Bomb Robots & High-Tech Security - Cool Stuff: How It Works - S01 EP06 - Science Documentary
foreign [Music] getting big bangs under control for entertainment and for survival it's got a clear box on the front steps homeland security has two new recruits on a machine that can smell catastrophe before it happens it's detecting whether you have been in contact with explosives and a robot with the meanest water pistol you've ever seen I'm Steve truick so I'm not feeling any heat and I want to know how it works I'll be riding the Leading Edge of innovation pulling apart Today's Hottest Technologies and presenting them in ways you'd never imagined a journey into the Hidden World of cool stuff [Applause] [Music] it might just be a box of tools or fishing tackle then again it might not 248 Zoo either way suspicious unattended packages like this are reason enough to clear airports shopping malls or even whole neighborhoods but while most humans are evacuated from the potential Blast Zone one team is doing just the opposite they're coming in for a closer look looks like a clear box on the front steps with an orange wire coming out of the top but the men from the Massachusetts bomb squad dare not get too close in the past they would have been forced to risk their lives inching ever closer to a device that could detonate at any moment but these days this is as close as any of them ever needs to get to that front porch and it's all thanks to a brave machine [Music] meet the talent one of the toughest most useful robots ever to serve on the front line by using an unmanned robot it's down there it's it's efficient it's fast and it it's going to say Save Our Lives faster than a running Soldier more agile than your average SUV strong enough to push through snow or Rubble [Music] and equipped with a vice-like grip the Talon can work up to a half a mile ahead of the man jiggling its joystick on the operator control unit the brains of the robots where we operate it from it allows us to control the the arms the cameras it's Mobility the basic battery-powered model weighs less than 100 pounds and most of that weight is pure Cutting Edge technology the Talon's first job is reconnaissance that means it has to get up close and personal no matter the terrain these six inch tracks do that job nicely and they do it fast too with a top speed of 7.8 feet per second [Music] once it's reached the objective a two-way microphone and four built-in cameras help give the team a heads up on exactly what they're dealing with the zoom camera can be remotely adjusted and on a split screen the team can view images from all four cameras at once and three infrared cameras on the gripper the elbow and the rear mean the Talon can see in the dark it's a feature that's already saved lives one of the times that we we had an opportunity to use it was for a barricaded subject inside of a house it was about two in the morning it was completely black power had been cut off to the house and the infrared cameras were just unbelievable it was brighter than the noontime on a sunny day but the Talon's Prime purpose is destroying bombs and it's had plenty of practice [Music] early versions were used in Bosnia but these shockproof weather resistant robots really earned their stripes in Iraq in 2006 the Talon safely destroyed 155 roadside explosives there but the robots didn't Escape unscathed more than 100 of them were blown up in the line of duty and still the Talon Force couldn't be stopped within 72 hours they were repaired and back on the job the best feeling about Reckoning the town is when you can have a soldier come up to you or just a bomb Tech civilian bomb Tech and shake your hand and say thank you because it saved their life back in the suburbs this Talent is prepped to blow our suspect package to Kingdom Come the armed reconnaissance version can easily be fitted with a machine gun or rifle today the ammunition is being loaded from a drinking bottle today we chose water based on the package that we're attempting to render safe but don't be fooled this is no Kitty's water pistol water molecules are by Nature densely packed so when you squeeze them they push back hard highly compressed water packs a truly fearsome punch propelled by a blank shotgun cartridge water is just as fast and just as forbidding as a real bullet don't believe me then watch this Charming three two one [Music] at 1500 feet per second the water bullet obliterates the package and there's good reason to choose cool water over hot lead once water hits the target its kinetic energy is quickly spent lashes harmlessly away Sparks no ricochets no shrapnel and no collateral damage to people or property that it's our number one goal is to protect lives and property diffusing bombs might be one of the world's most dangerous jobs but thanks to tough technology and a go anywhere attitude for the Talon it's all in a day's work on September 11 2001 air travel changed forever airport security had to become Ultra vigilant we passengers had to become Ultra patient wouldn't it be great if security could instantly see what these passengers have been up to if they could detect explosive molecules as quickly and easily as this narcotics Hound sniffs out drugs well guess what they can you're about to step inside the entry scan the high-tech bomb sniffer that's making flying safer an airport lens shorter when we're trying to do two things simultaneously increase security and also reduce the cycle time make it more convenient a better experience for the passenger coming through the checkpoint security officers routinely test luggage for explosives anything from TNT to semtex to C4 now this walkthrough gate gives people a similar chemical frisk there's no physical contact and the whole process takes just 15 seconds it's a portal that you actually walk through so rather than detecting what's in your bag that may be explosive in nature is detecting whether you have been in contact with explosives as any fan of crime shows knows all our actions leave a Trace tiny molecules stick to our skin hair and clothes telling a tale of where we've been and what we've been doing and if your recent activities happen to include a little bomb making the entry scan is going to know about it once inside the portal your body's natural Heat Signature makes molecules rise puffs of air encourage this upward air current called a convection plume and directed towards the detector the way it does that is to Puff you with air and it dislodges particles from the clothing and then the heat from the body creates a natural convection plume so the particles rise to the top where we have a detector tiny particles like skin cells perfume and those of a more Sinister nature are sucked up into the scanning system and that's where things get really interesting the air sample is trapped and filtered then suspect particles are ionized in a strong electrical field it's now that this clever device turns into a subatomic speed trap heavy ions fly slowly and lighter ones much faster by clocking the flight time of the molecules the entry scan can ID them if it spots a trace element that comes from explosives you're busted but come up clean and you're through the line in less time than it takes to shed your shoes and belt it's amazing that after being puffed with air and just sampling you know small particles you know whether