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00:00Around the world, the race to win wars and explore the universe has created some of the most incredible products ever designed.
00:09And we use them every day, unaware of their amazing origins.
00:14On Incredible Inventions
00:16The Computer, developed by World War II military engineers, but so simple, even a child can use it.
00:24The Frisbee, how a Pi-10 is transformed by a fighter pilot.
00:30Silverware, how useful tools and weapons are adapted for dining.
00:37We reveal the amazing history and engineering behind these incredible inventions.
01:00Computers have become such an everyday part of our world, it's difficult to believe that, just 50 years ago, they were only available to a select few.
01:10And their calculating power was just a fraction of today's simplest cell phones.
01:15But it's important to understand that the word computer has a different popular meaning today than it does over half a century ago.
01:26The word computer is first introduced in the 17th century and literally means one who computes.
01:33In other words, makes calculations.
01:35Mechanical computing machines come into existence as early as the 19th century.
01:41But electronic devices we know today don't emerge until World War II.
01:48That's when Alan Turing and his team at the secret Bletchley Park decoding site in England is tasked with decoding the German Enigma machine to gain an edge in the Atlantic against Hitler's U-boats.
02:00He was probably the first person to realize that by setting up a machine would be able to combat or produce something which would produce the results which would equal far many more brains, etc.
02:15So in a way, this was the origins of the first computer.
02:19This leads to the development of the Colossus, the world's first programmable electronic computer.
02:25It can decipher even the most complex codes, keeping the Allies one step ahead of the Nazis.
02:33Fast forward 50 years and sit in front of any computer or laptop.
02:38You probably take for granted the incredible power behind microprocessors buzzing inside the device.
02:45Microprocessor technology means that credit card sized computers can now be produced with a processing power thousands of times better than those used in the war.
02:54And thousands of times cheaper, too.
02:58These advancements are perfectly highlighted by the British made Raspberry Pi, a single board computer created to teach basic computer science in schools.
03:10What makes the Raspberry Pi computer so unique is its simplicity, which means they can be produced rapidly.
03:17Amazingly, one Raspberry Pi is built every 7.5 seconds.
03:24The idea behind the production process is simple.
03:29To attach components to a printed circuit board, or PCB for short, with solder in order to create a mechanical and electrically conducted joint.
03:36The PCBs are mounted on a panel of six Raspberry Pis.
03:43This ensures minimal contact when handling and provides a waste edge around the boards that the machines can use to clamp the panel firmly into place.
03:52The bar laminate PCBs are screen printed with solder paste using 100 micron stencil.
03:59When the stencil is removed, tiny prints of solder are left on the board.
04:04The machine performs an automated optical check immediately after the printing via a grayscale comparator.
04:11If any prints are missing, the piece can be easily removed and the PCB reprinted.
04:18After the printer has been verified, the boards are moved into an SMT mounting machine, where the surface mount components of the Pi are added.
04:27SMT stands for Surface Mount Technology and is a method for producing electronic circuits.
04:33Each of the tiny parts are in pockets on the reel of tape.
04:38A vacuum nozzle picks them, then spins round and places them on the PCB.
04:45Once the parts have been placed, everything must be soldered into position.
04:49This is done in an air flow oven, which bakes the boards and heats the tiny balls of solder to fuse them to the component, the PCB, and each other.
05:02Another automatic optical inspection is now carried out.
05:05High resolution cameras check the PCBs and are then moved into another SMT line, where the process is repeated on the other side of the boards.
05:14After one more journey into the air flow oven and another optical inspection, it is now time for the boards to be moved onto the hand mounting line.
05:26Here, all the larger through-hole components are delicately added by hand to the Raspberry Pi's PCB.
05:33They include USB and Ethernet sockets.
05:39The boards are then passed through a wave soldering machine, where the components are permanently soldered to the board.
05:45This multi-lava-looking solder is heated and passed under the board in waves of metallic liquid.
05:52The height of the wave is carefully managed to ensure a quality joint.
