0:00:13 > 0:00:16In the quest to reduce CO2 emissions,
0:00:16 > 0:00:23the government has set a target that 15% of our electricity will come from renewable fuels by 2015.
0:00:23 > 0:00:29Much of this will be wind power, and wind farms are now being built all over the UK.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34So today we're up on Carno. We're in Mid-Wales.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38The weather's not very great, as you can see, but it's quite exciting.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40We've got the third turbine going up at Carno 2.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44So Carno 2 is going to be comprised of 12 turbines.
0:00:44 > 0:00:50They're 1.3 megawatts each, which should generate enough to power a lot of local homes in the community.
0:00:50 > 0:00:57A 1.3 megawatt turbine at a good site would produce enough power for over 700 households.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02The principle of generating power from the wind is quite straightforward.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05The wind travels over the blades, causing them to turn.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07That causes the generator to turn.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11The electricity that's generated is fed through cables in the tower,
0:01:11 > 0:01:15from there it goes to the National Grid where you can make a cup of tea with it.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21So, each turbine must function as a mini power station, and the nacelle
0:01:21 > 0:01:24at the top of the tower holds the key components.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29The slow turning blades drive a shaft, which goes into a gearbox.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33This gearbox then increases the rotational speed going
0:01:33 > 0:01:36into the generator, which produces electricity.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42A computer system, controlled by the weather vane on top of the nacelle,
0:01:42 > 0:01:47keeps the turbine facing into the wind. If it's too windy, a brake slows the turbine down
0:01:47 > 0:01:50so that the stresses on the tower are reduced
0:01:50 > 0:01:52and the turbine isn't damaged.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55When you see components lying on the ground and being put together and
0:01:55 > 0:02:01assembled you really get a feel for how big the turbine is and what an amazing piece of engineering it is.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10But there has to be enough wind to keep the turbines turning.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14So how do they plan where the wind farm should be built?
0:02:14 > 0:02:21Down at ground level today we're looking at wind speeds up to maybe 10mph, which means up at the hub
0:02:21 > 0:02:27height of 50 meters, we'd be looking up to maybe 15mph, so you can tell from these sort of wind speeds,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31we're on a very well-exposed site which is ideal for developing a wind farm.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35As a wind engineer, we're specifically interested in
0:02:35 > 0:02:38how the wind flows across the site, so we're looking at the topography,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41how trees on the site might affect the wind flow, but we also
0:02:41 > 0:02:45have to bear in mind physical constraints such as public rights of way,
0:02:45 > 0:02:51ecological designations within the site, what the noise impact of the wind farm might be.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56Once we've been onsite, we can map all our findings in the computer and then start to build up an idea
0:02:56 > 0:02:58of what the wind farm might look like.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02As you can see, the turbine parts are pretty big.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04There's a tower section coming up the road now.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09So when we're designing the site it's not a simple matter of just picking a turbine, we have to look at what size
0:03:09 > 0:03:12of turbine we can actually physically get to the site.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Wind energy is a great clean source of energy.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23Once you've built the turbines you've got no emissions into the atmosphere.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27The energy used to build the turbines and install them typically
0:03:27 > 0:03:30is paid back within six or seven months of them being operational.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35So once that period has passed, you've got, you know, free electricity, really, from the wind.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43But not everyone thinks wind power is the answer.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47If they were to build turbines here, I don't think I could live here.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50We would lose the isolation, we would lose the wonderful views,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52and it would no longer be quiet.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Turbines will produce some noise.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58However, as a developer you have to work
0:03:58 > 0:04:02to very strict guidelines on what noise is allowable at local property.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10The real reason, apart from all the side issues, is that they don't really work.
0:04:10 > 0:04:16They're not an answer to our need for a secure supply of energy,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18and they are incredibly expensive.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21It's a really common misconception from the public that
0:04:21 > 0:04:25wind farms just don't work, which is just completely not true.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30A well-sited wind farm can be expected to produce electricity at least 80% of the time and
0:04:30 > 0:04:33developers wouldn't put them up if they didn't work.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Sadly, wherever you go, you seem to be seeing turbines.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Mid-Wales is becoming just full of turbines.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46So if you don't want them in your back yard,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49maybe building them offshore is the answer.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55We built North Hoyle approximately five years ago.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58And we've just received consent for Gwyntamor which is a large site
0:04:58 > 0:05:04with 200 plus turbines, which is sufficient for about 500,000 homes,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07or 40% of the homes in Wales.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Wind turbines offshore are not only out of the way, but also
0:05:12 > 0:05:16operate more efficiently because wind speeds are more consistent.
0:05:16 > 0:05:21And the further offshore they're built, the more wind there is and the better the energy return.
0:05:21 > 0:05:28It'll definitely contribute to reducing the CO2 emissions from fossil fuel stations, as every
0:05:28 > 0:05:33kilowatt we produce is a kilowatt that doesn't have to be produced from a fossil fuel power plant.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37It's never going to replace fossil fuels but it's certainly
0:05:37 > 0:05:41a very good complementary power source to go with them, and when we've got
0:05:41 > 0:05:46such natural resources available in the UK it seems a shame not to make use of them.
0:06:00 > 0:06:06Enough sunlight falls on the Earth every minute to meet the world's energy demands for an entire year.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10If we could find a way to harness this we would have a clean,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13inexhaustible and efficient energy source.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18Solar energy is the most abundant energy resource
0:06:18 > 0:06:20which we have on the Earth.
0:06:20 > 0:06:27Now this is the first time we really use directly this solar energy,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and we convert it directly into power.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35So, here on the southern plains of Spain where the sun shines
0:06:35 > 0:06:41for over 200 days a year, it's an ideal testing ground.
0:06:41 > 0:06:47This is not only one solar plant, this is an entire solar power complex.
0:06:47 > 0:06:54We have here the largest solar power research facility in the world.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58And one technology that the engineers have developed
0:06:58 > 0:07:04is known as the Solar Tower of Power, which stands like a cathedral on the plains of Andalucia.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09This is the first commercial tower operating with this technology in the world.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12This plant has been operating since July 2007
0:07:12 > 0:07:17and at this moment it's producing electricity for about 6,000 homes.
0:07:23 > 0:07:30A field of 624 mirrors called heliostats track the sun throughout the day.
0:07:30 > 0:07:36They reflect its rays up to one point at the very top of this tower, called a receiver.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42We are at the middle height of the tower.
