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FROM THE EDITOR...
REINVENTION
B
y now, you should be well into the swing of sculpting that new, leaner, meaner
you. You remember, the body you solemnly resolved to construct as 2017
burst noisily into life. If you can even squeeze your way into the gym and
please dont get me wrong: Im not suggesting that youre too big to get through
the turnstiles. The thing is, this is the time of year that fitness centres groan
under the burden of masses of heaving, glistening bodies hyper-energetically
attempting to sweat off Festive Season excesses.
You are not alone in this.
As one whose job description involves playing with stuff euphemistically
described as populating our Tested section Lindsey Schutters is undertaking a
test of a different sort. Hes testing out a lifestyle change on his way back to
peak fitness. In the process, he is enlisting the aid of every gadget and piece of
gear that will help him reach his destination more swiftly. (When I suggested just
settling for alternative transport, I swear his lips curled with such venom I feared
he would develop whiplash. He is clearly resolute about this fitness thing.)
At Popular Mechanics, after all, we live our ethos. First to know? You bet.
Which is partly why our Lumka Nofemele has been tasked with turning her own
life upside down, if only for a short while, to experience and report back on an
activity previously unknown to me, Suspension Yoga.
Whats all of this got to do with Popular Mechanics?
Youve known us as the standard-bearers for Science and Technology. As fierce
custodians of the how-to spirit and equally fierce defenders of the right, if it
should come to that, to perform the occasional wheelie, perhaps accompanied by
a discreet whoo-hoo.
But times change, peoples interests change and we need to be aware of the
constantly shifting ideascape in which we operate. With that in mind, some of
you may have noticed that Popular Mechanics has headed out once more to
explore your likes, dislikes and couldnt-care-lesses. Lets not call it market research
or a survey, even if thats exactly what it is. Lets rather call it getting in touch
with your life, with what makes you tick. Or hum, for that matter.
We need to know, and not just for our own sakes, where we could do better
and where we could do a lot better. Self-examination can take you only so far
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 1
Senior associate editor, Lindsey
Schutters, contemplating the return
of a leaner, meaner fitness machine.
before you need to subject yourself to the scrutiny
of the merciless reader.
In the meantime, those of you with long
memories and sharp eyes I guess that applies
to most of you will have noticed a subtle change
to our cover. When the South African edition
of Popular Mechanics came into being, it
held fast to five pillars: Science, Technology,
Automotive, Outdoors and DIY. (In case youre
wondering: a wise guy once described Outdoors
as anything that, by definition, wasnt Indoors.)
Since then weve flirted with variations on
those themes, always returning in some shape
or form to echoes of the original. This month
weve taken our cue from our redesigned, slim-
med-down website which by now should be
up and running to change the line-up subtly
to reflect contemporary tastes. It now encom-
passes Tech, Science, Driving, DIY and Life.
Whats Life, you ask? Theres this wise guy
who might have an answer
anthony@ramsaymedia.co.za
COMPETITION WINNERS
Details online at www.popularmechanics.co.za
CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 2017 I VOL 15, NO 7 I I BE THE FIRST TO KNOW

82

76 48
On the cover: Homes are getting
smarter. Weve taken a look at how
technology is making our homes safer
and more efficient. This page: Meet
the most luxurious bluetooth speaker
82 weve ever seen the Ixoost Esavox.

22
2 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
 SUBSCRIBE TO
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ISSU

HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS UPGRADE

12 Shopping up a virtual storm 60 The new cradle
AI is going to change the way we shop forever An igloo for your garden
How not to waste money on tech Trucking into the future
Stay savvy and save
The Confident Traveller DRIVING
Packing light 64 True to tradition
Eyes on the prize We get a history lesson at Bentley
A spacecraft with robot vision Drives
Beat the heat, one block at a time Volvo V40 D3/Suzuki Swift Sport/
Fireproof building blocks are really cool Mitsubishi Pajero SWB GLS
Look ma, no hands On the charge
Farming goes driverless BMW drives EVs hard
Safe and sound The Desert Monster
Wearable tech changing the lives of the deaf The toughest beach buggies you can get
Old is the new new
TESTED Are classic bikes the best bikes?
24 Must-have fitness gear Dont DIY
Smart battery charger Car fixes you should leave to the professionals
Beats EP headphones
SKILLS
FEATURES 82 Project: Refurb a war trunk
28 The smarter home How to destroy anything
How the Internet of Things will raise community IQ Project: Build a shoe rack
38 Your driverless ride is arriving A life-saving spanner
Hailing a cab will never be the same again
44 Collectors get it together
MONTHLY
So many collectables, so little time 1 From the editor
6 Letters
48 Stupid or amazing? 8 Time machine
It seemed like a great idea at the time. Was it, though? 10 Calendar
We decide
22
22 Great New stuff
76 Guitar maker 100 Do it your way
Meet Matt Artinger, the man born to create guitars

