Episodes

Episode 1 - Mega Truck

Prising open the Mega Truck’s metal skin will reveal its engineering secrets and their extraordinary roots in history and nature

Episode 2 - Super Airship

Aviation history is about to be made at Tustin Airbase, California, as Dragon Dream takes to the sky for the very first time

Episode 3 - Mega Lift Ship

Exploring the engineering breakthroughs within this steel giant will reveal surprising secrets of how the technology evolved, inspired by extraordinary lessons from nature and history

Episode 4 - Super Train

Using stunning CGI animation to explode open one of the world’s fastest trains to reveal the extraordinary technology that it depends on to race from Venice to Rome in less than four hours

Episode 5 - Mega Digger

How does the Mega Digger’s incredible 70-ton bucket mimic nature’s mightiest digger – the mole? Which device from an 18th century clock enables the PC8000 to rotate 360 degrees in only 20 seconds?

Episode 6 - Mega Lift Helicopter

How did the Air-Crane’s incredible jet engines evolve from a medieval cooking device? Why is a bat’s claw the perfect blueprint for the Air-Crane’s unbreakable steel cargo hooks?

Episode 7 - Ultimate Dragster

Rise of the Machines uses stunning CGI animation to explode open the fastest accelerating vehicle on the planet

Episode 8 - Aircraft Carrier

At critical moments, spectacular CGI will crack open the steel hull of the Aircraft Carrier and plunge us deep into its inner workings. Uncovering the engineering breakthroughs within this lethal leviathan reveals surprising stories of how the technology evolved

Episode 9 - Super Jumbo Jet

How do the A380’s shape-shifting wings mimic a bald eagle’s flexible feathers? How have the fan-blades inside the A380’s super-powered jet engines evolved from the slashing Samurai sword?

Episode 10 - Ice Crawler

How does the Ice Crawler’s hydraulic snow shovel mimic the anatomy of the giant Himalayan jumping spider? How does a lightning bolt help driver Steve navigate the steep mountain terrain in the pitch black of night?

Episode 8 - Aircraft Carrier

Rise of the Machines uses stunning CGI animation to explode open the world’s biggest aircraft carrier – the USS Ronald Reagan – to reveal the extraordinary technology it employs defend the United States.

At the helm of this mighty warship, Captain Chris Bolt, has just 12 hours to qualify 40 navy pilots for carrier operations. As the ship’s nuclear-powered steam turbines power the supercarrier to top speed, her flight-deck crew risk life and limb to launch and land a constant stream of fighter jets. At critical moments, spectacular CGI will crack open the steel hull of the Aircraft Carrier and plunge us deep into its inner workings. Uncovering the engineering breakthroughs within this lethal leviathan reveals surprising stories of how the technology evolved, inspired by extraordinary lessons from nature and history.

What connects a spider’s web with a landing aircraft? How did a Leonardo da Vinci sketch inspire the carrier’s launch system? And how does a 19th century French lighthouse save pilot’s lives? As day turns to night, the landing operation becomes fraught with danger. The smallest mistake from pilot or crew could kill someone. Can Captain Bolt get all his aircraft safely back on board? Only one thing’s certain: it will all go down to the wire.

Credits
Producer/Director
Assistant Producer
for Discovery Canada, Quest
Distributed by Cineflix