0:07:42 > 0:07:48We concentrate the heat up for 1,000 times in order to generate temperatures of about 500 Celsius
0:07:48 > 0:07:52and produce the steam in the boiler that is at the top of the receiver.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57The receiver is like a giant boiler.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Behind it are pipes full of water.
0:07:59 > 0:08:01The concentrated solar radiation
0:08:01 > 0:08:04heats up the water to create steam
0:08:04 > 0:08:05which is stored in a tank.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The steam is used to drive a turbine
0:08:08 > 0:08:09which turns a generator
0:08:09 > 0:08:11to produce electricity.
0:08:17 > 0:08:23And because this technology has proved to be so successful, engineers are working on a new tower
0:08:23 > 0:08:25which will produce almost twice as much power.
0:08:25 > 0:08:31But here they are also testing another solar energy system.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37What you see here are parabolic trough collectors.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43And in these collectors you see that the sun will be concentrated
0:08:43 > 0:08:48by mirrors which are shaped in a parabolic form.
0:08:48 > 0:08:56The collector itself moves so that it is always in an optimum position towards the sun.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01The sun's rays are concentrated on to a heat absorbing pipe that contains synthetic oil.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06This oil is heated up to 400 degrees Celsius, and then pumped through a
0:09:06 > 0:09:11series of heat exchangers in order to produce superheated steam.
0:09:11 > 0:09:19This plant is designed to deliver 50 megawatts of electricity to supply
0:09:19 > 0:09:26about 25,000 households here in close-by Seville with electricity.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30The trough system currently produces more electricity than the tower, but
0:09:30 > 0:09:35they suspect that in time the tower could prove to be more efficient.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39But both systems have a problem when the sun goes down.
0:09:39 > 0:09:45Currently in our tower plants we store the heat in the form of steam.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52But they can only store the heat for up to an hour so engineers have to find a better solution.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56One idea they've come up with is to use salt.
0:09:56 > 0:10:01What we do is we heat this salt beyond 220 degrees centigrade.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07It will melt, it will be crystal clear and it will be a substance like water.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11The molten salt can be heated to a much higher temperature than water
0:10:11 > 0:10:14without boiling, so it's easier to store.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17And it'll contain more heat for longer.
0:10:17 > 0:10:22The engineers can then release this stored heat when the sun isn't shining.
0:10:22 > 0:10:28So it looks like solar power could become a viable option for the future.
0:10:28 > 0:10:36We will be generating with the whole platform in operation, electricity for about 200,000 homes.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40That's about the size of a city like Seville.
0:10:41 > 0:10:47We hope that we will build in the future similar plants like you have
0:10:47 > 0:10:52today in coal or nuclear, which are plants of 700 - 800 megawatt size.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56So this I think is a big challenge for the future.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07We live in a world where the demand for energy is growing.
0:11:07 > 0:11:11And with fossil fuels limited, and rising concerns over climate change,
0:11:11 > 0:11:17there is an urgent need to find new ways of producing power.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22One of the most challenging ideas is to adapt the process that powers the sun.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25It's called nuclear fusion.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31Here at Culham Science Centre, they've been working on fusion for over 30 years.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34On a fusion reactor, instead of burning coal or gas
0:11:34 > 0:11:37we are fusing the fuels, which in this case are hydrogen isotopes
0:11:37 > 0:11:39called deuterium and tritium,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43to create energy and then we use that energy to produce electricity.
0:11:45 > 0:11:51In nuclear fusion, atoms of hydrogen fuse together to form helium and release energy.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56This is quite different from fission, the splitting of atoms,
0:11:56 > 0:12:00which occurs in the nuclear power stations operating today.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04But fission produces a lot of radioactive waste.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08The good news is fusion, what we do here, also creates a lot of energy
0:12:08 > 0:12:14and the upside is this doesn't produce nearly as much radioactive waste as fission does.
0:12:16 > 0:12:20But to make this reaction happen, you have to heat up the hydrogen
0:12:20 > 0:12:24to 100 million degrees so it forms a plasma.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26And somehow this has to be contained.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30One way to think of it is, it's like putting the sun in a bottle.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33If you imagine trying to keep that contained, it's very, very difficult.
0:12:33 > 0:12:38We have solved the problem with a configuration we call the tokamak.
0:12:38 > 0:12:43In this chamber we can achieve temperatures which are 10 times higher than the sun.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48A tokamak is a machine, shaped like a doughnut, that produces a powerful magnetic field.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52This field confines the plasma. It's like a magnetic bottle.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55We've built this machine here at Culham called JET.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59Typically 20 or 30 times a day we run a pulse which is anywhere between
0:12:59 > 0:13:0330 seconds to a minute long and during that time we get fusion to occur.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09In these images fusion is seen actually happening.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13More fusion has been produced here at JET than anywhere else on Earth.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17But it's a long way short of a commercial reactor.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Now JET here you can see operating at very high temperature,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22so this will be above 100 million degrees.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Fusion is taking place as we speak there.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29JET can only run for a maximum time of about a minute.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33Unfortunately, JET can't produce enough power to sustain itself.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37Roughly you get back as much fusion power as you put in,
0:13:37 > 0:13:41in heating power, and of course that's useless for a power station.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43It's got to be a bigger device, got to last longer.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49Physics says if you build a machine about
0:13:49 > 0:13:5410 times the size of this machine you can get about 20 or 30 times the power out that you put in, so
0:13:54 > 0:13:59the idea is, after JET, we will build a machine about 10 times the size.
0:14:04 > 0:14:09The next step is ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13a globally-funded prototype to be built in the south of France.
0:14:13 > 0:14:19And many of the systems for ITER are being developed and tested here at JET.
0:14:19 > 0:14:26The hope is that instead of running for a minute like JET, ITER will run continuously for up to an hour.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30This creates dramatic new problems for any components inside
0:14:30 > 0:14:34the reactor, like the tiles which line the inside of the tokamak.
0:14:34 > 0:14:38At the moment, the tiles are made of carbon fibre composite material.
0:14:38 > 0:14:44In our machine it is an excellent material, but it has one fatal flaw.
0:14:44 > 0:14:49A carbon wall could soak up the tritium that we inject in the plasma
0:14:49 > 0:14:54and this is a radioactive gas and it's also a valuable gas.
0:14:54 > 0:15:02So beryllium we've now chosen, because the amount of tritium it can retain is much, much lower.