22

38

60 82 60
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 3
SUBSCRIBE NOW BE THE FIRST TO KNOW

EDITOR: Anthony Doman GROUP PUBLISHER: Neil Piper

EDITORIAL
Senior associate editor Lindsey Schutters
Journalist Lumka Nofemele
Digital content manager Nikky Oosthuizen
Proofreader Margy Beves-Gibson

CREATIVE AND PRODUCTION

Production manager Judy Romon
Art director Thea Woodman
TESTED: MUST-HAVE FITNESS GEAR + BEATS EP HEADPHONES PROJECT Designer Sharon Gunst
FEBRUARY 2017

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VOLUME 15, NO. 7

COLLECTORS SAWDUST & SKILLS:

> COMICS > DVDs
> RADIOS > HAT MOULDS
SWEAT > MAKE: SHOE RACK
> DESTROY ANYTHING OPERATIONS
GUITAR GURU > SWAAI N SPANNER
Director Jacques Breytenbach
HR officer Emmelia Fouch
Finance manager Zanfre Gorgosilich
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communicate with you via email or SMS.
 LET TERS / WHAT S ON YOUR MIND?
NIN
G
WIN TTER
LE
TURNING WIND TO OUR
ADVANTAGE
I thought you might be interested in
a South African firstin wind motors
(rather than purely wind-driven tur-
bines). Rotosail is a patented turbine
invention (RSA patent application
2016/00808) that is conceptualised as
a wind motor rather than purely a wind
generator. It could be connected to a
mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic or
electrical system. It is envisaged as DIY
kit models at one end of the spectrum
and, possibly, large grid-feeding models,
the size of oil-storage tanks at the other.
The latter may be barge-mounted in
the North Sea, or power a weather-
station in Antarctica.
Rotosail incorporates the tried
and tested configuration of hollow
hemi-cylindrical shells, overlapping
and rotating about a vertical axis. The
principle is incorporated in many pro-
prietary units currently available on the
high-tech market. Rotosail postulates
the principle of mounting a rotating
space-frame turntable on the vertical
axis shaft with the hemi-cylinders
mounted on secondary vertical mount-
ings on the turntable, having limited
rotating ability in order to close com-
pletely or to be extended fully or staged
at any intermediate point. In principle,
there is no limit to the size of the shells.
The adjustment is powered by an on-
board generator, rechargeable batteries
and electric drives, commanded either
manually, by a standard remote radio
control (similar to those that operate
TV sets or garage doors) or automati-
cally by pre-set computerised parame-
ters, related to wind velocities, rotational
speed, time, duration or any other loaded
parameter. This function could also be
achieved, in certain circumstances, by on-
board pneumatics or hydraulic circuits.
In the fully closed position, the unit
is cylindrical and streamlined and could
be designed to resist even hurricane-
force conditions. It is fundamental to
these overrides that frontal area and
rotational speed would vary and be
balanced, in order to maintain power
output at a given level, thereby mini-
mising or eliminating vibration, noise
and downstream turbulence such as
created by propeller-type windmills. It
is anticipated that, bearing in mind the
6 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
unique properties inherent in Rotosail,
a fairly simple gathering and spilling
of wind would result, although defini-
tive testing is not yet complete.
Harnessing of wind-power is poten-
tially possible 24/7 all year round, almost
everywhere, whereas solar power is
available during daylight hours only
(during winter, in high latitudes, that
can be one or two hours in 24). Wind
power can deliver AC or DC power,
as opposed to solar power, which can
deliver only DC and requires inverting
conversion.
That there is an abundance of sus-
tained wind-power is evident in the fact
that, until the advent of steam, wind
was the primary source of power for
driving pumps and machinery, other
than running water, brute manpower
or draught animals. In our contempo-
rary environment, wind farms generate
considerable quantities of power, but
suffer from the drawbacks of high capital
cost. This is partly due to the need to
elevate the horizontal shaft axis for
the blades to clear the ground. Power
generation and control equipment are Working model shows Rotosail turbine open
situated high above the ground, creating (top) and closed.
logistical problems and considerable
additional cost. An additional compli-
cation is the need to adjust for direc-
tional variation of the wind, with the
resultant additional cost and ongoing
maintenance needs, plus the facility of
adjusting the pitch of the turbine blades.
Preliminary calculations for Rotosail
indicate that one square metre of frontal
area would produce 1 kW of work at
a wind velocity of 10 m/sec (36 km/h).
Definitive testing is not yet complete.
Anticipated savings in capital cost
range from significant to huge, resulting
from the concepts simplified design and
the possibility of relatively unskilled
local manufacture. Installations would Plan view of opening sequence.
be far less intrusive than conventional
wind turbines and could be sited on Other possible applications range from
waste ground such as landfills and rug- hybrid powering of shipping to expanding
ged mountain sites. Installations might the range of totally battery-powered road
even be situated above factories and vehicles using independent self-powered
high-rise buildings without significant pit-stops that might bridge desert areas,
intrusion. Offshore installations could such as the Karoo, where perennial air
be barge-mounted rather than on the movement is a norm.
sea-bed, with significant savings in ini- KEITH HONEYMAN
tial costs and ongoing servicing costs. CAPE TOWN

