How It's Made

>> Narrator: ROBOTS PERFORM MANY

UNDERWATER TASKS, WHICH ARE

IMPOSSIBLE OR TOO RISKY FOR

DIVERS TO CARRY OUT, LIKE

COLLECTING SAMPLES FROM THE

OCEAN FLOOR FOR SCIENTIFIC

RESEARCH, EXPLORING SHIPWRECKS,

INSPECTING UNDERWATER PIPELINES,

SEARCHING FOR PLANTED

EXPLOSIVES, OR RECOVERING

BODIES.

THIS PARTICULAR UNDERWATER

ROBOT IS DESIGNED TO FIND

UNCONSCIOUS DROWNING VICTIMS.

RECENT INCIDENTS HAVE SHOWN THAT

A PERSON RECOVERED WITHIN 90

MINUTES CAN SURVIVE WITHOUT

BRAIN DAMAGE WHEN RESCUERS

FOLLOW A SPECIFIC RESUSCITATION

PROTOCOL.

THE ROBOT USES A PROTRUDING,

INTERLOCKING JAW TO GRAB THE

VICTIM BY A LIMB AND HAUL HIM OR

HER TO THE SURFACE.

ITS ONBOARD CAMERA GIVES

OPERATORS AT THE SURFACE AN

UNDERWATER VIEW.

WHEN THE WATER'S TOO MURKY TO

SEE ANYTHING, VIDEO-ENHANCING

TECHNOLOGY AND IMAGING SONAR

DETECT THE OUTLINE OF OBJECTS.

SEVERAL THRUSTERS PROPEL THE

ROBOT THROUGH THE WATER.

FOR EACH ONE, TECHNICIANS

GREASE, THEN POSITION A PAIR OF

O-RINGS ONTO END CAPS THAT THEY

INSTALL ON EACH END OF THE

THRUSTER HOUSING.

THE O-RINGS SEAL THE END CAPS,

KEEPING WATER OUT OF THE MOTOR

LOCATED INSIDE THE HOUSING.

THE MOTOR SHAFT PROTRUDES

THROUGH PROPELLER THE END CAP.

A MECHANICAL BALE SECURES BOTH

THRUSTER END CAPS TO THE

HOUSING.

THEY FILL THE THRUSTER WITH

OIL.

THIS PREVENTS THE THRUSTER FROM

IMPLODING UNDER PRESSURE AS THE

ROBOT DESCENDS DEEPER AND

DEEPER.

AFTER FILLING, THEY DRAW A

VACUUM TO REMOVE ANY AIR BUBBLES

AND DRAW THE OIL INTO EVERY NOOK

AND CRANNY.

THEN THEN INSTALL A RESERVOIR,

WHICH THEY ALSO FILL WITH OIL.

WHEN THE UNDERWATER PRESSURE

BUILDS, THIS BACKUP OIL SUPPLY

FILLS ANY REMAINING MINISCULE

AIR GAP THE VACUUM MIGHT HAVE

MISSED.

THEY CLOSE THE RESERVOIR WITH

A SEALING SCREW TO PREVENT ANY

OIL FROM LEAKING OUT.

NOW THEY TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO

THE THRUSTER'S MAIN COMPONENT,

A TWO-BLADE PROPELLER MADE OF

DURABLE NYLON.

IT GOES ON THE BACK END OF THE

THRUSTERS.

THEY INSTALL THE CAMERA CHASSIS

ONTO THE ROBOT.

THIS CHASSIS ALSO CARRIES THE

MAJORITY OF THE ROBOT'S

ELECTRONICS, SUCH AS THE

COMPUTER, COMMUNICATIONS

EQUIPMENT, AND LIGHTING.

HERE THEY'RE HOOKING UP THE BELT

FOR THE TINY MOTOR, WHICH TILTS

THE CAMERA TO LOOK UP AND DOWN.

THEY COVER THE CAMERA CHASSIS

WITH A TRANSPARENT, ACRYLIC DOME

CALLED THE VIEWING PORT.

A CAP WITH AN O-RING SEAL KEEPS

WATER OUT.

THEY INSTALL THE ROBOT'S POWER

SUPPLY AT THE OPPOSITE END OF

THE ROBOT, THEN ENCASE IT IN A

METAL TUBE, SEALED ON BOTH SIDES

WITH AN END CAP AND AN O-RING.

FOR THE THRUSTERS TO WORK AT

MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY, THE ROBOT

MUST BE NEUTRALLY BUOYANT,

MEANING NEITHER TOO LIGHT NOR

TOO HEAVY.

SO ONCE THE ROBOT IS FITTED WITH

ALL ITS THRUSTERS AND

ELECTRONICS, TECHNICIANS INSTALL

THE MAIN FLOAT.

