27x05 - Commercial Drones, Aquarium Fish, Runway Cleaners, Shuttlecocks

[bunniefuu]

♪♪







Narrator: a commercial drone is
a small, unmanned aircraft

With an onboard camera

It can capture a bird's-eye view
of the ground,

Collecting up-to-the-minute
data useful for many types

Of applications.

They're used to plan
infrastructure projects,

Overseeing natural resources,
or manage farmland.

Spanning about five feet
and a half in diameter,

This commercial drone
is known as an octocopter

It has eight rotors,
which enable it to maneuver

In the air like a helicopter.

The drone's components
are made of carbon fiber,

A highly stiff,
strong, and durable material

Carbon fiber is also
lightweight,

A critical factor in aviation.

Computer-guided milling
machine cuts the parts.

A technician manually
sands their edges smooth.

This component is half of one
of the drone's legs.

The mill also cuts out the top
and bottom frames

For the drone's body.

Technicians then assemble
the two halves of each leg.

Some of the drone's components
are produced by a 3-d printer,

The printer builds each part
layer by layer

Out of a thin stream of plastic.

This is one of the drone's
eight arm receptacles.

A technician bores the hole
where the arm will be fitted.

The hole must be precise
to ensure a secure fit.

After verifying its diameter
with digital calipers,

The technician
installs the back part

Of the receptacle and the lever

That clamps the inserted arm
firmly in place.

He attaches an electronic speed
controller to one end.

Then, he screws the receptacle

To the bottom frame
of the drone's body.

The wires coming out
the other end of the controller

Connect to an electrical power
harness and to the autopilot.

The autopilot is the onboard
computer that runs the drone.

He installs
the seven remaining receptacles,

Then the power harness.

It has eight connectors,

One for each electronic
speed controller.

Next, he attaches the top frame,

Then the payload mount that
holds the camera and hard drive.

He links the payload mount
to this servomotor,

Which is guided
by the autopilot.

The drone's body
is protected by a cover.

Workers mount a sheet of plastic
on a vacuum former machine.

They start up
the machine's heating element

And position the plastic
just beneath it.

This gradually heats the plastic
to a malleable state.

Once the plastic is soft,

They position a wooden mold
on the machine,

Activate the suction,

Then drop the sheet
onto the mold.

The vacuum draws the plastic
tightly against it.

They let the vacuum-formed
plastic to cool and harden,

Then carefully
trim off the excess

They cut out a rough opening
for the payload mount

Through that opening,
they secure the cover

To the computer-guided
milling machine,

Which finalizes the shape
to precise specifications.

Once the cover is finished,

They install it
on the top frame.

They attach the four legs
to the bottom frame.

Then, they install the camera
on to the payload mount.

The mount pivots to angle
the camera at the ground.

They insert and clamp the arms
into the receptacles.

Each arm is a carbon fiber tube
with a plastic rotor

That's driven
by a small motor underneath.

Upon inserting an arm, its motor

Makes contact with
its electronic speed controller.

They also install the autopilot,

The autopilot executes
the programmed flight path

And operates the camera,

The servomotor
that moves the payload,

And the electronic
speed controllers.

The drone operator
can communicate wirelessly

With the autopilot
using a remote control.

But it's more common
to program the gps coordinates

Of the drone's route
prior to takeoff.

Narrator: aquariums have been
around for hundreds of years.

Even now, having a body

Of water in a glass box
seems like magic.

The most common aquarium
fish is the goldfish,

Domesticated in china
more than 1,000 years ago.

Goldfish are a type
of carp native to asia.

They tend to be
silver or gray in color.

But ancient chinese breeders

Took advantage of orange
and yellow mutations

To breed a gold-colored fish.

Like all fish, aquarium goldfish
start life as eggs.

To start the breeding process,

A worker separates the males
from the females.

Telling the girls
from the boys can be difficult.

But if she finds eggs,
there's no question.

It must be female.

The eggs fall to the bottom.

This facility harvests around


Adding oxygen
helps the eggs mature.

A week later, the eggs hatch.

The hatchlings are called fry.

By the second week,
they're little fish.

Not all of them are
the typical orange color

Even after centuries
of breeding,

Many of them are still
silver and gray.

As the fry increase in size,
workers must transfer them

From buckets
to larger holding tanks.

