How It's Made

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: A TASER DEVICE FIRES BURSTS OF ELECTRICITY

TO DELIVER A HIGH-VOLTAGE, LOW-AMP SHOCK

THAT TEMPORARILY DISABLES THE SUBJECT.

INVENTED IN 1969 BY AN AMERICAN AEROSPACE SCIENTIST,

THE TASER HAS BECOME A WEAPON OF CHOICE

FOR POLICE FORCES AROUND THE WORLD.

TODAY, WHEN AN OFFICER REACHES FOR HIS OR HER GUN,

IT'S OFTEN ONE WITHOUT BULLETS.

FROM A CARTRIDGE ON THE FRONT,

THE TASER FIRES ELECTRIFIED DARTS,

WHICH, ON IMPACT, CAUSE MUSCLE CONTRACTIONS

IN THE TARGET'S SUBJECT.

THE SUBJECT IS IMMOBILIZED

BUT USUALLY RECOVERS IN A FEW MINUTES.

THIS METAL CAPSULE CONTAINS THE PROPELLANT, PRESSURIZED GAS.

A ROBOTIC ARM INSERTS THE CAPSULE IN A PLASTIC CHAMBER.

THE NEXT ROBOT PLACES A PART, CALLED THE PRIMER DISC,

ON THE CAPSULE.

IT CONTAINS CHEMICALS TO GENERATE A MINI EXPLOSION

THAT WILL DRIVE PINS INTO THE CAPSULE,

RELEASING THE GAS.

ANOTHER ROBOT ADDS A PROTECTIVE SCREEN.

THAT'S THE PRIMER DISC ON THE LEFT

AND THE SCREEN ON THE RIGHT.

THEY PUNCH OUT A ROUND PIECE OF FOAM,

AND THE ROBOT THRUSTS IT INTO THE CHAMBER AND TAMPS IT DOWN.

AFTER WELDING IT IN PLACE WITH ULTRASONIC VIBRATIONS,

A ROBOT FLIPS THE UNIT UP AND INTO A SECOND PLASTIC CHAMBER.

THE PLACEMENT LEAVES JUST ENOUGH SPACE

BETWEEN THE INNER AND OUTER CHAMBERS

FOR WIRE BUNDLES TO BE INSERTED LATER.

A ROBOT THEN TUCKS THE ASSEMBLY INTO THE PLASTIC CARTRIDGE.

IT HAS SLOTS FOR OTHER COMPONENTS,

LIKE INSULATED COPPER-WIRE BUNDLES.

A MACHINE WINDS THE WIRE IN A TIGHT FIGURE-EIGHT FORMATION.

THIS WIRE WILL ELECTRIFY THE DARTS AS THEY'RE DEPLOYED,

AND THE FIGURE-EIGHT WINDING

REDUCES THE POSSIBILITY OF TANGLING.

A WORKER PLACES TWO BUNDLES IN THE DESIGNATED SPACES

IN THE CARTRIDGE.

HE TOPS EACH BUNDLE WITH A PIECE OF STRONG POLYESTER FILM.

IT KEEPS THE WIRE PACK FROM SPRING APART

AS HE SLIDES IT OFF THE FORK AND PRESSES IT INTO THE CARTRIDGE.

HE'S NOW READY FOR THE BARBED TASER DARTS.

HE THREADS THE END OF EACH WIRE BUNDLE THROUGH ONE AND KNOTS IT.

HE INSTALLS THE DARTS IN THE CARTRIDGE,

USING A SPECIAL TOOL TO SEAT THEM CORRECTLY.

HE SELECTS PLASTIC WEDGES -- ONE FOR EACH WIRE --

AND WRAPS THE OTHER END OF THE WIRES AROUND IT.

HE ATTACHES ELECTRODES

TO FACILITATE THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY

TO THE CARTRIDGE.

THE NEXT PART IS CALLED THE BLAST DOOR.

IT WILL BLAST APART AND BREAK IN TWO

AS THE TASER DARTS ARE DEPLOYED.

THE ROBOT SNAPS IT IN PLACE ON TOP OF THE CARTRIDGE.

THE DOOR IS COLOR-CODED

TO SIGNIFY THE RANGE OF THE DART PROBES.

YELLOW INDICATES FIVE YARDS.

