0:00:02 > 0:00:04Humans are always trying to be better, brighter, faster, stronger,
0:00:04 > 0:00:07tougher. It is one of the things that makes us human.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11But Nature has spent 3.5 billion years producing
0:00:11 > 0:00:14ingenious answers to life's questions.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18So a lot of the problems we're trying to solve
0:00:18 > 0:00:21have already been solved by evolution.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26Meaning the animal kingdom is teeming with bright ideas.
0:00:27 > 0:00:31'Like how to survive a fall from space...'
0:00:31 > 0:00:34Yes, it's gone!
0:00:34 > 0:00:35'..avoid ever getting wet...'
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I am staggered!
0:00:38 > 0:00:43'..or withstand an impact of 1200G.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:46Oh, that feels pretty harsh!
0:00:46 > 0:00:51'In this programme, we'll reveal some amazing animal abilities.'
0:00:51 > 0:00:56That's astonishing! 'I'll discover how those same animals have inspired
0:00:56 > 0:01:00'a series of human inventions at the very frontiers of science.'
0:01:00 > 0:01:04Yeah, it's driving itself. It's brilliant!
0:01:04 > 0:01:06'We'll have to go around the world
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'and into some pretty unlikely situations.'
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Oh! Oh, my God!
0:01:13 > 0:01:17'Because you never quite know what surprises the animal kingdom
0:01:17 > 0:01:19'has in store for you.'
0:01:19 > 0:01:20It's the waiting that gets you.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26It's all part of the miracle of nature.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44If you're going to look to nature for inspiration,
0:01:44 > 0:01:51and we have ever since cavemen first used warfare and used bone tools
0:01:51 > 0:01:54as substitute teeth and claws,
0:01:54 > 0:02:00then you're always going to come up against one big, ultimate dream
0:02:00 > 0:02:02that happens in the natural world.
0:02:04 > 0:02:05Flying.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23In 1485,
0:02:23 > 0:02:28Leonardo da Vinci designed a flying machine by studying birds.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32It's the obvious thing to do, to look to the skies for inspiration
0:02:32 > 0:02:36and to admire creatures like these Greylag geese,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39who do so gracefully what we can't.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46You would think that by now,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48more than 100 years after we first invented aircraft,
0:02:48 > 0:02:52after airliners and jet fighters and spacecraft,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55there wouldn't be much left we could learn from birds
0:02:55 > 0:02:58about flying...but you'd be wrong.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04And it's all about their bodies and the way they're built.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13In general, the bigger the bird,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17the bigger the wings it needs to get it up into the air.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24It all makes perfect sense.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Until you get to this guy...
0:03:31 > 0:03:35..whose big body and relatively small wings make him look
0:03:35 > 0:03:39about as capable as graceful flight as I am.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44But this bird's unique characteristics have helped
0:03:44 > 0:03:48inspire a revolutionary new form of human transport...
0:03:50 > 0:03:54..that might just transform the way we explore our planet.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05This is Cody, and he is a cape vulture.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08And these are not being worn for fashion reasons.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11That's a really big beak
0:04:11 > 0:04:14and eyes are kind of tempting, apparently.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22'But to find out what makes cape vultures like Cody
0:04:22 > 0:04:26'so special, I'm going to need to get higher.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30'Quite a lot higher.'
0:04:42 > 0:04:46It's about 500 metres down there.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51And shortly, I shall be jumping off the edge
0:04:51 > 0:04:54with nothing but the contents of that man's rucksack.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58between me and certain doom.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00That's assuming he's brought the right rucksack
0:05:00 > 0:05:03and we don't jump off the edge with his flask and some sandwiches.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10'Walter Nesser is a vulture expert.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15'Unfortunately for me, he also happens to be an expert paraglider.'
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Oh, now I feel secure.
0:05:19 > 0:05:21- That's it.- That's it?- Yeah.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31For the take-off, what I want you to do is cross your arms over your chest
0:05:31 > 0:05:34onto these straps here, so you just... Yeah, that's it.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- Is everything attached? - Yeah, everything.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40That's connecting you to this. That's connecting me to this.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Is the first bit the worst and then
0:05:42 > 0:05:45suddenly it's all kind of sedate and beautiful?
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Yeah, the anticipation is really the scary part.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50- Yeah, it is pretty bad. - Especially when it looks like this.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54I mean, this isn't your average paragliding site, is it?
0:05:54 > 0:05:57I don't want to wait too long, Walter, I really don't.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00Just don't... I just want to... Oof!
0:06:00 > 0:06:04- All right, the wind is really good, are you ready?- No.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Let's go.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Oh! My God!
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Whoa!
0:06:23 > 0:06:24Wow!
0:06:25 > 0:06:29- All right, now you can sit back in the harness. - Oh, sitting back in the harness?
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Quite close to this rocky cliff sides! Look at the drop!
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Ah-ha! I don't want to be a vulture!
0:06:55 > 0:06:58- You doing all right? - I'm scared...on an Olympic scale.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01All right, have a look up to your left.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Whoa!
0:07:02 > 0:07:05There's millions!
0:07:05 > 0:07:08- How do we get in amongst them? - We really need a thermal.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12'A thermal is a column of warm rising air,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16'created as ground heats up unevenly in the sun.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19'Which sounds kind of gentle.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21'It's not.'
0:07:21 > 0:07:22Wow!
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Whoa!
0:07:25 > 0:07:26Oh, I love it when it does that.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I love that, Walter, that's nice. Oh, that's nice!
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Do you mind if I get changed?
0:07:35 > 0:07:38I didn't bring any spare jeans with me!
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Holy...!
0:07:41 > 0:07:43'But the rewards are worth it.'
0:07:43 > 0:07:47Look at them now, they're coming to join us!
0:07:47 > 0:07:50We are circling with them, it's astonishing!
