05x18 - Myth Evolution

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this episode of
"mythbusters"...
I take your b*ll*ts!

Narrator: ...it's survival of
the fittest...
Aah!

Narrator: ...as we track down
the myths you say got away for
"myth evolution."

Will an air-bag expl*si*n tear
your thumbs clean off?
Whoa!

Narrator: is breathing from
an underwater tire possible or
just more hollywood hot air?

I can't believe that this is
my job.
Narrator: can an mri scan

Cause an rfid implant to
explode?
Could the nimble ninja deflect

b*ll*ts with their bare hands?
We k*lled the ninja!
Narrator: and adam and jamie

Return to the fastest myth of
all.
Is there any way to beat the

Speed camera?
[ Laughing ] wow!
Dude, that was like getting

Punched in the chest.
Narrator: who are the
mythbusters?

Adam savage...
That was awesome!
Narrator: ...and

Jamie hyneman.
Mush.
Narrator: between them, more

Than 30 years of special-effects
experience.
Rise, my son.

Narrator: joining them,
grant imahara...
Warning! Warning!

Narrator: ...tory belleci...
It's getting dangerous now,
and that's how we like it.

Narrator: ...and kari byron.
That is messed-up!
Narrator: they don't just

Tell the myths...
Wow. I can feel the pressure.
Narrator: ...they put them to

The test.

So, you know what my favorite
part of the show is?
Talking.

[ Chuckling ] no.
It's going back and trying myths
again to make sure we've dialed

In and gotten it right.
So, it's that time again?
Absolutely. Myths revisited.

Except this time with a twist --
myths evolution.
Myths evolution.

Yeah. Every time we air a
myth, the next morning, I go on
to the fan site and find all

These myths that have to do with
what we just did, except we
didn't know about them at the

Time.
So I want to do a whole episode
of the myths that got away.

Well, okay. What have we got?
Well, we got more for ninjas,
we've got underwater car, we've

Got baseball, air bags, and a
cheeky speed-camera revisit.
Okay.

Narrator: that's right --
every time an episode
goes to air, the mythbusters

Are soon bombarded with myths
the fans think we missed.
And for "myth evolution," we're

Returning to some of the fans'
favorite topics to tackle the
myths we apparently forgot.

And first up...

For the ninja special, the

Mythbusters put their stealth,

Speed, and cunning to the test

For some shadow-warrior myths.

Hyah!

Narrator: they tried walking
on water...
I don't know about you, but

These seem a little cumbersome
to me.
Narrator: ...snatching an

Arrow mid-flight.
That tells me that at
human speed, it's not fast

Enough to grab the arrow.
Narrator: ...and stopping a
sword.

He stopped it with his head.
Narrator: so, for
"myth evolution," it's time to

Return to the dojo.
Do you guys remember the
ninja special?

Both: yes!
There was one myth the fans
thought we forgot.

It's about modern ninjas.
Which one?
Well, the myth is that a

Modern ninja has such awesome
reflexes that they can swat away
a speeding b*llet with their

Bare hands.
It's not like the karate kid
catching a fly with his

Chopsticks.
It's more like, "thwa!"
No way.

Not even a ninja can beat a
b*llet.
Well, the fans say that a

Modern ninja can swat away a
well, if the fans believe it,

We need to test it.
All right.
Narrator: is a ninja really

Faster than a speeding b*llet?
In this myth, the shadow warrior
uses his bare hand to slap a

b*llet out of its deadly
trajectory without injury.
But is this possible, or is it

Just another example of ninja
misinformation?
You know, I seem to remember

That adam and jamie proved that
it was impossible to catch an
arrow traveling at 170 miles an

Hour.
A b*llet is gonna be much faster
than that.

I just don't see how anyone can
slap it with their bare hands.
Not to mention how dangerous

This myth is gonna be to test.
Well, we can do what we
always do -- start out by

Building a robot.
What is it with you and these
robots?

Or we could find a way for
one of us to do it without
getting hurt.

What do you propose?
Full metal jacket, give it a
shot?

I think we start out by
sh**ting paintballs at tory.
I call the g*n.

That's gonna suck.
Narrator: well, that's
definitely safer than

Ballistics.
So before they bring out the big
g*ns, they'll test if a

Deflection is is even possible
with paintballs.
And unluckily for tory, kari has

A score to settle.
This is not the first time we
have shot paintballs at each

Other.

Last time, I was the recipient

Of those b*ll*ts.

This time, I think I need a

Little payback.

Narrator: but before tory
takes one or two for the team,
grant wants to find out the

Muzzle velocity of a paintball.
Nice!
There you go.

It's 192 feet per second.
The slowest 9-millimeter load
they have is 1,250 feet per

Second.
Narrator: so a paintball is
traveling at less than one fifth

The velocity of a speeding
b*llet.
That's good news for tory

Because he has less than
one fifth the ability of a
ninja.

Come on! Hit me!
Aah!
Narrator: but almost

Immediately, it's obvious that
tory is no ninja.
Aah!

Narrator: if these were real
b*ll*ts, he'd be dead.
[ Laughter ]

Ohh! Whoa!
That's not for science,
is it?

[ Laughing ] no.
That's just for you.
I take your b*ll*ts!

Okay, go.
Got it!
Narrator: after a barrage of

Paintballs, tory finally manages
to deflect one.
Blink and you'll miss it.

Luckily, there's the high-speed.
[ Laughing ] yeah!
Narrator: tory hits the

Paintball with the heel of his
hand, slapping it away from his
body, and his hand is

Injury-free.
[ Laughing ] yeah!
And I got it!