05:56Great skill and expert judgment are needed to get this exactly right.
06:00With this done, the Pi's are fully assembled and ready for manual inspection.
06:06This takes about 30 seconds per board.
06:10The boards are then passed over to the test station, where the Pi's are tested using in-house developed custom testing equipment.
06:17Here, the boards are broken out of the panel and placed onto the testing unit.
06:22Each station has two units that are used for loading and unloading, and the other is used to run the test and also program the various setup codes, including the model number and place of origin.
06:35I think Raspberry Pi is a good example of where computers are going.
06:38Computers are becoming cheaper, computers are becoming smaller, computers are consuming less power.
06:43The interesting thing about Raspberry Pi 2, which we just launched and which is about six times as powerful as the original Raspberry Pi,
06:49is that it actually crosses over that line into being a usable, general-purpose PC.
06:53You can imagine buying one of these instead of a PC to be the machine that you have at home to surf the web or check email or watch videos on.
07:01Every Raspberry Pi is placed into an anti-static bag, along with the customer's specific packaging.
07:08And the finished computers are sent off to be distributed to the growing millions of users around the globe.
07:13From the complex world of computing to the simple pleasures of a classic American toy, when we return.
07:22The big outdoors, open spaces, contact with nature, socializing with others.
07:40We have always loved to spend time in beaches, parks and woods with outdoor games developed for our entertainment.
07:46One of those games has been hugely popular since the end of World War II.
07:52Inspired by a baking tool, designed in a prison cell and enjoyed by millions of beach and park goers everywhere.
07:59This is the Frisbee.
08:04This wonderful invention actually starts life as an improvised play thing.
08:08Students at Yale took the Frisbees of the Frisbee Pie Company.
08:12They were being thrown around the campus and yelling Frisbee in order to have fun.
08:17It wasn't really commercialized, it was just simply the use of a tin.
08:21In 1938, the commercialization of the Frisbee begins when a young American named Fred Morrison and his wife-to-be Lucille are offered 25 cents for a cake pan that they are throwing back and forth at a beach in Santa Monica, California.
08:35At the time, the cake pan costs only 5 cents.
08:41The fact that people were willing to pay 25 cents for it got Fred Morrison to thinking.
08:47But it's during World War II that the idea for the Frisbee really takes flight.
08:52Fred Morrison finds himself piloting P-47s during the Allies' advance through Italy, but he is shot down.
08:58Although he survives, he is taken prisoner of war.
09:00With plenty of time on his hands, Morrison puts his knowledge of aerodynamics to work by dreaming up the perfect flying disc.
09:07When the war ends, Morrison returns home to the U.S. and develops several prototypes of what we know to be the Frisbee before producing them in 1948.
09:16So, how does the Frisbee actually work?
09:19A Frisbee uses the same aerodynamic principles as an aircraft wing to achieve lift, which is the force that allows the disc to fly.
09:30Because of the Frisbee's curved shape and rim, the airflow above it must travel at a higher speed than that underneath, which creates low pressure above and high pressure below the disc.
09:41The air rushing over the top is a lower pressure, and it's actually sucked up by that.
09:45But it's also, because it's been sucked up, the air underneath, which is of a higher pressure, is pushing the Frisbee upwards.
09:51But that is not the whole story.
09:53The secret to the Frisbee's success is the spinning action.
09:57The more the spin, the better it will fly.
09:59A Frisbee will fly best with the leading edge slightly raised in relation to the ground.
10:04This is called the angle of attack.
10:06Simply put, the greater the angle of attack, the greater the lift generated.
10:10But there is a trade-off.
10:12The greater the angle of attack, the more drag the object will create, so eventually it won't be able to fly.
10:18This is called a store.
10:21The forces of drag, lift, and gravity do not all act consistently on the center of the Frisbee, which would mean a wobbly path and flight.
10:29Launching the disc with a large spin creates gyroscopic inertia.
10:34This overcomes the inconsistent forces and stabilizes the Frisbee in flight.
