Cómo afrontar las crisis ha sido siempre uno de los grandes desafíos a los que se enfrenta la ciencia. En este episodio, Stephen Hawking y su equipo investigan algunos avances fascinantes que están consiguiendo que la vida humana sea menos frágil ante el peligro.
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00:00The world we live in is a dangerous place and humanity is a fragile species.
00:07As soon as we overcome an emergency, another one assaults us.
00:12In scenes of crime, battles, and surgeries,
00:15our five scientists investigate how they are transforming the advances of technology
00:19into our response to the situations that threaten our lives.
00:25Red Code
00:30Helicopters, essential in combat missions,
00:33are very useful to supply the front.
00:37But in hostile terrain, with bad weather and enemy fire,
00:40their pilots are in constant danger.
00:43Tragic accidents often occur.
00:49Finding ways to save the crew's lives is a top priority.
00:56In the state of New York,
00:58Chris Elias Smith will have access to an exceptional pioneer system
01:02that could reduce the vulnerability of helicopters.
01:11I'm going in a normal helicopter to meet the revolutionary K-Max
01:14from Lockheed Martin and Cayman.
01:18Even the simplest helicopters are very difficult to pilot.
01:22Are you looking at this?
01:24Yes, I'm waiting for the signal. That's what I'm waiting for.
01:26Very good. It looks like a big truck.
01:29But what makes them really special is their handling.
01:32Let's go. Like this?
01:34That's it. Very good.
01:37You need to have a lot of reflexes and pilot very smoothly
01:40so that the plane stays stable.
01:42It's very sensitive.
01:44Watch out for the trees.
01:47We have the accelerator for speed,
01:49the cyclic step lever for compensated flight,
01:52and the pedals to control the direction.
01:55The pilot has to coordinate all these controls at the same time.
01:58You have to keep a lot of things in mind,
02:00especially if you fly close to the ground, because the topography changes.
02:03Human errors are the cause of most helicopter accidents,
02:06which is why a helicopter autopilot is so desired.
02:10Creating a computer program capable of dealing with so many complications
02:13has been impossible so far.
02:17That is the Lockheed Martin K-Max helicopter,
02:20one of the first unmanned helicopters in the world.
02:23The K-Max, one of the helicopters capable of transporting
02:26the most important cargo in the world,
02:28now has an innovative improvement in its system.
02:31To eliminate any type of risk, it flies unmanned.
02:36The K-Max can fly alone.
02:39That's great.
02:44Its technology is so radical
02:46that it is not yet allowed to fly in the US airspace without a crew,
02:49so this time it is piloted by one of the first people
02:52who has been able to see it fly autonomously.
02:54The machine is better than me landing.
02:58The pilot who has regularly had to put his life in the hands
03:01of a helicopter capable of thinking for himself
03:03is test pilot Jerry McAuley.
03:05You are a pilot, so I imagine you would like to be in charge.
03:08By definition, yes.
03:09So when you sit there, how do you feel?
03:13The first few times it's pretty scary.
03:15You're sitting there on the ground and it starts to move.
03:18The helicopter lifts by itself.
03:20It moves a little to the sides when it takes off.
03:22Do you see how the lever moves to the left
03:24and how it goes back to its place?
03:26It's as if the helicopter was being piloted by a ghost.
03:31Seen from the outside, the K-Max autonomous
03:33does not reveal any of its secrets.
03:36Even inside the cabin, everything seems normal
03:38except for a couple of extra controls
03:40to activate the autopilot.
03:47The most important one being the no-load switch.
03:49It allows the helicopter to think for itself and fly by itself.
03:53When the operational system known as Optimus Mission Management takes off,
03:57the gyroscopes and accelerometers start automatically
04:00recording the speed of the wind, the altitude,
04:03the heading, the compensation, and the glide.
04:07We've also developed different ways to perceive the environment.
04:10Lasers, radars, visual systems, mainly cameras.
04:14Of course, so we have our senses and some more.
04:17The central computer sends orders to the activators
04:20that control, among other things, the coaxial rotors.
04:23The helicopter's brain can be divided into two parts.
04:26On the one hand, the activators that handle all the controls
04:29are here behind the bars, which are the same as normal helicopters.
04:32And then there are the computer systems
04:34that are installed in the back.
04:36Speaking of the brain of the machine,
04:38what makes this invention a success?
04:40The ability to do things fast enough
04:42to react, land, and take off safely.
04:45Its latest version includes the so-called LIDAR,
04:48capable of finding where to land
04:50and automatically detecting obstacles.
04:54To become a qualified helicopter pilot,
04:57you need more than 50 hours of flight training.