WITH THE COMPRESSED-AIR CARTRIDGE COMPLETE,

THEY NOW FOCUS ON THE TASER'S DEPLOYMENT MECHANISMS.

A TECHNICIAN INSTALLS A LASER SYSTEM

AND TWO L.E.D. LIGHTS IN THE PLASTIC CASING.

THE LASER IS AN AIDE FOR AIMING THE ELECTRIFIED DARTS,

AND THE LIGHTS WILL ILLUMINATE THE TARGET.

HE ADJUSTS THE LASER'S AIM

TO SYNC IT WITH ONE OF THE DARTS,

USING A BULL'S-EYE TARGET AS AN ALIGNMENT AIDE.

NEXT, THEY IMMERSE THE HIGH-VOLTAGE BOARD

IN EPOXY RESIN AND PUMP MORE DIRECTLY INTO IT.

THIS BOARD IS IN THE PART OF THE TASER GUN

THAT GENERATES ELECTRICAL PULSES WHEN THE GUN IS IN STUN MODE.

ONCE CURED,

THE EPOXY ENCAPSULATES THIS UNIT TO INSULATE THE COMPONENTS.

THE TECHNICIAN INSERTS THE HIGH-VOLTAGE BOARD

IN THE GUN CASING.

ALONG WITH THE CONTROLLER BOARD --

THE BRAINS OF THE TASER --

HE ALSO INSTALLS AN INFORMATION DISPLAY BOARD

AND MAKES THE NECESSARY CONNECTIONS.

HE PLUGS THE ASSEMBLY INTO A POWER SOURCE

AND TESTS THE LASER AND L.E.D. LIGHTS.

HE SNAPS ON THE TRIGGER

AND CONFIRMS THAT IT MAKES CONTACT

WITH THE PLUNGER ON THE CONTROL BOARD.

HE JOINS THE OTHER HALF OF THE TASER CASING

TO THE ONE WITH ALL THE WORKING PARTS.

THEN, AN ULTRASONIC WELDER FUSES THE CASING PARTS

AT THE TONGUE AND GROOVE SEAMS.

PROTECTING THE OUTER CASING WITH A SHEET OF PLASTIC,

THE TECHNICIAN WELDS A SAFETY SWITCH TO THE TRIGGER.

THIS CRITICAL PART WILL PREVENT ACCIDENTAL DEPLOYMENT.

IN A TEST CHAMBER NOW,

THEY ACTIVATE THE TASER WITHOUT THE AIR CARTRIDGE.

WITHOUT THE CARTRIDGE AND ITS PROJECTILE DARTS,

THE TASER WORKS AS A HANDHELD STUN GUN

TO ZAP THE TARGET DIRECTLY.

ONCE IT MEETS THE TESTER'S APPROVAL,

THIS TASER IS READY FOR THE POLICE BEAT.

A CONSUMER MODEL IS ALSO APPROVED

FOR USE IN SOME JURISDICTIONS.

LIKE THE POLICE VERSION,

IT SHOULD DELIVER A SHOCKING PERFORMANCE.

Narrator: SOUP IS A LIQUID FOOD

THAT IS AS OLD AS COOKING ITSELF.

ITS APPEAL IS QUITE LITERALLY BIBLICAL

BECAUSE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT,

A SON TRADES HIS INHERITANCE FOR A POT OF LENTIL SOUP.

OF COURSE, TODAY,

ONE DOESN'T HAVE TO SACRIFICE IT ALL FOR SOUP

BECAUSE IT'S USUALLY READILY AVAILABLE IN CANS.

WITH THE INVENTION OF CANNING IN THE EARLY 19th CENTURY,

SOUP SOON BECAME AVAILABLE ON DEMAND.

ON THE HOME FRONT, THIS CAUSED QUITE A STIR.

NO NEED FOR A LONG SIMMER.

JUST OPEN THE CAN, REHEAT, AND SOUP'S ON.

TO MANUFACTURE LENTIL SOUP, THEY MAKE A HEARTY SOUP BASE.

THEY LOAD MEASURED AMOUNTS INTO A HEATED MIXER,

BEGINNING WITH PURéE GARLIC.

THE MIXER'S WALLS ARE STEAM-JACKETED

SO THE MIX WILL COOK EVENLY WITH NO SCORCHING ON THE BOTTOM.

THE NEXT INGREDIENT IS OLIVE OIL.