0:15:02 > 0:15:06Beryllium won't absorb the tritium from the plasma.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09But its melting point is lower than carbon fibre, which means
0:15:09 > 0:15:14the engineers must devise ways to prevent the tiles getting too hot.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18By having this curved shape we can actually reduce the heat
0:15:18 > 0:15:21by spreading it over a much larger region.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25Within each block, there are actually these grooves, and these are to allow for
0:15:25 > 0:15:32the tile to expand when it's heated and this is to prevent cracking, which might otherwise occur.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36These new tiles for ITER will be tested here at JET.
0:15:36 > 0:15:43And after ITER, the plan is to build an even bigger machine working as a commercial fusion plant.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45Clearly, that's still many years away.
0:15:45 > 0:15:50But it's a route that the engineers and scientists at JET believe we need to take.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Fusion still offers great potential for future energy sources.
0:15:53 > 0:15:58Huge reserves of fuels for thousands of years.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03It's environmentally very reasonable and passively safe, so yeah,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07it's a very good option for future energy supply.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Not everyone agrees.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12We don't know a fusion reactor would be safe.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15We know there's a huge distance between laboratory experiments
0:16:15 > 0:16:20and working commercial reactors, and we don't know how much waste that they're going to produce.
0:16:20 > 0:16:25So we can't have assurances that fusion is going to be a safe technology.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27It's still 30 to 50 years away.
0:16:27 > 0:16:32We should be deploying other alternatives rather than investing in a dream that fusion might still be.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35But people working at Culham are convinced that if they're to make
0:16:35 > 0:16:39faster progress developing fusion, we have to invest more.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41It's very frustrating, really.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44At the moment, where we speak as though energy
0:16:44 > 0:16:50is an enormously important issue, we're spending far less on energy R&D now than we did in the '80s.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53There's quite a lot of R&D that still needs to be done.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56If it works it will be fantastic. It's a fantastic challenge.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Once upon a time, it used to be pretty obvious how a razor worked.
0:17:08 > 0:17:12Things got slightly less scary with the invention of the safety razor
0:17:12 > 0:17:18in 1901, and even safer when the electric shaver came along in 1931.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22But now they've evolved into such sleek, sophisticated,
0:17:22 > 0:17:26powerful machines, how do they work?
0:17:27 > 0:17:31To some degree all electric shavers work the same way today as
0:17:31 > 0:17:34when they were invented, with the same components.
0:17:37 > 0:17:38The shaver works like this.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43By pressing start, the battery gets powered up, powering up the motor
0:17:43 > 0:17:49where the head starts to move from side to side, making the blades oscillate under the foil
0:17:49 > 0:17:54so that when each hair gets into the foil it's being cut off between the blade and the foil.
0:17:54 > 0:18:00That's how all shavers work. This is our most advanced system, which got a totally new motor in place.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07What we've got in the Series 7 shaver, it's very special,
0:18:07 > 0:18:08it's an oscillating motor.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12That's different to regular shavers because in regular shavers
0:18:12 > 0:18:15we have a rotating motor, then we have a gear system.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19The gear system is translating this rotation to an oscillation and on the
0:18:19 > 0:18:24way from the rotation system to the oscillation system we have losses.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53The outer part of the foil cassette consists of the foil, which is
0:18:53 > 0:18:58a very thin metal layer which has a thickness of only 58 microns.
0:18:58 > 0:19:03The thinner this foil is, the closer you can cut the hairs.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10Very important for a good cut is the permanent contact between
0:19:10 > 0:19:11foil and blade.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17It means the foil and the blade are working against each other, like a scissor.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41We give power to the motor and then we take signals which come back from the motor.
0:19:41 > 0:19:47The software inside reacts on the behaviour of the motor and identifies if there is a stronger beard or less
0:19:47 > 0:19:53beard on top of the shaver and then it reacts in an intelligent way
0:19:53 > 0:19:56and provides the power at the right time.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00It's like driving a car. If you see a hill is coming up, of course you will
0:20:00 > 0:20:03accelerate because you want to keep the speed of the car.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53And that's how we make an electric shaver.
0:21:02 > 0:21:07Wherever we go, we seem to surround ourselves with music and other sounds.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08BEEPING
0:21:08 > 0:21:12Behind all this noise is the ubiquitous loudspeaker.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Some speakers are small enough to fit in our ears,
0:21:17 > 0:21:21others are big enough to annoy the neighbours - they're everywhere.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22VOICE SPEAKS OVER INTERCOM
0:21:22 > 0:21:25But how does a loudspeaker work?
0:21:26 > 0:21:31This is a three-way basic hi-fi loudspeaker that we make here.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34It consists of three main constituent parts
0:21:34 > 0:21:36that produce the sound that you hear.
0:21:36 > 0:21:41We have here a cutaway unit. If I connect up the tweeter which plays in the middle here...
0:21:41 > 0:21:42WHOOSHING
0:21:42 > 0:21:45..you can hear it plays a very high frequency noise.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49And then if I go to the outside of that, we have the mid-range driver...
0:21:49 > 0:21:51LOWER-PITCHED WHOOSHING
0:21:51 > 0:21:55and then the woofer at the bottom plays the low frequency component.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57VERY LOW-PITCHED WHOOSHING
0:21:57 > 0:22:01All three of those together give us the full spectrum of audio
0:22:01 > 0:22:03that we hear when we listen to music.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Each three of these drive units, although very different in size,
0:22:10 > 0:22:12essentially work by the same way.
0:22:12 > 0:22:17They have a cone that moves back and forth and pumps the air to make the sound.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24The way we get this movement is by a magnet system
0:22:24 > 0:22:28and having a voice coil which is the copper coil of wire
0:22:28 > 0:22:34which is attached directly to the cone that sits within the magnetic field.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38The current, the electricity, comes through these two wires
0:22:38 > 0:22:41which goes round the voice coil, and when it's in the magnetic field
0:22:41 > 0:22:45it will move up and down, which moves the air which makes the sound.
0:23:00 > 0:23:04Now, the whole thing works by the signal coming into the back of the unit
0:23:04 > 0:23:09which then comes into this filter board of electronics you can see at the bottom here.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13The job of this is purely to split the signal into the three parts
0:23:13 > 0:23:16that get fed to the tweeter, the mid-range and the woofer separately,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19and all play obviously at the same time.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33The cabinet is an integral part of the loudspeaker.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36To show you that, I've taken this drive unit out.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38It's still connected at the back.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42So if I just play some music through the normal loud speaker...
0:23:42 > 0:23:44DANCE MUSIC WITH HEAVY BASS
0:23:44 > 0:23:48So if I just remove the connections
0:23:48 > 0:23:52and place them on the one without the cabinet...