Write to us, engage
us in debate and you
could win a cool
prize. In fact, this
month we take that
literally: our winning
letter earns a Little
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with drought and water quality among
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For many, filtering their water has
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water delivered to your house, at huge
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with diesel truck emissions adding
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It provides 7 litres of ice-cold filtered
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Vitality cooler filters exceed both the
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Its the perfect gift for your bar,
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Available at Dischem and Makro. To
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Send your letter to: Popular Mechanics,
PO Box 180, Howard Place 7450,
or e-mail popular mechanics@
ramsaymedia.co.za Please keep it
short and to the point. Regrettably,
prizes can be awarded only to South
African residents.
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 7
TIME IS MONEY your August 2016 project. The problem
How interesting to read about Joe Faddells being the pipes ID (Inside Diameter) being
Rolex Submariner (Letters, September somewhat smaller than the 40 mm ping-
2016). I, too, longed to own one at the age pong ball.
of 18 and scraped up 41 10s to purchase Rather than re-engineering a 50 mm OD
one in 1958. I wore it for 25 years until PVC pipe, which would keep one entertained
the servicing became too expensive, so at length, use 40 mm HDPE (black) irri-
donated it to Rolex Watch Company in gation pipe, available at larger hardware
Switzerland. stores and garden shops selling irrigation
Ten years later, I inherited a Rolex equipment, or even an agricultural co-op.
GMT-Master, which I dare not wear as it It generally comes in two grades; class 3
is too valuable and costs too much to run. for up to 3 bar pressure (which exceeds
I wear a Swatch. that of PVC wastepipe and, I think, is still
DAVE REYNELL cheaper, too); and a thicker-walled class
KNYSNA 6 for 6 bar pressure capacity (both have
the same 40 mm ID). The latter would
surely test the ping-pong cannon to new
extremes.
DALE HILLEBRAND
PINELANDS
NUCLEAR IS THE FUTURE
Our renewable energy sources are essen-
tially indirect nuclear fusion. Without
baseload renewables, such as geothermal
and hydropower, we will need a massive
economic investment into grid storage for
wind and solar power. That cost is some-
thing nuclear competes with.
Most importantly, the possibilities of
nuclear energy make it the ideal future.
We are now developing fast breeder fission
reactors and massive stellarators for hydro-
PERFECT FIT gen fusion, which make backup gas turbines
I have just read in your November issue look like clunky, inefficient and polluting
Mr Addis letter lamenting the problem of Middle Ages tools.
the PVC 40 mm OD (Outside Diameter) YUSUF KHAN
wastepipe used as the barrel of the cannon in DURBAN
HYPERLOOP HEAD-SCRATCHER
In your September issue, there is an article on the proposed Hyperloop transport
system, which consists of an evacuated tube fitted with electromagnets inside which
a capsule will ride on a cushion of air at 1 100 km/h, being pulled along with a fan
and obtaining extra propulsion from the magnets. I can understand the power of
the magnets, but how can the fan work and the capsule float on air if the tube has
been evacuated? Have I missed something?
JM KIRBY
HOWICK
(Musks original concept used a partial vacuum and borrowed the air castor idea, envisaging
transportation pods riding on an extremely thin layer of air, with fans balancing pressure
build-up. Subsequent implementations have explored maglev principles. Editor) PM
TIME MACHINE / IT MADE PERFECT SENSE AT THE TIME