Now we can stop.
You did get it.
Narrator: tory's battered and

Bruised, but he's proven that a
regular person can deflect a
paintball.

So maybe the fans are right and
super-sharp ninja can deflect a


Okay, well, I think it's time
to do this for real.
We set up the robot, take this

To the firing range, and see
what we get.
Narrator: with a real ninja

Unavailable, grant goes for the
next best thing -- a robot.
So, our ninja sword-catching

Rig has done its duty.
We're gonna take the clapping
rig, take off some of the

Actuators, and switch it over
so it can now deflect b*ll*ts.
Narrator: while grant retools

His robot, kari gets hands-on.
For our b*llet-deflecting
rig, we're gonna need some flat

Hands so that we can slap the
b*ll*ts away ninja-style.
Luckily, I've already made some

Molds with flat hands for the
catching-of-the-sword rig.
Now just had to pour up another

Set, and we can adjust our
machine accordingly.
Narrator: many hands make

Light work.
And the so-called swat-bot is up
and slapping in no time.

Kari calibrates it to human
speed, and grant gets
trigger-happy.

So, first step is to take the
rest, fix it to my little base.
Then, I'm gonna line up the

Pneumatic cylinder and make sure
that that's actually able to
fire the trigger, hook that up

To a valve, get an air tank.
Then we're ready to fire.
Narrator: for this myth,

It'll be bot against b*llet,
assassin versus ammunition.
And with everything ready, it's

Off to the range.
How are you going to bust all
the secrets of the ninja and be

Able to still talk to your nerdy
friends?
Quit making jokes about

Ninjas.
This is serious.
Narrator: never joke about a

Ninja.
The swat-bot is in place, and
for a perfect aim every time,

There's grant's robo-sh**ter.
We're set up for the whole
ninja myth -- "can you swat a

b*llet with your hand?"
We have our g*n 20 yards down
the range, set up on a trigger.

We hit that trigger there.
That'll set off this timer,
which will actuate our arm and

Bring the arm down towards the
b*llet.
This way, we'll be able to see

If you can, in fact, swat a
b*llet with your hand.
All right, test number one,


Find, ninja at human speed.

With zero delay.
All right, let's get ready
for the smackdown.

Narrator: remember, according
to the myth, the swat-bot should
be able to deflect the b*llet

And leave the hand and ninja
unscathed.
In 3...2...1!

[ g*nsh*t ]
[ laughter ]
that was so far behind.

That was really slow.
Narrator: the swat-bot missed
the b*llet, so the team resets,

And that's when things go
off-target.
...2...1!

[ g*nsh*t ]
narrator: every time they
take a shot, the g*n fires in a

Different place.
[ g*nsh*t ]
and try as they might, the g*n

Just won't fire in the same spot
twice.
The hardest thing that we've

Had to face today is the fact
that our g*n seems to be moving.
We can't fire in the same place

Twice.
So we're going to take all of
our problems home with us, come

Back tomorrow, everything will
be perfect.

Narrator: now, a little while

Back, adam went all rock star on

Us and drove a car into a pool.

The mythbusters tested a bunch
of techniques for escaping a
suddenly submerged vehicle, from

Door barging...
That is intense, no matter
how you slice it.

Narrator: ...to finding that
window of opportunity.
Whoa!

Narrator: so, for
"myth evolution," we're
returning to the pool for

Another underwater escape...
Straight from the movies.

What did we get wrong on
"underwater car?"
For once, nothing at all.

It's just something I saw in the
movies that I wanted to go back
and try.

What I've seen is, our hero goes
over the bridge and into the
water.

And the bad guys are at
the surface, waiting to sh**t
him when he comes up.

Knowing this, while underwater,
he swims over to the tire and
breathes from it long enough for

The bad guys to be sure that
he's dead and go away.
Huh.

Narrator: picture the scene.
Our hero's been hotly pursued by
g*n-toting baddies.

His car winds up in the drink.
Knowing that the bad guys are
waiting at the surface, our

Resourceful star opens a tire
valve and breathes the air until
the bad guys pack up and leave.

But is this just hollywood
hot air, or can it be done?
So, I know that we rarely ask

For something before we're gonna
do it, but I personally am dying
to be the subject of this myth.

I've been wanting to try
breathing from a car tire
underwater forever.

Okay. But, I mean, sounds
like it might be a little
dangerous.

You've got issues about what the
air quality in the tire is,
whether it's toxic or not.

So I'd like to check with some
other dive experts and see what
they think about it.

Okay, fair enough.
And we'll have the contents of a
car tire analyzed and see if the

Stuff is safe to breathe.
Narrator: so, to plunge into
this one, they'll get some

Expert advice, return to the
pool, call in the crane, and
take the car for a dive.

But first up, is the tire air

Even breathable?

So, we've brought the tire to
a lab that analyzes toxicity
levels.

They're gonna take a sample of
this and tell me if it's okay to
breathe.

Narrator: one thing's for
sure -- adam will never "tire"
of playing around.

Inside, an air sample is taken

From the tire for testing.

What we're gonna be doing is

Attaching the bag to our

Instrument.

It's going to go through what's

Called a gas chromatograph.

And in the gas chromatograph, it
takes that complex mixture of
gases and separates it into the

Individual components.
Have you ever analyzed air
from a tire before?

Actually, we haven't.
I'm not sure what to expect.
So, this is, like, exciting

Stuff, right?
This is cutting-edge science
right here.

[ Laughs ]
narrator: the gas
chromatograph gets to work,

Sniffing through the tire air.
And thanks to the wonders of
editing, the results are in.

Toxicologist jim embree delivers
the good news -- there's nothing
poisonous.