05:00How long will it take a beginner like Chris
05:03to master the K-Max and program his system
05:06to perform a series of complex maneuvers on his own?
05:11If he surpassed the training,
05:13he would be the first neuroscientist in the world
05:15to be able to give orders to an autonomous K-Max helicopter.
05:20Right, so we're going to create a mission plan.
05:23All right, so we've got to start.
05:25The test would be to establish a route
05:27for the 9.5-kilometer helicopter,
05:29get it to carry a lot of weight,
05:31and deliver it with great precision.
05:33You just have to give it a name, a position, and a height.
05:36When you click on the map,
05:38it tells the system where we want it to go.
05:40You just have to click, and that's it.
05:42That's the point of arrival?
05:44Yes, the point of arrival.
05:46We upload the information, and that's it.
05:48The midpoint.
05:50To start the mission,
05:52all I need is a controller like a video game console.
05:54So let's go. Let's make it take off on its own.
05:56You just have to press this takeoff button.
05:58The takeoff button.
06:00Yes, that's all.
06:02Good. Can we do the real thing now?
06:04Let's do it.
06:06Excellent.
06:08So here we are.
06:10This is your GCL.
06:12This is the ground control system, I guess.
06:14It's exactly the same as the simulation, right?
06:16Right.
06:18So what do I do to start the helicopter?
06:20Press the takeoff button.
06:22I'll press the takeoff button.
06:24That's it.
06:26So what do I do to start the helicopter?
06:28Press the takeoff button.
06:30I'll press the takeoff button.
06:32That's it.
06:38From this field, the order signal
06:40reaches a military satellite
06:42that sends it to the K-Max electronic brain,
06:44and its huge turbine engines come to life.
06:52On this occasion,
06:54when we're in American airspace,
06:56pilot Jerry is in command for this test.
07:00So the flight plan is,
07:02the helicopter is going to come up here
07:04and it's going to pick up this load
07:06that we have here in front of us,
07:08and then it's going to make a circle
07:10to deposit it here.
07:12That is awesome.
07:14There it is.
07:16In a matter of minutes,
07:18the K-Max reaches the loading point.
07:20Come up quick.
07:22It's going to land.
07:24We hook up the load,
07:26and then it's going to continue its mission.
07:30The helicopter lands right next to the load.
07:34All right.
07:36So I do the same thing as with the simulator?
07:38I press down here,
07:40and I press the automatic takeoff button?
07:42Yes, the automatic takeoff button.
07:46The thermal wind and the crosswind
07:48make it very difficult to lift a very heavy load.
07:50All right. Let's go.
07:52All right.
07:54Press the takeoff button again?
07:56Yes, press the takeoff button.
07:58All right.
08:00There's one last task left.
08:02Surround the airfield
08:04and deposit the load
08:06in a specific area for it.
08:08On this occasion,
08:10Jerry completes the mission
08:12with incredible precision
08:14a few centimeters from the target.
08:16But the question is,
08:18could a K-Max,
08:20completely autonomous,
08:22deposit its load
08:24with the same precision
08:26as a professional pilot?
08:28Well, yes.
08:30Here we have it flying
08:32only in Afghanistan
08:34and depositing the load
08:36for the troops on the ground.
08:38It has already completed
08:40more than 1,000 missions
08:42without a crew
08:44and has transported
08:46more than one ton of load.
08:48Kevin Petroski
08:50is in charge of the development
08:52program of the Lockheed K-Max.
08:54What is the future of the K-Max?
08:56In Afghanistan,
08:58it has already been tested in a military context
09:00and now we could use it
09:02in search and rescue situations,
09:04in natural disasters
09:06and humanitarian aid.
09:08The K-Max not only
09:10avoids the danger for the pilots,
09:12but it can also save the lives
09:14of those on the ground
09:16transporting drugs to remote places.
09:18I imagine in the future
09:20these helicopters
09:22remotely controlled
09:24with more intelligence,
09:26with the ability to analyze the atmosphere
09:28and working as delivery trucks
09:30but without getting stuck in traffic.
09:32When are we going to be prepared
09:34to see these huge helicopters
09:36flying over our cities without pilots?
09:38I don't know if I like the idea,
09:40however, if this is used to reduce
09:42the number of helicopter accidents,
09:44I may end up getting used to it.
09:48Remote-controlled technology
09:50prevents us from being involved
09:52in many dangerous situations
09:54and there is nothing more dangerous
09:56than disabling an improvised explosive,
09:58which requires a lot of experience
10:00and skill.
10:02Could we get a robot
10:04to react in real time
10:06and give it a delicate touch
10:08thanks to technology?
10:10It's hard for me to imagine
10:12a more dangerous job
10:14than that of an expert
10:16in disabling bombs.