0:23:52 > 0:23:56MUSIC CONTINUES WITH REDUCED BASS
0:23:56 > 0:24:00..you can hear there's a big reduction in the amount of bass output.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03And the reason for that is that the driver works by moving air.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The cone moves forwards and backwards
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and the cone is open to the air on the reverse side as well.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13If you don't have a cabinet blocking the front half from the back half,
0:24:13 > 0:24:18air that we push forwards from the front just travels round to the back, it doesn't radiate sound.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22So we need to put it in the cabinet to enclose this rear radiation.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40And that's how you make a loudspeaker.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Since lawnmowers were first invented, mowing the lawn has become a national pastime.
0:24:52 > 0:24:58So much so that we buy more lawnmowers than any other country apart from the US.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00It's almost an obsession.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04But just how does a lawnmower work?
0:25:04 > 0:25:08What we have here is one of our hover collect mowers that we manufacture here.
0:25:08 > 0:25:12We've had this one cut away so that you can see the internal workings of the machine.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15And on the table we have some of the key components
0:25:15 > 0:25:16that go into making a hover mower.
0:25:16 > 0:25:21I'm going to start here with the switchbox that controls the machine
0:25:21 > 0:25:23and by pulling on this we energise the switch.
0:25:23 > 0:25:28It supplies electricity down this cable into the motor.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33When the motor is energised, it turns, which in turn drives this belt
0:25:33 > 0:25:36and on the hub is mounted the impellor, which creates airflow,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39and the blade that we use to cut the grass.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49This component is called the impellor.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52When it revolves it draws air in through this air inlet,
0:25:52 > 0:25:57comes into the centre of the fan and because the fan is rotating
0:25:57 > 0:26:01the air gets blown out of the periphery of the fan.
0:26:01 > 0:26:05What that does is it creates a high pressure region underneath the machine.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07This creates lift to hover the product.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35The next crucial part is the blade. This is mounted below the impellor.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37This is one that we have off the machine.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40This particular machine has a steel blade on it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43One of the most important things about the blade is
0:26:43 > 0:26:46a safety requirement, it needs to withstand an impact.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51This particular test is called the stake impact test.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55What we do is we have this steel bar and we fire that up into the path of the blade
0:26:55 > 0:26:57whilst the machine is running at full speed.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02We don't want any parts of the blade to break up and get thrown out of the machine.
0:27:09 > 0:27:10MOTOR RUNS
0:27:10 > 0:27:11MOTOR STOPS ABRUPTLY
0:27:14 > 0:27:18OK, what we see here is we see the impact on one of the blade tips.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21The blade is bent, but the important thing is that nothing has been broken,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24nothing has been thrown out of the machine, so this is a pass.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32The interesting thing is not only is it hovering on a cushion of air and cutting the grass,
0:27:32 > 0:27:37but it also works like a vacuum cleaner because it sucks up the grass clippings as it goes.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41So if I just lift the lid, and drop the grass catcher in...
0:27:42 > 0:27:46If you remember the impellor is below here, so it's drawing air out of this grass box.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50When we close the lid it draws air in, into the grass box
0:27:50 > 0:27:53and as we go along the vents at the back
0:27:53 > 0:27:58enables grass clippings and air to be drawn in behind the machine.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19So there you go. These are all the parts that go into making a lawnmower.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30The stunning views in the Swiss Alps
0:28:30 > 0:28:35make driving through the mountains an amazing experience.
0:28:35 > 0:28:41But as more and more trucks use Switzerland as a shortcut between the north and south of Europe,
0:28:41 > 0:28:47the roads are becoming seriously overcrowded, causing traffic jams and massive pollution.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Today traffic which cross Switzerland have to go up to
0:28:51 > 0:28:571,100 metres above sea level, cross the Alps through the existing tunnel,
0:28:57 > 0:29:00and then they go down to Milano.
0:29:02 > 0:29:07The Swiss have now decided to make the trucks take the train.
0:29:07 > 0:29:11These trains will avoid the mountains because of a revolutionary new flat tunnel
0:29:11 > 0:29:16which is being built at the bottom of the Alps, level with the valleys.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20At the moment we are here at the north entrance of the tunnel here,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22and it's going flat through the Alps.
0:29:25 > 0:29:31The Gotthard Base rail tunnel will be the longest, deepest tunnel in the world.
0:29:31 > 0:29:34It's also the world's biggest building site.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37The longest tunnel in the world with 57 kilometres.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42We create the deepest tunnel, 2,500 metres deep inside the mountain.
0:29:44 > 0:29:50And the world's longest, deepest tunnel needs the world's biggest tunnelling machine.
0:29:52 > 0:29:57Controlling the tunnelling machine so it stays on course is a job for the surveyors.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02Well, it starts before the construction works already.
0:30:02 > 0:30:08You have to put up a reference network, with reference points and you do that with GPS.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Here across the Alps there is a network of about 30 points.
0:30:14 > 0:30:20Using these GPS points, they establish the precise direction the tunnel has to take.
0:30:20 > 0:30:27You take the information from the GPS points and everything works electronically, of course, today.
0:30:27 > 0:30:33And you can transfer the direction of the GPS network into the tunnel.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38But GPS can't be used inside the tunnel, so the surveyors transfer the data
0:30:38 > 0:30:43along the length of the tunnel, by setting up a series of reference points.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45This allows the tunnel-boring machine
0:30:45 > 0:30:50constantly to correct its direction using these reference points.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53You continuously go forward.
0:30:53 > 0:30:58Building new reference points in the tunnel every 400 metre
0:30:58 > 0:31:04and the data is going directly electronically from our instruments to the tunnel-boring machine.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11To speed up the tunnel making, they've been digging the tunnel in five separate sections.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15And that makes the precision of the surveying crucial.
0:31:15 > 0:31:21So far, each breakthrough, when two sections of tunnel meet, has been hugely successful.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24The tunnels have lined up with pinpoint accuracy.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27The main thing here is that it's a very long tunnel,
0:31:27 > 0:31:32and the longer the tunnel, the more you have to pay attention to the precision.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Because you make only small error at the beginning of the tunnel
0:31:36 > 0:31:40it will get bigger and bigger, and the longer the tunnel is,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42the bigger the error will be at the breakthrough.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46If the breakthrough is more than 25 centimetres out,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50the consequences are more than just hurt professional pride.
0:31:50 > 0:31:55We don't get paid the whole sum because then you have to correct the tunnel.
