05x09 - Walking on Water

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this episode
of "mythbusters"...

Hah!

...we unravel the secret world

Of ancient martial arts masters
the ninja...

Come, silent walrus.
Let us storm the castle.

...as adam and jamie attempt
to walk on water...

...snatch
a speeding arrow...

That's perfect.

...shadow warrior style...

Robohand.

...and stop
a lethal samurai sword...

...with their bare hands.

Master!
He hit me in the head!

Narrator:
who are the mythbusters?

Adam savage...

Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!

...and jamie hyneman.

It's almost too exciting.

Between them, more than 30 years
of special-effects experience.

Cue dramatic music.

Joining them --
kari byron...

That's gonna be so cool!

...grant imahara...

Listen to that baby purr!

...and tory belleci.

Paramedics
are nowhere to be found.

They don't just tell
the myths.

They put them to the test.

--[Font color="#ffff00"] captions by vitac[/font] --
[font color="#00ffff"]www.vitac.com[/font]

Captions paid for by
discovery communications

Well, it looks like you finally
got your dream show, adam.

It's a whole episode
devoted to ninjas.

I know.
It is so cool!

You can jump around,
make cat noises and karate chops

And all sorts
of adolescent behavior,

Like we know
you love to do.

I am so psyched
about this one.

And so you want to go change
into your outfit, too, now?

What makes you think
I have a ninja costume?

I don't know.
Something tells me.

Let's look
at some stock footage first.

[ Gong sounds ]

Narrator:
the origin of legendary
japanese warriors, the ninja,

Is shrouded in mystery.

It's believed they were peasants

Who developed unorthodox
combat techniques

To defend themselves against
the powerful samurai class.

Their skills were
so extraordinary,

They were reputed to border
on being supernatural.

So, what do we got?

Well, jamie-san,

We are going to be testing
ninjas' agility, strength,

Reflexes, and weaponry

By putting their supposed
"mythical skills"

To the test
of modern science.

You mean like
catching an arrow?

Exactly.
And there's walking on water.

What about the build team?

They're gonna test
whether you can stop a sword

With only your bare hands.

Oh. Maybe we should start
by trying to find a real ninja.

Absolutely.

Let's go.

Narrator: fortunately,
modern-day ninjas

Aren't concerned
about being covert,

And the guys find
the bujinkan dojo

In san francisco
listed in the yellow pages.

Okay, so let's play with that
to start with.

Narrator:
chief instructor dale seago

Has been teaching
feudal battle skills here

For more than 20 years.

Hi, dale.

Oh, hi.

Hey, dale,
good to see you.

So, this is
ninja training going on?

Yeah, well, this is our military
close-quarters combat stuff

For japan's reunification
civil w*r period,

So, like, 1600 a.d.
And before.

Really,
the stuff that we do

Is based on timing, positioning,
tactics, and psychology,

Rather than speed
and power.

I was hoping
you'd just show us, like,

What a ninja would do
if I tried to attack them.

[ Chuckles ]
okay.

Narrator:
is now the time to tell adam

Dale is 15th dan
and there is no 16?

Hopefully,
adam won't get hurt too badly.

A little bit is good.

Just do whatever.

[ Chuckling ] okay.

Ooh.

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: adam hits the mat
in record time.

If I was to do it
so that I locked him up...

[ Laughs ]

As he falls, dale gives adam
some pointers on the way down

With the famed
ninja throwing star.

I wasn't actually using
the point, just this.

But it would -- see?

Ripping out here, right?
Ow.

Then we took him down.

I had it here, too.

Right in the back?
That's good.

Right where you fell down,
I was ripping across here.

And he came down at a point

Where he actually was landing
on it like this

On the back of his neck.

That's pretty efficient.

Narrator: adam -- and jamie --
has enjoyed his schooling

In the art
of the shadow warrior.

Will you come back
to our shop

And do some of this
on high-speed camera for us?

Yeah, I'd be glad to.
Awesome.

Okay, I'm done.

Narrator: it's back to the lair
to test their three ninja myths,

Beginning with the tale
of "running on water."

Well, barring any
"magical" powers,

Which we can't really test
on this show,

Ninjas definitely didn't just
walk on water.

But they might have had
some help.

Our researchers have turned up
a thing called "mizugumo."