Although a solvent has
registered, it's stiff safe to
breathe.

That's, by far, the chemical

With the highest concentration

Here.

However, that is in a very low

Concentration.

It's the equivalent of two parts

Per million.

Right.

And that won't cause any
adverse health effects
whatsoever, even if you were

Breathing it for a long period
of time.
Oh, so, there's not much bad

Stuff.
What about the good stuff that
we need, like oxygen?

That may be one area where
there's a problem, because
oxygen is only around 13%, and

Normal air is right around 21%.

Narrator: so the tire air is

Breathable, with almost no

Toxins, but there's a

Significant drop in oxygen

Levels.

Will this drop be enough to bust

This myth?

All right, jamie, we got all
the information that we could

Get about this tire thing.
I think it's time to go out to

The pool.
Are you cool with that?

Yeah. I can't think of
anything that's holding us back

Except your lungs.
[ Chuckles ]

I cannot tell you how cool it is
to have a job where we try

Things that only action-movie
heroes do.

Narrator: and for adam to put
his action-hero ambitions to the
test, it's back to the

Campolindo high school pool.
While the team sets up, adam
runs through the game plan.

If I can stay down for at
least two minutes, hopefully --
my goal is 2 1/2 minutes -- then

We know that I have achieved
exactly in real life what you've
seen the action heroes do in the

Movies.
Narrator: while adam's
playing stunt man, jamie's in

Charge of safety yet again.
My role in this is going to
be to simply sit in the car and

Make sure that adam's safe until
he gets out of the car, at which
point the other safety divers

Will take over and make sure
that nothing happens to adam.
Jamie puts on the second skin

His people have worn for
centuries to fight off the
desert heat.

[ Laughs ]
narrator: with jamie suited
up, everything's ready for

Adam's action-hero heroics.
Here we go. We're going up.
Narrator: adam psychs himself

Up to take the plunge.
Once under, he must remain calm
and composed.

It'll take at least 90 seconds
for the pressure differential to
equalize.

Until that happens, he won't be
able to escape.
I can't believe that this is

My job.
Narrator: on jess' signal,
the crane lowers and wheels

Touch water.
Okay, we're going down.
[ Water burbling ]

There's that familiar sound.
[ Breathing deeply ]
narrator: as the car sinks,

Adam gulps one last lungful, and
he's under.
He stays zen as the car settles.

Soon, the pressure equalizes,
and adam hops out.
So far, so good.

But now comes the tricky part --
can adam breathe from the tire
to stay under until the baddies

Have left?
Adam gulps the bubbles as they
rush past his face, but he's in

Over his head and soon grasping
for the emergency air.
Ah! I didn't do it!

I felt the car settle.
I opened my eyes.
I swam out.

I still felt like I had plenty
of air left.
Got around to the tire, pulled

Off the tire valve.
The tire valve is cleverly
shaped to depress the schrader

Valve, and I caught some water
on that first breath.
I tried it again.

And at that point, I just didn't
feel like I was gonna get
anything, so I went for the

Safety diver and his oxygen.
The air is not the problem.
It's the water that goes along

With it.
So how do you actually zip that
out without choking?

Now, if you've got a choice of
either making do with that air
or die from somebody sh**ting

You on the surface, you might
figure something out.
I'm not sure.

But so far, it looks kind of
dodgy to me.
Narrator: maybe.

But the mythbusters have never
let "kind of dodgy" sink their
schemes.

Before we call this one
totally busted, although it
seems pretty unlikely to me, I'd

Like to give it one more try.
Narrator: and who are we to
deny you, adam?

The sodden sedan is raised for
another dunking.
This time, adam's gonna stab

The tire with a knife.
Why that's gonna do any better
than the schrader valve that's

Built into it, I'm not sure.
But we have to, you know, try
all our options.

Narrator: here we go again.
Adam's going under once more,
and this time, he's armed.

By the time adam punctures the
tire with his pocketknife, he's
been holding his breath for more

Than 1 minute, 40 seconds.
This time, air surges from the
slash.

Adam tries several times to
inhale, even turning down the
emergency air for one last-gasp

Attempt.
I was calm as a cucumber,
man.

I had plenty of time.
Stabbed the tire, got plenty of
air coming out.

Breathing out of that -- it's
just really difficult.
I could get not a lip lock, but

I could get air coming in, but I
just kept on getting water.
There was no way I wasn't

Getting water.
And given that, I couldn't take
a really deep breath.

Narrator: and these were
ideal conditions.
If this happened in real life,

Your car would most likely be at
the bottom of a river or a lake,
not a crystal-clear swimming

Pool.
It's gonna be dark.
The visibility's gonna be crap.

The car might be upside down.
Your heart's gonna be pounding.
You're gonna have a bloody face.

We got to call this one busted.
Yeah, it's "myth busted."

Narrator: recently, for

"Lockpick of death," the team

Went all "grand theft auto" --

Breaking into cars for science.

You getting frustrated?
'Cause I am.
Narrator: they busted the

Myth that an air-bag detonation
could launch a lockpick deep
into your skull.

Oh, that is it!
It's dripping blood!
Narrator: and once that one

Went to air, the fan site
exploded with another air-bag
myth.

So for "myth evolution," here it
is.
When you guys were in driving

School, did you learn the
yeah, hands on the steering

Wheel -- 10:00, 2:00.
Yeah.
I thought that was just

Regulation.
Apparently, they don't even
teach it anymore.

Why not?
Well, the myth is, it's
because that position puts your

Thumbs in peril.
If an air bag deploys, it can
blow your thumbs clean off.

Sweet. That sounds dangerous.
[ Projector whirring ]
narrator: it seems like

Kid stuff.
Position we've all been taught.