This facility sells fish
at different stages of growth.

Here, a worker selects
a particular size to sell.

Once the selection process
is complete,

She transfers the selected fish
to a bag for transportation.

She adds air so the fish
will have enough oxygen

During transport.

A worker tosses dry food
into a series of ponds.

Each pond is
roughly 100 square feet

And holds about 500 fish.

The food provides the nutrients
needed for growth.

A worker checks the fish tanks
for signs of illness,

Such as parasites or fungus.

He carefully portions out
and adds a liquid

Known as methylene blue.

It's an anti-fungal treatment.

These 1-year-old fish

Are a different type
of carp known as koi.

Koi were first bred in japan

For their color
and pattern variations.

A worker isolates
a quantity of koi

With a specially designed
shallow net.

This allows her to select
the right-sized fish

To bag for sale.

The bagged fish await
transport to the market.

It's time to prepare the bags
of goldfish for shipping.

A worker empties a batch of them

Into a netting
suspended in water.

A team of workers sort
through the goldfish.

They select the fish
that meet the size criteria

And use spoons
to transfer them to a bucket.

To prepare fish for shipment,

Workers dip them
in a green solution.

They then rinse them
in clear water

Before bagging them again.

The green solution contains

A specially
calibrated medication

That helps reduce stress
during transport.

Next, a worker
adds air to the bag,

Ensuring the fish
have plenty of oxygen

While en route.

The fish have been
double bagged for protection.

A second worker squeezes out
some of the oxygen

So the bag won't take up
too much room,

Then seals the top
of both layers.

A packer carefully loads four
bags into a styrofoam box.

The box provides a rigid casing
to protect the fish

While insulating them
against temperature fluctuations

During transport.

This facility also sells
whole aquariums

Already populated with fish.

A worker inspects
a row of aquariums,

Assessing the size
and quality of the fish

While checking for
any signs of disease.

The facility sells


Or to two million every year.

Narrator: when a plane lands,
the tires burn rubber

That melts into the pavement.

This can make the runway
slick when wet.

Special cleaning machines ensure
that the runway is always clean

And clear for
takeoff and landing.

They blast off
the rubber streaks,

Then suction
the rubber bits into tanks.

A runway-cleaning machine
is a serious power washer.

It pressurizes hot water
to at least 20 times the force

Of the average power washer.

The spray heads
are designed specifically

For blasting away
aircraft tire rubber

That's melted into
airstrip pavement.

They ensure airports
are a safe place to land.

Making one starts
with the hydraulic motors

That spin the sprayers.

A technician inserts a shaft

That will hold the spray bar
into a motor unit.

He installs sealing cylinders

To prevent hydraulic oils
from leaking.

He tops the assembly
with a metal plate.

The plate serves as a base
for thrust bearings,

Which he installs next.

Ceiling caps complete
the thrust bearing assembly.

A computerized test system now
measures the motor's torque

And the flow
of hydraulic fluids.

The system also
simulates the force

Of the highly pressurized water

To confirm that
the thrust bearings

Will keep the motor stable.

A powerful water-jet tool
carves through steel

To produce the components
for the arm

That holds the runway
cleaner's spray heads.

A worker then fits
the steel plates together.

He welds the seams
to create permanent bonds.

And this completes
the stray arm's structure.

After the arm has been
sandblasted and painted,

They hoist it to the front
of the runway-cleaning truck.

They attach it with large,
zinc-coated steel bolts.

A worker then mounts
hydraulic motors

To a long, wheeled bracket.

He removed the sealing caps
before this installation

To make it easier.

Once the motors have been
secured to the bracket,

He replaces the caps.

He attaches the wheeled bracket
to the spray arm

And installs metal shrouds
for the sprayers.

They have fringes
of nylon bristles

To contain the spray.

He fastens rotating sealers

To the hole in the center
of each shroud

To keep out dirt and water.

He screws the spray bars

To the shafts that
extend from the motors.

The nozzles are made
of sapphire, a tough mineral

That can withstand the force
of the pressurized spray.

The next worker runs
vacuum hoses to the shrouds

And connects them using
cam and groove couplings.

The sprayer assemblies
are now complete.

The team lowers a large gearbox

Between the frame rails
of the truck.

They bolt it to the rails.

