Gadgetory

we had a those are the parts and pieces of a pyro pack ever heard of it well that's because it doesn't exist not yet at least and that's just one example of what you'll see on the Discovery Channel's new TV series prototype this we build a new invention on each show and throughout the course of each hour or we follow that process through the concept through the design testing facets of it and then the big final test which is finding out if the prototype working on from robots that can climb stairs to a waterslide simulator no idea is too outlandish or seen as impossible say you're out with a bunch of friends at the zoo and you go you know it would be funny is if we had a giant you know swing an arm thing that can throw bananas and eventually you'll be driving you know on a road trip somewhere big right we talked about that giant arm throws bananas what if we did this and they literally kind of grow that way in the 13 episodes each of the four hosts brings a specific expertise Terry is all about the animatronics and fabrication of parts this is like playing in a toy store for me it really is to take something there's no block of aluminum where a block of plastic and cut it down to what I need it to be and put wheels on it the motor and drive it off into the Bay that's perfect Joe is an electrical engineer and a hardware hacker I've been doing that since I was seven years old saws does robotics these days if it doesn't have a computer inside it then it's not really pushing the envelope and Mike specializes in mechanical engineering we really get into the heart of technology so we go talk to professors at different universities and what the cutting edge is that they're doing and then we incorporate that into our own projects that kind of access and expertise is exactly the draw producers are hoping will attract an audience okay this is just a quick introduction see the reason to watch the show is that you know you have a bunch of guys they're really smart they're thinking about the future they're thinking about stuff that you know has never been done before and for a non-technical person I'm just interested in seeing these guys go through a process that makes them human because they're being challenged and then it's a fallible human process for a techie person it's just like a dream there's been this up surgeon gonna do it yourself DIY it's the hobbyist you know really coming the full glory and that's really I think that people will appeal to most people that want to see how you actually do it and then they can do it themselves don't expect to watch prototype this like you're watching the Home Shopping Network these gadgets and devices are not going to be seen on store shelves anytime soon but they are here to spark your own creativity on Treasure Island I'm Kara Tsuboi cnet.com