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Documentary : Science and Technology

Documentary

Master Craftsmen in High Technology | Masterly Skills | Beyond the Naked Eye |

SERIES Master Craftsmen in High Technology | Steel Cable Braiding

DC299811Documentary

ハイテクの職人たち | ワイヤーロープは手でつなげ [NHK]

|Length : 10min. |Year : 1998

Mr. Ugajin (74) and Mr. Suzuki (72) are among only a handful of people in the country who possess the skills and experience necessary to braid steel cables - used in construction of massive bridges and ski-lift equipment and requiring a high level of safety - into continuous loops. This work is done manually as it requires a sure hand and a well-trained eye that machines do not have. This episode focuses on these two senior citizens as they pass their skills on to the next generation of cable braiders.

SERIES Master Craftsmen in High Technology | Polishing Rainbows, Manipulating Light

DC299810Documentary

ハイテクの職人たち | 虹を磨く 光を操る [NHK]

|Length : 10min. |Year : 1998

The production of finely-tuned optical lenses and prisms - used in cameras, telescopes and semiconductor manufacturing equipment - necessitates the sensitive touch of the human hand. Akira Hozumi produces prototype optical lenses and pentaprisms, which then become the standard for mass-produced goods. He uses his hands, fingertips and a sense of timing and intuition that has been honed over the years to produce these articles, some with angles to within 1/360 of a degree.

SERIES Master Craftsmen in High Technology | Nimble Fingers for Fashion

DC299809Documentary

ハイテクの職人たち | 最新ファッションを生む指先の技 [NHK]

|Length : 10min. |Year : 1998

The shape of a particular fiber determines its distinctive qualities, and central to the distinctiveness of each fiber is the precision of the holes, which can be as small as 100 microns, through which petroleum-based materials are squeezed to become chemical fibers. Akinori Katayama has been designated a "modern master craftsman" by the Ministry of Labor. He files and polishes unique tools made of ultra-hard alloys up to the thickness of a strand of human hair that are used to drill these holes into nozzles.

SERIES Master Craftsmen in High Technology | Giant Propellers

DC299808Documentary

ハイテクの職人たち | ミクロの研磨 巨大スクリュー [NHK]

|Length : 10min. |Year : 1998

This episode focuses on the process of making giant ship propellers - from the initial stage when the copper alloy is cast into the mold, through the final steps which require manually planning the hole in the propeller where the shaft must be snugly fitted, to the hand polishing of the giant blades. These "human touches" ensure that the ships which transport goods around the world can journey efficiently and safely. To paraphrase Mr. Izutani who has been doing this job for 25 years: "Humans are still superior to machines."

Karakuri – A Technology from the Past –

DC299707Documentary

からくり いにしえのテクノロジー [TVA]

|Length : 30min. |Year : 1997

Long before robotics, mechanical dolls served the people

The technology used by Sakichi Toyoda to develop the automatic loom and eventually auto plant robotics dates back to the Edo period when mechanical dolls (karakuri dolls), powered by springs, performed a variety of tasks, from serving tea to adorning festival floats. This show focuses on a family which has carried the art of karakuri making through to the present era. The goal of Shobei Tamaya, ninth in his family of karakuri craftsmen, is to mesh the technology of the past with today's computer-generated works and line city streets with mechanical doll clocks.

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