0:07:50 > 0:07:52We're in the same thermal that they are.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Ah, this is incredible.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06This site is home to a third of all the world's cape vultures,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09and right now it seems like every last one of them
0:08:09 > 0:08:10is flying alongside me.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22I wouldn't have believed that those birds I saw
0:08:22 > 0:08:25flapping about on the ground so inelegantly
0:08:25 > 0:08:29were capable of circling with such grace.
0:08:29 > 0:08:34And yet, here they are doing it - elegantly, beautifully.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38It sounds impossible, but they make it look easy.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42And up here, I suddenly realise something -
0:08:42 > 0:08:46that's why we're used to seeing vultures circling in the movies -
0:08:46 > 0:08:49it's because they're in a thermal.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53So, this is all about being able to exploit the exact same thermals
0:08:53 > 0:08:55that we're exploiting now.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Yeah. They've got these reduced spans,
0:08:57 > 0:08:58but still with good performance.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01And you need to be really manoeuvrable.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05So, you need to be able to turn inside this tight bubble of air.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09And that could be why their wings are so small -
0:09:09 > 0:09:14so they can turn quickly enough to stay inside the column of warm air.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18By locking their wings in position, and using the thermal's lift,
0:09:18 > 0:09:22they can fly with next to no effort at all.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29And by hopping from one thermal to another, the vultures' short,
0:09:29 > 0:09:34rigid wings can carry them more than 100 miles in a single flight.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39And it's those astonishing abilities
0:09:39 > 0:09:43that have inspired an entirely new form of human transport.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56This is the Super Aviator.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04But it's not what you think.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Despite the name and the aerodynamic appearance,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14this is a plane that will never leave the ground.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17Got my head in a fruit bowl, that's nice.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Because it's not designed for the skies.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's built to go underwater.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37The Aviator's owner, John Jo Lewis,
0:10:37 > 0:10:42has offered to take me for my first flight beneath the waves.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Forward thrust.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Commencing our dive.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55- We just dived under the sea!- Woo!
0:11:07 > 0:11:11So, Rabbit. I have to call you Rabbit, yeah? We've got handles and everything.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Yeah, that's right. We try and pick a two syllable word,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18- and I've been Rabbit for quite a while.- OK, Rabbit.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21- What am I?- You're Hamster now.- Nice.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23- Thanks.- Actually, you've always been Hamster.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Yeah, OK. That's familiar. All right, so we are now...
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Let me get this right - flying
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- even though we are under water. - Exactly right.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34And literally, our wings are on upside down,
0:11:34 > 0:11:35it's as simple as that.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38That's right. Rather than keeping us up like an airplane,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41it keeps us down... like a flying submarine.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44'And down is where we're going.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'Down to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.'
0:11:49 > 0:11:52You've put us in a descent down into a valley.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56'Which is a little bit nerve-wracking.'
0:11:56 > 0:11:58I've just had a drip of water
0:11:58 > 0:12:00on my left arm, Rabbit, should I be worried?
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- No, that's just condensation. - I knew that.
0:12:03 > 0:12:05I've got a special towel here,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07my submariner's anti-condensation towel,
0:12:07 > 0:12:11because every time it drips on my left arm, I have an urge to scream.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15'Luckily, I soon get side-tracked.'
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Oh, look, there's a big ray off to our rear right.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22- You're kidding!- No, it's beautiful.
0:12:22 > 0:12:23Wow!
0:12:25 > 0:12:29'But we're not here to chase wildlife,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32'because Rabbit is taking me down
0:12:32 > 0:12:34'to a shipwreck on an artificial reef -
0:12:34 > 0:12:36'a sort of sunken playground
0:12:36 > 0:12:40'where he can really put the Aviator through its paces.'
0:12:42 > 0:12:43And there we go.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03This is magnificent!
0:13:17 > 0:13:21'Impressive, but it's still not obvious what this submarine
0:13:21 > 0:13:23'has to do with a vulture.'
0:13:24 > 0:13:27So, what we are is an upside down vulture under the sea.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30And the reason we're like a vulture is we have quite a large body
0:13:30 > 0:13:33in proportion to which, quite small, stubby wings.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Yeah. They're short which keeps us manoeuvrable and allows us to go
0:13:36 > 0:13:39into tight places, manoeuvre around wrecks
0:13:39 > 0:13:41and not bump into anything.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45In the same way that a vulture needs to have short wings
0:13:45 > 0:13:48so it can be manoeuvrable and turn and stay inside those thermals.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51You couldn't do this with long wings on your flying submarine.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55That's right. That really is what allows us to have
0:13:55 > 0:13:56the manoeuvrability that we do
0:13:56 > 0:13:59and be able to exploit the wings to their fullest capability.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07We've swapped the lift of a thermal for the buoyancy of water.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11It's a mirror image of what happens in the air.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15Like the vulture, the Aviator needs quite a lot of energy to get
0:14:15 > 0:14:17it away from the surface.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21But once it's down there, that vulture technology
0:14:21 > 0:14:23enables it to simply glide.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29And now a big old climb starts.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Steep ride back.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Oh! That feels pretty harsh.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40100 feet.
0:14:40 > 0:14:41Oh, yeah.
0:14:42 > 0:14:4480 feet.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46That's a pretty a extreme feeling
0:14:46 > 0:14:49when you see the top, the surface of the sea getting closer
0:14:49 > 0:14:54- and closer.- 50 feet.- It's like driving into a wall.- 20 feet.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I'm prepared to broach.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02And there is the surface! That's... Ah!
0:15:02 > 0:15:03It feels pretty good.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12A submarine based on the way a vulture flies.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Not the most obvious of links, I'll grant you,
0:15:15 > 0:15:20but inspirations from the natural world are often unexpected.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23Sometimes it's just like a light bulb going on.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32Because evolution has given us all of this for inspiration.
0:15:36 > 0:15:4010,000 species of bird,
0:15:40 > 0:15:44close to 30,000 species of fish,
0:15:44 > 0:15:478,000 species of reptile...