However, with the advent of
air bags, driving instructors
say it puts your thumbs in

Peril.
So is this a bum steer, or could
an air-bag expl*si*n really take

Your thumbs with it?
Cool. Okay.
Well, we'll get buster, set him

Up in a seat with a steering
wheel, and get some air bags.
Well, since buster can't

Really hold on to anything, I'm
gonna make some molds of him
holding steering wheels so we

Can actually keep those hands in
place.
Narrator: sounds like a

Blast.
They're gonna put buster in the
driver's seat, give him flexible

Arms with ballistics-gel hands,
and fit the steering wheel with
an air bag that the team can

Automatically trigger.
So while kari gets to grips with
the trig, tory gives buster a

Hand.
With this whole myth, we're
testing to see, if the air bags

Go off and your thumbs are in
front of it, will they break
your thumbs?

If we just use the ballistics
material -- it's just rubber --
it's gonna bend back.

So what we need to do is put the
fake bones inside there to see
if, in fact, they will break

Your bones.
Narrator: that way, there can
be no bone of contention.

The urethane bones are now in
position inside the hand mold,
so what I'm gonna do is let that

Finish setting up, and then I'm
gonna pour in the ballistics
material to surround the bones.

Narrator: while the hands get
set, tory gets stuck into
casting his arms for buster.

That bus just came out of
nowhere!
I didn't even see that bus!

Narrator: betting them on was
easy, but when it's time to take
them off, reality sets in.

I'm just getting concerned

That I can't get these off.

Wouldn't it be funny if you
broke your arm trying to get a
cast off?

No.
Yeah, that would be ironic.
[ Laughter ]

Narrator: eventually, tory
regains the use of his arms and
immediately puts both sets to

Good use.
A couple of hours later, and
there's the proof that all the

Effort was worth it.
Look at that.
[ Laughing ] yeah!

That works perfect.
Narrator: all that's left to
do is add the hands, screw the

Arms on to buster, and he'll be
ready to hit the road -- well,
almost.

The final thing is to, well,
shut off the air bags.
But, before we get to doing

That, I'm gonna run some
extension wires all the way out
to behind the blast shield.

The reason is that the air bags
are expl*sive.
So we don't want to be anywhere

Near here when we set them off.
Narrator: the hands are in
place, the rig is primed,

And it's time for some
"myth evolution" air-bag action.
Now, you sure you got the two

Right wires hooked up?
Well, either it's going to
set off the air bag, or it's

Going to signal a left turn.
Either way, it should be
exciting.

Cool.
Here we go.
In 3...2...1!

Whoa!
Blew the hands right off the
wheel!

Narrator: it sure did.
But did it blow the thumbs off
the hands?

The thumbs are still on,
though.
Check that one.

Yeah.
Yeah, they're still
connected.

His arm got torn off, but it
looked like the air bag
deployed like this and then

Pushed the arms out.
But the thumbs were not in
harm's way.

They just let go.
Okay, well, you know, these
thumbs are tucked under.

And I know sometimes I drive
like this.
So maybe we should make a mold

Of this position.
Then, that way, at least
we'll have the thumbs in,

Hopefully, close to the path
where the air bag's gonna sh**t
out.

Narrator: maybe if the thumbs
stick out like a, well, like a
sore thumb, they'll have a

Better shot at this myth.
Here we go.
In 3...2...1.

[ Laughing ] whoa!
[ Laughing ] what was that?
That looked pretty violent.

Narrator: pretty violent,
indeed, but did the thumbs hitch
a ride with the air bag?

Thumbs are still on.
Yeah, they're not ripped off.
Narrator: a look at the

High-speed, and it's clear the
thumbs were going nowhere.
Just kind of pushed his arms

Off, though, but it's not
ripping any thumbs off.
Narrator: so far, no

Thumb-busting, but the team
isn't giving this myth the
thumbs-down just yet.

This may be "myth evolution,"
but we've got one cheeky
revisit.

So, here it is.
Personally, I am glad to be
doing "speed camera" again.

Why?
Well, last time, I got to
drive a $280,000 sports car at



Dude, I will take any excuse to

Do that again.

Oh, hold your horsepower,

There, buddy.

The fans had huge problems with
how we tested the speed camera.
Okay, sorry. Yeah.

What were their problems?
Speed and the camera.
[ Laughs ]

Can we break it down a little
further?
Well, in beating the speed

Camera with speed, they
complained that we didn't go
fast enough.

And as far as the plate-blocker
test, they complained that the
angle of the view was incorrect.

In other words, the camera
wasn't high enough.

That's right.

They said we were using the

Wrong camera, that it was at the

Wrong angle, and that it wasn't

High enough, that we got

everything wrong.

I guess we better try it

Again, their way.

Narrator: previously, the

Team tried a whole raft of

Crafty ways to beat the speed

Camera.

They put plate blockers to the
test.
Cling wrap, hair spray, and the

Commercial products just
couldn't disguise the plate.
Plate-blocker, zip.

Speed camera, 4.
Narrator: and the team didn't
stop there.

They tried beating the camera
with pure speed.
There's no way you can beat

The speed camera, no matter how
fast you're going.
Narrator: however, the fans

Think they got it completely
wrong.
And to get this revisit on the

Road, they're heading back to
the track.
How's it going, adam?

Good to see you again.
Narrator: and speed-camera
expert adam tuton is here to

Keep an eye on the ticket tally.
I guess we have some fan
dissatisfaction with our

Previous speed-camera tests.
So, what did we do wrong?
Oh, you name it, they had a

Problem with it.

