ANDY TORBET:Welcome to Beyond Bionic on 成人快手 Teach. I'm Andy Torbet, the show's presenter, and on every episode I try and match the super-skills of some of nature's best athletes.
ANDY TORBET:And here's what happened when I tried to match the hovering skills of the fantastically nimble hummingbird.
ANDY TORBET:'Hummingbirds are unique in being able to hover. 'No other bird can do it. 'They effortlessly flick the shoulders 'and twist their wrists at super-speed, 'making their wings flap in figure-of-eight motion.
ANDY TORBET:'As they rotate, the force of gravity pulling the bird down 'is matched equally by the lift generated by its fast flapping wings.
ANDY TORBET:'To match the hummingbird's ability to hover in mid-air, 'I'll actually need to oppose the force of gravity.
ANDY TORBET:'Gravity is the force that pulls objects down to Earth. 'The heavier an object is, 'the greater the force of gravity acting on it.
ANDY TORBET:'This is a particularly tough challenge for me, a non-flying human, 'because I need to find a device that creates a force to push me up'as equal to the gravity force pulling me down. 'Only then will I be able to fly and hover like a hummingbird.
ANDY TORBET:'First stop on the road to becoming a hummingbird 'requires me to work out how I can match the hummingbird's super-long, 'needle-like beak, 'which it uses to reach the sugary nectar hidden deep within flowers.'
ANDY TORBET:The simplest way for me to reach further is extend my arm and grip, and I'm hoping one of these bits of kit can help me.
ANDY TORBET:I want to find out which bit of kit best matches the reach and grip of the hummingbird's beak. So it's time to put them to the bionic test. 'I've got to get these glass balls into this bucket.
ANDY TORBET:'Easy?'
ANDY TORBET:I have not got a good grip of this at all. 'It's clear some are better than others.'
ANDY TORBET:Okay this is completely useless. 'And there are two clear winners.' The litter picker's really nice and light.
ANDY TORBET:The reach is pretty good! It's a lot heavier, but you know what I think we are in!
ANDY TORBET:'Round two, is all about reliability. 'Hummingbirds can find, extract and expertly lap up the nectar, 'while flapping their wings at 80 beats per second. 'And flying around at speeds of 30mph.'
ANDY TORBET:That's as fast as a rally car doing this!
ANDY TORBET:So what better way to put the last two arm extensions through their paces than by strapping them to one of those.
ANDY TORBET:'And whichever one of these can hold on to a sweet, 'sugary treat the longest, wins.'
ANDY TORBET:And there goes half the cake.
ANDY TORBET:Let's go! 'Let's hope the litter picker's not rubbish.'
ANDY TORBET:I don't think it's going anywhere.
IAIN DUNCAN:I don't think that one's moving.
ANDY TORBET:It had control, it had reliability, so this will become my version of the hummingbird's beak. But now I face the bigger challenge and that's working out how to hover.
ANDY TORBET:If I want to be successful I won't be using a helicopter. I've got to find a way to make myself hover. Let's give it a go.
ANDY TORBET:No, I can't hover!
ANDY TORBET:'One piece of genius tech that could help me to hover is the Flightcycle.' Time to go bionic! Here we go!
ANDY TORBET:'Hummingbird's wings beat super-fast, 'generating the lift required to hover. 'The Flightcycle's spinning blades do a similar job.
ANDY TORBET:'As they spin around rapidly, 'they create enough force tolift the Flightcycle into the air.'
3600:04:22:21 00:04:34:24ANDY TORBET:That was genuinely incredible. Problem is for this challenge, I need two hands to fly the Flightcycle, and then I need a third hand to operate my arm extension litter picker to grab the nectar.
ANDY TORBET:So I don't think this is the final solution but I'm a step closer.
ANDY TORBET:I think I've got just the bit of kit to give me the hovering control I need.
ANDY TORBET:That is Flyboarding.
ANDY TORBET:'The Flyboard is an ingenious invention. 'The jet-ski pumps 60 litres of seawater 'every second, along the 80 metre-long black pipe.
ANDY TORBET:'This water is then pushed out of the footplate at high speed 'and high pressure.
ANDY TORBET:'This provides the thrust I need to counter the pull of gravity.
ANDY TORBET:'But it's not as easy as it looks, 'and straight away I really struggle to keep my balance.
ANDY TORBET:'But after a bit of practice, I start to get the hang of it, 'and it's so much fun.
ANDY TORBET:'I'm going to attempt to become a human hummingbird, 'and hover in one spot to extract nectar 'from a five metre high inflatable flower.' Okay, time to go bionic.
ANDY TORBET:'And as I rise up, my balance feels good. I'm hovering at the perfect height, and as I spot the flower head, 'my angle of attack feels right.
ANDY TORBET:Here we go, this is it. I can do it.
ANDY TORBET:'I've done it!' Yes! This is awesome! 'Finally everything came good and my challenge ends in sweet triumph.
ANDY TORBET:'I have gone truly beyond bionic. 'I matched the hummingbird at its own game.'
ANDY TORBET:I hope you enjoyed that challenge, I certainly had loads of fun doing it, trying to match the super skills of the hummingbird. But this time I did two pieces of technology.
ANDY TORBET:Not just the Flyboard, but also that high-tech litter picker to extend my reach. And remember there's more tasty Beyond Bionic on 成人快手 Teach. I'll see you next time.