2000
After the discovery of a 20 000-year-old woolly
mammoth carcass, breeding or cloning mam-
moths became a realistic scientific objective.
The plan was to cross-breed the mammoth DNA with an
elephant or regenerate the cells in order to clone the long

2002
extinct animal. As we dont have any woolly mammoths This month we focus on smart homes, including the ques-
walking around yet, you can guess how that went. tion of security, specifically fire safety, which we went into in
great detail in 2002. We suggested 10 ways to keep your
home safe, from a basic alarm to deadbolt locks and fire extinguishers.

1968
Taking the perfect selfie is a mission. So is Clearly, not much has changed in the way of essentials we need to
taking a perfect portrait, it would appear. In keep our homes safe.
1968, we questioned why it is so difficult to
shoot a portrait. Turns out, just like with modern-day
selfies, lighting is very important and the correct angle
of light can get you the right filter.

1970
Popular Mechanics has always been the go-to for
innovative DIY projects. You can buy boots for your
dog online today, but making them is actually not
so difficult. Hunting dogs travel on harsh terrain for long
hours, so they needed boots to protect their feet. PM

8 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 Need better space?
RDFPG/121/E

Rent space without the drama.

Contact Redene Properties.
Visit www.redefine.co.za for more information.

OFFICE | INDUSTRIAL | RETAIL Were not landlords. Were people.

Calendar February Get the most out
of your month

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

1 2 4

World Cancer
Day raises aware-
ness of the disease
and encourages its
prevention, detection
and treatment.
Feb 27th: Ultra South Africa music festival

5
The 2017 Cape Town Electronic 7 8 9 10 11
Music Festival is scheduled to rock the
Mother City from 7 to 12 February. Happy Birthday Get your creative
Dimitri Mendeleev, juices flowing at the
the man who 2017 Design Indaba
created the in Cape Town from
Periodic Table 11 to 20 February.
of elements.

12 13 14 15 16 18

The Night Harvest, Africas 2nd and biggest

Cape Towns premier Happy Valentines cricket festival, The Cape
BMX biking competition, Day from the Popular Town Sixes, starts today.
is back for a Mechanics team. The first Monaco Look out for a chance
fifth year. International Motor to win tickets on
Show will be held; until popularmechanics.co.za
19 February.

19 20 21 22 23 24 25
The Herald This entire page Its road race
Happy birthday, was typed and laid time in PE today
Continental Cycle Dolly the sheep,
Tour starts today THE MARCH out on products as the Herald
ISSUE of Popular the first mammal emanating from the Continental Cycle
with exciting to be cloned.
mountain-bike Mechanics goes empire of the man Tour continues.
races in Port on sale. born on this day,
Elizabeth Steve Jobs.

26 27 28
Ultra South Striking looks aside,
Africa music the word is that
festival starts at economy is likely to be
the Cape Town a big selling point for
Ostrich Ranch Toyotas C-HR subcom-
along the N7. pact urban crossover
launched today.

SUN SAT

5/02
The Cape Town City Hall will be turned into
a massive multi-level club where master inter-
national beat makers, like the UKs Nightmares
on Wax and Germanys Boris Brejecha, will
drop thundering basslines alongside more than
30 local acts including Rudeboyz, DJ Kenzhero,
DJ Lag and many more. Apart from the core
music fiesta, the festival will also host a series
of satellite events and workshops in the run-up
to the main event.
11/02
The Design Indaba has put Cape Town on
the world map as a hotbed of innovation and
will be back again at Artscape from Friday, 11
February to Sunday, 20 February 2017. From
engaging with intellectuals at the conference
to voting for South Africas Most Beautiful
Object and seeing design-inspired flicks at
the film festival, you will find yourself 100 per
cent inspired and motivatedFRI to make your
mark on the city and beyond.
THURS
23/02
In 1997, the successful cloning of an adult
mammal was announced: a female lamb named
Dolly was born 5 July 1996. The accomplishment
of a group of scientists supervised by Ian Wilmut at
Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, Scotland, the cloning
was primarily the work of biologist Keith Campbell.
Dolly was the first mammal ever successfully cloned
from a cell from an adult animal and lived until
14 February 2003, when she was put down due
to the effects of a progressive lung disease.