10:18More than 100 firefighters
10:20have died since 9-11.
10:22Using robots instead of people
10:24is a solution.
10:26Almost 2,000 have already been used
10:28for this purpose.
10:34Could a robot be as skillful
10:36as a human someday?
10:40Daniel Kraft is about to investigate
10:42a revolutionary technology
10:44that could save thousands of lives.
10:50I'm heading to the physics lab
10:52outside Baltimore, Maryland.
10:54I'm going to meet an expert
10:56who doesn't care
10:58if his arms can fly through the air.
11:00I've been told it's a robot
11:02with two very skilful hands,
11:04so he wants to meet me.
11:06This is RoboSally.
11:08Hi Sally, nice to meet you.
11:10Wow, you're really tight-lipped.
11:12Tell me a little bit about how Sally was born.
11:14Sally was born in 2007
11:16when our lab started
11:18researching advanced robots
11:20to disable explosives.
11:22After six years of intensive development,
11:24researchers have confirmed
11:26that this is the most skilful
11:28remotely controlled explosive disabler.
11:30It has two arms and a torso
11:32that make its movements
11:34look like those of a person
11:36with their waist up.
11:38The head has a panoramic sweep unit
11:40that allows the user
11:42to make Sally look around
11:44and see the world as she sees it.
11:46The base has a mobile platform
11:48made up of four wheels,
11:50independent driving,
11:52which can be used as an alternative
11:54in any situation where you don't want
11:56to put a person in a dangerous situation.
11:58You could send the robot
12:00and it would be as efficient as a human being.
12:02The technician who controls Sally
12:04has an unprecedented level of control
12:06thanks to the one-to-one teleoperative system.
12:08So we put some sensors
12:10both in the arms
12:12and in the hands of a person
12:14and when it moves,
12:16the robot makes the same movement.
12:18It's a very intuitive control system.
12:20The sensors measure
12:22every movement the user makes.
12:24A computer codes them
12:26and transmits them wirelessly to Sally
12:28and then her robotic hands and fingers
12:30reproduce the movements
12:32with great precision.
12:34It even has touch feedback
12:36so that the user can feel what Sally is touching.
12:38Sally has so many sensors in her hand
12:40that it reaches the point of perceiving
12:42contact, vibration, displacement
12:44and the force generated in the hand.
12:46So different sensors will be used
12:48when Sally is being used
12:50to deactivate a bomb
12:52and when she is being used
12:54in a medical operation, right?
12:56To detect vital signs
12:58and save the patient.
13:00Exactly. In each arm
13:02we have 17 degrees of freedom
13:04that we can control.
13:06In the torso we have 3,
13:08in the platform 2
13:10and in the head 2 too.
13:12We have a lot of controls
13:14to control this robot.
13:16It can use both infrared technology
13:18and other features
13:20that allow it to see with low light.
13:22If we turn off the lights here,
13:24these cameras are so sensitive
13:26that they could perceive tiny amounts of light.
13:28It's time to put it to the test.
13:30Machine mind interface. Let's go.
13:32Start moving slowly
13:34to get an idea.
13:36It's amazing.
13:38Thumbs up.
13:42Thumbs up.
13:44Alright.
13:46I move my body
13:48as she moves my body.
13:50I can make complex movements.
13:52A visor connected wirelessly
13:54to Sally's stereoscopic cameras
13:56allows her to see exactly what she sees.
13:58Oh, wow.
14:00I feel like I'm in another world,
14:02but I'm still in this world.
14:04I see how I bring my hands closer to me.
14:06The lab is one thing, but the outside is another.
14:08How will Sally develop there?
14:10There's only one way to find out.
14:12Matt and his team have entrusted me
14:14with a mission.
14:16I have to go to RoboSally
14:18to try to deactivate a suspicious package.
14:20More than 6,000 American soldiers
14:22prepare daily to do this.
14:24I see the suspicious package over there.
14:26I keep looking at it.
14:28Can I point it out?
14:30Yeah.
14:32Okay.
14:34Here we are.
14:36There's the package.
14:38Right over there?
14:40Now I'm going to lean forward
14:42and I'm going to slowly and decisively
14:44remove part of the garbage.
14:46The 17 joints that each arm has
14:48reproduce each of the movements I make.
14:50This is incredible.
14:52You don't have to think too much.
14:54It's very natural.
14:56You lean and Sally leans too.
14:58These are foam rubber blocks,
15:00but their hands can lift objects
15:02weighing up to 45 kilos.
15:06I think I have to lean a little more
15:08to pick up what's inside the box.
15:10There we go.
15:12I'm removing what's inside
15:14to see if there's anything suspicious.
15:16I see something.