0:15:48 > 0:15:51..over a million species of insect...
0:15:53 > 0:15:57..and at least 4,500 species of mammal.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Bodies of all shapes and sizes.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Some of these bodies are truly remarkable,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09not just for how they look, but for what they can do.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Bodies that could help us humans accomplish things that previously
0:16:13 > 0:16:16were just plain impossible.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25With the aid of technology, we're now able to propel
0:16:25 > 0:16:29our bodies through the air with incredible speed and agility.
0:16:29 > 0:16:34But we're still limited by one critical problem - gravity.
0:16:34 > 0:16:39Because as pilots throw their planes through ever more violent twists
0:16:39 > 0:16:44and turns, it's as if the force of gravity becomes magnified.
0:16:47 > 0:16:51Magnified to such an extent that it pulls all the blood
0:16:51 > 0:16:54away from their head and they lose consciousness.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57And that's not good.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Jet fighters have, of course, continued to advance
0:17:04 > 0:17:07and become capable of ever more extreme manoeuvres.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Apart from one part of them -
0:17:09 > 0:17:13the pilot, the human element, because the human body, well,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15that's stayed pretty much the same.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18And who'd have thought that when scientists turned to nature
0:17:18 > 0:17:21for inspiration, the one creature that could help us withstand
0:17:21 > 0:17:24this high-tech, high speed, dynamic, dangerous environment
0:17:24 > 0:17:26would be...the giraffe.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39The giraffe has to be one of the most recognisable animals on Earth.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44There's no mistaking that distinctive long neck.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58But giraffes hold a secret that might just be the key
0:17:58 > 0:18:01to the pilot's life-or-death problem.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06And it's a secret that's hidden in that long neck.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13Because, by rights, when the giraffe lowers its head down to take
0:18:13 > 0:18:18a drink, the consequences should be catastrophic.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23There is a critical issue here - pressure.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26As I shall now demonstrate with this giraffe.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29Don't worry, it's not a real one, it's actually a model built
0:18:29 > 0:18:31to roughly the scale of a small giraffe.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33The important thing is, this represents the heart.
0:18:33 > 0:18:35There is actually a pump in there
0:18:35 > 0:18:37that is going to pump this, representing the blood,
0:18:37 > 0:18:42along these arteries all the way up to the giraffe's head there.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46In other words, the same way blood works in the human body.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49But the giraffe's head is so high,
0:18:49 > 0:18:53it takes far more pressure to get it up there.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56That was a human's blood pressure. Straight past that.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59In fact, the giraffe has roughly twice our blood pressure.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01It's the highest blood pressure of any living thing.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05But that high blood pressure is only down by the heart,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08where the pump is working furiously.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13Up at the head, the pressure is much the same as ours.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16And that is how it stays.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Until it decides to lower its head to have a drink,
0:19:19 > 0:19:22then everything changes. This is the right place to do this
0:19:22 > 0:19:25because giraffes actually do come here to drink.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26So, let's give it a go.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29As I turn the handle,
0:19:29 > 0:19:33all that blood starts going down towards the ground -
0:19:33 > 0:19:36just like with the jet pilots.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Straightaway, watching my metre on the blood pressure,
0:19:39 > 0:19:41it's rising back up again.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Quite quickly. And now it is rising more because now the head
0:19:44 > 0:19:46is getting lower than the heart,
0:19:46 > 0:19:48and suddenly, everything has changed.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51It's not pumping all the way up there any more, gravity is helping
0:19:51 > 0:19:53and it's flooding down to the head.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55That blood pressure is going way past
0:19:55 > 0:19:59what it should be, and now it's into the danger zone for our giraffe.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03And things are looking bad. Very bad.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Obviously, its head doesn't really fly off.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14In reality, as the blood pressure rises, the head comes down
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and gravity steps in, a giraffe's head would...
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Well, it would explode.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22But they don't explode every time they come to drink, otherwise
0:20:22 > 0:20:24this place who be littered with bits of them.
0:20:24 > 0:20:25So, what's happening?
0:20:31 > 0:20:35Well, there's only one way to find out -
0:20:35 > 0:20:37by attempting to measure the blood pressure,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40not of a model giraffe
0:20:40 > 0:20:41but of a real one.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56This team of vets and surgeons from a Danish university
0:20:56 > 0:20:58are already doing just that.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10And they hope that what they find out might just help
0:21:10 > 0:21:13the millions of us who suffer from high blood pressure.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17First, they open up the neck.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24Inside, is part of the giraffe's secret.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Its arteries actually contract to cope.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31And valves in the neck stop the blood being dragged down by gravity.
0:21:35 > 0:21:40To assess just how effective this system is, the Danish team
0:21:40 > 0:21:43are aiming to measure the giraffe's blood flow just the same way
0:21:43 > 0:21:46I did on my model -
0:21:46 > 0:21:50by putting pressure sensors at both the head and the heart.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03Safely recovered from the operation, the giraffe is released...
0:22:06 > 0:22:09..undamaged, but now Wi-Fi enabled.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16This is the first time a giraffe has ever had its blood pressure
0:22:16 > 0:22:18monitored in this way.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21But what will happen to the readings
0:22:21 > 0:22:24when the giraffe bends down to drink?
0:22:29 > 0:22:31As soon as the head lowers,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34the giraffe's arteries constrict automatically.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44And though the pressure continues to rise, the giraffe's blood
0:22:44 > 0:22:48doesn't suddenly rush to the head but stays where it's needed...
0:22:50 > 0:22:53..leaving the patient completely unharmed.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Which takes us back to jets.