10 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TECH SAVINGS TRAVEL AUTONOMOUS TRACTOR CONSTRUCTION THE DISRUPTORS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

SHOPPING UP A
(VIRTUAL) STORM
A technological revolution is under way that will
fundamentally change the way we buy stuff.

BY 2020, THREE OUT OF EVERY FOUR
OF YOUR CONSUMER INTERACTIONS
will not be face to face with
another human. Instead, the
majority of your shopping will
be self-service using chatbots
and VR according to new
research by computer technology
company Oracle.
The Oracle report, Can virtual
experiences replace reality?
polled 800 senior marketing
and sales professionals in
France, the Netherlands, South
Africa and the UK. Undertaken
with Coleman Parkes Research,
it targeted the areas of manu-
facturing and high-tech, online
retail and telecommunications.
It revealed how the use of
emerging technologies is set to
surge by 2020. Seventy-seven
percent of brands expect to
provide customer experiences
through virtual reality in the
next four years, while 79 per-
cent expect to serve customers
through chatbots.
It comes as no surprise, given
our increasing preference for
online and mobile commerce.
In response, companies are
moving further away from real-
life, human interactions into an
age of advanced self-service.
However, the report also shows
that many brands still struggle
to manage one of the most fun-
damental channels for digital
consumer activity social
media indicating that they
may be trying to run before
they can walk by investing in
even more advanced data-cen-
tric technologies.
Shopper, serve thyself
In South Africa, by 2020, 77 per
cent of brands expect to be pro-
viding customer experiences
through virtual reality and 79
per cent will be serving custom-
ers through chatbots (30 per-
cent have done so already). A
significant proportion of sales
and marketing leaders admit
that digital and mobile techno-
logies have caused the greatest
change to how their customers
and prospects interact with
them. Most notably, 40 per-
cent of brands agree that people
now do more research on their
own before making a purchase.
In fact, more than one in three
brands say customers and pros-
pects prefer to complete a pur-
chase or resolve service issues
without speaking to a human
associate, if possible. Even
more say customers want to
initiate sales discussions them-
selves rather than be approached
by a brand, regardless of how

Five years ago, Adidas proposed its

More than one in three brands say customers version of the shopping experience of
the future with its virtual footwear wall.
and prospects prefer to complete a purchase
or resolve service issues without speaking to
a human associate, if possible

12 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

A GLIMPSE OF TOMORROW
In May 2016, eBay, Australias largest mar-
ketplace and iconic Australian retailer Myer
joined forces to create the worlds first
virtual reality department store. More than
12 500 products from Myer can be browsed,
selected and added to a cart.
It was important not to just replicate the
ecommerce experience in a virtual environ-
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 13
ment, says Jooman Park, managing direc-
tor of eBay Australia and New Zealand.
Using shopticals (specially designed vir-
tual reality viewers) in combination with an
app, shoppers are able to select areas of
interest at the beginning of the experience.
As shoppers move through the store,
smart technology suggests products. They
can browse using eBay Sight Search: by
simply holding their gaze on a product, it is
selected and automatically floats towards
them. The top 100 products are available
to view in 3D. Locking eyes on information
icons brings up full product specifications,
as well as price, availability and shipping
details. Purchasing is as simple as holding
ones eyes on the Add to Basket icon to
complete purchases via the eBay app.
HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS

WHY VR MATTERS
1. VR is making its way into
the home.
2. VR headsets (think Google
and Samsung) have become
affordable.
3. Tech vendors are staking
their claim. Alibaba, for
example, is building its own
VR mall.
Mark de Groot, EMEA
marketing director, digital
customer experience, Oracle

