Canada’s favourite science show spotlights eureka moments from around the globe – including a celebration of Facebook’s 10th anniversary – on DAILY PLANET’s “Invent This!” Week, beginning Monday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. ET through Friday, Feb. 7 on Discovery. Tag along with co-hosts Ziya Tong and Dan Riskin as they meet the inspired men and women turning great ideas into great products – from a Back to the Future-inspired hovercraft, to Hobbit-inspired weaponry…and the week’s signature segment – a behind-the-scenes look at Facebook on the eve of the 10thanniversary of Mark Zuckerberg’s world-changing innovation!
Highlights from DAILY PLANET’s “Invent This! Week” include:
Facebook Server Centre – Lulea, Sweden
Ever wonder what happens to all your Facebook photos and updates after you post them? They don’t just go “out there”…. they live in a massive server centre. The latest Facebook operations centre is the first one outside the U.S. – and it’s as large as seven hockey arenas put together. DAILY PLANET co-host Dr. Dan Riskin goes behind-the-scenes at one of the largest social media sites on the planet.
DeLorean Hovercraft
Flying cars are a symbol of the future. In the classic film trilogy, Back to the Future, 2015 was supposed to be the year they’d become a reality, and San Francisco’s Matt Riese is close, building the next best thing – a DeLorean hovercraft! Tech Correspondent Lucas Cochran joins Riese for a test-drive…on San Francisco Bay!
Anti-Smaug Ballista
Jörg Sprave is a burly weapon maker from Bavaria, and force behind YouTube’s popular Slingshot Channel. DAILY PLANETis on the scene as he takes on a daunting challenge from a viewer: build a huge rubber-band powered, dragon-killing weapon – similar to the giant crossbow seen in Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit. Sprave builds a lethal three-metre-long weapon from rubber, plywood, and few nuts and bolts. The big question: is it safe? Some of Sprave’s earlier creations have cost him treasure, sweat… and blood.
Shark Wetsuit
Western Australia has a reputation as the “Shark Attack Capital of the World”…but one entrepreneur is using ground-breaking science to fool these predators. Hamish Jolly of Shark Attack Mitigation Systems (SAMS) has some unusual looking wetsuits that he believes can make a human invisible to a shark – or make them think twice about feasting on a surfer.
Robocow
Move over, there’s a new cowboy in town… meet “Shrimp,” a roving robot that’s designed to herd cows. Yes, herd cows. The brainchild of the University of Sydney, he could be the future of farming…DAILY PLANET follows the team as they put Shrimp to the test…MOOOOOVE over!
Chicken Vest
Imagine a chicken caught in traffic. Seriously. As the number of people keeping chickens in the city grows – so do the number of chicken/vehicle collisions! High-visibility chicken vests to the rescue! You can buy one-size-fits-all vests with reflective strips that give your chickens a fighting chance to cross the road! DAILY PLANET visits a couple who have outfitted their chickens with the vests as they wander around in the neighbourhood, safe from harm…