10:39The greater the spin, the more stable the disc, and the better it flies.
10:44In 1957, Morrison sells the rights to the flying disc to Wham-O.
10:49And in June of that year, the disc is renamed the Frisbee.
10:52Hugely popular among young people, it's not long before official Frisbee events pop up all over America.
11:02And Wham-O releases the official Pro Frisbee model.
11:06The flying disc, or Frisbee, is still one of the most popular outdoor activities today.
11:11There is even a World Flying Disc Federation responsible for the Organization of the World Championships.
11:16Its worldwide appeal has even brought it to the attention of the International Olympic Committee.
11:23So, it might be only a matter of time before the cake pan-inspired invention is an official part of the Olympic Games.
11:30Now that's an incredible invention.
11:35Coming up next, how to make your flying projectile from ordinary household items.
11:46So, is the Frisbee the only unusually shaped gyroscopically stable flying projectile?
12:00No, and you can make one yourself out of household garbage.
12:04To begin, take an empty one liter plastic bottle, making sure it has perfectly straight sides.
12:09Next, we need to make a template to create five fins for our discarded flyer.
12:13Take a piece of paper large enough to wrap around the bottle.
12:17Mark up the paper into five evenly spaced sections and fold them into a concertina.
12:22The fin needs to be a series of nice smooth curves.
12:26So, after making the center point and a line about an inch from the top of each section, sketch a curve so that when the paper unfolds, each curve blends into the next.
12:35Now, carefully cut through all five sections to reveal a template of five fins.
12:40Wrap the template around the bottle and use a pen to mark the shape into the plastic.
12:46Now, take a pair of scissors and cut out your flyer to reveal your perfect fins and cover the bottle to complete the shape.
12:54Now, the tricky part. Take off your template and go around the leading edge, gently pinching the plastic to create a half-inch lip.
13:04Start slowly at first and then press down until you have a definitive fold.
13:10Reinforce this lip with pieces of duct tape.
13:15You should now have a rigid circular edge.
13:18Your Duracycle Plastic Bottle Frisbee Challenger is now ready, but will it work?
13:22Like a Frisbee, throw technique is all-important, with the secret being to add a nice spinning action on the throw.
13:33And there you go.
13:35With a front profile that affords low air resistance and spinning sides generating lift and gyroscopic stability in a similar way to the Frisbee, we really have taken recycling to a new level.
13:45Whether it be carving the Sunday roast or the turkey at Thanksgiving, we all need the proper utensils.
13:53These simple, everyday implements have defined and refined the way we eat our meals.
13:58Cutlery has its origins in Europe, and it is shaped by the kinds of foods eaten there.
14:03Europe has certainly been one of the centers of cutlery in its predominance within society, basically because the kind of food we eat warrants the use of cutlery.
14:12We've traditionally always eaten a lot of large pieces of whole meat, whole vegetables.
14:18Whereas in other cultures where they chop it down, it's slightly finer, you think of things like how the meat is prepared in China, where it's kind of broken down into fibers and stuff.
14:25This can be picked up quite easily with chopsticks.
14:28The European diet has always warranted the use of a knife and a fork and a spoon.
14:33But the basic design we recognize today took some time to achieve.
14:39When we return, the fascinating history of silverware and the secrets of how it's made.
14:44In 1912, as World War I approaches in Europe, the British government actively searches for better quality materials to use inside their gun barrels.
15:05Constant exposure to high temperatures means that the existing gun barrels erode quickly.
15:09A British inventor named Harry Brearley has the answer.
15:14He creates a metal that, as a byproduct, changes the face of cutlery production.
15:19What Brearley does is to increase the amount of chromium in steel composition.
15:24Unlike ordinary mined steel, the chromium steel mix forms a bonded, protected layer of chromium oxide on the surface that prevents oxygen penetrating it and forming corrosion.
15:34The metal Brearley develops is called stainless steel.
15:38Did you know that the fork and knife you use has such a complex past and that today everyone uses them differently?