relevant and personalised the

approach is. Customers prefer
to make purchases or resolve a
service issue without speaking
directly with a member of the
sales or customer service team,
they say.
From VR dressing rooms on
a retailers website to intelligent
chatbots on a telecoms compa-
nys service portal, merchants
are already finding ways to
make the customer experience
more convenient and familiar
to consumers whose primary
communication platforms have
become messaging apps and
social networks.
Ad blockers get smarter
and so do ads
Besides changing the way we
shop, AI might yet prove to be
the saviour of the advertising
industry, says Daryn Mason,
senior director, CX Applications,
Oracle.
Few people welcome the bar-
rage of messages being pushed
at them online, but that does
not mean they wish to block
them all, he says.
Todays relatively crude ad
blockers will evolve into more
sophisticated, smarter, targeted
AI brokers that can filter
through ads with even greater
granularity based on a deep
understanding of a buyers
needs and online activity.
Soon, buyers will begin to
build a virtual profile that
clearly outlines which products
and services they are seeking,
and which is then left to inter-
act with brands directly before
bringing back only those
communications that are rele-
vant.By 2020, the customer
experience will largely be
defined by two-way discussions
between intelligent software
rather than by a unidirectional
flow of promotional content,
Mason says.
One particularly rich source
of valuable data is social media.
Nearly half of sales and mar-
keting leaders admit that
customers and prospects
increasingly want to interact
with their brand over social
Shopping without having to
leave the comfort of your
notebook or tablet is nothing
new. Whats taking it the next
level is the amount of inter-
actability being offered thanks
to artificial intelligence. Case
in point: ebays partnership
with big Australian retailer
Myer to create a virtual store
with, in some cases, 3D
displays.
media. They also recognise that news travels fast on social net-
works, and that this has become both a blessing and a curse. On
one hand, when a customer makes a noise about a positive brand
experience, this can quickly spread to the masses and generate
instant brand equity. On the other, news of a negative experience
will travel just as quickly and can seriously damage a brands
image. According to 40 percent of sales and marketing leaders,
word of mouth has become more crucial to their success in the age
of social media.
Oracles Cloud services have helped organisations to be more