THEY ACTIVATE THE STEAM HEAT, AND THE GARLIC BEGINS TO SIZZLE.

THEY ADD CHOPPED ONION.

THE MIXING BLADES GENTLY TOSS THE INGREDIENTS AS THEY SAUTé.

THEY BLEND IN DICED CELERY AND COOK UNTIL TRANSLUCENT.

THE NEXT ROUND OF INGREDIENTS TAKES THE FLAVOR UP A NOTCH.

THEY INCLUDE CHOPPED CARROTS, SEA SALT, AND FRAGRANT SPICES.

BALSAMIC VINEGAR ADDS A SWEET TARTNESS

TO THIS LENTIL-SOUP BASE.

THEY'RE NOW READY TO LIQUIFY THE INGREDIENTS.

THEY OPEN THE TAP, AND FILTERED WATER SPILLS IN.

AS THE SOUP BEGINS TO SIMMER,

THEY ADD CRUSHED AND DICED TOMATOES.

THE FINAL INGREDIENT FOR THIS ROBUST LENTIL-SOUP BASE

IS SPINACH.

MIXING IT MAKES FOR A COLORFUL SWIRL,

AND, AS THE INGREDIENTS COOK,

THEY BECOME INCREASINGLY AROMATIC.

MEANWHILE, RAW, PEELED POTATOES

RIDE A STEEP AND SLATTED CONVEYOR UPWARD.

THE SLATS KEEP THE POTATOES FROM ROLLING BACK

AS THEY MAKE THE CLIMB UP TO A HOPPER.

FROM THE HOPPER, THE POTATOES SLIDE DOWN A CHUTE

AND INTO A REVOLVING DRUM WITH CROSS-CUTTING BLADES.

THE BLADES CUT THE SPUDS INTO SMALL CUBES AND SPIT THEM OUT.

AFTER A TRIP PAST A METAL DETECTOR,

THE POTATO CUBES LAND IN A BIN.

IN SMALL-CUBE FORM, THEY'LL COOK FASTER LATER.

NEXT, LENTILS, HARD AND DRIED,

SURGE IN A STEADY STREAM ONTO A REVOLVING ROUND TABLE.

THE TABLE HAS OPENINGS THAT LEAD TO LITTLE CHUTES WITH DOORS.

THEY OPEN TO FUNNEL THE LENTILS INTO CANS

MOVING ON A CONVEYOR BELOW.

THIS ENSURES THAT A SPECIFIC AMOUNT IS FED INTO THE CANS.

PARTIALLY COOKED GREEN BEANS AND THE RAW POTATO CUBES

NOW FLOW ONTO A SECOND REVOLVING TABLE.

THE CANS WITH THE LENTILS HAVE NOW MOVED INTO POSITION BELOW.

THE VEGGIES FALL THROUGH THE HOLES AND INTO THE CANS.

THE CANS, WITH MOSTLY UNCOOKED INGREDIENTS,

NOW HEAD TOWARDS THE PISTON FILLER.

IT PIPES THE STEAMING HOT VEGETABLE-SOUP BASE

DIRECTLY FROM THE KETTLE MIXER INTO THE CANS,

FILLING THEM TO THE BRIM.

IMMERSED IN THE HOT LIQUID,

THE LENTILS, POTATOES, AND GREEN BEANS

AT THE BASE OF THE CAN COOK A LITTLE AND SOFTEN UP.

SENSORS DETECT THE APPROACH OF THE CANS AND CUE THE LIDS.

THE LIDS DROP ONE BY ONE ONTO THE CANS BELOW.

A DEVICE THEN INTERLOCKS THE RIMS OF THE CANS

AND THE LIDS FOR A HERMETIC SEAL.

THE CANS MOVE INTO ANOTHER LANE

AND TRAVEL PAST AN X-RAY MACHINE.

IT SCANS THE SOUP INSIDE FOR METAL CONTAMINANTS

LIKE STRAY BOLTS OR SCREWS.

IF THE IMAGES ARE CLEAR,

THE CANS OF SOUP MOVE ON TO A GIANT PRESSURE COOKER.

HERE, THE CONTENTS COOK UNDER PRESSURE FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR.

PRESSURE-COOKING SIMULATES THE EFFECT OF A LONG SIMMER

IN A FRACTION OF THE TIME.

THE SOUP THEN COOLS FOR 10 MINUTES.