15:18Something that's a little suspicious.
15:20I'm going to try with my left arm.
15:22I'm going to see if I can get closer
15:26and pick up the element
15:28that's suspicious.
15:30Slow and steady.
15:32I've got to work my grip.
15:34There we go.
15:36If you have the artifact in your hand,
15:38deactivate it before it explodes.
15:40Okay.
15:42You have to pull the cable.
15:44We're going to pull the cable.
15:46I'm going to pull it hard and...
15:48Well, you've got the cable.
15:50I've got the cable, but I dropped the bomb.
15:52Sally's not to blame.
15:54It was a user error.
15:56Mission accomplished.
15:58Bomb deactivated.
16:00It takes a little bit of getting used to,
16:02but thanks to this robot,
16:04it's incredibly fast.
16:06It's much better than putting a soldier's life at risk.
16:08Exactly.
16:10Or anyone else's.
16:12Surprisingly, Sally can be directed
16:14from the other side of the world.
16:16And in addition to the return of touch,
16:18she'll be able to make decisions
16:20to move almost autonomously in 2018.
16:24I hope that in a few years
16:26all of this technology will come to light.
16:28The future is closer than we think, right?
16:30Yes, we hope so.
16:34This robot could also be used
16:36in other hostile environments,
16:38like natural disasters,
16:40chemical leaks or nuclear accidents,
16:42situations that require
16:44skill in the face of danger.
16:46The next invention is also related
16:48to the conflict.
16:50During World War II,
16:52I could have died when a V-2 rocket
16:54fell on my neighbor's house.
16:56I was only two weeks old.
16:58Attacking civilians is an inhuman crime.
17:00But if people keep insisting on declaring wars,
17:02technology should be used
17:04to reduce collateral damage.
17:06But the question is, how?
17:18Few would disagree
17:20that reducing the number of victims
17:22in wars should be
17:24one of our biggest priorities.
17:26Missiles can be used
17:28indiscriminately,
17:30killing both civilians
17:32and combatants.
17:34Elite snipers, on the other hand,
17:36are increasingly in demand
17:38because they can focus on specific targets.
17:40Accuracy takes time to reach,
17:42but now some developers
17:44claim that they have invented
17:46a rifle that always hits the target.
17:48Jim Al-Khalili has traveled
17:50to the Peninsulas,
17:52in northern England,
17:54to investigate.
18:00I've heard that there is
18:02such a powerful technology
18:04that allows anyone
18:06to become an excellent long-range
18:08sniper in a matter of minutes.
18:10So I've come here to find out
18:12if this is possible and how.
18:16The inspiration comes
18:18from the tracking systems
18:20of the fighter jets.
18:22The pilot points his missiles,
18:24guided by laser to the target
18:26on his radar, and once detected,
18:28he can fire his missiles
18:30at any time.
18:32This has been based on the exact system
18:34to create a firearm that is
18:36intended to transform
18:38current battlefields.
18:40There's no getting away from it,
18:42but no matter how much
18:44it can bother someone like me,
18:46an effective war consists of
18:48achieving the greatest possible
18:50impact on the enemy.
18:52A single sniper can shoot
18:54an entire enemy battalion
18:56The elite snipers,
18:58capable of reaching the first target
19:00located a kilometer away,
19:02are very few, and they are very well distributed.
19:04Until now, only a few
19:06managed to reach such a level of precision.
19:08So, to find out how it feels,
19:10I'm going to have to try it myself.
19:12Welcome to the sniper school.
19:16Simon Towne
19:18served in the British Navy infantry
19:20as a sniper for eight years.
19:22In 2012, the armed forces
19:24awarded him the title of best sniper.
19:26Simon, how long does it take
19:28to become a sniper?
19:30Well, to become a British Navy
19:32sniper, you have to go through
19:34a long process of 14 weeks
19:36in which you learn everything
19:38you need about the environment
19:40and about the rifle,
19:42from loading it to shooting in white.
19:44It covers all aspects.
19:46Simon, you only have an hour
19:48to teach me how to shoot
19:50with a normal sniper rifle
19:52and you never have to move it towards you.
19:54You have to stick your shoulder
19:56to the stock of the rifle
19:58and then you start aiming at the target.
20:00For this range, we need about 18 clicks.
20:02This is the elevation turret
20:04and you put it on to help you estimate
20:06the fall of the bullet.
20:08This is for the wind and you have to adjust
20:10it to the left or to the right,
20:12depending on where the wind is coming from.
20:14In addition, experienced snipers
20:16have to take into account
20:18the rotation of the bullet,
20:20and, as incredible as it may seem,
20:22in very long shots,
20:24also the rotation of the ground.