14 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

agile in responding to custom-
ers, the company says. For
instance, General Motors ena-
bled its service teams to gain a
better view of customers based
on their social media activity,
including their previous pur-
chases and service requests so
that they can resolve issues
more quickly and efficiently.
Audio equipment maker D+M
Group, whose iconic brands
include Denon, Marantz,
Boston Acoustics and HEOS,
spotted and fixed a recent tech-
nical with its HEOS wireless
speaker before other customers
even realised there was a prob-
lem, based on a single custom-
er interaction. Alerted via the
cloud, the product design team
developed a fix and contacted
affected customers.
Ultimately, lets not overlook
one important observation:
although we may be about to
say goodbye to the traditional
human-to-human conversation
with the helpful shop assistant
or salesman that helps us make
up our minds when we shop,
well still want a personalised
experience. If companies make
optimal use of VR and chatbots
can help achieve that, not only
the customer wins: companies
also gain a significantstrategic
advantage. A recent study from
Harvard Business Review found
thatthe 15 per cent of compa-
nies that are ahead in their use
of technology and data intelli-
gence have grown more quickly
in the past year than their
competitors and are better
positioned for future growth.
Having the right data at
their fingertips will enable
organisations to deliver a bet-
ter, more personalised experi-
ence to their customers and
deliver the right message to
the right person at the right
time on the right channel
through virtual reality, on
social or otherwise, says the
report. It adds, hopefully:
Customers will value a smart,
helpful, personalised interac-
tion regardless of how its
delivered, so theres hope for
humans yet.
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 15
THE CONFIDENT TRAVELLER
PACKING LIGHT
HOW NOT TO
INCREASINGLY TOUGH RESTRICTIONS on hand lug-
WASTE MONEY
gage are forcing travellers to pay attention to
aspects of their carry-on that they might have
previously neglected. Dont assume that, because
ON TECH your suitcase passed the test two years ago, it
still does in 2017. And watch that weight.
BY G A RY D E L LA B AT E Although most airlines are only now really start-
ing to enforce size restrictions on carry-on lug-
I spent an afternoon with my gage, weight restrictions are sure to follow suit
credit card bills to inventory and with it being set at around 7 kg (SAA quotes
my digital subscriptions. 8 kg), the weight of your actual bag becomes
Heres how to do it. pretty important.
Speaking of which, Ospreys Ozone range
1. The three-month trial (pictured) is named for its lightweight design.
A while back, I got my son a subscrip- Besides two size options for standard wheeled
tion to Deezer, which is a streaming bags, theres a 50-litre convertible thats
service like Spotify, but with more described as a travelling chameleon. First, its a
electronic dance music. I signed up piece of wheeled luggage perfectly sized to meet
for three free months, but I had to put maximum carry-on size specifications. But it has
in my credit card. He doesnt use it a hidden backpack suspension system so you
anymore, but years later, I caught a can carry on when the sidewalk ends. Theres
R3 750 charge. Other companies have also detachable daypack.
incremental costs, but Deezers huge
number was obvious. Luckily, it was Price: from R2 899, at Luggage Warehouse, Due
easy to log in and shut it off. South and Drifters Adventure Centre.
Tip: When you start a trial, set your
calendar to remind you when the free
trial ends.
2. The outdated data plan
If my mobile phone bill is higher than
usual for no clear reason, I call up WILL IT FIT?
customer service and say that Im Hand luggage total dimension
dropping one of my lines. If youre
must not exceed 115 cm,
lucky, theyll lower your bill a bit, or including handles and wheels.
put you on a cheaper promotional Max weight: 7 kg
deal. You have to get lucky that week, Free extra: a handbag or
but it happens. laptop bag
Tip: If you have auto-pay, set your bill
to email you every month to catch any
price hikes.
3. The impossible cancellation
I was paying R100 a month for Xbox
Live. I asked my son, You still using
the Xbox? Nah, havent played it in
months. Then you gotta tell me,
dude! When I went to cancel, none of
us could remember the password. The
hold times with Microsoft were eternal.
Eventually, I called American Express
and disputed the charges until they
agreed to stop making payments. It
sounds drastic, but that was the only
option. I havent had any issues since.
Tip: If you cant cancel your subscrip-
tion, tell your credit card company to
stop payments.
HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS
SPACE
EYES ON
THE PRIZE
Retrieving an asteroid sample is no easy
task. Doing the job blindfolded is even
more challenging. Thats why scientists
equipped the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft with
a set of eyes to watch it all unfold.
S A R A H S C H L E I D E R , N A S A G O D DA R D S PAC E
FLIGHT CENTRE
NASAS ORIGINS, SPECTRAL INTERPRETATION,
RESOURCE IDENTIFICATION, SECURITY-REGOLITH
EXPLORER (OSIRIS-REx) launched on
8 September 2016, and is travelling to a
near-Earth asteroid known as Bennu, to
harvest a sample of surface material, and
return it to Earth for study. A trio of
cameras will capture it all.
The OSIRIS-REx Camera Suite, or
OCAMS, consists of three cameras.
PolyCam is a high-resolution camera that
will acquire the first images of Bennu and
perform an initial mapping of the asteroid.
MapCam is a medium-resolution camera
that will map the asteroid in colour and
search for satellites and dust plumes.
SamCam will document the sampling pro-
cess. The spacecraft will store the images
captured by OCAMS and send them to the
OSIRIS-REx team every few days.
Scientists designed the camera suite to
be functionally redundant, meaning that
if one of the cameras fails during the mis-
sion, the other two cameras can stand in.
When you have a critical mission like
this, you want redundancy, said Christian
dAubigny, OCAMS deputy instrument
scientist at the University of Arizona,
Tucson. The cameras have some amount
of overlap in their capabilities. Theyre not
exact copies of each other, but if one fails,
16 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
OCAMS in action.
Once PolyCam performs an initial map-
ping of the asteroid, scientists will use the
camera to identify a site where the space-
craft might collect a sample of Bennus
surface that is as free of hazards as possible,
such as boulders and dramatic slopes.
Already, at about three kilometres,
were dividing the surface of the asteroid
into go and no go places, said Bashar
Rizk, OCAMS instrument scientist at the
University of Arizona. If a place is cov-
ered with hazards, were just not going to
go there because we dont want to risk
damaging the spacecraft.
they can still get the job done. The second camera to get a glimpse of
The first camera to see Bennu is called Bennu is called MapCam. This camera has
PolyCam. Similar to a polymath a human a wider field of view than PolyCam and is
that is skilled at doing several different equipped with a number of colour filters
things PolyCam can perform a wide in its wheel to help the scientists identify
range of optical tasks. locations on the asteroid where specific
It has a focus mechanism that allows it to refocus from infinity to about
150 m, which provides PolyCam with the ability to switch from detecting stars and
asteroids from far away to resolving small pebbles on the surface of the asteroid.
It has better visual acuity, or sharpness of vision, than an eagle. Several
eagle species can see small objects such as prey from as far as 3 km away. But with
its high resolution, PolyCam can acquire images of similarly sized objects on Bennu
at a range of about 48,2 to 96,5 kilometres to determine its shape and figure out how
the scientists can manoeuver the spacecraft around the asteroid.