0:31:55 > 0:32:00You know it means more construction work and it will cost a lot of money.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05Keeping the tunnel straight and level isn't the only problem for the tunnel makers.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11There's also the problem of what to do with the vast quantity of waste rock.
0:32:14 > 0:32:19Every day arrives at this point here 8,000 tonnes.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Totally, 25 million tonnes in 10 years.
0:32:26 > 0:32:31Half of the waste will be used in the building of the new railway line outside of the tunnel.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34In the past the rest would have been used in landfill,
0:32:34 > 0:32:38but there's a limit to how much landfill is needed.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40The environmentally-friendly engineers decided
0:32:40 > 0:32:43to tackle the waste problem with a unique approach.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Why not recycle the waste rock and use it for concrete for the tunnel?
0:32:50 > 0:32:54We are the first and the only one in the world which recycled this material.
0:32:54 > 0:33:01The stone chips in the waste were always thought too angular and sharp to use safely in the concrete.
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Before, nobody knows what to do with stone like this.
0:33:04 > 0:33:11We searched for about four years for the right equipment to produce the sand and the gravel.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14They eventually solved the problem with a special grinding machine
0:33:14 > 0:33:20which produced perfect sand and gravel for making high-quality concrete.
0:33:21 > 0:33:28All the concrete is made from this material and all the concrete we made it on the construction site.
0:33:28 > 0:33:3430% of the material we recycled and used to produce the concrete.
0:33:34 > 0:33:38The concrete is used to build the lining of the tunnel.
0:33:40 > 0:33:43The flat railway link here is built to save travelling time
0:33:43 > 0:33:47from the north of the Alps to the south of the Alps.
0:33:47 > 0:33:52And of course also to save energy because the train consumes less energy
0:33:52 > 0:33:57if it goes flat instead of going above the mountains.
0:33:57 > 0:34:04The tunnel is due to open in 2015, and will be used for both trains carrying trucks and for passengers.
0:34:04 > 0:34:11With no mountains to climb some trains will be able to travel at up to 250 kilometres an hour.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14This will free up the mountain roads,
0:34:14 > 0:34:17allowing drivers space to enjoy the scenery.
0:34:32 > 0:34:37It resembles a large spaceship that's landed in the middle of a field in south England.
0:34:38 > 0:34:42I think it looks like a giant metal doughnut.
0:34:42 > 0:34:46Outside Oxford, a new kind of microscope is taking shape.
0:34:46 > 0:34:50But it's unlike any microscope you may have seen before. It's vast.
0:34:50 > 0:34:53The size of five football pitches.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58And it's the most powerful microscope in the world.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01In this building we have a machine which is a series of
0:35:01 > 0:35:06super microscopes using X-rays, 100 billion times brighter than the sun,
0:35:06 > 0:35:11to study the atomic and molecular nature of materials in use in the world around us.
0:35:11 > 0:35:19And we produce those X-rays by accelerating electrons to very high speeds, close to the speed of light.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21It's called a synchrotron.
0:35:27 > 0:35:33Synchrotron light has been used for all kinds of discoveries.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37From looking at viruses, and proteins from bacteria, diseases,
0:35:37 > 0:35:42also looking at materials, which is going to impact hugely on engineering.
0:35:42 > 0:35:49But just how does a synchrotron work and how do they accelerate electrons close to the speed of light?
0:35:49 > 0:35:54The electrons are actually produced at the start of the linear accelerator right here,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57in something very much like an old television tube.
0:35:57 > 0:36:01And they're created at about walking pace and then they're accelerated
0:36:01 > 0:36:04into the booster synchrotron,
0:36:04 > 0:36:11and there, their energy's ramped up from 100 mega electron volts up to 3 giga electron volts
0:36:11 > 0:36:15and then they're at their full energy and they're injected into storage ring
0:36:15 > 0:36:20which is the heart of the synchrotron, and it's here that we produce the X-rays for the users.
0:36:20 > 0:36:25And it's these X-rays that scientists want to use for their experiments.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28The X-rays are fed into one of the experimental stations
0:36:28 > 0:36:33where scientists, ranging from cell biologists to metallurgists, can make use of them.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38But just how did Jim and his team go about designing and building such a complex machine?
0:36:38 > 0:36:42The challenge for me as head of engineering, was to recruit a team
0:36:42 > 0:36:47of now 50 engineers, designers, surveyors and technicians
0:36:47 > 0:36:52who all together have been involved with designing this facility
0:36:52 > 0:36:54and getting it built and making sure it works.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59As engineers we have to talk to the scientists
0:36:59 > 0:37:01to get a definition of what it is that they want.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06And then we have to be able to produce designs that means we can manufacture it in a practical way,
0:37:06 > 0:37:10because the physicists and scientists always want perfection.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14But there is a reason they want this perfection.
0:37:14 > 0:37:20The electron beam that we use is very small. It's about 10 microns high, the thickness of
0:37:20 > 0:37:26a piece of cling film, and it's about 120 microns wide, which is sort of two thicknesses of paper.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30So we have to control the position of the electron beam really tightly
0:37:30 > 0:37:33so that we're sure that we don't miss any of our samples.
0:37:34 > 0:37:38So thousands of tonnes of heavy engineering had to be installed
0:37:38 > 0:37:41and aligned to an accuracy of less than the width of a human hair.
0:37:41 > 0:37:46An amazing feat of precision engineering.
0:37:46 > 0:37:49The next challenge they faced was to devise a way of creating
0:37:49 > 0:37:56a vacuum in the synchrotron so that these electrons could circulate close to the speed of light.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59This is a part of a vacuum section.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01Now, inside here we contain the electron beam.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04The vacuum inside here has to be as good as it is in outer space
0:38:04 > 0:38:08to allow the electrons to move freely inside the storage ring.
0:38:08 > 0:38:12To create the vacuum inside here we use mechanical pumps.
0:38:12 > 0:38:14They suck about 99% of the air out.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17The molecules that are left are really hard to push out.
0:38:17 > 0:38:21So, then we need to bake the system out to drive off those final last molecules.
0:38:21 > 0:38:27They do this by placing the vacuum vessel in a special oven and baking it.
0:38:28 > 0:38:32And once this is done they have to install it without contaminating it.
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Just one fingerprint could ruin the vacuum.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41Electrons circulate in this vacuum tube around this storage ring,
0:38:41 > 0:38:46and as the electrons circulate, we can work on it with magnets,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50such that the electrons give up some of their energy,
0:38:50 > 0:38:57which leaks out as photons and is conveyed then to the beamlines to do science with.