So I'm gonna build
a set of these

And see how effective they are.

Narrator: mizugumo, meaning
"water spider" in japanese,

Were flat wooden disks
that ninjas strap to their feet.

The theory is,
the wide surface area

Distributed their weight evenly
on the surface of the water

So they didn't sink.

So what kind of wood would
a ninja cobbler have used?

Adam: I've got some pine-based
light density fiberboard here.

It's pretty much perfect
for our uses,

So I'm gonna use this as our
stand-in for the mizugumo wood.

Narrator: adam measures and cuts
out two circles of pine board.

Then he slices each of them
into four separate pieces.

That's good.

Narrator: one by one,

He stains the sections
with a brown pigment

And painstakingly
sands them back.

Paint on, paint off.

Such is the mysterious way
of the former movie prop maker,

Who, for no particular reason,

Wants his water shoes
to look worn in.

Looks a bit like old wood now.

Narrator: lastly, he places
a rectangular block

In the middle of each circle

And secures the pieces together
using twine.

It's an ancient jigsaw

That makes for a puzzling pair
of footwear.

I didn't expect it
to fold like that.

But I wonder if that's not
actually part of its function.

Narrator:
jimmy choo can rest easy,

But these replica ninja shoes
may just float like boats.

I can't wait to see
how these work.

All right, we know ninjas have
speed and quick reaction time.

This myth is about strength.

Ideas.

A ninja's being attacked
by a swordsman,

Swordsman's coming to swing
at his head,

Ninja catches the blade
in his hands

Without cutting his hands,
without being chopped in half.

You mean like this?

[ Grunting ]

Ow!
Ohh!

h* h* h*! You're not
supposed to let go of it.

That's precisely why we're not
starting with real swords.

Narrator: precisely.

The team learned just how
dangerous real swords can be

In a previous myth
when they built a...

Decapitation hazard,
everybody.

Narrator: ...pneumatically
powered mechanical device

That could whip around

With the same force
and precision...

Flying blades
are not good.

...as a samurai
with a point to prove.

I guess it's time to dust off
the old sword-swinging rig.

I think we're gonna
have to turn it on its side,

'Cause I think it's
more like a head swing,

And maybe calibrate it
to human speed.

Cool. So, which one of us
is gonna catch it?

Not me.

People say
I'm not that quick.

[ Laughter ]

All right, well, maybe we should
make a sword-catching rig --

Maybe two hands
that come together like that,

And we'll calibrate it
to human force.

Sweet.

Sweet.
This is gonna be so much fun.

Narrator: first,
they need to make fake hands

To attach to their rig.

Kari: we're gonna try to
make some hands that are
as flat as possible

So that we will have
as much surface area as possible

To be able to catch that sword.

Narrator: so, who will be
the appendage model?

How about your hand?

I think we should use
belleci's hands.

More surface area.

Hoo!

[ Both grunting ]

How many weeks am I gonna have
to sit through watching
you guys play ninja?

As long it takes for us
to finish this one.

[ Both grunting ]

Narrator: kari gets to work

And mixes up a batch of alginate
to make molds.

[ Grunts ]

Kari: you're holding your hands
flat like this?

Tory: no.
I got something else going on.

I got a surprise for you guys.
You're gonna love it.

Sweet.

Narrator: after 20 minutes,
the gel is set...

Little higher?

...and tory can break free.

Nice.
Looks good.

Meanwhile, grant's brought
our ninja's nemesis,

The samurai sword-swinging rig,
out of storage

And has started
putting it back together.

Grant: the basic idea
behind this is

Big air ram
pulls on the chain.

The chain is wound
around the shaft.

As it pulls, spins the shaft,

Sword swings -- whoosh!
Really quickly.

Narrator: representing
our aristocratic samurai warrior

Is a pricey reproduction
japanese sword.

Representing our ninja peasant
is a humble ballistics-gel head.

Like it?
Looks good, homeboy.

Narrator: they align the blade

So it sweeps in a downward
motion between the arms.

If the hands miss,

It'll get caught right here
in the skull.

Love it.
That's great.

Kari has made multiple
ballistics wax reproductions

From tory's hand molds,

And slots are first set
into the rig.

Now we can also get that
applause we always wanted.