CERTAIN MODELS HAVE ADDITIONAL

FLOATS.

THEY CAP EACH PROPELLER WITH A

VENTED COVER CALLED A KORT

NOZZLE.

THIS ISOLATES THE WATER FLOW,

MAXIMIZING THE PROPELLER'S

EFFICIENCY.

THESE BUMPER FRAMES ACT LIKE

BUMPERS ON A CAR.

THEY ABSORB THE FORCE OF IMPACT,

PROTECTING THE ROBOT FROM

DAMAGE WHEN IT ENCOUNTERS

UNDERWATER OBJECTS.

THE BUMPER FRAMES ALSO SERVE AS

A STRUCTURE TO ATTACH LIGHTS AND

OTHER COMPONENTS, AS WELL AS

SPECIALIZED TOOLS, SUCH AS THAT

QUICK-RELEASE JAW, WHICH GRABS

THE VICTIM BY A LIMB.

THEY INSTALL THE JAW AT AN ANGLE

SO THAT IT DOESN'T BLOCK THE

CAMERA'S VIEW.

NOW THE SONAR UNIT.

IT ALSO MOUNTS TO THE BUMPER

FRAMES.

THE SONAR PROJECTS A 130-DEGREE

LEFT-TO-RIGHT 3-D IMAGE ONTO A

MONITOR AT THE SURFACE, SHOWING

THE OUTLINE OF OBJECTS AROUND

THE ROBOT.

FINALLY, AT THE TOP, THEY

INSTALL A STROBE LIGHT -- A

FLASHING BEACON THAT TELLS

RESCUERS ON THE SURFACE EXACTLY

WHERE THE ROBOT IS.

EVERY UNDERWATER ROBOT GOES OUT

FOR A TEST DRIVE.

THEY SUBMERGE IT IN A TANK,

WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY AN AQUARIUM

INHABITED BY FISH OF THE

STICK-ON VARIETY.

THESE INANIMATE CREATURES ADHERE

TO THE GLASS, PROVIDE COLORFUL

IMAGES ON WHICH TESTERS CAN

FOCUS AND UNFOCUS THE CAMERA.

FROM THERE ON IN, THE FIRST

MISSION IN OPEN WATER AWAITS.

>> Narrator: THERE ARE MANY WAYS

TO MAKE LASAGNA, BUT NO MATTER

HOW IT STACKS UP, PEOPLE SEEM TO

NEVER GET ENOUGH OF THIS CLASSIC

ITALIAN DISH.

POPULAR IN ITALY FOR CENTURIES,

ITS APPEALS TRANSCENDS

BOUNDARIES AND CULTURES.

WHO ANYWHERE CAN RESIST ALL

THOSE LAYERS OF FLAVOR?

RUFFLED, FLAT NOODLES DEFINE

LASAGNA.

THEY GIVE IT STRUCTURE.

IN BETWEEN THE LAYERS, THE

POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.

INGREDIENTS VARY, DEPENDING ON

THE RECIPE.

FOR A VEGGIE LASAGNA, THINGS

START OFF WITH SAUTéED ONIONS,

SEASONED WITH PEPPER AND SALT.

THEY ADD PUREED TOMATOES TO THE

PUNGENT MIX.

BLADES STIR THE INGREDIENTS AS

THEY SIMMER IN THIS STEAM-HEATED

MIXER, AND IN NO TIME, THEY HAVE

A FULL-BODY TOMATO SAUCE.

THEY PUMP THE TOMATO SAUCE INTO

LASAGNA TUBS.

THIS SAUCY BASE IS THE FIRST

LAYER OF FLAVOR, BUT IT ALSO

SERVES A PRACTICAL PURPOSE,

PREVENTING THE NOODLES FROM

STICKING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE

TRAY DURING BAKING.

WORKERS ARRANGE THE BROAD AND

CRINKLED LASAGNA NOODLES OVER

THE SAUCE.

THESE NOODLES HAVE BEEN MADE

FROM A BLEND OF WHOLE GRAIN AND

SEMOLINA FLOURS FOR A TEXTURE

THAT'S FIRM, YET TENDER.

NOW FOR THE FILLING INGREDIENTS.

THIS FACTORY LASAGNA WILL BE

MADE OF ROASTED, ORGANIC

VEGETABLES.

THEY INCLUDE CHUNKS OF BROCCOLI

AND UNIFORMLY MIXED PEPPERS,

ONIONS, CARROTS, ZUCCHINI, AND

MUSHROOMS.

THEY LOAD THE SLICED AND DICED

VEGGIES INTO THE NEXT