20:26Ready?
20:28Yes, I think so.
20:30It's your turn.
20:32Let's see.
20:34Well, the best and most comfortable
20:36thing is to leave the weight
20:38of the head dead.
20:40Now you can look at the sight.
20:42You already have it loaded.
20:44Like this.
20:46Now don't breathe.
20:48This is crucial.
20:50Snipers are trained to keep
20:52their muscles relaxed,
20:54to control their breathing
20:56and even to shoot between shots.
20:58Shoot when you're ready.
21:00You just shot a little high.
21:02Okay.
21:04Although Simon had already calibrated my sight,
21:06the difficulty was still enormous.
21:08Keeping your sight steady is almost impossible.
21:10Nice, consistent.
21:12Now we're going to try it off again.
21:14When you're ready.
21:16Breathe calmly,
21:18and when you're ready,
21:20pull the trigger again.
21:22Finally.
21:24That's the one you gave him.
21:26I gave him the target.
21:28What a relief.
21:30The art of shooting from a long distance
21:32requires meticulous attention to detail.
21:34Being able to hit the target
21:36more than 700 metres at first
21:38requires knowledge of physics,
21:40chemistry, meteorology and even biology.
21:42And this is where the exact system
21:44of Tracking Point comes into play.
21:46Jason Sobol is the executive director
21:48of Tracking Point.
21:56This is the world's first
21:58precision-guided firearm.
22:00What we've done is take a traditional,
22:02normal and common rifle and ammunition
22:04and we've integrated a sight with
22:06an internet connection and a guided trigger.
22:08When we embarked on this project,
22:10we wanted to solve several problems
22:12and one of them was why people miss
22:14when they shoot from long distances.
22:16They miss because they miscalculate
22:18the distance and the fall,
22:20so we've integrated a tracking laser system.
22:22At the front end of the sight
22:24there's a laser that sends thousands
22:26of pulses per second to calculate
22:28the distance to which the target is
22:30and it also has sensors
22:32capable of measuring pressure and temperature.
22:34So, instead of calibrating the sight,
22:36the trigger selects the target
22:38and the system uses the sensors
22:40to correlate all the ballistic factors.
22:42The sight is programmed to take
22:44all of that into account,
22:46but that's not all.
22:48We also solved the problem of nerves.
22:50It takes a lot of practice to control
22:52the breathing and control how
22:54the trigger is pressed.
22:56We've been able to leave all that out.
22:58Now you can press the trigger
23:00and let the gun fire only when
23:02the shot is optimal.
23:04To achieve this, Tracking Point
23:06utilizes the same tracking technology
23:08as the fighters' reactors.
23:10Once located, the system focuses on it
23:12and follows it with a laser.
23:14It's a bit like video games,
23:16but there's a difference.
23:18I press the trigger, but the gun
23:20decides which is the best time
23:22to fire the bullet.
23:24It doesn't fire until the sight
23:26is in the exact position
23:28required to hit the target.
23:30Supposedly, this smart rifle
23:32can hit a target
23:34a mile away
23:36regardless of the user's
23:38accuracy.
23:40But if it can make a theoretical physicist
23:42like Ying acquire the precision
23:44of a professional shooter,
23:46its efficiency will be more than demonstrated.
23:54A weapon manufacturer has
23:56incorporated tracking technology
23:58from the fighters' reactors
24:00into a rifle.
24:02It's a combination of lasers
24:04and ultra-smart sensors
24:06capable of turning
24:08a novice into an expert
24:10long-range sniper
24:12without any prior training.
24:14All right, Jim, now that you're ready
24:16to fire, I want you to pull
24:18your arm off safety.
24:20Okay, you're wide awake.
24:22Now I want you to use this red button
24:24here and designate your target
24:26from a distance. I'm going to see
24:28what you're seeing on this iPad.
24:30The digital image on the sight
24:32is connected to a Wi-Fi network
24:34so that both instructors and teammates
24:36can see everything the shooter sees.
24:38Hold down the red button for half a second
24:40and aim right in the middle of the target.
24:42The sensors instantly calculate
24:44the distance of 900 meters.
24:46During this distance,
24:48the bullet will fall about 7 meters,
24:50which is automatically compensated
24:52by the on-board computer.
24:54Hold the trigger.
25:00All right, it's low down to the right.
25:02What we're going to do is indicate
25:04that there's a little bit of wind
25:06and you're going to shoot
25:08at the same target.
25:12Good shot.
25:16Right in the middle.
25:18That is quite remarkable
25:20that as a novice like me
25:22you can shoot 15 centimeters
25:24at 900 meters away.
25:26Apparently, this technology
25:28has been able to turn me
25:30into an elite sniper
25:32in just an hour of training.