Hmm. "Mythbusters"
with a live audience.

Yay!

[ Applause ]

I like it.

Perfect.

Narrator: the belief

That some people possess
the ability to walk on water

Has been around for centuries.

So why not the mythical ninja?

[ Laughs ]

Adam and jamie arrive at
the bamboo reef dive center

To try out their replica
feudal foot floaties.

Can we use your pool
for our water shoes?

You bet.
Go for it.

Cool.
Thanks.

Narrator: adam vanishes...

Into the ladies room.

[ Toilet flushes ]

And just like magic...

Hah!

[ Laughs ]

These are my special device
for storming the castle,

Walking across the water.

All right, then.

Narrator:
they may look unfathomable...

Tie my feet in
within an inch of their lives.

...but these flat wooden disks
were modeled on an exact replica

Of japanese
feudal times footwear.

When we started looking

Into whether ninjas
could walk on water,

The first piece we came up with

Is a museum piece
called the mizugumo,

Supposedly for water walking.

I'm about to find out.

Narrator: being pre-velcro,

Jamie's nautical knot-tying
skills are a big help.

Adam:
not many people know this,

But jamie comes from
an ancient line

Of nine generations
of shoe tiers.

Come, silent walrus.
Let us storm the castle.

I will don my safety gear.

Adam dons
his padded suit...

Hah!

...and psychs himself up
for the challenge.

The pool waters are as still
as glass, and all is quiet.

It is time for ninja savage
to stride forward

And walk across its surface.

Oh, uh!

[ Spits ]

The first step
seemed kind of promising.

Narrator:
"promising" may be a stretch.

In order for it to be called
"walking on water,"

There needs to be
more than one step.

But ninjas are no quitters,

So adam has another tactic
to try.

To me, it seems like
it's all gonna be a function

Of my ability to move my feet
crazy fast, like a cartoon...

Which might be possible.

Yah!

Narrator:
despite his increased momentum,

The shoes still weren't able
to support adam's weight.

But it was comical.

Adam: I believe that the moment
I hit the water,

I was sinking in the water.

These may have slowed
my descent,

But that's really the best
that can be said for them.

Narrator: looks like adam's
ninja turtle aspirations

Are all washed up.

Adam:
I don't know about you,

But these seem
a little cumbersome to me.

Yeah, I don't think you're going
anywhere on water

With those things.

The important thing is
that I look damn good.

Well, it turns out
the mizugumos

Were never really intended
for walking on water.

They were more for, like,
rice paddies or mudflats,

And they probably
worked okay.

Kind of like snowshoes.

Exactly.

However, ninjas also
were not at all above

Trying to encourage the belief
in their supernatural powers.

Ah, right.
The masters of misinformation.

I've heard
they would do things

Like place posts
underneath the water

As they were escaping
a shogun castle

To make it look like
they were walking on water.

They wanted people to fear
their magical powers.

Exactly.

Narrator: the mizugumo shoes
may have sunk like the titanic,

But the guys might just rescue
this myth yet.

Could ninjas stop speeding
swords with their bare hands?

To find out, the team
is building a mechanical device

That's part
sword-swinging samurai

And part sword-catching ninja.

Kari: that looks good.

Narrator:
to calibrate it to move

With realistic
human strength and speed,

They need to do some tests.

Grant hangs a force plate
on a c-stand

That represents the blade
the ninja must catch.

The force of the ninja's hands
will be set

To the person
with the greatest strength.

And do it
like your life depends on it.

Thanks for that motivation,
grant.

Go!

Go.

Go.

Narrator:
and with a mighty firm smack,

Peaking at 1,000 newtons,

The most determined
to stay in one piece is...

The pain.
...grant.

The pain
from the initial hit.

There you go.

You're all
full of newtons.

You are full of newtons.

Yeah, fig newtons,
maybe.

Narrator: the team sets up
for their next test...

To determine the speed
of the sword swipe.

Take this sword,

Throw it down as hard
as you can on the ninja,

And we'll see
who's the fastest.

Don't think of it
as a competition...

But it is.

Your kung fu is no good!

Narrator: suddenly,
adam ambushes the trio.

It was a classic ninja move.

Tory steps up
to take the first swing.

[ Laughter ]

Master!
He hit me in the head!