0:38:57 > 0:39:04The photons are pulses of X-rays and the magnets that produce them are incredibly powerful.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07And just to demonstrate how strong these magnets are,
0:39:07 > 0:39:12this is an aluminium ruler which normally is non-magnetic,
0:39:12 > 0:39:16but if I put it up against these magnets,
0:39:16 > 0:39:21the magnets are strong enough to create tiny magnetic fields inside of the aluminium
0:39:21 > 0:39:26that actually turns it into something slightly magnetic when it's in that field.
0:39:26 > 0:39:33By adjusting the magnetic field that the electron beam passes through, the scientists can produce photons
0:39:33 > 0:39:38at the wavelength of light they need for their experiments.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41This light is directed into an experimental station
0:39:41 > 0:39:46where it hits the sample, to reveal the structure deep within it.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49The properties of materials are determined at the nanoscale.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54We can study properties at that nanoscale and by doing so,
0:39:54 > 0:39:59improve materials, invent new ones and make a better world for ourselves.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02The synchrotron is a real feat of engineering.
0:40:02 > 0:40:08I particularly enjoyed watching it go from a building site to being a wonderfully working machine.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11You're at the cutting edge of science and technology.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15The experiments these guys are using this equipment for is absolutely amazing,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19so to be part of the team, to help build this is pretty outstanding.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21It's been an incredible project to work on.
0:40:21 > 0:40:26And what more does an engineer want than something interesting and exciting to build
0:40:26 > 0:40:29and the money to do it and great people to work with?
0:40:43 > 0:40:48Forecasts suggest that by 2030 CO2 emissions from aviation will account
0:40:48 > 0:40:52for a quarter of the UK's total contribution to climate change.
0:40:52 > 0:40:58The challenge is to find cleaner, more efficient, more environmentally friendly aero engines
0:40:58 > 0:41:02and it's the materials that make up these engines that will be crucial.
0:41:02 > 0:41:06This is a Trent 900. It's got thousands of different components in it,
0:41:06 > 0:41:08it's an amazing engine.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11At maximum take-off conditions, in the centre of the engine
0:41:11 > 0:41:14when you burn fuel, there'll be temperatures of over 1,000 degrees centigrade
0:41:14 > 0:41:17and every component in this engine works very hard for a living.
0:41:17 > 0:41:23As a materials engineer at Rolls-Royce my challenge is to make the materials in this engine
0:41:23 > 0:41:27stronger, lighter, allowing the engine to be more efficient.
0:41:28 > 0:41:34So, on this quest, Rolls-Royce collaborate with engineers and scientists from all over the world,
0:41:34 > 0:41:38including a team from the University of Oxford.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43This machine here is called an X-ray diffractometer.
0:41:43 > 0:41:49It allows us to study the deformation behaviour of small samples like this
0:41:49 > 0:41:54but it can only penetrate the very shallow skin layer of these samples
0:41:54 > 0:41:57and in order to be able to go deeper
0:41:57 > 0:42:01and learn more about how the deformation of these materials happens
0:42:01 > 0:42:02and how their strength develops,
0:42:02 > 0:42:08we need to go to a much more powerful device which is called the synchrotron.
0:42:10 > 0:42:15The synchrotron uses intense X-ray light to look deep inside materials.
0:42:15 > 0:42:18It can reveal the grains that make up a metal.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21It's these grains and how they are affected under stress
0:42:21 > 0:42:25that determines the strength of a component.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29We need to look at the individual grains
0:42:29 > 0:42:35from which this metal is composed because the interesting damage processes happen at that scale.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39I've been preparing this little nickel sample.
0:42:39 > 0:42:44So this bit of material could come from one of the skins in this casing.
0:42:47 > 0:42:52The synchrotron generates a number of X-ray beams that are sent down
0:42:52 > 0:42:55in to an experimental station, or beamline.
0:42:55 > 0:43:00This is where the scientists and engineers can access the X-rays to use in their experiments.
0:43:00 > 0:43:07To build up a map of the sample we rest the sample across the beam.
0:43:07 > 0:43:09Whilst we're looking at it with the X-ray beam,
0:43:09 > 0:43:17we will deform it and then map the deformation and the stresses and the strains within the sample.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20So the beam gets delivered to this pinhole, which then hits the sample
0:43:20 > 0:43:23- and scatters it to the detector. - That's it, that's it.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28The sample will sit under this X-ray light for five days,
0:43:28 > 0:43:33and each microscopic change will be recorded and analysed.
0:43:34 > 0:43:38On here you can see a number of spots.
0:43:38 > 0:43:43Each of these spots hopefully tells us about the deformation that grain has experienced,
0:43:43 > 0:43:47the stresses, strains, the rotation
0:43:47 > 0:43:52and everything that we really need to know to be able to compare it to our models.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55It assigns numbers to each spot.
0:43:55 > 0:43:59Up until now, the models used to build components are based on predictions
0:43:59 > 0:44:05but if they can base them on real evidence, then they can design better routes of manufacturing
0:44:05 > 0:44:07to make the metal itself stronger.
0:44:07 > 0:44:15What we've just seen here is really that your deformation occurs differently in different grains
0:44:15 > 0:44:19and that's exactly what we want to show with this experiment,
0:44:19 > 0:44:22and it's just very exciting to actually see it
0:44:22 > 0:44:26visually in this sort of way. You normally wouldn't see this.
0:44:26 > 0:44:33With the synchrotron we can find out what the strains and stresses in each of the grains are
0:44:33 > 0:44:38and we can improve our models which will then go into building
0:44:38 > 0:44:44predictions for more complex structures like bits of aero engines.
0:44:44 > 0:44:50I think the next decade will be the most exciting in material science since the 1950s.
0:44:50 > 0:44:57These new tools, new modelling techniques and we've never had these range of opportunities before us.
0:44:58 > 0:45:03And the next opportunity will be the ability to look at not just small samples using the synchrotron,
0:45:03 > 0:45:06but real, life-size components.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10What we've done is we've built a dedicated beamline to support
0:45:10 > 0:45:12the engineering community of the UK
0:45:12 > 0:45:15and you can see that here as it's currently under construction.
0:45:15 > 0:45:18This beamline is called JEEP,
0:45:18 > 0:45:22which stands for the Joint Engineering, Environmental and Process beamline.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26The purpose of the beamline is to be able to take full-size pieces of commercial
0:45:26 > 0:45:28or industrial equipment, for example aircraft.