25:34So that's why I've decided
25:36to put it to the test.
25:38We've placed six targets
25:40for each one.
25:42In this case, helium balloons.
25:44They're 900 meters away
25:46and we'll have 12 bullets.
25:48I'm going to compete against Simon.
25:50He's going to use the exact system
25:52of TrackPoint.
25:54He's going to be a sniper against science.
25:56You have the yellow balloons
25:58and you have the red ones.
26:00So, Simon, what do you think?
26:02I think it's going to be very tough,
26:04to be honest.
26:06Let's see. Load your mags.
26:10Ready?
26:12All right, Simon is going to be
26:14the first one to shoot.
26:16Right low.
26:18Jim, you're up.
26:26High.
26:28So, come pretty low.
26:30Simon?
26:32Hit one.
26:34Jim, you're up.
26:38A little high.
26:40Simon, you're up.
26:42High.
26:44Jim, you're up.
26:46Got it.
26:50Hit again.
26:54Hit.
26:58Miss.
27:06Hit two.
27:10Right to the left.
27:12Low.
27:14Right below it.
27:18Miss.
27:20Got it.
27:22Right between them.
27:24All right, last shot.
27:28All right.
27:30So far, it's 11.
27:32So, final result has been three balloons, Jim,
27:34and five balloons, Simon.
27:36You've done very well,
27:38to be shooting for the first time
27:40a kilometer away.
27:42If I had used a rifle like yours,
27:44and I hadn't had the help of technology,
27:46I wouldn't have hit any of the balloons,
27:48I'm sure of that.
27:50Well, with the crosswind that there is,
27:52and all the environmental factors
27:54that have to be taken into account,
27:56if you had had to prepare the rifle yourself,
27:58I don't think you would have hit them.
28:00Currently, a super weapon is being developed
28:02that could be ready in 2014,
28:04and that could hit the target
28:06at almost three kilometers away,
28:08thus surpassing the longest shot
28:10in the world.
28:12Some of the armed forces
28:14have always used technology
28:16to take a step forward.
28:18What I hope is that more money is invested
28:20in reducing the number of casualties.
28:22With lethal weapons,
28:24there is always a risk
28:26that they will fall into the wrong hands.
28:28There will always be criminals
28:30as fond of technology as we are.
28:32But now, a new and advanced apparatus
28:34could transform the work of the police.
28:36It's easy for me to recognize myself.
28:38I'm very well known.
28:40I'm very well recognized.
28:42I am very well known.
28:44I'm very well recognized.
28:46However, could this new technology
28:48identify the criminals
28:50as easily as identify me?
28:56In the fight against criminal activity,
28:58identifying the suspects in real time
29:00is extremely difficult.
29:02Let me ask you that question.
29:04How much time do you need
29:06to be able to recognize it later.
29:08A quarter of a second?
29:11Is this the man you've seen?
29:13Or this?
29:14Perhaps you need a little more time.
29:17Half a second?
29:18If the subject is moving,
29:20there is little light or is very far away,
29:22facial recognition in real time is almost impossible.
29:26So what can science do about it?
29:30Karim Bondar is in San Diego
29:32to try one of the latest technological means
29:35to fight crime.
29:43For both the armed forces
29:45and the law-abiding institutions,
29:48getting good images of suspects is essential.
29:51For that, facial recognition technology
29:54has to be fast, precise and reliable.
29:57But will it ever be that way?
30:01Take your car and bring it here.
30:03Greg Steintal is the CEO
30:05of the image capture company StereoVision.
30:08So, guys, you take the suitcases and...
30:10They've created a new pioneering stereoscopic system
30:13that claims to be an advance in current technology.
30:16So you go back out and you put the suitcases in the car.
30:19Come on, let's go, guys.
30:20They've set up an undercover operation
30:22to show me how it works.
30:24Welcome to our surveillance station.
30:26What you're looking at is the new generation
30:28of facial recognition technology in 3D.
30:30So what we've done is integrate
30:32a surveillance operation with optical prismatics
30:35to allow us to identify someone in real time.
30:37It allows us to capture information in 3D
30:39at a distance of up to 100 metres
30:41and we use the information in 3D
30:43to improve the performance
30:45of the 2D facial recognition systems.
30:482D technology uses facial reference points
30:51to look for results
30:53that match the police records.
30:55But it's a slow technology
30:57and it only works in controlled conditions.
31:00Greig claims that this new device
31:02can produce more accurate results
31:04in a specific place and in real time.
31:07The prismatics capture a 3D image
31:09and send it to a computer
31:11in addition to detailed information on each pixel.