You teach him a lesson!

Narrator: warning...

Sword blows to the cranium
may cause headaches.

Next, will adam's attempt
have more of an edge?

Master savage
sword-swinging trial, take one.

[ Laughs ]

Wow!

Look at that!

Narrator:
ninja's cool black stalker wear

Is getting shredded.

Finally, it's grant's turn.

Grant: the ninja
must go to the bathroom

Before he swings his sword.

Narrator: he hasn't looked
this incensed

Since "star trek" was canceled.

Master imahara,
sword-swinging test, take one!

Adam: nice.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: they compare
their times on the high speed,

And, once again,
grant aces the test.

How many frames is that?

That is 24 frames
and 96 milliseconds.

Nice work.

Way to go,
benchmark.

Thank you.

I think
it was the face.

That's about


Our young grasshoppers

Have learned much of the way
of the ninja.

[ Japanese accent ] oh!

You have graduated
to the next level.

[ Gong sounds, ninja shouts ]

Next up
in our ninja myths...

Can you catch an arrow
with your bare hands?

How are we gonna do that?

Well, I figure, we should take
some of our arrows downstairs,

And you can sh**t them
at me,

And I'll just try
and catch them.

So, you'd actually let me
sh**t an arrow at you

With a bow and arrow?

Amazingly, yes.

All right.

Narrator: legend has it

That a ninja could do this
dexterous trick with ease.

So jamie and adam want to get
a feel for it themselves.

I'm gonna string a regular bow

And set up an arrow
with a tennis ball on it

And sh**t it at adam,

Or at least
off to the side of adam.

We'll put adam
in a protective suit

In case I either get frisky
or miss.

Narrator:
jamie is an experienced archer,

And even though he's not using
a real arrowhead,

This is not something
to try at home.

Adam:
he's gonna be sh**ting

From over there
into this garbage can.

I'm gonna be standing here,

We'll catch it
on high-speed camera,

See how fast I can
actually catch this arrow.

Narrator: jamie marks out
notches on the shaft.

The further he pulls back,
the faster the rod will travel.

Oh...
Whoosh!

All right,
I'm ready if you are.

You want to start slow?

Yep.

Narrator: jamie starts out
at mark one.



[ Laughs ]

Narrator: the arrow
eludes adam's grasp.

I don't have enough time
to anticipate.

By the time you let go,
I've moved.

Narrator: still at mark one,

This time, adam tries to move
in sync with the arrow.

Hey!

Good job.

I anticipated when you were
just about to do it,

And I just started moving,
and we worked --

It's like working together.

Narrator:
it's a beautiful thing.

Next, jamie ups the ante
to mark three.

But the arrow
keeps sailing on by.

Has the guys' unified martial
arts magic peaked already?

Got it!

Narrator: even though
adam's form was impressive,

The speed was lacking.

Their tennis-ball projectile was
traveling at 58 miles an hour,

A third of the speed
of a real arrow.

We got a couple of things here
that are throwing this off.

For one thing, this is, what,
twice or three times as heavy

As a normal arrow would be

Because of that thing
on the end of it?

I really think

That we need to figure out
some other solution.

Narrator: to test this myth
at a true-to-life rate,

The guys have to bounce around
a new strategy.

Back over at m7,

The team has finished putting

Their mechanical sword-catching
rig together.

Now, to set it to move
at a real-life rate.

Grant: we don't want it
to be superhuman,

And we don't want
it to be subhuman.

We want it to be
whatever a person could do,

And then we'll be ready
to try and catch a sword.

Calibration first test
at 100 psi.

In 3, 2, 1.

That's good!
Yeah!

Yeah.

Narrator: the speed and force
of the ninja's arms

Was exactly the same
as grant's best time,

But the replay reveals something
undetectable to the naked eye.

There's a bounce-back

Which could let that sword
get right through there.

Narrator:
as the hands hit together,

They bounce off each other
and jiggle like jello,

Opening up
an unforeseen headache.

The force is causing them
to bounce away.

It's allowing a gap,
which is gonna allow the sword

To go right through
and bury into the guy's head.

What I'm thinking
is maybe what we'd do

Is put some kind of latch

So that when the hands come
together, it keeps them there.

And it's not adding
any more pressure.