0:45:28 > 0:45:35The new JEEP experimental station will be really special because it has a big laboratory,
0:45:35 > 0:45:38which is large enough for us to drive a lorry into
0:45:38 > 0:45:44and deliver really large objects, which have been subjected to real in-service loading,
0:45:44 > 0:45:49and we can try and reach the holy grail of this whole activity which is to be able to
0:45:49 > 0:45:54look at a piece of metal and to be able to say, "Is it still safe or is it no longer safe?"
0:45:54 > 0:45:58The understanding grows and with that becomes a more knowledgeable community
0:45:58 > 0:46:01and so things become slicker, cheaper, leaner, if you like,
0:46:01 > 0:46:05but also fundamentally safer and that's always a big thing in engineering.
0:46:07 > 0:46:10We'll be able to make the materials stronger, make them lighter
0:46:10 > 0:46:14and therefore our engines will be more environmentally friendly and more reliable.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20This is a huge opportunity for all engineers working in this field.
0:46:20 > 0:46:28It brings us closer to finding out some of nature's secrets that until then have been hidden,
0:46:28 > 0:46:33and I can not think of many things in life that one can do that are more exciting than that.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50We tend to associate engineering with huge projects such as building bridges and skyscrapers,
0:46:50 > 0:46:55developing the latest transport systems and civil projects.
0:46:55 > 0:46:59But there's a whole other world of engineering out there.
0:46:59 > 0:47:05Here in Los Angeles there's a group of engineers who see themselves more as artists.
0:47:05 > 0:47:11They design the biggest and most breathtaking water features in the world,
0:47:11 > 0:47:13fountains which pulse and sway to music.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19The great thing about this is we never do the same thing twice.
0:47:19 > 0:47:23We're always challenged to do something nobody's ever done before.
0:47:23 > 0:47:24That's why I love this job!
0:47:26 > 0:47:29And this is where they've assembled their latest creation,
0:47:29 > 0:47:36amongst the glitz of Las Vegas, where every hotel is seeking to outshine its neighbour.
0:47:38 > 0:47:44The newly-completed Volcano at the Mirage Hotel is no ordinary fountain.
0:47:45 > 0:47:52It spews a mixture of fire and water high into the air, simulating the fall of molten lava down its sides,
0:47:52 > 0:47:57and belches streams of fire safely to within metres of the audience.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59It was warm!
0:48:00 > 0:48:04The main challenge on the Volcano was always going to be getting fire
0:48:04 > 0:48:10to work alongside its sworn enemy, water. So how did they solve it?
0:48:10 > 0:48:15It's by far the largest and most complex fire feature in the world.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19In the Volcano show we use water as our lava
0:48:19 > 0:48:22so on the top of the volcano when you see the eruption
0:48:22 > 0:48:27and you see the lava shooting into the air, that's actually just water with lots and lots of light,
0:48:27 > 0:48:32and then we have what we call fire shooters, actually most of them live underwater.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36They don't actually shoot their fire from underwater, but they
0:48:36 > 0:48:40pop their heads up to do the show, shoot fireballs and go back to sleep under the water.
0:48:44 > 0:48:51Some of the effects are generated from inside the volcano, using a range of different technologies.
0:48:51 > 0:48:56What we've got here are the crag effects that what you see from the front of the mountain,
0:48:56 > 0:48:59we actually shine a series of light through this
0:48:59 > 0:49:03and mix the light in such a way that it looks like molten lava
0:49:03 > 0:49:05from the other side of the volcano.
0:49:05 > 0:49:07We've got gas lines running down through there,
0:49:07 > 0:49:13we have the fire effect, we have the fog system that emanates from the crags. So this is the heart of it.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20The Volcano is now working and having the desired effect on the crowds.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26It was really awesome!
0:49:26 > 0:49:28It's a marvellous display.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30It's absolutely amazing.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31Great, way cool, yeah!
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Engineering technologies march relentlessly on and back in their lab
0:49:38 > 0:49:43they must stay at least two steps ahead of the game, and they love it.
0:49:43 > 0:49:46This is a giant playground for the engineers.
0:49:46 > 0:49:52The only way to really find out about our top-secret technologies is to work here.
0:49:52 > 0:49:56If you actually look at the engineering business, it is a creative business.
0:49:56 > 0:50:02A good engineer is a very creative person, and we seek out the people that understand that in themselves
0:50:02 > 0:50:04and that's the beauty of engineering here.
0:50:04 > 0:50:10Nobody is assumed to be a follower of the rules,
0:50:10 > 0:50:14everybody here is expected to break the rules, create new rules.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23When I was little I used to tinker a lot with radios that broke down
0:50:23 > 0:50:25or toasters or something like that,
0:50:25 > 0:50:27I'd just take them apart and try and fix them.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30Usually it didn't work, but sometimes it did,
0:50:30 > 0:50:35so I tried mechanical engineering, it was easy for me, it was fun.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39All my teachers were great and that's how I got into engineering.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42I think this is like the dream engineering job.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45Sometimes we gotta create something from absolutely nothing
0:50:45 > 0:50:48and it's very interesting and a great company to work for.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52I'm lucky to do it straight out of college for sure.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56Every day something comes up that tests me.
0:50:56 > 0:50:57I'm never bored here.
0:50:57 > 0:51:02I think that's what I enjoy most - never just sitting back on what you've done before.
0:51:02 > 0:51:08Every single day here we ask ourselves to step up again and to create something new
0:51:08 > 0:51:11and that's why I find this to be the perfect job.
0:51:22 > 0:51:24I think, basically,
0:51:24 > 0:51:27what engineers in the entertainment business do, is we build dreams.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30We build other people's dreams.
0:51:30 > 0:51:34They tell us what they want, and we try to bring that dream to reality.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42I deal a lot with theme park rides.
0:51:42 > 0:51:49We take concrete, steel, boring old, cold steel, wire all the bits and pieces you see around you
0:51:49 > 0:51:55and build something somebody has never ridden. Something they've never seen before in their life.
0:51:55 > 0:51:59There's lots of new exciting things happening in engineering in theme parks.
0:51:59 > 0:52:04Old roller coasters used to have a chain that would pull you to the top of the first drop, the first hill.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07You'd go clunk-clunk-clunk all the way up and you knew it was coming.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10But now they use an electromagnetic launch on roller coasters
0:52:10 > 0:52:14where you just sit in the roller coaster going very slowly and all of a sudden
0:52:14 > 0:52:18you're shot up to the top of the hill, and you go on your ride.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27Acceleration is important to us because from Newton laws of motion
0:52:27 > 0:52:31we know that you can't have acceleration without a force.