Narrator: the fans say that

We made so many mistakes that we

Had to make a list to tackle

Them one by one.

And at the top of the list of

Complaints was the tripod.

Hey, adam.
So, this rig is one of the
things the fans had a real

Problem with.
They wrote in and said that
these things aren't mounted on

Tripods in the field.
Well, they're wrong, and
they're right.

There are tripods, there are
pole-mounted units, and
vehicle-mounted units.

One of the other things they
had a problem with was they
thought that the camera we were

Using was a much higher quality
or higher resolution than the
cameras that are used in the

Field.
That's not so.
We use the same camera,

Regardless of the application.
So the rig that you gave us
is identical to one you'd put in

The field?
Identical.
Okay.

Narrator: but what about the
height of the camera for the
plate blockers?

The third thing the fans had
a problem with was, they said
our camera was mounted too low

For the plate blockers to work
effectively.
Whether you mount it at 5 or


Effect.
You want to prove that?

Let's prove it.
Let's do it.
Narrator: and to put his

Money where his mouth is, out
comes the heavy machinery.
The speed camera is a full


Like a pole-mounted camera.
I know this looks like I'm

Sitting in a boom lift, but,
in fact, this is a pole-mounted
speed camera.

This is our answer to the fans
who said that we screwed it up
last time -- that a camera


Regulation.
It was.

Narrator: it looks just like
the real thing.
Imagine the boom lift isn't

There.
So, what's up first?
Well, I guess I'll go ahead

And put the magnifying plate on.
All right.
Wait a second.

Yeah, I see what you're about
to say.
If I come down here, I can

See it, but...
Yeah, from here, it's
perfect.

Well, maybe the fans are onto
something.
It does make it worse if you're

Looking at it at an angle.
Narrator: well, there's only
one way to find out.

[ British accent ] right,
here's your motivation -- you've
just robbed a bank, and you want

To get away.
So you put a plate blocker on
your license plate so you'll get

Away, escape all the cameras.
Are you ready?
I'm ready.

[ Normal accent ] go for it.
Narrator: jamie makes his
getaway, and the "adams" family

Prepare for test number one.
All right, adam, you ready
for the first test?

We're ready to roll.
Excellent.
All right, jamie, we are ready

To roll on the magnifying plate
blocker test number one.
Go for it.

[ Engine revs ]
narrator: jamie puts the
pedal to the metal.

But did the speed camera's
higher vantage point make it
harder to decipher the license

Plate?
So, adam, what's the verdict?
Ticket. Same as last time.

Really?
Can you see all the letters?
You can see all and partial

Of the last.
Half of the last one.
Well, they're definitely still

Gonna fine you.
That's a ticket.
Let's move on to the next one.

Narrator: there's no doubt
about it -- jamie's got a
ticket.

Even with the camera at 10 feet,
as the fans demanded, the
magnifying plate is still

Busted.
Well, I hope that's the last
we see of this one.

Narrator: and next...
Glitter plate!
Narrator: ...it's not just a

Disco-my-ride accessory.
Apparently, the tiny particles
in the plate reflect the camera

Flash, obscuring the license
details.
But according to the fans, it

Only works if the speed camera
is pole-mounted.
Jamie, we are good to go for

The glitter plate.
On your mark, over.
[ Tires screech ]

Narrator: the glitter plate
brings a new meaning to
"drag racing."

[ Camera shutter clicks ]
and sure enough, the speed
camera triggers.

So, what's the verdict on the
glitter plate?
A ticket.

A ticket?! You're kidding!
That's shocking!
This is earth-shattering news.

Well, jamie, the glitter plate
is a ticket, so come on back.
We got one more consumer-level

Thing to try, over.
Narrator: that's 2 for 2.
So far, pole-mounting the camera

Has made no difference to the
plate blockers.
All right, next step,

Remember the commercial spray?
Didn't work.
We're gonna try it again.

Spray. Psshh!
Narrator: according to the
instructions, just one

Application of the commercial
spray, and you can go incognito.
Jamie, we are good for the

Commercial-spray speed test.
Bring it on when you want.
Narrator: jamie zooms past

The speed camera.
But has the spray concealed his
identity?

Adam, what's the verdict?
He's sh**ting blanks. Ticket.
No!

Narrator: and once again, the
plate is picture-perfect.
How'd we do?

That was pretty definitive.
All three of our commercial
products failed completely the

Second time in a row.
There was no difference between
the camera mounted at 5 feet

And the camera mounted at
narrator: second time around,

Even with the pole-mounted speed
camera, the results are the
same.

Plate blockers are still busted.
But we're not done with the
speed camera just yet.

The guys have a secret weapon
up their sleeves.

Narrator: way back when, when

Grant was, uh, scottie, the

Team tested the tale that an mri

Scan would cause your tattoo to

Explode.

After putting their pork and
bodies on the line, with no sign
of an expl*si*n...

You're looking all right.
Narrator: ...this myth was
dumped in the "busted" bin.

But the fans want to take this
mri myth one step further.
How is this myth evolving?

Well, the fans think that
tattoos aren't the only things
that'll explode in the mri.

What else?
The rfid implants.
Oh, radio-frequency

Identification devices.
Like they put in my dog when
I took him to vet.

Yeah, but they're now
starting to put them in people.
Seriously?

Yeah, they're talking about,
in the future, putting them in
soldiers as digital dog tags.

But right now, the fda is
approving to put them into
patients for medical records.

Actually, that makes sense.
Let's say someone's unconscious
and they get into the emergency

Room, you can just scan them and
find out their blood type or if
they have any allergies.

Exactly.
So our fans think that they
explode in the mri?