All it's doing is
keeping the hands together

Like you would be able to do
if you were using your muscles.

Narrator: he attaches
two kickstands to the arms

That will fall and lock
into ratchets

And fastens pneumatic rams
on either side of the hands.

Tory: this thing's starting
to look like a monster.

Pretty soon,
you're not gonna recognize it.

Narrator: but it's function,
not form that counts.

Here we go in 3, 2, 1.

It looked nice
and sturdy and stable.

Grant: yeah.

Narrator: they check it out
frame by frame.

Stay together.
Come on.

Stay together!

Yeah!

[ Laughs ]

Baby!

That's it.

Now, all we have to do
is catch a sword.

[ Laughs ]

That should be easy.

Narrator: with their rig set
to human speed and pressure,

Grant adds a final touch that
will trigger the entire system.

Grant:
when the arm passes through,

It actually activates
the hands clapping.

Narrator: let the re-creation
of the battle

Between the two ancient
warrior classes begin.

[ Gong sounds ]

In 3, 2, 1!

[ Cheering ]

That's what
I'm talking about!

Narrator: high five.

It seems our mechanical ninja
thwarted the flash

Of samurai slicing steel
straightaway.

Or are we jumping
to conclusions?

My guess is, is it bounced off
the table

And then shot back up
into the hands.

So you got it
on the rebound!

Narrator: and everybody knows

Being caught on the rebound
doesn't count.

Oh, that's so sad.

I was, like, shocked
that we actually caught it.

I'm like,
"how is it that easy?"

Narrator: so true,

But moving on
is the best remedy.

Grant adjusts the timer so
the hands will trigger sooner.

Hopefully this time
the adjustment will get it

So that the hands clap
right on the sword.

All right.



He stopped it...
With his head.

Dude!
Look how deep that went!

It's all the way down
to his eyebrow.

Whoa. That will definitely
split your skull.

Narrator: the hands
slammed shut quicker,

But not quick enough.

Ohh!
We just missed it!

Okay.

We just need to pull it back
just a hair.

Just a hair.

Narrator: so they tweak
the timer just a hair.

Ninja sword-catching rig
in 3, 2, 1.

Whoa!

That looked good.

It looked right.

It looked really good.

Narrator: this time,
the sword comes to a stop,

But only because the hands
closed a fraction too early,

And the blade got stuck
in the ballistics material.

We're 5 milliseconds off.


Do you know how fast


That's ridiculous.

It's faster than you
can blink your eye.

Much faster.

Narrator:
such an infinitesimal amount

Might not make any difference
to their results.

Thinly sliced palm.

Narrator: so, do they call
this myth busted

Right here, right now,

Or go for absolute precision?

I think we have to get it
the perfect timing

Before we can actually
say anything,

Otherwise,
people will yell at us.

Narrator: jamie and adam
are targeting the myth

That a ninja can pluck
a speeding arrow out of the air.

You know, I was only able
to catch these arrows

At 60 miles an hour,

And I'm not trained
at this,

But, still,
your average arrow travels,

Like,
three times that fast.

If we were to build
a mechanical hand,

I could do that.

You know,
I can make it grab

As fast as it's physically
possible to grab something.

Or even faster, if it turns out
that's not possible.

Yeah.

Okay, I'll build a super
accurate arrow-sh**ting rig,

You build a handgrabbing rig,
and we'll see what the limit

Of the human ability
to grab an arrow is.

Okay.

Narrator:
before they build a new rig,

Jamie and adam want to study
the physical capability

Of a master of martial arts...

Up close...and personal.

Enter the dale,
our feudal battle skills expert.

How are you, sir?
Hi, good to see you.

Dale is willing to let the guys
time the swiftness

Of his highly trained hand.

When you're ready,
just go like that,

And we'll fire the camera
and see how fast.

About there.

Whenever you're ready.

Did you get it?

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: if you blinked,
you would have missed it.

Wow, this is 500 frames
per second,

So you closed your hand
in about 35 milliseconds.

That's great.

That gives us
a really good baseline

To try and get our robot
to equate to.

And I think it makes it
a lot easier

For our mythical ninja
to actually catch it.

Narrator: jamie's beret doesn't
come off for many reasons,

But one of them is to weld.

His job is to make
a mechanical hand

That's as fast as dale's.