0:52:32 > 0:52:38So we examine the acceleration to see what kind of force is acting on you and the roller coaster.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45Essentially a roller coaster is being pushed down a hill.
0:52:45 > 0:52:48You're up at the top of the hill, you get pushed down.
0:52:48 > 0:52:51But if it's only a simple drop, it's not very interesting,
0:52:51 > 0:52:53so we put in a series of drops. So let's draw that.
0:52:59 > 0:53:04What we want to know is, when it's down at the bottom here, how fast is it going?
0:53:04 > 0:53:08Because what your body is telling you to do, is it's saying go straight.
0:53:08 > 0:53:13The roller coaster is saying, no, I'm going to take you up the hill. That means it's got to push on you.
0:53:13 > 0:53:16Is it pushing on you too hard, will it hurt you?
0:53:16 > 0:53:19Oh no, we're going to the top of this hill and we're still going fast!
0:53:19 > 0:53:21And we want to go like this,
0:53:21 > 0:53:24but the roller coaster says, no, you're gonna go like that!
0:53:24 > 0:53:28If we don't have something to hold us in the roller coaster, we're going to be shot out.
0:53:28 > 0:53:33So we want to make sure you have a safe and comfortable restraint that keeps you in the roller coaster.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43What we have here is a fairly simple mock-up.
0:53:43 > 0:53:46You can see that there is four seating positions, they're abreast.
0:53:46 > 0:53:49And they have a type of restraint that's on here.
0:53:49 > 0:53:54This is fairly simple, very quick to do, but you gain a lot of information from these very simple mock-ups.
0:53:57 > 0:54:00I'm constantly inspired by the engineering that's around me.
0:54:00 > 0:54:06Engineering has so many paths, and it's an unlimited area as far as where you want to go.
0:54:09 > 0:54:14One of the things I'm most proud of was when I was working for Walt Disney Imagineering,
0:54:14 > 0:54:18we built the ABC Times Square Studio and it's got this beautiful, large,
0:54:18 > 0:54:22wrap-around sign that goes from 44th Street all the way around to Broadway.
0:54:22 > 0:54:27Not only do millions of people get to see it, but as a thank you at the end of the project,
0:54:27 > 0:54:31they put our name up in lights, on that sign, so I've had my name up in lights on Broadway!
0:54:31 > 0:54:33And not everybody can say that!
0:54:46 > 0:54:52A Formula 1 racing car is an example of precision engineering at its best.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55The cars are built from scratch every season,
0:54:55 > 0:55:00and here at Williams the race is on to develop the car for 2009.
0:55:02 > 0:55:06Working in this environment, you're always working at the cutting edge.
0:55:06 > 0:55:11It's a great thing to be able to do the very best engineering
0:55:11 > 0:55:15for the sake of doing the very best engineering, and the competition spurs that on.
0:55:16 > 0:55:21This year's tremendously exciting because of the huge regulation changes that are taking place,
0:55:21 > 0:55:27and whenever that happens in the sport, it's an opportunity to stand on the ability of your engineers.
0:55:29 > 0:55:35The cars have to meet a set of rules which govern how they're built, and every year, those rules change.
0:55:35 > 0:55:39In 2009 the changes are massive.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44The cars' aerodynamics, the tyres, the engines -
0:55:44 > 0:55:49all have been rethought to make racing more competitive and increase overtaking.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55Perhaps the most radical innovation is intended to make racing more exciting
0:55:55 > 0:55:59and make the cars more environmentally friendly at the same time.
0:55:59 > 0:56:01It's a system called KERS.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05KERS stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems
0:56:05 > 0:56:11and it's basically about trying to use some of the braking energy when you slow down the car,
0:56:11 > 0:56:18extracting that energy from the car, storing it somewhere and then using that energy to accelerate the car.
0:56:18 > 0:56:23The energy from braking is used to generate electricity, which is then stored,
0:56:23 > 0:56:27either in a battery, or by spinning a mechanical flywheel.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30This energy can then be converted back to electrical energy
0:56:30 > 0:56:35and used to drive an electric motor to create a power boost when it's needed.
0:56:35 > 0:56:41The energy in the KERS will allow you to release about 80 brake horsepower
0:56:41 > 0:56:44when the driver presses a button on the steering wheel.
0:56:44 > 0:56:50That energy is significant in terms of allowing overtaking moves to take place, so it will be very interesting
0:56:50 > 0:56:55to see when one driver uses his KERS system against another.
0:56:55 > 0:56:57But as with many developments in Formula 1,
0:56:57 > 0:57:02KERS could eventually find uses outside the world of racing.
0:57:02 > 0:57:07There is a very wide potential range of applications of those technologies
0:57:07 > 0:57:09once you have efficient units developed.
0:57:09 > 0:57:16Similar systems apply to road cars or trams or trains, but there are many other examples.
0:57:16 > 0:57:18The energy in a lift, for example.
0:57:18 > 0:57:22When a lift descends it's got the potential to generate a lot of energy
0:57:22 > 0:57:25from the gravity that's working on the lift.
0:57:25 > 0:57:28So that can be used to generate energy which
0:57:28 > 0:57:31can be stored somewhere to help the lift go up the next time it goes up.
0:57:33 > 0:57:36The engineers here will now need to develop KERS
0:57:36 > 0:57:40as fast as possible to gain an advantage over the other teams.
0:57:44 > 0:57:47My job is a lot of fun and it's a challenge every day.
0:57:47 > 0:57:53If you work in the normal car industry you design parts for a year or two until they get on the car,
0:57:53 > 0:57:55and here it sometimes take only a week.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59When I first started here and my first parts were actually fitted to the car
0:57:59 > 0:58:03and I knew they were racing I was really worried in case something breaks.
0:58:03 > 0:58:06You watch the race and think, "Oh my God, I hope it doesn't break!"
0:58:06 > 0:58:13I like designing parts and calculating that they work, and I like to look into detail,
0:58:13 > 0:58:18I like opening stuff and knowing how they work, how the mechanics work and I love that.
0:58:18 > 0:58:24I think the thing about engineering is not to underestimate what a creative subject it is.
0:58:24 > 0:58:27Engineering is a fantastic career.
0:58:27 > 0:58:31It offers you the opportunity to develop new technologies on a daily basis.
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