Well, unlike the tattoos,
there's metal in the rfids, so
there is a possibility that it

Could get pulled out or even
explode.
[ Chuckling ] cool!

Cool!
Yeah!
Narrator: so before the team

Implant an rfid tag into an
unlucky volunteer and scan them
with an mri to see if the

Implant explodes, let's find out
more about this new and booming
technology from expert

Ron gdovic.

Radio-frequency i.d. Is a

Technology that uses a reader

That sends out a signal to a

Tag, and that tag actually

Reacts to that reader and sends

Back information about whatever

The tag is on.

Narrator: so an object or
mythbuster that you want to
identify is stuck with an rfid

Tag, which contains a microchip
and antenna.
Then, using radio waves, a

Reader can remotely detect and
retrieve the information on the
chip.

People are having these
implanted in them?
Well, there has been several

Case studies now where there's a
few hundred people out there who
have had rfids implanted in them

That will allow medical
professionals to read
information on their health.

Narrator: cue tory belleci,
m.d...
Can you prepare our patient?

Narrator: ...and his able
assistant, nurse imahara.
Marking pen.

Marking pen.
Iodine swab.
Iodine swab.

Syringe.
Syringe.
Narrator: the rfid tag to be

Inserted in porky the
unfortunate pig...
So, now what we're gonna do

Is we're gonna insert the chip.
Narrator: ...comes from
verichip, a company on the

Cutting edge of these human
implants.
Searching for chip...

[ Beeps ]
...and we got it.
Hey, you found it.

You know, this is my first
surgery ever, and I feel like it
went pretty well.

I didn't even go to med school,
either.
All we have to do now is take it

To the mri and see if this thing
explodes or gets ripped out of
the skin.

Narrator: kari, having

Recently injured her knee,

Which required an mri scan, has

Found the perfect location for

This test -- 3t mri, where

Dr. Priest is allowing the team

Access to a state-of-the-art mri

Scanner.

And with porky the pig in
position, this is the moment of
truth.

See that black spot in the
middle?
That's the chip.

Narrator: will the rfid tag
explode or be ripped out by the
mri's massive magnet?

Or will it be the myth that's
busted?
So, porky's been in there for

About 10 minutes.
I haven't seen any movement, and
there definitely wasn't an

expl*si*n.
Narrator: with no sign of the
ham going blam, the conclusion

Is obvious.
I can see how someone would
think that if you have this rfid

Chip and you subject it to a
strong electromagnetic field
where it says "no loose metal

Objects" that someone would
think maybe it would explode.
It's a glass capsule the size of

A grain of rice and does contain
metal.
We've done the test.

No expl*si*n and no ripping out.
Hey!
And it works.

Found it.
All right. Didn't damage it.
Narrator: the chip came

Through unscathed.
But the guys aren't ready to
call it just yet.

In order to test this right,
we need to put it in a real
person to see if there's any

Movement, if the person feels
any movement or they feel any
heat.

Yeah. Got a point.
Any takers?
Narrator: dr. Belleci and

Nurse imahara chickened out.
So it's all down to kari.
After the anesthetic is

Administered, dr. Priest inserts
the rfid tag.
With this implant, medical

Personnel will be able to
remotely access kari's
healthcare history.

I feel so sci-fi.
Narrator: but will
that history include an arm lost

In a science experiment?
Two days later, kari's arm is
healed.

All right. Blow me up, doc.
Narrator: and back at 3t mri,
tory is predicting he'll soon

Have a one-armed colleague.
So, we're back.
We have kari's chip implanted.

Now we're gonna stick her in the
mri, and we're gonna see what's
gonna happen.

My feeling is, it's probably
gonna explode, and she's gonna
lose her arm.

I can't wait to see that.
Narrator: despite tory's
concerns, kari is soon prepped

And ready.
Bye, kari.
Narrator: and with the scan

Under way, grant gets on the
intercom to see how it's going.
Do you feel anything in your

Arm?
I'm trying to concentrate on
that, and I don't feel any

Movement.
Narrator: and that's the nail
in the coffin of this myth.

Kari emerges with two arms and
the chip still in place and in
working order.

All right, sci-fi girl, how
do you feel about this myth?
[ Chuckles ]

I think it's busted.
I agree. It's busted.
An mri's not gonna cause your

Rfid implant to explode.
Mind you, we did use rfids
that were made for human

Implantation.
If you were crazy enough to cut
the one out of your credit card

And possibly implant it, maybe
it would work then.
You know what, though?

There's a lot of conspiracy
theories around these rfids.
Like, can you steal someone's

Credit-card information?
Can you track people?
I mean, we should test these,

Too.
Look, I think we're already
on enough government watch

Lists.
Let's just let this one go.
I think I agree.

Narrator: the team has been
testing the thumb-ripping yarn
that an exploding air bag could

Sever your thumbs.
And so far, it's air bag zero,
thumbs 2.

Whoa!
Well, this myth is looking
pretty busted so far.

I mean, we've tried it with the
thumbs tucked under and the
thumbs pointed out, and so far,

No damage.
When those air bags go off,
all it's doing is pulling the

Arms apart and causing the hands
to release.
Those thumbs aren't even in the

Path of the air bags.
Well, you know, when I was
doing a little research for this

Myth, I came across this article
where a woman who was holding
her steering wheel sort of like

That, had her thumbs directly
over the air bag.
And when it deployed, it nearly

Severed her thumbs off.
So she was holding the
steering wheel like this?

That doesn't seem very logical.

[ Crickets chirping,

Wind whistling ]

Okay. Well, I'm gonna go

Ahead and make a mold of your

Hand in that position, and we'll

Test that out, too.