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting for one moment
0:23:04 > 0:23:07that giraffes would make good fighter pilots.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11But they are, as we have seen, very good at controlling
0:23:11 > 0:23:14blood pressure and distribution of blood around the body,
0:23:14 > 0:23:17and that's very important in here.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Because this capsule is designed to recreate the forces
0:23:22 > 0:23:25that a fighter pilot experiences whilst flying.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29And those forces are immense.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The faster they accelerate, brake or turn,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37the greater the effect of G-force on the body.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41At 2G, you feel you weigh twice as much as normal,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44and breathing is twice as hard.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48At 3G, the effects are tripled,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51and blood starts to struggle to get to your brain.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53Go further,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and you lose your peripheral vision,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59then all sense of colour.
0:23:59 > 0:24:04Finally, around 4 or 5G, your vision disappears entirely
0:24:04 > 0:24:05and you lose consciousness.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Today, in here, using technology that mirrors very closely
0:24:11 > 0:24:16what happens in a giraffe's neck, we're hoping to see 9G.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Five seconds of that is enough to go through all of those stages
0:24:19 > 0:24:21to unconsciousness.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24And I'm not doing it.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25I'm getting out.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30The German Air Force, who run this place,
0:24:30 > 0:24:32require three months of rigorous medical testing
0:24:32 > 0:24:36before they'll approve a pilot.
0:24:38 > 0:24:42And this man, Ralph, is the lucky winner.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Ralph has been chosen as the guinea pig for a completely
0:24:47 > 0:24:50new form of flying suit.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53It's called the G-raff.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57A series of valves and chambers stop the blood
0:24:57 > 0:24:59pooling by compressing the body,
0:24:59 > 0:25:03just like the constrictions in the giraffe's neck.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07And the result...
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Well, it looks pretty damn impressive.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13What?
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Oh, this? Yeah, you noticed.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18Andreas, I'll be honest, no offence, this is your invention, I know,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20I feel a bit silly right now.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23But this is the first incarnation of your G-raff suit.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26What have I and a giraffe got in common right now?
0:25:26 > 0:25:29It starts with some muscles here.
0:25:29 > 0:25:35There are fluid muscles to contract the fabric if they are blowed up.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Then we are creating a tension to compress the body.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43I've actually got a little thing here, I can inflate myself.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Oh! I can now feel that squeezing down here.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50There are various pockets where air gathers,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53that then tensions the material, yeah?
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Absolutely. And it starts on the feet
0:25:55 > 0:25:59and then we bring down... up the blood
0:25:59 > 0:26:03back to the right place, to your heart, and especially to your brain.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07So, this would be squeezing me like a giant tube of toothpaste.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08That's true.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10It's like a...I would say,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13it's opposite milking, that's what you're doing.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15In Switzerland, to milk, it's more or less the same thing
0:26:15 > 0:26:17but the opposite way.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22Luckily for our pilot, the new version of the G-raff suit
0:26:22 > 0:26:26all those tubes and chambers are hidden discreetly away.
0:26:26 > 0:26:31They are now so small that a tiny amount of air should be enough
0:26:31 > 0:26:36to activate them and stop the blood draining from the pilot's head.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42But will giraffe technology be enough
0:26:42 > 0:26:45to stop Ralph losing consciousness?
0:26:56 > 0:27:00This is the world's largest and most powerful centrifuge.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05That arm is capable of spinning that capsule around this cavernous room
0:27:05 > 0:27:0737 times in a minute.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Which works out roughly that the capsule itself is travelling
0:27:11 > 0:27:14at the best part of 90 miles an hour that way.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17But it's not that speed that's important.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21It's what that speed generates in this direction, G-force.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27And that G-force will pull the pilot's blood downwards,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30just as gravity did to the giraffe.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38What I've been told is, Ralph,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41who's in the pod, is going to fly himself with a joystick.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44And he'll subject himself to 9G.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50Ralph has monitors taped all over him.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53So, just like with the South African giraffe,
0:27:53 > 0:27:57they can monitor the blood pressure at both his heart and his head.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01- Are you ready?- 'Yes, I am.'
0:28:03 > 0:28:05It will be fine.
0:28:05 > 0:28:07I'm glad he's confident,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10because he's launching himself into unknown territory.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Three, two, one... Go.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22Right now, as he slowly increases and tightens the turn,
0:28:22 > 0:28:25the blood is going to have a harder and harder time
0:28:25 > 0:28:28getting up to Ralph's head.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33And from here on in, it's only going to get worse.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Now I'm going up. 4G.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41A little bit more. Just to 5G.
0:28:42 > 0:28:44Six.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Now we have seven.
0:28:52 > 0:28:538G.
0:28:57 > 0:28:59Now go up to 9G.
0:29:01 > 0:29:039G.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11He just did 9, whilst chatting.
0:29:13 > 0:29:14But the test isn't over.
0:29:14 > 0:29:21With Ralph still at 9G, Andreas takes the controls.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25And decides to push it just that little bit further.
0:29:25 > 0:29:26It feels fine.
0:29:34 > 0:29:39Not only is Ralph not struggling, he appears to be enjoying it.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44Wow! Whoa! Nice!
0:29:44 > 0:29:49So much so, that he has a little surprise for us.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51SPEECH MUFFLED BY NOISE
0:29:56 > 0:30:00His face might be ending up stretched over his knees
0:30:00 > 0:30:03but he's managing to do a Rubik's cube at 9G.
0:30:03 > 0:30:06I can't do those at 1G.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Thank you. It's finished.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13THEY LAUGH
0:30:16 > 0:30:18I mean, giraffes don't do this.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21But it is linked directly to how giraffes' necks work.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24HE SPEAKS GERMAN
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Who knew? Who'd have thought?
0:30:30 > 0:30:34If the G-raff suit passes the rest of its testing process
0:30:34 > 0:30:36so convincingly then, thanks to the giraffe,
0:30:36 > 0:30:41G-force might be one less thing for fighter pilots to worry about.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54It goes without saying,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58for a species to survive it needs to be able to protect itself.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01Turtles do it by retracting into a shell.
