:00:00. > :00:33.You don't have to go far in the US to realise that everything is far.
:00:34. > :00:35.It is one of the countries where driving
:00:36. > :00:41.for hours is the norm, and internal flights are just a thing you do.
:00:42. > :00:45.Today, I will see the beginnings of a brand-new mode of transport that
:00:46. > :00:56.In the Nevada desert just outside Las Vegas,
:00:57. > :01:03.a secure site, a cabin, and 20 lengths of metal tube -
:01:04. > :01:06.tube that may one day propel you from Los Angeles to San Francisco
:01:07. > :01:24.It is an idea originally proposed in 2013 by the boss of SpaceX,
:01:25. > :01:28.A network of tubes carrying high-speed carrier
:01:29. > :01:36.Realising perhaps it was too massive a job for him alone,
:01:37. > :01:40.and invited engineering teams from around the world to conduct
:01:41. > :01:46.their own research and pursue their own Hyperloop solutions.
:01:47. > :01:49.Hyperloop Technologies is one of the teams that has risen to
:01:50. > :02:02.the challenge, and it is led by rocket scientist Brogan BamBrogan.
:02:03. > :02:07.It is obviously still in the very early stages, but if all goes well,
:02:08. > :02:10.the 58 acres of desert on this site will see some pretty spectacular
:02:11. > :02:21.The reason we are at this site is we will be running
:02:22. > :02:33.We will have a mile and a half where we will dump up to 8 megawatts
:02:34. > :02:36.of power into a custom-built propulsion linear electric motor,
:02:37. > :02:42.so we will eventually be going from zero up to 550 kilometres per hour.
:02:43. > :03:03.When the vehicle goes through, there will not be much space.
:03:04. > :03:12.It is a completely new network of transportation.
:03:13. > :03:19.I think the only thing that is odd is that
:03:20. > :03:31.people of our generation have not seen a new form of transportation.
:03:32. > :03:34.It is because of the technology and the time is now.
:03:35. > :03:40.Brogan seems pumped about the idea, but it just seems so radical,
:03:41. > :03:44.It is hard to imagine it ever happening.
:03:45. > :03:46.To find out more, we have been to Hyperloop's
:03:47. > :03:57.In the hipster heart of downtown Los Angeles, designers and engineers
:03:58. > :04:02.are building, testing and trying to perfect technologies which will
:04:03. > :04:07.propel pressurised pods capable of carrying passengers and freight at
:04:08. > :04:11.speeds of up to 700 miles an hour in low-pressure tubes.
:04:12. > :04:14.The pods will float on air with electromagnetic motors inside
:04:15. > :04:31.It is a very Los Angeles engineering office.
:04:32. > :04:36.This team here is working on the propulsion system.
:04:37. > :04:39.This team is working on the pod design.
:04:40. > :04:42.Some of the team here are working on the robotic welding.
:04:43. > :04:44.This is where the engineering occurs.
:04:45. > :04:47.This is where we will be constructing the actual pods, and
:04:48. > :04:51.this building right now is actually going to be ready in a month.
:04:52. > :04:55.That is the start of a long list of challenges this project faces
:04:56. > :05:03.Would people really want to get inside a vacuum tube and be
:05:04. > :05:16.The cost of putting anything on stilts is expensive, and the thought
:05:17. > :05:20.of building that across California sounds very expensive to me.
:05:21. > :05:23.Whether this will actually see the light of day,
:05:24. > :05:30.While Hyperloop Technologies is concerned with making
:05:31. > :05:35.their kit work, this new form of transport faces struggles
:05:36. > :05:45.With the pods travelling so fast, how will they slow down
:05:46. > :05:51.There are questions about whether that is doable or not
:05:52. > :05:58.given the time you would need to accelerate
:05:59. > :06:04.up to 700 miles an hour and then back down again.
:06:05. > :06:08.You will have to have a lot of gap between the different pods
:06:09. > :06:17.Whether you can get the through-pod of people.
:06:18. > :06:20.There are a set of challenges for this to overcome
:06:21. > :06:24.Even though their test facility is still being constructed in Nevada,
:06:25. > :06:27.the team here think they will have a working prototype later this year.
:06:28. > :06:29.There is a lot of scepticism surrounding the Hyperloop
:06:30. > :06:32.technology, but the engineers and designers in that building over
:06:33. > :06:35.there are people who have worked on spacecraft, and they have a genuine
:06:36. > :06:38.belief that the work they are doing here will change
:06:39. > :06:55.Here in Vegas this week there were many companies showing
:06:56. > :06:57.their latest robot creations which they claim will improve
:06:58. > :07:05.Now, inevitably that includes being our Facebook companions.
:07:06. > :07:07.-- Now, inevitably that includes being our faithful companions.
:07:08. > :07:10.There's been so much hype in this area we thought it was time
:07:11. > :07:13.we tested out the possibilities with someone who could do with
:07:14. > :07:19.I've just picked up a very special delivery.
:07:20. > :07:51.A robot which mimics some characteristics of a real cat.
:07:52. > :07:55.It costs $100, about ?70, and for that you get a cat which moves,
:07:56. > :08:03.and even purrs when you interact with it.
:08:04. > :08:06.We have a number of sensors and animatronics to make this
:08:07. > :08:11.apparently act the way a real cat does.
:08:12. > :08:15.On its back there is a sensor, that works.
:08:16. > :08:21.I can stroke his cheeks and it will make him very happy.
:08:22. > :08:23.There's a light sensor on his head which means
:08:24. > :08:26.when it goes dark he knows it's dark as well
:08:27. > :08:34.It's aimed at people who want company, who may not be able
:08:35. > :08:36.or allowed to look after a real pet.
:08:37. > :08:41.We don't think this is a replacement for a pet,
:08:42. > :08:43.but we've tried to create this interactive companion
:08:44. > :08:44.that is familiar and has characteristics
:08:45. > :09:00.But the real test for this kind of device is if they can really
:09:01. > :09:04.recreate what it feels like to have a real pet sat on your lap.
:09:05. > :09:10.So I dropped into Lake Park, a senior care home in California.
:09:11. > :09:30.I'm feeling cat-deprived right now because my cat died one year ago
:09:31. > :09:37.and, for various reasons, I haven't thought I could get another one yet.
:09:38. > :09:46.I've had cats for many years and this is very nice.
:09:47. > :10:00.After a while I think the novelty would wear off.
:10:01. > :10:05.It's not just Hasbro experimenting with robotic companion technology.
:10:06. > :10:11.It's now being used to treat patients all over the world,
:10:12. > :10:16.Its makers believe robots can stimulate the brain,
:10:17. > :10:21.helping to deal with things like dementia and Alzheimer's.
:10:22. > :10:23.But, unlike the $100 Hasbro cat, PARO costs around $5,000,
:10:24. > :10:32.PARO has good stimulations to the human brain.
:10:33. > :10:49.Alan proved a welcome addition to the residents at Lake Park
:10:50. > :10:51.and Hasbro intends to release more products aimed at companionship
:10:52. > :11:12.However, he wasn't universally popular.
:11:13. > :11:20.That is it for the short version of Click. The long version is available
:11:21. > :11:24.on our player. We are heading to San Francisco for owl programme next
:11:25. > :11:32.week, which is about 8.5 hours' drive. Or a 1.5 hour flight from the
:11:33. > :11:33.airport. I know which one eye and choosing. Follow us on Twitter
:11:34. > :11:38.throughout the week. Goodbye.