Narrator: now, that's an

enterprise-ing idea.

Because tory is so very handy,
and with the miracle of

Television, in the blink of an
eye, buster has another set of

Hands.
This new hand position places
the thumb right over the air bag

So that the seam of the
air bag goes sort of like this,
right past the thumb.

I think this is the only chance
we have at getting the severed
thumb that was all thought to be

For the 10:00-and-2:00 position.
Narrator: so, with the new
hands in the new position, will

The thumbs "live long and
prosper"?
Buster with hands in the

Universal vulcan greeting.
In 3...2...1!
Whoa!

Ooh.
Hmm.
Violent.

Narrator: the team goes in
for a closer look.
And this time, there's some

Thumb damage.
You know what?
It broke the urethane bone,

And it's kind of ripped the
thumb a little bit here.
Didn't rip it off, but it's torn

It back.
Ouch.
Narrator: a closer look at

The high-speed, and it's obvious
the thumbs took the full force
of the air bag.

Ooh.
Look at that.
That totally bent that thumb

Backwards.
The air bag, the plastic
part, that sharp edge goes right

Like that and cuts into the
thumb.
Yeah.

I would at least say that's
probably gonna be a broken
thumb 'cause that's not the

Real regular position for a
thumb to be in.
Narrator: buster's got some

Broken thumbs, but what does
that mean for the myth?
So, it turns out, hold your

Thumbs directly over the
air bag, and you sustain more
damage.

Big surprise.
But that's not the


That's what this myth is about.
And so this one's still busted.
We still have a bunch of

Air bags left.
And before we totally finish
this one out, there's still

Something I want to try.
A friend of mine was in driving
school, and she heard that your

Hands can be turned into deadly
clubs if the air bags deploy.
We already know that, the


Not gonna happen.
What if buster was turning the

Wheel?
Cool. Let's set him up and
try it again.

I love this.
Narrator: severed thumbs at


[ Air bag pops ]
but the team wants to know what
would happen if the air bag went

Off mid-turn.
At least, that's their excuse
for another air-bag detonation.

I mean, this is as if the guy
is trying to steer out of the
way to avoid the accident,

And -- ow! -- His hand becomes a
weapon and smashes him in the
head.

Narrator: buster's all set to
go clubbin'.
In 3...2...1.

[ Air bag pops ]
oho!
Looks like we broke the

Camera.
Oh! He smacked himself.
[ Laughs ]

Narrator: and the high-speed
is ugly.
Oh, his hand ripped.

Whoa! Blammo!
Straight in the head.
He punched himself in the

Face.
[ Laughs ]
oh, yeah.

So, let this be a lesson.
If you're gonna get in a wreck,
and your air bag is gonna go

Off, don't have your arm over
the steering wheel.
Don't have your thumbs over

The air bag, don't have your
hands over the air bag, have
nothing over the air bag if you

Have that kind of time to figure
that out.
Otherwise, uppercut...

[ Chuckles ]
...right across the face.
That was great.

[ Air bag popping ]
narrator: ouch!
♪ Whoo ♪

Narrator: for
"myth evolution," the ninja is
making a comeback.

The myth goes that a modern
ninja can use his bare palm to
deflect a speeding b*llet.

So could the shadow warrior
slap a slug?
To find out, the team are back

At the range for ninja versus
yesterday, the g*n rig kept

Moving, sending b*ll*ts every
which way.
So, today, they've got a plan to

Fix it.
They've got a heavier base to
stop it jumping, moved the rig

To the concrete for stability,
and adjusted the trigger for
accuracy.

New day, new target.
Hopefully, we can get these
b*ll*ts to go in the same place

More than once.
Clear to fire?
Clear to fire.

Okay.
Swatting test in 3...2...1.
[ g*nsh*t ]

Whoops.
A little late.
Okay. That's okay.

A little slow, but that's
good.
That's good.

Narrator: the b*llet was on
target, but the ninja swat-bot
just wasn't quick enough to slap

The slug.
So grant gives the bot a boost.
The hand is still too slow.

So we're gonna up the psi.
And this is way beyond reality
now, but it's all about slapping

The b*llet.
Narrator: at 55 psi, the arm
will swing at more than twice

Human speed.
And to make sure the swat-bot
doesn't jump the g*n, they'll

Add a delay.
Here we go.
In 3...2...1!

[ g*nsh*t ]
oh! [ Laughs ]
we k*lled the ninja!

Ninja down!
Something happened.
Narrator: the ninja is down,

But did the bot slap the b*llet
first?
You know, we did hit the

Handle.
What's interesting is, the
b*llet still landed in the area

Where it's been hitting on the
target.
As if it hasn't been

Deflected at all -- it just went
straight through the hand?
Exactly.

Narrator: it's the shot that
broke the ninja's back.
But the hand swung too early to

Slap the b*llet.
For the next test, grant dials
in the timer.

In 3...2...1.
[ g*nsh*t ]
I think something might have

Happened.
That looks like a really strange
big splatter.

Narrator: was it third-time
lucky?
Did the swat-bot slap the

b*llet?
Oh!
Oh, look, right there!

He caught it!
[ Laughter ]
that is so it!

We have a perfect skim right
across the meaty part of the
hand.

We definitely slapped the
b*llet.
Yeah, but look.

There's a big hole in this
ninja.
So this ninja is still dead, and

It didn't deflect the b*llet at
all.
One dead ninja -- I think

That says something right there.
Narrator: the palm slapped
the slug, but the hand couldn't

Make the b*llet deviate from its
deadly trajectory.
One moment, the b*llet is

Skimming the palm, the next,
it's in the ninja.
You know what?