0:31:01 > 0:31:05Bighorn sheep do it by having specially reinforced skulls.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10Because when they fight, it's more like a car crash.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Which is appropriate
0:31:16 > 0:31:19because the only time a human being is likely to encounter
0:31:19 > 0:31:22that sort of impact is if they are unlucky enough to be in a crash.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25Anyone who rides a bike or races a car,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28their best hope of protection is a helmet.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32I should know, I owe my life to that one right there.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45This is a state-of-the-art crash helmet,
0:31:45 > 0:31:48the sort worn by Formula One drivers
0:31:48 > 0:31:51Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55Like all helmets, it's made of two layers,
0:31:55 > 0:31:59a flexible lightweight shell, and a soft inner foam.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05To insure it meets safety regulations,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08each helmet is subjected to a drop test.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12And not just any old drop.
0:32:12 > 0:32:17A drop from the top of the highest helmet drop tower in Britain -
0:32:17 > 0:32:2150 feet straight down onto a solid steel pipe.
0:32:30 > 0:32:35It's like hitting a lamppost at 60 miles per hour.
0:32:35 > 0:32:38And amazingly, the helmet survives.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41But is that good enough?
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Somewhere in the natural world,
0:32:43 > 0:32:46there might just be a better solution.
0:33:02 > 0:33:04TAPPING NOISE
0:33:04 > 0:33:06And there it is.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11It is a great spotted woodpecker.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15And it's the biggest head banger on the planet.
0:33:22 > 0:33:27It drills a hole up to four inches deep through solid wood
0:33:27 > 0:33:30to get at the larvae of wood-boring beetles.
0:33:31 > 0:33:36Which puts its head, and its brain, through an astonishing pounding.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46The thing is, and this is an incredible figure,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50every time the woodpecker's beak strikes the tree,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54its head is subject to 1,200G.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56Which is enormous.
0:33:56 > 0:34:00In a crash, a human could only survive a fraction of that,
0:34:00 > 0:34:02even with a helmet.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09So how come it's able to do this without its brain turning to mush?
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Unlike the crash helmet that has two layers to protect against shock,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23the woodpecker has four.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25The first is this hard
0:34:25 > 0:34:29but flexible beak that absorbs some of the initial impact.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34The second is a springy layer that starts at the base of the tongue
0:34:34 > 0:34:36and extends right around the skull.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Then the skull itself provides a second rigid layer.
0:34:40 > 0:34:45Finally, this filling of spongy bone between the skull and brain.
0:34:45 > 0:34:48These four elements combined allow the woodpecker
0:34:48 > 0:34:52to withstand impacts that would more than likely leave us dead.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59So how can we adapt the woodpecker's astonishing ability?
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Engineer John Powell is attempting to recreate those
0:35:07 > 0:35:12shock absorbing elements into an innovative new man-made system.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15John, I'll be honest, it looks nothing like a woodpecker.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18It doesn't look like a woodpecker but we have replicated the entire
0:35:18 > 0:35:22woodpecker brain support system in our little cylinder here.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26OK. Essentially, we've got this outer carbon fibre layer.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29That's the beak that'll flex when it's impacted.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Hopefully not transferring loads through
0:35:32 > 0:35:34this isolating layer of cotton wool.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38That hopefully is keeping everything away from being transferred
0:35:38 > 0:35:41- to this inner layer. - This is our woodpecker skull.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44This is fibreglass, so yet another fibrous material like bone,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47but it's more rigid so any impacts that come into the side
0:35:47 > 0:35:50are transferred to the centre like the woodpecker brain case,
0:35:50 > 0:35:52where they have the outer shell
0:35:52 > 0:35:56that doesn't allow anything to transfer to the inside.
0:35:56 > 0:35:58So if anything reaches that, this doesn't flex.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00- This is a bit more rigid. - Right, that's the barrier.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02What's after that?
0:36:02 > 0:36:06We use the beads, replicating that inner bone that the woodpecker has.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09- That sort of spongy bone stuff?- Yes. - Where did these come from?
0:36:09 > 0:36:11These actually come from airport pillows.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14- You know those U-shaped pillows you put around your neck?- Yeah.
0:36:14 > 0:36:15That's what in them.
0:36:15 > 0:36:21So now all we need to do is organise some sort of drop test.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41To find out just how good this container is,
0:36:41 > 0:36:45we are going to drop it with something delicate inside it.
0:36:45 > 0:36:47Something like this.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Not this.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57This.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01A bulb. Now that IS delicate.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05We've got glass, thin glass, and the filament inside.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08I can't get these things home from the store without breaking them.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12I wouldn't expect this to survive a fall from a kitchen work surface
0:37:12 > 0:37:16but, today, we are going to drop it from space.
0:37:34 > 0:37:37Here is the precious cargo.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41John, I mean, this... It's not a specially prepared bulb or anything.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46No, this is a regular light bulb we bought from the hardware store.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47- It's just off a shelf?- Yes.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50I've delivered it to you safely, we've got that on record.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53We are just going to wrap it in a little piece of excelsior here.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55Right.
0:37:55 > 0:37:57Then it goes in its little home there.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00John, all this other stuff that you've put in with it,
0:38:00 > 0:38:01the GPS stuff and this unit,
0:38:01 > 0:38:04isn't that going to be the equivalent
0:38:04 > 0:38:08of putting a light bulb in a tumble dryer full of bricks?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11- Yes.- Right.- Which makes it even more challenging.- Yes.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15The real trick is to get everything not to move.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Everything takes a lot of shock if it can't move.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20Then it can't come over towards the light bulb.
0:38:20 > 0:38:24How confident are you at this stage?
0:38:24 > 0:38:28- I'm completely confident that the bulb is going to survive.- OK.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32The extra added bit, the glory that we're shooting for,
0:38:32 > 0:38:36is will the filament in the bulb. I believe it will.
0:38:36 > 0:38:40The filament is the most delicate part. It's just a small thin wire.
0:38:40 > 0:38:41They can break in your shopping bag!