Jamie: this is a trick
that I've used before

On various kinds of movie things
where I need a fake hand.

A motorcycle chain
is actually very sturdy,

And if you run a line along
one side of it that pulls taut,

The whole thing
wants to curl up like that.

Narrator: jamie welds
five pieces of chain together

To form the fingers of a hand.

Then he attaches it
to a metal stand

And threads the links through
with long laces.

These things that
I'm putting in here right now

Would be equivalent to tendons.

But instead of going
to a muscle,

They're going
to a pneumatic actuator.

Narrator: the actuators
will provide the force

That will clamp the fingers and
thumb shut in a viselike grip.

This will be protecting
jamie's shop in no time.

[ Deep voice ] stop! You have
three minutes to comply.

Narrator:
while jamie completes the catch,

Adam works on the throw.

I've hard-mounted the bow
to a steel frame.

I've got a trigger mount
that can pull back the string,

And all this will be attached
to a timer,

A supersensitive timer

That will also trigger
the hand catching.

Narrator:
the timers will allow the guys

To fine-tune the release
and handgrab to the millisecond.

Adam and jamie's arrow-nabbing
device is part man...

Ha ha!
That's perfect.

...part machine.

Well, that ain't moving.

That's not going
anywhere?

Unh-unh.

Oh, ninja.

Robohand.

[ Laughs ]

Your move, creep.

Adam: arrow-catching rig,
test number one, here we go.



[ Arrow rattling ]

[ Laughs ]

Narrator:
the fist closed too late.

Adam goes through the numbers.

Off by 200 milliseconds.

Narrator:
both the arrow and hand

Were moving at accurate
real-life speeds.

The arrow clocked


And the handgrab was just


Than ninja dale.

Adam adjusts the timers
to his precise calculations.

Adam: the arrow to release


After the hand
starts to activate.

So that's 1, 2...

That's 200 milliseconds.
That ought to do it.



I wonder what happened.

Too fast for my eyes.
I know.

Narrator: finally, they achieve
a perfectly coordinated shot.

But even though
the rig was working

At the correct human
and arrow speed,

The ever-elusive projectile
slips through the hand's grasp.

Jamie: that tells me
that at human speed,

It's not fast enough
to grab the arrow.

I think
that's exactly what this says.

I think
you're absolutely right.

I think our only choice
at this point

Is to make the hand
go faster.

To ramp it up.

That's all there is left.

All right,
I'll get to rig it.

Narrator: hai, ikimashou.
That's "let's go" in japanese.

Jamie: we have a technique
for speeding up the hand

So this will move so quickly,

You won't even be able
to see it move.

Narrator: very ninja.

Narrator: the trick is
to spring-load the actuators

So they hit the quick-release
superhuman hard and fast.



Ahh!

[ Laughing ]

That is perfect!

Superhuman
ninja strength!

Narrator: got it.

At bionic speed,

Robohand finally manages
to defend himself.

Our robot hand is closing five
times as fast

As a human could possibly
close their hand.

And that's what it took.

It finished before the
tail feathers got there.

But any slower, and it wouldn't
have caught that arrow.

Narrator:
so the hand of a mere mortal

Could never have achieved
this feat.

Adam: myth is busted.

This is what it would take
to catch an arrow.

Robohand.
Robohand!

Now just all we have to do

Is build the rest of our
superhuman ninja robot,

And we can take over
the world.

Okay, you do that.
[ Laughs ]

Mm!

Narrator:
trying to walk on water...

Hah!

Narrator:
...wearing an exact replica

Of supposed
ninja water-walking shoes...

Adam got nothing but wet.

This time, adam is thinking
out of the box

And making a modern-day pair
of ninja shoes.

His 21st-century
mizugumo materials

Are a pair of snowboard boots,
aluminum, and packing foam.

This is a deadly weapon.

Pah!

I've calculated
that 4 layers of this gives me

About 2.2 cubic feet
per foot of water displacement.

That equals about a total
of 265 pounds of buoyancy.

Narrator: he traces outlines
of the boots onto the foam...

Cuts out a hole...

And wedges them inside.

Then he sprays glue
between the layers.

Adam: awesome!

That could not have gone better.

