24:510:24:53

Really wobbly!

0:24:530:24:54

I'm off. 'I'll have to give it everything to get back in the race.'

0:24:590:25:04

-PANTING:

-Right, cross.

0:25:040:25:05

Three, two, one, go!

0:25:120:25:15

Now for the real test.

0:25:160:25:17

That really is a real soldier on the stretcher!

0:25:190:25:22

-Nearly there...

-Come on, McCourt! Run!

0:25:220:25:26

Coming! We're coming!

0:25:270:25:29

Push him!

0:25:320:25:34

-I'm pushing.

-Push it, push it(!)

0:25:340:25:37

We're on the home straight -

0:25:370:25:38

a 20-metre dash to a waiting four by four.

0:25:380:25:41

And now there's clear daylight between us and Team Dick.

0:25:440:25:47

We did it, everyone!

0:25:510:25:53

It's victory for Team Dom!

0:25:530:25:55

I'm absolutely done.

0:25:550:25:57

We've lost, we've lost!

0:25:570:25:58

Oopsie!

0:26:000:26:02

We nearly lost the casualty!

0:26:030:26:05

Tell you what, that is the fastest bit of bridge building

0:26:050:26:07

I've ever seen.

0:26:070:26:09

Literally from pieces of bridge to a whole bridge

0:26:090:26:12

that can take the weight of about three or four people,

0:26:120:26:14

all in a few minutes.

0:26:140:26:16

Now, THAT was a Monster Build.

0:26:160:26:18

Right, you can get up now, Jay, come on.

0:26:180:26:21

Cheers.

0:26:210:26:23

The bridges might be built

0:26:240:26:26

but the Royal Engineers haven't finished with us quite yet.

0:26:260:26:30

Congratulations, Wood. You got your casualty across first.

0:26:300:26:33

McCourt, unfortunately, your team came last,

0:26:330:26:37

so they will be a forfeit for you. Dom, your team is dismissed.

0:26:370:26:39

-Off you go.

-Everyone, all the teams are dismissed!

0:26:390:26:42

McCourt, for you, it's 20 of your finest press-ups.

0:26:420:26:45

-I can't do press-ups!

-Let's go, stop whingeing

0:26:450:26:48

-and let's get them done. Come on.

-I can only do four.

0:26:480:26:50

Let's go. One. All the way down! Come on, McCourt. Let's go.

0:26:500:26:54

-Aargh!

-Two. Come on, McCourt. I want more effort than that.

0:26:540:26:57

Let's go. Come on. McCourt, my mum can do better press-ups than that!

0:26:570:27:01

Ohhh... Can we go home now?

0:27:010:27:04

So, thank you to our three geniuses for some truly epic bridges.

0:27:070:27:14

Vitruvius, Albert, Hull, you are all Absolute Genius.

0:27:140:27:17

We salute you.

0:27:170:27:18

SQUAD...FALL OUT!

0:27:180:27:21

My idea was the best.

0:27:240:27:26

No, mine was.

0:27:260:27:27

You've got to be kidding! It was mine!

0:27:270:27:30

He's loving it!

0:27:460:27:47

I hate this!

0:27:470:27:49

Download Subtitles

SRT

ASS