As much as I love ninjas, this
one's totally busted.
I mean, there's just no way you

Can swat a b*llet with your
hand.
I don't know, but something

Tells me the fans are not gonna
be happy that we busted this
without a real ninja.

Okay, fine.
Then here's an open invitation.
If you happen to be a ninja and

You can swat away a b*llet with
your bare hand, please come down
to "mythbusters" and we'll put

You on tv.
That would be cool.
We could, like, sh**t at them

And see if they can swat the
b*ll*ts.
[ Laughs ]

No, that's a bad idea.
That's a very bad idea.

Narrator: it's
"myth evolution," and the boys
have been revisiting

"Beat the speed camera."
They've busted the plate
blockers once again.

But there's still one problem
that the fans want addressed,
and that is speed.

We're still getting mail that
says, "you can beat the speed
camera through speed alone."

Yeah, I heard that a car show
in the u.k. Did it.
Yeah, they did it at


Wow.
Yeah, but the law in the u.s.

And the u.k. Is different.
In the u.k., The camera is
required to take two pictures of

The car in order to issue a
ticket.
Well, here in the u.s., You

Only need one photo, and so that
actually makes it harder to beat
the speed camera with speed

Alone.
Yeah, apparently the camera
that we're using has been tested

To speeds up to 200 miles per
hour successfully.
Where are we gonna get a car

That goes over 200 miles an
hour?
I wonder...

Narrator: fortunately, the
team don't have to look very
far.

Introducing the beast.
Weighing in at 2,400 pounds
and at over 19 feet long, this

Is no ordinary car.
This beast can reach speeds of
up to 300 miles per hour.

[ Chuckling ] this thing is
beautiful.
I think I'm gonna cry.

[ Both chuckle ]
it's an engine with a chair
on it.

It is. It's -- it's -- yeah.
The wheels are kind of, like,
beside the point.

Totally ancillary.
Narrator: and the man in the
helmet is jeff atamian.

With over 30 years of
drag-racing experience, he's the
right man with the perfect car.

If anything can beat the speed
camera with speed, this is it.
All right, adam, we got the

Fastest car we could find in
california.
Are you ready for this?

Ready as I'll ever be.
You think we're gonna
catch it?

I think so.
Narrator: the beast is in
position, and the speed camera

Is set.
Gentlemen, start your jet
engines.

I think he's got it warmed
up.
Whoa! Here!

Here it comes.
[ Laughs ]
narrator: the beast hurtles

Down the strip, only slowing
once its two 16-foot parachutes
are deployed.

[ Laughing ] wow!
Dude, that was like getting
punched in the chest.

Oh, my god.
I can't wait to find out if that
was a ticket.

Narrator: it's the moment of
truth.
No picture.

No picture?!
No.
So the car didn't trip the

Camera.
That means there's no ticket.
No ticket.

No ticket!
[ Laughs ]
we found the speed!

So, the system was working
properly, but the car was going
too fast for the sensors to pick

It up.
There was not enough to
trigger the camera.

Narrator: so, there you have
it -- a massive 245 miles an
hour, and you can beat the speed

Camera.
Something tells me, though,
there'd be a lot of other signs

That someone was breaking the
speed limit.
I don't know, the, uh, the

Broken windows in the
neighborhood, all the people
with hearing damage, bleeding

From their ears, running to the
hospital, let's see, all the
houses on fire.

[ Laughs ]
something tells me that when you
came upon a car like the beast,

You'd think this is a likely
candidate.
[ Both laugh ]

Narrator: a likely candidate,
indeed, but, unfortunately, a
jet-propelled car does have its

Drawbacks.
[ British accent ] where's
the satellite radio?

Where's the cup holder?
This is very primitive.
Narrator: it may be

Primitive, but it got away
scot-free, although adam tuton's
still thinking he can catch it.

With a few tweaks to the camera,
will he be able to book the
beast?

Time for take two.
Wow!
[ Laughs ]

That's on purpose.
That's what's supposed to
happen.

Narrator: jeff unleashes the
beast once again.
Yeah!

[ Laughs ]
[ laughs ]
I'd swear he was going faster

That time.
I think so.
I feel like it's gonna be

Even faster.
Narrator: it probably was,
but we'll never know for sure.

Unfortunately for adam tuton...
No picture, no ticket, end
of story.

Narrator: ...the speed camera
missed the beast entirely.
That thing was going so fast,

That beast thing there, that it
was in and out of the range of
the camera before it knew what

Was going on.
It was like it wasn't there.
Practically speaking, of course,

It's not happening.

You're not driving a car with

A rocket engine or a jet engine

Or any afterburners or anything

Like that on the highway.

And so you might as well forget

About it, but it is possible.

Narrator: it's possible, yes.

But legal, no.

It turns out there is a way

To beat the speed camera.

Yeah, pure, raw,

Unadulterated speed.

Rocket-powered, jet-powered,

Impossibly loud speed, yeah.

Yeah, give or take 200 or 300

Miles an hour, you can beat the

Speed camera.

Yeah, however ungainly the

Solution is, we made it happen.

I think our work here is done.

Okay, let's get out of here.

You guys, the beast was
amazing.
Yeah, but can you even call

That a car?
Well, it did have four wheels
and a driver.

Yeah, but I think our fans
are gonna have something to say
about that.

At least this time, I don't
think they can say that we
didn't give it our best.

You know what, though?
I bet a lot of the fans are
coming up with new myths about

Speed just so they can see that
beast one more time.
Yeah, well, if you've got any

Ideas for us, you know the
drill.
Log on to

Discovery.com/mythbusters and
let us know.