Narrator: to keep the foam
from breaking apart,

He tapes
aluminum sheeting to the base

And rivets on a lightweight rail
to keep everything rigid.

The final touch is to paint them

In a timeless shade
of ninja noir.

[ British accent ]
I'm painting these black

Because I want to say that
I want to be invisible, right?

I mean,
it's like the modern society,

You just --
no one knows who you are.

That is the essence
of the ninja, right?

Narrator: right.

To find out,
it's back to the pool.

Jamie:
these look like fun.

[ Normal voice ]
well, this is ninja shoe 2.0.

This is my attempt.

What do you think?

I think it's gonna be real hard
to stay upright

On those puppies.

There's only one way
to find out.

Yeah!

Narrator:
adam boards his tanker ships

And is ready to launch.

[ Laughing ]

Whoo!

Oh, if I had any dignity, that
would have been humiliating.

Just as well, because we want
to see that pratfall again.

For his next attempt,
he tries a gentle sitting start.

There you go.

There we go.

Oh, I'm stealthy
as the night.

Oh.

Don't I look
like silent death...

Bringing justice
in the night?

Hah!

[ Laughs ]

Our far-from-soundless assassin

Is trying his hardest
to move forward.

My paddles don't seem to be
working, man.

But it's like being stuck
on a nautical treadmill.

I don't know
about these ninja shoes, man.

What do you think?

I think they suck.

They don't suck!

Ohh!

Narrator: harsh, but true.

The samurai
have won this mission,

And adam accepts defeat.

I give up on my ninja shoes.

They're not stealthy,

They're not easy,
and they don't move.

[ Laughing ]

Narrator: you've seen
this ninja battle trick

In 1,000 b-grade
martial arts movies.

But is it possible?

To find out, kari, tory,
and grant

Built a sword-catching machine
that so far hasn't cut it.

He stopped it...
With his head.

Narrator: but the timing
of their rig is only off

By less than
the blink of an eye,

And grant's got a plan
to make it perfect.

And that's this -- it's a timer,

And this will give me
millisecond resolution

So I can dial in
the delay exactly.

Narrator: grant makes
the minute adjustment they need,

And our ninja is prepared
to make his final attempt.

Tory: this is it.
I can feel it.

This has got to be it.

In 3, 2, 1.

Ugh!

Something came off
the hand.

Yeah.
It was really close.

Narrator: once again,

The sword slips through
our ninja's fingers.

But were his reflexes right on?

That's it.

Ooh, keep going.

That's one.

Keep going!
Keep going!

Keep going!
We got it!

That's it!

The timing was right.
Thank you.

You can't get any more perfect
on the timing than that.

And you still can't catch
the sword.

That's it, look,
and it's just...

Slides right through.

Narrator:
with their mechanical ninja

Operating
under ideal conditions,

There's nothing more
they can do in the workshop,

So it's time again to consult
our real-life ninja -- dale.

Nice to meet you.

So I notice you have
all your fingers.

Have you ever tried to catch
a sword with your hands?

We prefer
to get out of the way.

We may take the sword away,

But there's
an off-line evasion first.

Narrator: a wise tactic.

But to put this myth
to the true test,

Dale is bravely allowing kari
to swing a sword towards him.

Don't worry.
The blade has been dulled.

All right, so he's just coming
at you like this.

[ Laughter ]

So let me just
get the spot.

Grant: wow, you have
a lot of confidence in her...

A lot more than we do.

[ Laughter ]

Narrator: for extra protection,
he's wearing shuko on his hands,

Reproduction
ninja climbing claws.

So go like this.

Yeah, you'd be starting
with your left foot forward,

And then taking a step,
getting some momentum,

And kaboom.

Okay.

Don't hold back, kari.

Narrator: kari summons up
her best kaboom.

[ Laughter ]
geez, that's scary.

Did I get you
or just the sword?

No, that's scary, though.

Okay.

You almost got him that time.
Wow.

Narrator: with 40 years of
training under his black belt...

That's some force
behind it.

...dale blocks her blows
using just one hand.

Dale's preferred
sword-catch technique

Is different
to the one we're testing.

So what's his take on the bare
double-handed approach?

Dale: the idea of trying
to stop it this way

With all that kinetic energy
still coming here

Is probably not a good idea.