0:38:41 > 0:38:46- And often do.- Oh, yeah! Hopeful, that's a good word for this mission.
0:38:46 > 0:38:48Ambitious and hopeful.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51John isn't just in charge of our canister,
0:38:51 > 0:38:54he runs this whole space mission.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58And he wants to see if woodpecker technology can help him
0:38:58 > 0:39:02protect the vital components he attaches to his command modules.
0:39:02 > 0:39:07But we can't blame him for this whole crazy light bulb thing.
0:39:07 > 0:39:08That was our idea.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12OK, so here is how it's going to work.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Still can't quite believe I'm saying this.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18Our canister containing the light bulb will be suspended underneath the module.
0:39:18 > 0:39:21That in turn will be suspended underneath that weather balloon,
0:39:21 > 0:39:24which is filled with helium, which is lighter than air
0:39:24 > 0:39:25so that will take the whole lot up.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27And up. And up.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31Right beyond the edge of the Earth's atmosphere and, well, into space.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34I know it sounds silly when you say it, but that's where it's going.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38When it's there, down here on the ground in mission control,
0:39:38 > 0:39:39which is that van over there,
0:39:39 > 0:39:42they will press a button that will release our module
0:39:42 > 0:39:46and it will fall all the way back down to Earth with our light bulb.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48And then, well, we'll just see what happens.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52It's equipped with GPS so they can find it. We'll have a look.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54- We're going into space. - HE GIGGLES
0:39:54 > 0:39:57'Commencing launch procedure.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03'Ten...nine...
0:40:03 > 0:40:05'..eight...seven...
0:40:05 > 0:40:08'..six...five...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11'..four...three...
0:40:11 > 0:40:13'..two...one.'
0:40:21 > 0:40:24It's up. It's going that way.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26It's climbing.
0:40:37 > 0:40:39Bye-bye, light bulb.
0:40:40 > 0:40:42Good luck on the way back down.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53The balloon carrying our woodpecker canister
0:40:53 > 0:40:55rises astonishingly quickly -
0:40:55 > 0:40:58around 1,000 feet a minute -
0:40:58 > 0:41:01and it's already out of sight from the ground.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05Time to get myself to mission control.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Look at that shot. There it is.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11Is that curvature of the Earth I'm seeing or is that an optical effect?
0:41:11 > 0:41:15- That is curvature of the Earth. - That IS curvature of the Earth? There it is there.- Yes.
0:41:15 > 0:41:18So this light bulb that we bought off the shelf in a store...
0:41:18 > 0:41:20It was just there next to all the other light bulbs.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22That one was chosen.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24That one is now experiencing space.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28- It's the ultimate light bulb adventure.- It is.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30CLATTERING Oh, the awning...
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Er, I think our E-Z UP just flew away.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Down, down, upside down...
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Is anybody going to say, "Houston, we have a problem"?
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- Everybody OK out there? - I'm not sure my nerves can stand it.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42This is the most tense thing I've ever been involved in.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46I'm in the middle of a space mission here and we've got problems!
0:41:46 > 0:41:47You all know where that goes!
0:41:47 > 0:41:50- Everybody OK out here? - Yeah, we're fine.
0:41:50 > 0:41:54Just 2,000 feet to go till our designated drop point
0:41:54 > 0:41:59and then our canister containing our precious light bulb cargo
0:41:59 > 0:42:02begins its Mach 1 journey back towards Earth...
0:42:02 > 0:42:06and a substantial crash landing, which, hopefully, it will survive,
0:42:06 > 0:42:10thanks to a technology derived from that of a woodpecker's head.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13If you've just joined us, that's what's happening.
0:42:13 > 0:42:19If this works, we'll see the cylinder break away and begin its...
0:42:19 > 0:42:21You just say, "Go," and I'll try it.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23There it is. Go.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28- Yes!- Yes!- There it goes!- It's gone!
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Within seconds, the canister is going fast enough
0:42:32 > 0:42:34to break the sound barrier.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38If there WAS any sound in space, that is.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Yet even at 700-odd miles an hour,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45the descent is going to take a remarkable 15 minutes -
0:42:45 > 0:42:48now THAT is what I call a drop test.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53With the canister now out of sight,
0:42:53 > 0:42:57the team remotely detonate the weather balloon.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01A parachute launches automatically,
0:43:01 > 0:43:05floating the transmitters and cameras safely back down to Earth.
0:43:08 > 0:43:10The canister isn't so lucky.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15As it hits the atmosphere,
0:43:15 > 0:43:17the on-board camera is forced back in its housing.
0:43:24 > 0:43:29No woodpecker has ever travelled at 700 miles per hour.
0:43:30 > 0:43:34No woodpecker has ever plummeted 85,000 feet.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39But right now, we're relying on the way a woodpecker
0:43:39 > 0:43:43protects its brain to keep that light bulb intact.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49CRASH
0:43:53 > 0:43:57With the canister down, we head out as quickly as we can to retrieve it.
0:43:59 > 0:44:02Unfortunately, those same winds that blew our awning over
0:44:02 > 0:44:05have taken the canister way off course.
0:44:10 > 0:44:11And when we finally get there,
0:44:11 > 0:44:16we find the radio signals seem to make no sense.
0:44:18 > 0:44:22As night falls, we're still no closer to finding our canister.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30So let me tell you where we are.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33The guys are pretty sure that the canister landed in a canyon.
0:44:33 > 0:44:35That's good. Less good -
0:44:35 > 0:44:38the GPS on board has broken, which is a worry.
0:44:38 > 0:44:42It does have a radio beacon - that's great. And they've found a signal.
0:44:42 > 0:44:44The problem is, the signal is bouncing around, they think,
0:44:44 > 0:44:46off the walls of the canyon.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48When I was with them, we went to try and find it,
0:44:48 > 0:44:50we were going one way and the next way.
0:44:50 > 0:44:53The signal is coming in everywhere. So here's the solution.