31:14An advanced programme increases the image
31:16and uses 68 biometric measurements,
31:19such as the depth of the eye sockets,
31:21to look for a matching police photo
31:23in a database.
31:25Who's going to try this in the surveillance station?
31:28Why don't you try it?
31:30Don't tell me twice.
31:32Everything's going to happen very quickly.
31:34I'm not going to have much time.
31:36You guys ready, boys?
31:38Yeah.
31:39Okay, let's go.
31:41Okay, there's a red car coming.
31:43A red car.
31:44Okay, now a green Land Rover.
31:46I have to be able to see the face of one of them
31:49or the system won't work.
31:51Okay, now walk around the car
31:53and see if we can catch him face to face.
31:55Yeah, when you see him face to face with you.
31:57Okay, I think I got it.
31:59In a matter of seconds,
32:01the prismatics transfer the image wirelessly.
32:03Then they increase it, process it,
32:05but it's not accurate enough.
32:07In this case, no coincidences have been found.
32:09For the system to work,
32:11the facial features of the eye area
32:13have to be recorded,
32:15so both eyes have to be seen clearly.
32:17Okay, here they come.
32:19Here they come.
32:23Okay, I think I have a good one now.
32:25And to make it more difficult,
32:27they act as if they saw me.
32:29Now they're going very fast.
32:31Oh, my God, they're going with the cars.
32:37It's been harder than I thought.
32:39Did I get anything?
32:41You did well, you did well.
32:43Let's go take a look.
32:45Okay, now it's processing the information.
32:47Some powerful algorithms
32:49clean and increase the image
32:51and increase the chances of coincidences.
32:53So it's working?
32:55It's coming.
32:57Now it's processing the information in 3D.
33:01Two possible coincidences found,
33:03and the second has the highest degree of similarity.
33:05All right, a positive result.
33:07That's it.
33:09What you see on the left
33:11is the image captured with the prismatics,
33:13and on the right is the image
33:15in which coincidences have been found
33:17within the database.
33:19Greg uses the 3D information
33:21recorded by the prismatics
33:23to separate the face
33:25and ignore the unwanted background information.
33:27Here we have him,
33:29and here we have the background.
33:31Greg claims that this technology
33:33increases the accuracy of
33:35current facial recognition technology
33:37by up to 40%.
33:39And that's what makes your technology
33:41so powerful is that you can separate
33:43the signal from the noise, right?
33:45Exactly.
33:47And you can identify it
33:49in less than 15 seconds.
33:51What can we expect
33:53from this technology
33:55during the next few years?
33:57Currently, this technology
33:59is in the hands of the Department of Justice.
34:01They are testing it and evaluating it.
34:03It's giving good results,
34:05and it's expected that by 2015
34:07it will be fully integrated
34:09and that agents will be able
34:11to perform effective street identification
34:13in real time.
34:15Security cameras,
34:17phone booths, surveillance,
34:19governments already have powerful tools
34:21to fight terrorism
34:23and organized crime.
34:25But are more resources
34:27necessary?
34:29The question we must ask ourselves
34:31is what price should we pay
34:33for our protection?
34:41As a counterpoint,
34:43an excellent invention
34:45that has no drawbacks.
34:47It is a new and revolutionary
34:49technology designed
34:51to radically increase
34:53our chances of survival
34:55in a medical emergency situation
34:57thanks to an intervention
34:59that goes straight to our blood.
35:03Oxygen is essential
35:05for us to live.
35:07Lack of it can make us go into a coma,
35:09have a heart attack,
35:11or even die.
35:13When I was 43,
35:15I had to undergo a tracheotomy
35:17to avoid a respiratory failure.
35:19It cost me my real voice,
35:21but fortunately I am still alive to tell it.
35:25Every day thousands of people
35:27are taken to the hospital
35:29for respiratory problems.
35:33When every second counts,
35:35what more can we do?
35:37Arathi Prasad
35:39is in Boston
35:41to investigate an invention
35:43that could revolutionize
35:45emergency medicine.
35:47The content of this tube
35:49could greatly increase
35:51our chances of survival.
35:53It is injectable oxygen.
35:55We have a five-month-old baby
35:57who has suddenly developed
35:59respiratory difficulty.
36:01A baby has been transferred
36:03to the hospital in a hurry.
36:05The doctors are desperate
36:07to get the oxygen back
36:09to the blood.
36:11Cardiac arrest.
36:13The oxygen level in the blood
36:15is so low that the girl's heart
36:17stops beating.
36:21The little girl has stopped breathing.
36:23She no longer gets oxygen to her brain,
36:25and when that happens,
36:27there is not much time left to act.
36:29Well, let's try the cannulas.
36:31Okay, let's try the intravenous cannulas.
