Tops aren't just toys. Spinning tops (gyroscopes) help position satellites in space; in machine tools, top-like elements help in the manufacture of precision components. So "Supreme Skills!" tries to advance both fields by pitting the aerospace engineers who developed the control system for the ALOS-2 satellite against master machinists capable of milling and grinding to within 1/10,000 of a millimeter. The challenge: to create a top that will spin the longest on a 2-centimeter-diameter platform.
Contestants must adroitly cut a super-thin panel of wood from a super-large block of wood. The tiniest lapse of control will mean an epic fail. An impossible challenge? We pair a "Supremely Skilled" temple carpenter with an 81-year-old "god" of blade sharpening. What's the result of the carpenter's 75-minute effort with a traditional Japanese handsaw?
In Part 2 of this contest to build super-strong paper cartons, the challenge is to protect a set of notoriously fragile items, including eggs and a wine glass, from the effects of a straight drop, starting at 6 meters off the ground. As in Part 1, the contestants cannot use more than 800 grams of paper. Who will win - the cardboard box specialists or the paperboard wizard with 45 years' experience? The result could revolutionize Japan's logistics industry.
Can a pickup truck be hoisted with a super-thin rope? What if the rope in question is purpose-made by a team of specialists in wire-rope technology supervised by an extraordinary "idea-man"? And what if it's a unique fiber rope, produced by a supervisor with an unyielding commitment to the ideal, working with a production artisan who's all about practical problem-solving? Wire or fiber, these 2 teams are vying to produce an ideal rope, no more than 3mm in diameter but capable of suspending a 700-ton pickup truck. It's an unprecedented challenge!
It's wire rope vs. fiber rope, and the one that shreds the other, wins. The tug-of-war offering that conclusion builds up to 6.7 tons of pressure at the moment of climax. Of course wire wins, you think. Not so fast! When dedicated artisans apply their supreme skills to the latest technologies, they can create a unique super-fiber rope with built-in defenses. Of course, wire has its say, too. An extraordinary "idea man" in that field decides to incorporate specially hardened wires with an exceptionally high carbon content. Either side could win!
The challenge this time is to pierce a thick metal plate with a needle that's just 0.5 millimeters in diameter. On one side is a husband-and-wife team led by a veteran craftsman whose precise free-hand microfabrication wins him orders from around the world. On the other is a Japanese manufacturer that has used the latest processing machinery and simulation technology to win 80% of the domestic market for sewing machine needles. Can these teams create needles that will easily pierce metal?
Can a needle just 0.5 millimeters in diameter pierce a thick metal plate? The answer? Yes! Last week, our 2 teams achieved this all-but-impossible task. On one side, a husband-and-wife team led by a craftsman known for his precise free-hand microfabrication. On the other, a young engineer who uses advanced technology, working under pressure from his boss. Now they compete to see who uses the least force to push the needle through. The showdown? A miracle! Who will prevail?
In the world of manufacturing, the joining of aluminum (a very soft metal) with cemented carbide (a very hard metal) is considered as impossible as it is desirable. If the two could be joined, it might lead to a manufacturing revolution. The two leading methods would be by using screws, or by brazing, a process of melting a filler metal to act as an adhesive. So 2 teams each try one of those methods, and we see which set of joined metals is tougher to pull apart. 2 teams rise to the challenge, displaying fantastic skill. A manufacturing revolution could be here!
In the world of manufacturing, the joining of aluminum (a very soft metal) with cemented carbide (a very hard metal) is considered as impossible as it is desirable. If the two could be joined, it would constitute a manufacturing revolution. The two leading methods would be by using screws, or by brazing, a process of melting a filler metal to act as an adhesive. So 2 teams each try one of those methods, and we see which set of joined metals is tougher to pull apart. The 2 teams rise to the challenge, displaying fantastic skill. This is the showdown!
A Supreme Skills first! A team of college students averaging just 18 years of age! Their challenge? To build a bridge using just 500 grams of wood that can bear a full ton of weight! Don't underestimate these kids - they attend an elite school that has won a national design tournament 7 times. Their competitors? Veteran wood artisans who built the strongest wooden bridge in Japan. Student geniuses using the latest engineering theories versus top flight, experienced artisans: who will win!?
A Supreme Skills first! College students and adults in a serious design contest. Their mission? To build a bridge using just 500 grams of wood that can bear a full ton of weight! But, the students exceed the 1-ton target right away! What to do? The rules are quickly revised, with the target weight raised to 2 tons. Meanwhile, the adults counterattack by carefully selecting their wooden materials. Student geniuses using the latest engineering theories versus top flight, experienced artisans: who will win!?
Metal processors compete head to head! On one side, a master lathe operator who's turned metal since he was 8. On the other, 2 brothers who are wizards at metal spinning. Their task? To make an ultra-thin form from a single piece of titanium. Many experts said it was impossible to make the form at all, let alone at a high level of precision. But these competitors are determined to do the impossible with every skill at their disposal. Behold the power of Japanese craftsmen!
Metal processors compete head to head in the studio! In this episode, we present the final showdown! On one side, a master lathe operator who's turned metal since he was 8. On the other, 2 brothers who are wizards at metal spinning. Their task? To make an ultra-thin form from a single piece of titanium. Many experts said it was impossible to make the form at all, let alone at a high level of precision. Who will win this hotly contested battle to do the undoable?
Pogo isn't just a kid's pastime anymore. Today, Extreme Pogo is an extreme sport, a worldwide phenomenon centering on the U.S., with a world championship series. The bar at the high-jump event is now set above 3 meters. Key to this sort of performance is the science of pneumatics: the power of compressed air, an "extreme-green" energy source now being developed in such forms as pneumatic automobiles and power-assist suits that reduce care-giving needs. Supreme Skills! has recruited some of Japan's top manufacturing engineers, and asked them to develop the ultimate pogo stick for use by one of the sport's superstar performers. This team will try to set a new height record, and rock the pogo world!
The team: some of Japan's top manufacturing engineers, backing up one of America's Extreme Pogo superstars. The mission: to beat the 3 m 20 cm world record for the pogo high-jump. The key is the mastery of pneumatic or compressed-air technology. So our development team consists of representatives of 2 companies: one, an 80-year-old firm that specializes in compressed-air equipment, the other a gasket specialty company that worked on the Hayabusa spacecraft - that's right: rocket scientists! But in a practice run their pogo stick prototype fails. Will Japanese pride and determination save the day? Can the American superstar master the improved equipment with almost zero practice time? Prepare to be astonished!
Bamboo copters are a traditional children's toy in Japan, but this contest for the "ultimate" one is anything but child's play! 2 teams - the "Wings of Light" (headed by an expert in aerodynamics and optical modeling), and the "Bio Bravos" (headed by a specialist in biomimetics) vie to see whose copter can stay aloft the longest. Who will prevail: the aeronautical engineer with cutting-edge technology, or the research scientist drawing on 4.6 billion years of evolution? Watch to find out
Another epic episode of Supreme Skills!. This is the 2nd half of our flight duration competition for bamboo copters. Competing are a super-confident aeronautical engineer who's worked on innovative jet engines, and a maverick professor of biomimetics familiar with shapes and traits that evolved over millennia. But in Part 1, neither specialist was able to make a bamboo copter that flew very long. They must now exercise all their creativity and technical ingenuity. Don't miss this showdown!
Wire rope is known for its strength, fiber for its flexibility. Wire resists deformation, fiber bends as needed. No one has managed to combine both characteristics in an "ultimate rope". 2 teams will see which type of rope can come closer to the ideal. On the fiber side: engineers who have developed materials for use in space. On the wire side: a group whose company has made a 0.009 millimeter diameter wire rope, one of the world's thinnest. Will a stainless steel wire rope best approximate the "ultimate", or will fiber win?
This is a contest to help develop an "ultimate" rope combining the strength of wire with the flexibility of fiber. A wire rope is developed by engineers so skilled that in the past they've made one 0.009 millimeters in diameter; they can do things by hand that machines can't. Their fiber opposition: a university research group intent on combining traditional Japanese braiding techniques with cutting-edge technologies used in developing space probes. This tug of war will exceed 6 tons of pulling force. Which will break, which will last: wire or fiber?
Cooks everywhere! Did you know that a conventional frying pan wastes nearly half of a burner's heat? That simply won't do! Welcome to our frying pan showdown, where 2 teams furiously compete to reduce cooking time and save energy! Two of Japan's leading coppersmiths face off against a steam-wielding heat-transfer expert to develop ultra-efficient frying pans. How many eggs can they cook in 5 minutes, using an ordinary household burner?
A kitchen revolution! Welcome to the final round in our contest to develop an ultra-efficient frying pan. The contestants? Two of Japan's leading coppersmiths, facing off against a heat-transfer professor who's researched improved efficiency for 30 years. Their mission? Cook 20 eggs in 5 minutes, using an ordinary kitchen burner! Who will prevail - the professor with his fantastic concepts, or the coppersmiths with their time-tested experience and skill?
With 80 million bikes on the road, Japan is in the middle of an unprecedented bicycle boom! It's such a familiar phenomenon of daily life - yet it conceals real dangers. At slow speeds, bikes can easily tip over. To reduce this danger, "Supreme Skills!" challenges 2 teams to come up with a bike that can travel slowly and not tip over or go off-course. One team is headed by a world-class artisanal bike-maker, the other by a robotics specialist. They compete to see whose bike can travel farthest at slow speed on a 50-centimeter-wide, 50-meter-long course - without the rider pedaling or using the handlebar!
It's a revolution in cycling! The deciding battle in a contest to develop a bike that won't tip over, even when it's just crawling along: The Super-stable Bicycle. The contestants are an artisanal bike maker whose atelier has been in business for half a century, and an expert in the latest robotics. Which custom-made, experimental bicycle will travel farther, at slow speed, down a course 50-centimeter-wide and 50-meter-long, with a rider who is allowed neither to pedal nor to use the handlebar to steer? Who can produce that miracle: the craftsman who has dedicated his life to the perfection of the bicycle, or the scientist seeking a safer, self-balancing, 2-wheeled vehicle under robotic control? It's a fight to the finish!
In this contest, 2 teams compete to precisely control jet shots of wind or water to extinguish just the center candle in a grid of 9 candles positioned 15 meters away. Success at this near-impossible feat could revolutionize industry! On the water side? A veteran craftsman who's created some of the most beautiful fountains in Japan. On the wind side? A group of engineers whose company has a 65% share of the Japanese market for commercial ventilation fans. Who will win?
2 teams compete to precisely control jet shots of wind or water to extinguish just the center candle in a grid of 9 candles positioned 15 meters away. On the water side, the near-impossible task makes a veteran fountain designer cry with frustration and recall the turning point of his life. On the wind side, a battle of wills erupts between the young leader and his older, more experienced team members. Who will win? Prepare to be amazed as the 2 teams face off!
After the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011, many elementary schools began considering the use of emergency helmets. But standard safety helmets, bulky and hard to store, might not be close at hand when disaster strikes. That's the challenge: To design the toughest hat, one that can be folded into a compact size but absorbs impact as well as a helmet. Taking up this challenge are a team of researchers from a chemical company that makes shock-absorbent materials, and a team of specialists in the emerging field of "origami technology". Will they bring about a revolution in safety?
Toward a revolution in disaster goods! The contest to develop the toughest hat, compact but as shock-absorbent as a helmet, enters its final stages. The contestants are a team of researchers who develop shock-absorbent materials for a leading Japanese chemical manufacturer, and a team of specialists in the emerging field of "origami technology". Using their wits and imagination, the teams create unique new hats, but how well will they withstand impact? Will we see the birth of a hat with an amazing ability to absorb shock?
The challenge? To make a hole lengthwise through a 0.5mm pencil lead that's 60mm long! Supreme Skills! contestants have never worked on such a small scale before! One contender is a prominent lathe drill operator who relies on the feel of his control wheel. The other is an EDM (electrical discharge machining) expert who harnesses the awesome power of lightning that's generated in tens of thousands of tiny shocks per second. This episode starts off with a showdown, where they overcome unexpected obstacles with amazing resourcefulness and skill. Who will win?
The challenge? To make a hole lengthwise through a 0.5mm pencil lead that's 60mm long! Supreme Skills! contestants have never worked on such a small scale before! One contender operates a lathe to direct a tiny drill while relying solely on the feel of his control wheel. The other harnesses the awesome power of lighting through EDM (electrical discharge machining), which generates tens of thousands of tiny shocks per second. Both are consummate craftsmen who far surpass what experts believe to be possible. As their holes go deeper and deeper, unexpected problems arise. Are those sparks flying? How will these veteran machinists overcome these and other daunting obstacles? Can they pull off a miracle?
The world flight distance record for a paper airplane is 69 meters... Can an ultimate paper airplane break this record?! A battle unfolds between a team of academics from Tohoku University working on next-generation aircraft and a team of airplane fanatics who hold model airplane world records. This week, the teams enter 3 airplanes each. Students with a background in human-powered airplane competitions take up the challenge with a giant plane. They are up against an airplane fanatic whose ideas for a wing have been considered by JAXA for a future Mars airplane. Improbable flight concepts are revealed... A plane making a turn despite competing for distance?! Which one is going to fly farther?!
Building the ultimate paper airplane that will fly the farthest! A battle unfolds between a team of academics from Tohoku University working on next-generation aircraft and a team of airplane fanatics who hold model airplane world records. Unique ideas are revealed in succession! A professor and disciple duo from the academic team introduce advanced "ground effect aircraft" technology. Amazingly, their aim is to fly their plane by just skimming the surface. However, the fanatic team has a secret plan up its sleeve. Why fly an inverted loop when competing for distance? Can he break the world record?!
In the early 1900's, a master Japanese craftsman awed the world at the St. Louis World's Fair with a metalsmithing technique that is now lost. Freely forming single sheets of iron, Sobi Yamada created many beautiful animal figures that seemed to take on life. But exactly how he did it is still a mystery that defies explanation even with the application of modern technology. Join us as we document a museum researcher and an artist who team up to rediscover a lost Japanese art. They have 2 months to replicate the achievements of a master craftsman who flourished more than a century ago - can they do it?
In this episode of Supreme Skills!, a team of experts come together to revolutionize red pencils. If you love stationery, this episode is a must-see! It all starts with a letter from a 2nd grader who writes, "I'd like to ask the amazing people on the show to make a red pencil that doesn't break and is easy to write with". Pencil experts and sharpener designers take on the challenge! They examine why red pencils break easily and discover a surprising truth. The problem isn't in the lead or the wood casing. So why are they breaking? Can the experts make an unbreakable red pencil and design a better, more innovative sharpener? Watch as they turn a child's dream into a reality!
Sudden earthquakes and torrential rain... Teams compete to develop the "ultimate daily wear shoes", strong enough to protect the feet during disasters, yet light and comfortable to wear. Formidable craftsmen from 2 venerable firms take up the challenge in 3 battles: the "battle of impact resistance", in which a weight is dropped from above, the "battle of water resistance", to see which shoes stay dry as water is sprayed over them, and the "battle of puncture resistance", where the shoes are tested against nail punctures and the like. Can these men create the ultimate shoes?!
How fast can a human-powered bicycle go? The annual World Human Powered Speed Challenge attracts leading engineers from around the world to find out. Last year's record was 139.45km/h. In the fall of 2016, a Japanese team competed for the first time, spending 10 months to develop their entry. Encountering unexpected accidents and obstacles, they find themselves in a tight spot. But through undaunted perseverance, the Japanese engineers and rider ultimately achieve a nearly miraculous result! Join Chihara Junior and the Supreme Skills! team as they document this grand adventure in the American desert.
How fast can a human-powered bicycle go? The annual World Human Powered Speed Challenge attracts leading engineers from around the world to find out. In the fall of 2016, a Japanese team competed for the first time, spending 10 months to develop their entry. Encountering unexpected accidents and obstacles, they find themselves in a tight spot. But through undaunted perseverance, the Japanese engineers and rider ultimately achieve a nearly miraculous result! Join Chihara Junior and the Supreme Skills! team as they travel to the American desert to document this great adventure, where bicycles go faster than 100km/h!
A National Institute takes part in the program for the first time! The science team is comprised of researchers that develop new materials to support Japan. Facing them is the technical team comprised of skilled workers boasting some of the best engineering techniques in Japan. Their aim is "ultimate sliding"; that is, to reenact the scene in the movies of a glass sliding down a bar. The teams slide heavy coasters weighing 2 kilograms down a special bar 15 meters long! Which team will demonstrate the best low-friction techniques?!
Low friction techniques for extreme sliding without lubricants! The teams take contrasting approaches to this problem, seeking a solution that could lead to revolutionary processes. A team of researchers developing new materials at a national research institute and a team of skilled workers boasting the best engineering techniques in modifying race car parts reenact the scene from the movies of a glass sliding down a bar. Using very heavy coasters weighing 2 kilograms, the teams vie for the impossible goal of sliding it all the way down a bar 15 meters long! Which team will win?!
ver wish you could crawl along a wall like Spiderman? In this episode of Supreme Skills! we focus on suction pads that attach to various surfaces using vacuum technology. Relying on ordinary household power, 2 teams compete to develop pads that can support the weight of a man hanging and moving along ceilings made of various materials. One team consists of engineers who work for Japan's oldest manufacturer of vacuum equipment. The other is a team of technical college students who are inspired by the cartoon robot-cat Doraemon. Averaging just 25 years old, members of both teams promise a fierce fight!
Ever wish you could crawl along a wall like Spiderman? Using vacuum technology, 2 teams compete to create suction pads that will support the hanging weight of a full-grown man. One team is made up of engineers who work for Japan's oldest manufacturer of vacuum equipment. The other is a team of technical college students who are inspired by the cartoon robot-cat Doraemon. In this concluding segment, they must support a man hanging from ceilings made of textured iron plate, giant pipes and dry, air-permeable logs. Averaging just 25 years old, members of both teams promise a fierce fight! Don't miss the amazing outcome!
Japan has won first place in several worldwide paper airplane contests over the years. That's why Supreme Skills! decided to hold a contest for paper plane researchers and devotees throughout Japan to see who's best at designing and flying them! Competing planes have to fly straight, make turns, and complete full circles to pass through target cubes in a display of extreme aerobatics. And of course, there's plenty of human drama, too, including a professor envious of an amateur devotee, and a man who quit his day job to become a professional paper plane designer. 3 supremely skillful contestants face off in the finals. Who will win?
In this Dream Come True Special, skilled craftsmen take on 2 viewer requests. First, the top experts in Japan take on a challenge to develop a Japan-made swimfin that can break with world finswimming records. The requester, one of the top finswimming athletes in Japan, attempts to set a new speed record, and the result is...?! For the second request, ladies from Iwate Prefecture, one of the areas hit by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, want a tool that can get Japanese walnuts out of their hard shells in large, unbroken pieces. A genius tool-maker takes on this challenge with unbelievable innovation. In the end, will a dream tool be born?!
The site for this episode of Supreme Skills! is a quarry located deep in the mountains of Japan. In the most dangerous contest we've ever held, a blasting team and water jet team compete to blast or cut their way through 2 concrete walls as quickly and safely as possible. Their mission: to save a hypothetical dog trapped in a collapsed building. To succeed, they must open holes in reinforced concrete and create a rescue route. Can they develop the power and speed they need? Can they conquer the super-strong concrete and come to the rescue? Which team will win?
Our challenge this time is a drone that can fly safely in 20 meter-per-second wind -- the speed of a typhoon! Talented Japanese craftsmen tackle this tough problem with supreme skills, aiming to advance drone technology to even greater heights. A company at the cutting edge of the drone industry battles head-to-head with a researcher who has invented many unique new drones. In the maze of crosswinds, headwinds and updrafts that awaits them, will their drones fly without crashing? Or will the unthinkable happen during the competition? Which team will win in the end?
Have you ever seen a glass sway in the wind? In this episode of Supreme Skills!, Japanese glassmaker Takahito Komure takes on the challenge of recreating a 120-year-old Venetian wine glass. Supposedly, it sways in the wind! But can a glass actually do that? Komure travels to Venice to witness the beauty of the legendary wine glass and discovers an example of craftsmanship unique to the rest of the world. Even local glassmakers have not been able to recreate this wine glass. Can a Japanese glassmaker unravel the secrets behind this Venetian glass? As Komure rises to the challenge, he faces incredible obstacles. Can he recreate the legendary wine glass?
Less than 1,000 days remain until the Tokyo Olympics. Supreme Skills! gets deeply involved in the white-hot competition of sports equipment development! It's been more than 50 years since Japan was successful in the women's discus throw. Sports engineers and skilled craftsmen work together to support a young Japanese woman who hopes to win gold in 2020. Also, Japan failed to win a medal in archery in the 2016 Rio Olympics. An imaginative small-factory owner in Tokyo comes up with some fantastic innovations to revive Japanese bow manufacturing and give Japanese archers a shot at redemption. Guest hosts in this episode include hammer and discus throwing legend Yuka Murofushi, and hurdler Dai Tamesue, a veteran of 3 successive Olympic Games. Expect the unexpected, and enjoy behind-the-scenes Olympic stories!
In the world of food, texture is the key to making a hit product. This time, we held 2 battles: The ultimate "Fluffy Food" and "Springy Food". Contestants include a leading pastry chef and a mixer maker, food manufacturing researchers, and even a French chef wielding cutting-edge cooking techniques from Paris. What they make and what ingredients they use are up to them. Each team will pour their craftsmanship and culinary skills into a single dish, and a panel of judges will determine which one wins the texture battle. Prepare to see the pinnacle of heavenly food!
Experts take on challenges to make our viewers' dreams come true! The first requester is a jump rope performer with a world record of 7 rope spins in a single jump. His request: make the ultimate jump rope! A team assembles to take on this challenge, including top-class manufacturers and a college professor. With their rope, can the requester make the world's first 8-spin jump? Second, a request from a loving mother: rubber boots that stay securely on her daughter's feet and don't slip on ice. A pair of craftsmen with 30 years of shoemaking experience put their skills to the test. Inspired by their company's humble beginning as a maker of Japanese tabi shoes, the solution they find is worthy of a movie!
Artificial intelligence is everywhere. It's estimated that about half of the jobs now done by humans in Japan could be done by computers by 2030. Will AI steal all of our jobs? In this episode, AI and humans compete in 3 fields where computers have made significant inroads: fashion, taxi driving and haiku poetry. Whose supreme skills will win? Can humans find a way to survive the challenge of computerized deep learning?