If you were to attempt it
to try to make it work,

It'd be best to catch
and receive

So you're absorbing
and redirecting the force.

I'd like to shake your hand
goodbye,

But I think I'll just wave
and thank you so much.

Yeah, thank you.

Good to see you guys.
High five, huh?

[ Laughs ]

Look at that slice.

Narrator: back at the shop,

Armed with dale's input

And the sorry condition
of their fake hands,

What conclusion has
the team come to?

So, yeah, bare hands...

The timing was perfect.

And the hands came together
at the perfect time

With the most human strength
we can muster

And still couldn't
hold on to it.

Are we calling
this one busted?

Yeah, pretty much unless
you're a movie ninja,

I don't think that you can
hold on to the sword.

There's just too much velocity
behind it.

Yep, we gave this one
our best shot.

So you mean all those
ninja movies were not true?

[ Sighs ]

[ Laughs ]

Narrator: attempting
the mythical ninja trick

Of walking on water...

Adam went nowhere but under.

But as the silent observer
of his numerous dunkings,

Jamie's had time to think,

And he's come up
with a mysterious solution.

Jamie: there is something
that I've come up with

That you can walk on it.

It does have
a lot of water in it.

I'd like to see how that works.

Narrator: his covert concoction
is 200 gallons of water

And 1,000 pounds
of powdery cornstarch.

Trusted mythtern jess

Is in charge of getting
the consistency just right.

I'm cooking me up
some pancakes!

Narrator: some blue food
coloring completes the recipe.

Okay, we're good.
Are we ready to pour?

Jess: yeah.
Ready when you are.

Narrator: the mixture is tipped
into a large plastic container

That represents
a deep samurai moat.

It's a river of goo.

Adam is perplexed.

What is this stuff?

It's water.

It's got something else in it,
but it's water.

It's the hyneman version
of water.

Yeah, and you're gonna
walk on it.

No way.

Narrator: way.

There's nothing adam
would rather do

Than play in a giant tub of goo.

Look at this!

[ Laughing ]

Narrator: finally, the container
is filled to the brim,

And our ninja novice soaks up
some advice from sensei hyneman.

I think you ought to get
one good stride across it.

As far as hanging out there
and walking around

Or even hopping,
I have my doubts.

All right,
well, I want to go.

Narrator:
adam scales the imaginary wall

And is ready to cross
the water obstacle.

Think like those movies
where they're walking

On bamboo and stuff,
you know.

[ Laughs ]

All right, here we go.

Ah!

[ Laughing ]

That is so cool!

Hey, it worked.

Narrator: it sure did.
Adam ran across the surface.

The reason is,

The cornstarch and water combo
is a non-newtonian fluid,

And these kinds of fluids
change their viscosity.

Jamie: it looks like a liquid,
it pours like a liquid,

But when you want
to run across it...

You're fine because the impact
of your feet

Is enough to change
that balance.

All of a sudden,
you've got a solid

That you're dealing with
only for a second,

But it's long enough for you
to move across the top of it

Without sinking into it.

I'm just gonna go back and forth
a couple times

Because it's really fun.

Narrator:
adam shatters the perception

That shadow warriors don't know
how to have a good time.

Dude, it's a lot of work!

Being a ninja is a hard job!

Whoo!

[ Laughs ]

It wants to let you go down,
doesn't it?

All right.

So, this is just to show
there's no trickery involved.

This is actually a liquid.

I gonna step into it,
I'm gonna sink,

And then I'm gonna change
my clothes.

Ohh.

Oh, that's funky!

[ Laughs ]

[ Chuckling ]
oh, dude, that feels so wrong.

Narrator: so it's a far-fetched
idea for feudal japanese times.

But corn was introduced to japan
around the 16th century,

Right around the time
ninjas existed,

And it sure was fun.

Oh, come on in,
the water's great.

Jamie: of course, this is
a little on the silly side.

Yes, it's a liquid,

But are you really gonna have
large quantities of cornstarch

Mixed up
and sitting around someplace?

I suppose maybe
next to a cornstarch factory

In asia somewhere,
and you happen to be a ninja,

And you happen to be trying
to sneak around.

That's a bit of a stretch.

Adam: so this is the end of
the line for walking on water.

What do you think?

It's busted.

Totally busted.

Let's go home.

All right.