36:33It depends on a thread.
36:35The only option left at this time
36:37is an invasive surgery to redirect the blood
36:39to a heart-lung machine
36:41to reoxygenate it.
36:43A painfully slow process.
36:47It's flowing.
36:49300.
36:51Okay, it's coming back.
36:53Good, go on, go on, Stephanie.
36:55350.
36:57The team has just finished with this patient
36:59and I would like to know what happened.
37:01The machine is now doing the work
37:03of the heart and lungs
37:05until the girl recovers.
37:07The so-called blue blood,
37:09or low-oxygen blood,
37:11goes to the machine,
37:13collects oxygen,
37:15and is pumped back
37:17to the body through the artery.
37:19What would be your biggest concerns
37:21if the little girl had not obtained oxygen?
37:23When the different organic systems
37:25run out of oxygen,
37:27their cells begin to die.
37:29These cells are not capable
37:31of producing new cells,
37:33but once those in the brain die,
37:35this one can't produce any more.
37:37If a baby's brain
37:39spends more than 25 minutes
37:41without oxygen,
37:43it's likely to end
37:45with major and devastating
37:47brain damage.
37:49This has just been a simulation
37:51with a doll.
37:53If this were a real emergency,
37:55the consequences could have been tragic.
37:57This nine-month-old girl
37:59suffered irreversible brain damage
38:01due to lack of oxygen
38:03at Boston Children's Hospital.
38:05After just a few days, she died.
38:07The incident left a mark
38:09on his doctor, Dr. John Keir.
38:13We were unable to get
38:15oxygen to reach the brain,
38:17not even for a few minutes,
38:19and that's a real situation
38:21that's been repeated over and over.
38:23And so I thought,
38:25how about injecting oxygen,
38:27raising the oxygen level in the blood
38:29with a simple and quick intravenous injection?
38:33In theory, with a simple
38:35puncture in the arm,
38:37the oxygen enters the body
38:39directly, enters the lungs
38:41and has an effect in a matter of seconds.
38:45But it's not as simple as simply
38:47injecting oxygen into the blood
38:49because that could be dangerous, right?
38:51Exactly. Even a small amount of oxygen
38:53in the blood could cause an embolism
38:55when it reaches the lungs.
38:57How do we avoid that problem?
38:59Well, what we've done is take the oxygen
39:01and divide it into billions and billions
39:03of microparticles.
39:05Each particle is covered
39:07by a small membrane
39:09so that the amount of oxygen
39:11is as small as it is to get into the blood
39:13and not cause an embolism.
39:15If you take this syringe,
39:17you'll see that it's very light.
39:19It's very light.
39:21So they're about two to five micrometers in diameter.
39:23They're about the size of red blood cells.
39:27The ultra-fine membrane
39:29that covers the small bubbles of pure oxygen
39:31is made up of fat molecules.
39:33When they're injected,
39:35the membranes dissolve
39:37and the oxygen is transferred directly
39:39to the red blood cells.
39:41So that's blood without oxygen, right?
39:43Yes, it's easily detectable
39:45by its colour. It's a dark brownish colour.
39:47So when you see blood like that,
39:49you know it needs oxygen.
39:51That's right. It doesn't need oxygen.
39:53When you add oxygen,
39:55you see how it starts to get a very bright red colour.
39:57And this monitor here
39:59shows us the oxygen saturation percentage.
40:01It's usually 95 or 100%, right?
40:03Yes.
40:05It's time to see if it really works.
40:07How much oxygen can it supply
40:09and how long will it take?
40:11So we're now going to add the bubbles.
40:13As soon as you add the bubbles,
40:15you see how it gets more red.
40:17It's already at 99%,
40:19a perfect level.
40:21An amazing advance that could
40:23transform emergency medicine.
40:25What you have inside this syringe,
40:27could we see it in ambulances
40:29to inject it into the patient's veins?
40:31Exactly.
40:33How long would it take?
40:35It's already been shown that it can keep
40:37an animal alive for 15 minutes
40:39after it stops breathing.
40:41Human tests will begin
40:43in the next five years.
40:45John's invention is seemingly simple.
40:47Small oxygen bubbles
40:49injected directly into the blood
40:51could save millions of lives every year.
40:53But that's not all.
40:55This technology of micro-bubbles
40:57could be used to supply medicine
40:59directly and not have an effect
41:01in hours or minutes, but in seconds.
41:05There will always be emergencies.
41:07But scientists are increasingly
41:09finding better ways
41:11to reduce pain and losses.
41:13Inventions that until recently
41:15seemed impossible
41:17appear quickly and help us
41:19control our lives more.
41:21Your future will be safer.
41:23Thank you for your attention.