0:44:53 > 0:44:55They think what we've got to do now
0:44:55 > 0:44:59is wait for the battery in the radio beacon to run down a little bit,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02so it's a weaker signal - it won't bounce off the walls.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04They'll be able to zone in and find it.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07But that could take five or six days.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09I haven't got time. We've got to move on.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12So they're going to look for it and if, WHEN they find it,
0:45:12 > 0:45:17they'll mail it on to me, wherever we've ended up.
0:45:17 > 0:45:18It's not all over yet.
0:45:23 > 0:45:25Now, you might be thinking,
0:45:25 > 0:45:29"It's all very well you talking about submarines and jet fighters and space,
0:45:29 > 0:45:32"but what has any of that got to do with me?"
0:45:32 > 0:45:34Well, more than you might imagine
0:45:34 > 0:45:36because quite often these exotic ideas
0:45:36 > 0:45:40end up having applications much, much closer to home.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47Can we be frank just for a minute? Because this is important.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50We need to address an embarrassing social problem.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53Has this ever happened to you?
0:45:56 > 0:46:01An amazing 19% of us admit to having, at one time or another,
0:46:01 > 0:46:04dropped our mobile phone down the loo.
0:46:04 > 0:46:07Actually, it's worse than that, because only 40% of us overall
0:46:07 > 0:46:11admit to taking our phone in with us in the first place.
0:46:11 > 0:46:13So if 19% drop it down...
0:46:13 > 0:46:16That's half of everybody who takes their phone into the loo
0:46:16 > 0:46:17drops it down there.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20I'm afraid to say it seems to be predominantly women.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24Must be the whole, you know, sitting-down thing. Whatever!
0:46:24 > 0:46:27Anyway, ultimately it leads... well, to this.
0:46:39 > 0:46:43Yeah. Telecommunications and toilets.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Not something with which you'd imagine the genius of nature
0:46:46 > 0:46:47could really help.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49But it can.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54And the answer can be found
0:46:54 > 0:46:57deep in the heart of the South American rainforest.
0:47:10 > 0:47:15This Morpho butterfly is a master of repelling water.
0:47:17 > 0:47:18And with good cause.
0:47:21 > 0:47:25If just one of those heavy raindrops was to settle on its wing,
0:47:25 > 0:47:29it would become so unbalanced, it would fall out of the sky.
0:47:30 > 0:47:34And if just a fraction of a drop was absorbed,
0:47:34 > 0:47:36it could damage the wing permanently.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45Lucky then, that the water just beads up and runs off...
0:47:47 > 0:47:52..allowing the butterfly to find safety and shelter.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59Despite the shiny appearance of the wing,
0:47:59 > 0:48:02this is not some sort of rubberised coating.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05It's something far cleverer than that.
0:48:05 > 0:48:09But to find out what, we need to look closer.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11A thousand times closer.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17Because although the wing looks totally smooth,
0:48:17 > 0:48:22it's actually covered in millions of tiny waffle-shaped ridges.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29This model represents that distinctive pattern,
0:48:29 > 0:48:32and this balloon represents a water droplet.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35If it lands on the wing, only the tiniest part of it
0:48:35 > 0:48:38would ever come into contact with the actual surface
0:48:38 > 0:48:41because it balances on these ridges.
0:48:41 > 0:48:45In fact, less than one percent of any raindrop
0:48:45 > 0:48:49ever even touches the butterfly's wing.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51They call this property "hydrophobia" -
0:48:51 > 0:48:54literally "water hating" -
0:48:54 > 0:48:57and it's a property so impressive
0:48:57 > 0:48:59and so potentially useful,
0:48:59 > 0:49:02that it's no surprise we've tried to copy it.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13This laboratory in Oxfordshire thinks it's succeeded.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18They've worked out a way to spray an artificial hydrophobic coating
0:49:18 > 0:49:22onto, well, just about everything.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25And if you don't believe me, just watch.
0:49:27 > 0:49:31We've put together a machine to explore this hydrophobic quality
0:49:31 > 0:49:35and all it needs to get it started is a couple of drops of water.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39We've created this machine
0:49:39 > 0:49:44out of things we thought might benefit from being hydrophobic.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47A newspaper that never gets soggy.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51An egg carton that never gets sticky.
0:49:55 > 0:49:59A teapot that never dribbles.
0:50:02 > 0:50:06Kitchen utensils, spatulas, spoons and mixing bowls
0:50:06 > 0:50:08that never get dirty.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11Gloves that stay dry
0:50:11 > 0:50:14whether you're gardening or snowballing.
0:50:16 > 0:50:20And summer blockbusters that you can read by the pool.
0:50:28 > 0:50:33And, finally, the piece de resistance...
0:50:36 > 0:50:38..hydrophobic clothes.
0:50:41 > 0:50:42So I've had THIS made.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45It's a suit, but it's been hydrophobically coated,
0:50:45 > 0:50:49which means, technically, I should be able to spill anything on it.
0:50:51 > 0:50:52Coffee.
0:50:52 > 0:50:53Red wine.
0:50:55 > 0:50:56Mustard - English.
0:50:56 > 0:50:58Tomato juice.
0:50:58 > 0:51:00Mango juice.
0:51:01 > 0:51:03Soy sauce.
0:51:03 > 0:51:07You see, it all just flies off. Brilliant.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10Right, hope there's nothing else.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14Because the thing we really want to repel water is our phone.
0:51:14 > 0:51:16Back to the lab.
0:51:19 > 0:51:23We've put a standard model into an airtight chamber,
0:51:23 > 0:51:25where it's subjected to a vacuum.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Next, it's exposed to plasma rays
0:51:31 > 0:51:35to prepare every surface for the hydrophobic coating,
0:51:35 > 0:51:41and I do mean every surface, both outside and in.