This gearbox will transfer power
from the truck engine

To a high-pressure pump
and the vacuum.

The pump and vacuum systems

Have been assembled
into one big module.

A technician
tests the belt and pulley

That will connect
to the gearbox.

It's in good, working order,

So they cover the system
with steel casing

For safety reasons.

This module is ready
to be assembled

To the runway cleaner truck.

It weighs 2 1/2 tons, so a crane
does the heavy lifting.

Workers then build a tank
that's as tall as they are.

This tank will contain
the rubber bits

Vacuumed off the runway,

Along with the water used
in the cleaning process.

Once it's been painted,

They assemble it to the chassis
next to the clean water tanks.

Moving inside the truck cab,
a worker installs

Controls for the runway
cleaner's operation.

One console has a joystick

For manipulating the position
of the spray heads.

Other switches
are for the operation

Of the water pump and vacuum.

Runway cleaners can also be used
to erase painted lines

When landing strips
need to be reconfigured.

Just adjust the nozzle size
and forward speed,

And, like the rubber streaks,
the lines disappear.

Narrator: people have been
playing games

With shuttlecocks for millennia.

In the mid-19th century,

The british created
the game badminton,

In which players
hit a shuttlecock

Back and forth over a net.

Made of feathers and cork,
the shuttlecock

Predates badminton
by thousands of years.

Many people are familiar
with the plastic shuttlecocks

Used for badminton games
in backyards everywhere.

But serious players

Use the original
feathered shuttlecock.

This facility uses duck feathers
to build their shuttlecocks.

Workers start by aligning them
with the feather side up

And storing them in cups

In preparation for
the next phase of production.

Having the feathers aligned
makes it easier

For a worker to feed
them, one by one,

Into a specialized
sorting machine.

This device has


That measure each feather.

The feathers must be
a specific size

And have a precise angle.

The machine sorts feathers

Of the same size and angle
into different bins.

Sometimes, the sensors

Are unable to measure
certain feathers,

Those feathers fall
into a separate bin.

A worker uses a special chart
to measure them by hand.

The tips of these shuttlecocks
are made of cork

And synthetic foam
covered with white leather.

It's time to start
assembling the shuttlecocks.

Each shuttlecock
has 16 feathers,

Which must all be
precisely the same length.

The punching machine
begins the assembly process.

It starts by punching 16 holes

In the perimeter
of the shuttlecock tip.

The worker feeding the feathers
into the device

Must keep pace
with the machine.

A worker uses flat-nose pliers

To adjust the angle
of each feather.

She then places the shuttlecocks
inside a miniature wind tunnel

To see if they're
properly balanced.

On some shuttlecocks,
each feather might have

A slightly different angle
to maximize balance.

Once the angle of the feathers
has been adjusted,

They're transferred to a machine
that applies a bead of glue

Around the interior perimeter
of the shuttlecock tip.

This secures
the feathers in place.

To further stabilize
the feathers,

Workers place them in
a specialized sewing machine

That binds them
securely together

With two rows of thread.

The threads stitch
each feather to the next.

This process
strengthens the shuttlecocks,

Helping them maintain
their shape

Even when they're getting
slammed back and forth

Over a net.

When the machine has finished
stitching a shuttlecock,

A worker ties off the thread
to keep it from unraveling

And cuts off the excess.

Finally, she evens out
the thread rows.

With the threads in place,

The shuttlecocks must
undergo a final tuning.

A worker once again
adjusts the feathers

To ensure proper balance.

A machine applies glue
to the threads

On the shuttlecock,
locking them in place

To give them
the necessary rigidity.

The thread is made to
quickly absorb glue.

A worker applies a green strip,

Which indicates
a slow-speed shuttlecock.

Medium-speed shuttlecocks
get a blue strip.

Fast ones are red.

It's time for
quality-control testing.

A machine equipped
with a racket-like arm

Fires the shuttlecocks
to a waiting worker.

Shuttlecocks can
travel at speeds

As high as 300 feet a second.

That's twice as fast as
a pitcher can throw a baseball.

Once the shuttlecocks have
passed the quality-control test,

A worker inserts 12 at a time

Into long cardboard tubes

Similar to those used
to hold tennis ba*ls.

With its 16 feathers,
it's no wonder

The shuttlecock is also
known as a birdie.

These high-quality products
are ready to fly.