Supreme Skills!

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!

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?

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?!