Engineering for the World II

1. Snowboard Design

Studying for her Engineering doctorate, Liza Brooks explains how she is gathering data on the slopes, and has written her own computer software to model how a snowboard behaves.  She builds prototypes, varying the composite construction, and takes the most promising out to the slopes to test them. 

2. Ma n overboard Rescue System

For a school project, Tanya Budd designed a man overboard rescue system which could be operated by one person.  She explains how she came up with the idea, and how she took it to market.

3. Computers and trains

Engineers explain how computers are at the heart of a modern train. They control all the train’s systems, and can now transmit warnings of any technical problems before they cause delays.

4. Aircraft MOT

Every 100 days, a jumbo jet has a maintenance check to ensure it’s airworthy. Mel Southall, an Aircraft Maintenance Supervisor, leads a team as they give a British Airways 747 a thorough check up.

5. Satellite weather forecasting  

Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a Project Manager at Astrium, explains that the satellite she’s now building, Aeolus, will be able to measure wind speeds all the way down through the cloud layers using pulses of laser light. This will improve the accuracy of forecasts, and allow better prediction of freak events like hurricanes.

6. Maintaining a gas platform

Gas platforms in the North Sea take a constant battering from the wind and the waves, and need constant checks to maintain their safety. Engineer Imogen Hutchdroft travels to gas platform 47/3B, and Les Larchet explains the importance of the platform, which is also used for gas storage, for UK energy supplies.

Shot in HD. Clips between 4-6’. Distributor: TV6