15:44In America, your fork will be in your left hand and your knife will be in your right hand.
15:49Once you've cut the meat with your knife, you'll place the knife away and then swap the fork to the right hand to eat.
15:55In Europe, it's the other way around. We keep our fork in our left hand, our knife in our right hand the whole way.
16:01Where we put it down on the plate, that's the indication that we've finished eating.
16:05Whereas the Americans will put it at like a 10 to 2 angle.
16:10Dining etiquette becomes even more important as going out to eat becomes more popular.
16:14When restaurants became predominant, there needed to be some kind of code.
16:18You know, if you're an aristocrat sat in a salon restaurant in Paris, you don't want to speak to that waiter or that maitre d'.
16:24The way you position your knives and forks on the plate tells the waiter, I'm still eating, I'm not eating, take it away or it was rubbish.
16:31So cutlery is kind of the unspoken language of the restaurant.
16:34So the next time you are out for a meal, take a long hard look at your fork and spoon.
16:40And before you dig in, remember you have gun design to thank for its creation.
16:47Liberty Tabletop has been making cutlery in Sherrill, New York since 2005.
16:52Sherrill, New York is pretty much in the geographic center of New York State.
16:57We try to source as much of our raw materials, supplies, packaging, everything that we can in the United States.
17:04We require that our steel is melted here.
17:07It's the only cutlery producer in North America producing approximately 30,000 pieces every week.
17:13Depending on the complexity of the piece, it can take anywhere from two to four weeks to go from start to finish through the factory.
17:28A 2,000 pound coil of stainless steel is hoisted onto a machine via a forklift truck.
17:34The flat steel sheet is fed into the blanking press, where the steel is cut into rough shapes.
17:42Those blanks can actually be rolled and cut into different shapes, which would make forks and spoons of different outlines.
17:52The blanking press takes one second to produce each blank, which can then be made into spoons or forks.
18:01The blanks are sent to a rolling mill, where they are stretched out between two hardened steel rolls.
18:06The rolls have a specific precision ground profile so that the balls of the spoons and the prongs of the fork will be thinner than the handles.
18:16It's actually sort of a similar process to rolling out pie dung.
18:21You roll it out so that you can cut out the cut-out cookies, for example.
18:24So that's essentially what we do in that part of the process.
18:28After the blanks pass through the rolls, they automatically fall into a punch press, where they are cut into an outline shape.
18:34Next, the pieces are put into an ealing furnace, which softens up the metal to enable further stamping and shaping.
18:45The furnace heats the metal to a temperature of 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit.
18:50The forks and spoons are now put through a coining press, where the patterns are stamped into the handles.
19:05They are then fed into another coining press, where the ball of the spoon or the prongs of the fork are bent into the correct shape.
19:12We bend the bowl or the fork tines.
19:15It's basically the pieces looks just like a fork or spoon that you would use, except it's not polished.
19:24All items are then polished in a series of shanking and edging machines.
19:29Three shanking machines progressively grind and polish the shank area.
19:33That's the part of the cutlery where the ball and handle meet.
19:39Now they go through an edging machine, where the handles are also ground and polished.
19:46In the final process, the cutlery is buffed to a mirror finish.
19:52We start with the bowl, move on to the handle, and then we go back to the bowl again, using two types of buffing compound.
20:03One is a roughing compound that smooths the surface, and then the final buffing compound, liquid paste, very fine grain.
20:09Then the piece comes out. I think it looks like a piece of jewelry.
20:14Finally, the cutlery is inspected and individually wrapped for delivery.
20:18We have actually 100% inspection of all of our flatware.
20:22We look at it one at a time, and we wipe it by hand without using any harsh chemicals.
20:28We just wipe the compound off, put it in a bag, and it's ready to go to the customer.
20:31Silverware, truly an incredible invention.
20:40So there you have it, a glance through the hidden history and super science of some amazing products that you use every day.
20:46The computer, the frisbee, and silverware.
20:53They may seem common and ordinary, however, these products help change the world one incredible invention at a time.
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