Prototype This

Saturday March 28 at 7.30pm on SBS

On Saturday March 28 at 7.30pm, join the inventors of Prototype This as they attempt to find a cure for road rage. Road rage is the cause of over twelve thousand automobile accidents each year.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US, sixty six percent of traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving. That figure is enough incentive for the team of inventors to create an automobile that will prevent driving, if it senses the driver is becoming agitated and aggressive.

In order to do this, the automobile itself must be able to sense tension from the driver, so with the help of scientists at Emotiv Engineering, the inventors began to research the concept of biofeedback technology. Biofeedback technology is a system of electromagnetic circuits that is wired to brainwaves and connected to several sensory areas throughout the body. Once connected, the technology records the levels of perspiration on the fingertips, heart rate and breathing patterns and presents the data for analysis.

After finding the technology they needed to decipher stress and tension, the Prototype This team had to figure out a way in which this info could trigger the engine and transmission of a car. The car and the readings must be connected on a similar electronic frequency so they could work in parallel.

With the help of several electronic engineers, computer coding the system was the easiest solution, and after hours of laborious work, the connection between the biofeedback technology and automobile was complete.

To test the success of this prototype, the team of inventors decides to let loose and have themselves a demolition derby. Each inventor was actually controlling the automobile from a virtual pseudo car on the side of the track, but would the cars stop using their emotion?

Saturday March 21 at 7:30pm on SBS

New Series

On Saturday March 21 at 7.30pm, the Prototype This gang attempt what could be their most challenging assignment all season. In this episode, the team set out to revolutionise modern day lifesaving. According to the US Lifesaving Association, sixty to eighty percent of beaches are unguarded, with many people swimming at their own risk. This week, the guys aim to provide the coasts with lifesaving security that does not require an actual lifeguard to be present.

The first step was brainstorming ideas for getting a lifesaving device out to a swimmer in distress. Immediately, the team came up with two ideas. The first is a remote controlled plane that flies high over the water with an eight foot wingspan, and has the ability to carry up to three times its own weight. The second idea was to construct an air cannon that could use air pressure to fire the inflatable lifesaving device out over the water.

But things are not as easy as they seem, and almost immediately problems began to surface. It seemed the electronically programmed plane was having issues taking off with the amount of weight attached to it. Adding length to the runway, and attaching a rather large rocket for momentum seemed to correct the problem.

As for the cannon, battling the wind to get a consistent landing estimate was no easy task because the cannon sought the exact location and had to change its coordinates to reach its target. It seemed the barrel was throwing off the precise landing by moving slightly in either direction. Once again, the inventors put their skills together to program the cannon to remain completely still during firing

After watching the US Coast Guard show off their lifesaving skills with pin-point accuracy, the inventors were ready to try out their new inventions. After all tests are completed and every kink in the system has been completely ironed out, the team sends out a swimmer for a mock rescue with the GPS location device strapped comfortably to his arm.

Could an electronically programmed air cannon and a rocket propelled airplane delivering a flotation device really save a life?

Saturday March 14 at 7.30pm on SBS

On Saturday March 14 at 7.30pm the brilliant scientific minds of the Prototype This team are at it again. In episode 4, the guys are on a quest to create a personal airbag that will sense when you start to fall, and automatically inflate, keeping you safe from injury on impact.

Statistically a person has a 50% chance of surviving a fall over thirty feet in height. By combining their skills, the Prototype This team hope to increase the odds of survival by creating a mobile personal air bag.

The team created their first prototype using a standard car airbag attached to the chest of a dummy. When deployed, the power of the air pressure inside the bags was enough to blow the dummy into several pieces before it had even hit the ground! The test, although unsuccessful, provided a good starting point for the teams’ research

To get a better idea of the complexities of creating the prototype, the team visited engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion center, who were able to share their knowledge on the importance of air pressure, airbag venting and the potential safety risks involved in the deployment of the bag.

Taking on board the advice of the NASA engineers, the only thing that looked certain was that more testing was definitely needed! With the help of a local trapeze artist, the team decided to time the freefall from a height of 30 feet in order to gather data that would allow them to program the automatic deployment function of the airbag.

Next was the construction of the airbag, which was made of thick nylon and stitching that would allow ventilation. With the final pieces in place, all that was left was to prepare the stuntman, get the team of safety personnel in place, and take a step forward off the 30ft high platform!

Saturday February 28 at 7.30pm on SBS

In a warehouse on an island in San Francisco Bay, a team of engineers and PhD’s are inventing the future one prototype at a time.

From finding solutions to today’s problems, to conceiving cool machines that are just fun to have around, the Prototype This crew imagines and then invents the future by using emerging technologies to build the craziest, one-of-a-kind prototypes of tomorrow.

Each week the team, made of Joe Grand (Electronics and Circuit Design), Terry Sandin (Animatronics and Fabrications) Zoz Brooks (Robotics and Computing Systems) and Mike North (Materials and Mechanical Engineering) show off their zany brilliance, hi-tech wizardry and give us a look at some of the latest tools and gadgets that may change the way we live in the world.

Episode 2 – Traffic Busting Truck

Saturday February 28 at 7.30pm

The boys take on the challenge of building a car that will beat the LA traffic. The team combines Omni directional wheels, pneumatics, steel legs and an innovative control system to create a vehicle that will literally lift itself over the traffic ahead. And as an added bonus, the lift also gives the car the capability to find a parking spot like nothing else on wheels!

Prototype This is a 13 part science-based series created by the team behind Mythbusters. It will look into the viability of gadgets and technology seen in science-fiction movies.

Another series, Cool Stuff: How it works is also being planned by the same Sydney-based Beyond Productions team. This 4 part series will look at modern marvels and how they work.

See more.