0:51:43 > 0:51:47Moving parts, electrical contacts, circuit boards, processors
0:51:47 > 0:51:51all get covered by a thin layer of textured plastic,
0:51:51 > 0:51:54a thousand times thinner than a human hair.
0:51:56 > 0:52:00Which is all very impressive, but does it work?
0:52:02 > 0:52:04Let's start again, shall we?
0:52:04 > 0:52:08This is my old phone, and it's ruined.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11I dropped it in the loo, You saw me do it.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14This is my new phone. It's exactly the same,
0:52:14 > 0:52:18but it's been treated with a special hydrophobic coating.
0:52:18 > 0:52:22Not a waterproof cover, remember. Water will still get in.
0:52:22 > 0:52:26It's just it should then run off every component inside.
0:52:26 > 0:52:28Should. That's the theory.
0:52:28 > 0:52:33So let's do it again. And I really hope this does work because this is getting expensive.
0:52:40 > 0:52:42PHONE RINGS
0:52:49 > 0:52:50Hello.
0:52:50 > 0:52:53Yeah, can you get me some antibacterial wipes?
0:52:53 > 0:52:54Yeah.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56No, a lot.
0:52:59 > 0:53:03Just imagine if any electrical device could be waterproof.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07No more water-damaged phones.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10No more flood-damaged televisions.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15And no more coffee-damaged keyboards.
0:53:15 > 0:53:18And all thanks to the South American rainforest...
0:53:18 > 0:53:20and one small butterfly.
0:53:28 > 0:53:31It goes to show that sometimes, most times,
0:53:31 > 0:53:33there's an animal out there somewhere
0:53:33 > 0:53:37that can outperform the best we humans have to offer.
0:53:37 > 0:53:38It's not surprising, really.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42Evolution has been working on it for 3.5 billion years.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45But that's OK - it just means there's always more for us
0:53:45 > 0:53:47to learn from the natural world.
0:53:47 > 0:53:50Like, what DID happen to that light bulb?
0:53:52 > 0:53:55If you remember, a woodpecker had inspired us
0:53:55 > 0:53:57to drop a light bulb from space.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01But it had landed... heaven knows where.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08DOORBELL CHIMES
0:54:08 > 0:54:12- Hello.- How's it going?- Very well. Do you have a parcel for Hammond?- Yes.
0:54:12 > 0:54:16'Well, eventually I get the call saying they've found the canister
0:54:16 > 0:54:19'and delivered it to a courier's office near where I'm filming.'
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Driver's licence. Does that do?
0:54:21 > 0:54:23'I rush straight down there.'
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Stickers say, "Fragile, handle with care." It's a bit late!
0:54:29 > 0:54:31Right, let's get this open.
0:54:34 > 0:54:37It's like the weirdest Christmas ever.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40OK, we're in the box.
0:54:44 > 0:54:45There it is.
0:55:02 > 0:55:04HE GULPS AND SIGHS
0:55:09 > 0:55:11I daren't look.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14Ooh.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17There's the tray containing the bundle.
0:55:17 > 0:55:19This suddenly is now the most precious artefact
0:55:19 > 0:55:22I shall ever handle.
0:55:25 > 0:55:27There it is.
0:55:31 > 0:55:33Intact.
0:55:33 > 0:55:34From space.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37No parachute, no magic.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40There is one further test I could do,
0:55:40 > 0:55:41cos I did spot over here...
0:55:43 > 0:55:45And this does work. Yeah, it does work.
0:55:47 > 0:55:48Oh!
0:55:50 > 0:55:53Do you know, it might just be intact.
0:55:53 > 0:55:58That's not the bulb. That's not been to space. THIS is our space bulb.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01If this works, I will be staggered
0:56:01 > 0:56:05because when the director suggested using a light bulb, I said no.
0:56:05 > 0:56:07Oh...
0:56:07 > 0:56:09HE LAUGHS
0:56:12 > 0:56:14That is astonishing!
0:56:14 > 0:56:16Over there is a very happy man indeed
0:56:16 > 0:56:19because I said, "That's just a step too far - it can't possibly work."
0:56:19 > 0:56:24That light bulb has been flown up to space and dropped -
0:56:24 > 0:56:2885,000 feet, I think, was the exact height - back down to Earth.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31It landed... Well, it landed on rocks on a mountain.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33It took days to find it.
0:56:33 > 0:56:36The only thing protecting it was this whole system,
0:56:36 > 0:56:38which was home-made
0:56:38 > 0:56:41and modelled on the way a woodpecker's skull
0:56:41 > 0:56:44protects its brain when subjected to G pecking trees.
0:56:44 > 0:56:49This was subjected to G landing without a parachute from space.
0:56:49 > 0:56:51I'm staggered!
0:56:52 > 0:56:56Come on, that's worth a round of applause. They're so relieved!
0:56:56 > 0:56:58APPLAUSE
0:56:58 > 0:56:59That is amazing!
0:57:01 > 0:57:04But those amazing, shock-absorbing qualities
0:57:04 > 0:57:07aren't just for safeguarding an iconic bird
0:57:07 > 0:57:10and a home-made spacecraft.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14They might make a difference to motorcyclists all over the world.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19There are already helmet manufacturers looking at this,
0:57:19 > 0:57:24which means, one day, woodpeckers could be life-savers.
0:57:24 > 0:57:28And that, I think you'll agree, is quite miraculous.
0:57:31 > 0:57:33'Next time on Miracles of Nature,
0:57:33 > 0:57:37'I'll be looking at how animals' super-senses
0:57:37 > 0:57:39'might change the way we experience OUR world,
0:57:39 > 0:57:44'allowing us to hear through solid rock...'
0:57:44 > 0:57:47EXPLOSION
0:57:47 > 0:57:48Hello!
0:57:48 > 0:57:51'..to see without using our eyes...'
0:57:51 > 0:57:54That's astonishing.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57'..and to feel something that happened 30 seconds earlier.'
0:57:58 > 0:58:01This is what we'll all be in. This is the future.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd