Machines & tech
The clever tricks inside everyday machines. 19 ready to play, 21 coming soon.
How Amazon delivery works
Follow one box from the click to your front door in about a day.
How hybrid cars work
Drive, brake and coast while power flows between engine and battery.
How a heat pump works
Step through the loop that moves heat instead of making it.
How solar panels work
Catch sunlight in a silicon sandwich and push electrons through a wire.
How electricity works
Close the switch and follow the push that lights the bulb.
How AI works
Train a tiny brain on cats and dogs and watch it learn from its mistakes.
How a microwave works
Wiggle the water in your soup billions of times a second.
How roller coasters work
Haul the car up once, and let gravity pay for the whole ride.
How sound travels
Bang a drum and follow the squeeze of air all the way to your ear.
How GPS works
Time signals from satellites and pin your spot on Earth.
How a VPN works
Wrap your data in a locked tunnel and send it the long way round.
How computers work
Flip billions of tiny switches to turn on and off into games and videos.
How soap works
Grab grease with one end and water with the other.
How hearing aids work
Catch sound, boost it and deliver it just right.
How a compass works
Follow a tiny magnet that always points north.
Why airplane windows are round
Find out why square windows caused trouble.
Where sugar comes from
Squeeze sweet crystals out of a giant grass and a root.
How steel is made
Turn rusty rock into the metal holding up skyscrapers.
How an MRI works
Use giant magnets to take pictures inside your body.