or not somebody has been in contact with with explosives the entry scan might not be putting sniffer dogs out of a job yet but considering this electronic nose can detect a larger range of scents including drugs perhaps it's only a matter of time [Applause] installed in airports in 19 countries these portals are already making Skies safer all over the world and for travelers like us a 15 second trip Into The Cutting Edge world of molecular physics offers peace of mind and a breath of fresh air all right fireworks they were invented in China over a thousand years ago and it wasn't long before they were bursting in the skies all over the world the Chinese actually discovered was the explosive mix of sulfur charcoal and potassium nitrate we call it gunpowder and we all know where that Discovery LED [Music] but while gunpowder has created weapons to be feared also responsible for shows like this spectacles that have been filling us with wonderful Generations [Music] just filled me with one how the heck do these things work [Applause] to find out I'm headed to Radford Virginia and a facility owned by America's first family of fireworks the grew cheese open your safety equipment okay we'll have to suit you up we're at feature Hill stats that go in your shoes yeah why are we doing that this is to protect you from any static electricity it makes your shoes conductive so you won't have any static in your body when you go into the bay okay they timely reminder that even covered with snow this whole work site is highly combustible [Music] this is the base where okay I'll introduce you to Kelly hi Kelly how are you Kelly's job is to assemble the aerial burst fireworks for a show next week in New York City what are these what are these pieces this is the shell casing and we're going to prime it with black powder okay we're going to put the bottom on which has the time fuse building a modern firework like this one is a highly refined art the way the wrapper and you'll find a finely tuned device a plastic capsule contains a mixture of gunpowder and chemicals like those on ahead of a match are arranged in a star shape like this they'll make a huge star in the sky when they explode firework is assembled exactly right the payoff is spectacular oh let's rewind for a closer look what fires first is the lift charge its job is to get the firework off the ground and into the air where it can be seen as the rocket ascends the fuse Burns too if timed right the flame will reach the main capsule just as the rocket hits the peak of its trajectory now comes the first ignition of the payload charge red Sparks mean it's a charge made from strontium the burst is so the particles are starting to slow down from their supersonic speed finally there's a spray of blue flame created from copper compounds time it's done a tiny two inch charge has spread itself over 250 feet of the night sky all in less than a second getting the fuse and the lift charge balanced is the most critical part of Kelly's work if the timing's off the payload could ignite too close to the ground not a good idea if there are spectators around which is why we're off to the test zone now it's ready to go excellent let's set it off okay all right cool at last it's time to blow stuff up to check that crucial timing up close Kelly tethers a firework the days of burning fuses are long gone today it's all done with wires what the experts call an electric match once it's all set we head to the bunker so we're going to go around here and do you want to actually fire this one yeah absolutely okay foreign okay if you cut the master power on all right three two one the lift charge blew first then off with the payload two second delay is what gives fireworks that aren't tied down time to reach the peak of their trajectory it's worked near the ground so it's time to send one skyworth you load it down into the mortar the mortars contain and direct the blast from the lift charge hopefully straight up this is a practical test of the fuses so the charges aren't packed to create a pretty light show fire it may not be spectacular but as far as timing goes our trial is a success that was great I love being right here and seeing it but I do need to keep my distance our thermal camera shows the lift charge as dark red that means it's burning at up to a thousand degrees once in the air the Sparks cool quickly explosive energy is spent and the show is over how fun is the job that you have it is it's a great I really like it there's no mistaking New York's Chinatown on Chinese New Year suspects are in full flight dragons the drums the dance troops and of course Nightfall when the street parades are all done no Chinese New Year celebrations would be complete without fireworks in nearby Columbus Park pyrotechnic preparations are already underway for weeks at the grocery fireworks Factory in Radford Virginia each explosive device has been painstakingly assembled it's a Precision job the right mix of chemical elements to produce the desired burst of pyrotechnic color enough gunpowder to propel the firework to the correct altitude a fuse that will ignite the payload at exactly the right moment that's and a package that will make the precise explosive pattern we've seen so far has been leading up to this moment you're about to see Chinese New Year Gucci Style [Music] it's a daunting operation a full mile of cable connects 400 launch tubes to a single firing panel [Music] as director of operations Chris carlino needs to get it right the first time there are no second takes I mean it looks like a lot of spaghetti around here but obviously there's a method to your Madness absolutely what's the design the design for the audience they were going to show them three posts they're going to be fired so we're going to try to create a wall of pyrotechnics there is every chance something could go wrong it's probably the most critical the way it's wired that they're in series and what that means is each device is wired to the other one to the other one so if one wire breaks we can lose the entire effect at least we know there'll be no computer malfunctions tonight because there are no computers while some pyro technicians use high-tech software to run shows like this Chris prefers the human touch how do you know the timing of it so far we have a script that is created back at our facility that'll tell them what to fire what gets wired to what Cube and what time that Q is firing oh I see down to the minute down to the second so we'll have a stopwatch you're doing it old school that's right I love it that's right that's great [Applause] [Music] hours later we're ready for launch [Music] Now The Spectators probably aren't thinking about the delicate balance of lift charge and payload or about the complex chemical reactions that make Vivid colors appear in thin air but after 1200 years the fireworks still have the power to Thrill even in front of a crowd of jaded New Yorkers and a big kid from LA [Applause] unbelievable I mean we saw them make this we found out how it stayed faster than setting it up but nothing was as beautiful as watching it that was amazing explosives have come a long way since the first firework was launched and so has the technology we've designed to protect ourselves from life's big bangs see you next time on cool stuff thank you [Music] [Applause]
2023-11-12 20:14