minerals of interest may be present, par-
ticularly those that may have once been
in contact with liquid water.
MapCam will also look for satellites and
dust plumes, which may present a hazard
to the spacecraft. There are a number of
suspected mechanisms for plume forma-
tion, such as sublimation, in which a fro-
zen substance transitions directly to a gas
without first passing through the liquid
phase, and electromagnetic levitation due
to electrical charging from solar wind as
the asteroid gets closer to the sun.
Asteroids are exposed to a lot of solar
radiation because they have no atmos-
phere, Rizk said. Theyre just mercilessly
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA/SYMEON PLATTS
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 17
tortured by the sun every time they go
around it.
Due to a lack of water on the surface,
the scientists predict that Bennus regolith
a layer of loose material, including dust,
soil and broken rock is very dry, similar
to the surface of the moon. The surface
material can easily stick to things, increas-
ing the risk of contaminating the OSIRIS-
REx spacecraft during sampling.
Dust contamination is of particular con-
cern to the spacecrafts third camera;
SamCam. This camera is a low-resolution,
wide-angle camera designed to get up
close and personal with the asteroid to
document the sampling acquisition. When
PolyCam (centre),
MapCam (left) and
SamCam (right) make
up the OSIRIS-REx
Camera Suite,
responsible for most
of the visible light
images that will be
taken by the space-
craft.
A collaborative team of engineers and scientists at the University
of Arizonas Lunar and Planetary Laboratory and the College of
Optical Sciences and the Utah State Universitys Space Dynamics
Laboratory spent four and a half years designing and building
OCAMS.
it comes time to retrieve a sample, SamCam
must be able to retain its functionality for
up to three attempts.
To combat this potential threat, the
team at the University of Arizona fur-
nished SamCam with multiple copies of
the same filter, which are placed in front
of the camera optics to act as a cover. The
filters help ensure that the camera has a
dust-free, unobstructed viewing of the
sampling event in case sampling needs to
be repeated.
The team also had to account for radia-
tion from gamma rays and X-rays when
designing OCAMS. Scientists housed the
cameras in a suit of armour made from
solid titanium and aluminium. These
materials can block the radiation OSIRIS-
REx will encounter during the mission.
The lenses are made of materials, such as
silicon dioxide, that are radiation resist-
ant, as well as a number of other types of
glass that are infused with cerium, which
prevents the glass from turning opaque
when exposed to high levels of radiation.
We tried to think of everything that
the spacecraft might be subjected to and
account for that, Rizk said. Its a multi-
step process of simulations, testing and
design to ensure that the cameras work
properly and that we get the best images
we can.
OSIRIS-RExs eyes are a critical part of
retrieving an asteroid sample, which will
help scientists investigate how planets
formed and how life began, as well as
improve our understanding of asteroids
that might impact Earth.
HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS
CONSTRUCTION
BEAT THE HEAT,
ONE BLOCK AT
A TIME
New locally developed fireproof
building block keeps the heat out
along with the cold.
BY S E A N W O O D S
HOT OR COLD, it doesnt matter what end of
the heat spectrum youre coming from:
too much of either can be a bad thing.
That said, keeping our homes within the
habitable goldilocks zone during our hot
summers has already become a financial
burden for many South Africans and its
only going to get worse. Its a double
whammy, because as global warming
pushes temperatures up, so our electricity
tariffs escalate. Its the worst nightmare
for any lover of air conditioning.
You probably havent got a fancy off-
grid home, but that doesnt mean you
cant make your dwelling more thermally
efficient and save some hard-earned cash.
Like spending it on Stumbelblocs affordable
DIY building block, which is so thermally
efficient it boasts a 60-minute fireproof
rating. Blocking cold just as effectively as
it does heat, it provides homeowners,
farmers and companies renovating build-
ings with an affordable building solution
that allows them to cut down on future
heating and cooling costs.
Stumbelblocs Andre Esterhuizen tells
the story: As our fireproof blocks are 12
times more thermally efficient than con-
ventional cavity brick walling, they have
many applications: from resisting intense
flames for an hour to keeping homes and
stored perishable items cool when its
blistering hot outside. Being such great
insulators, they also work the other way
An upmarket home being erected out of standard Stumbelbloc building blocks, which is said to be 10 times quicker than conventional methods.
18 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
around, efficiently trapping heat inside
during winter, too.
Each block weighs 6 kg (or about one-
third the weight of a normal concrete
block). Using them to build costs about
the same as erecting drywall.
Like Stumbelblocs standard building
blocks, the fireproof blocks feature the
companys same unique patented interlock-
ing profiles. Like grown-up Lego blocks,
they help make building a more accurate
process and can be made onsite using plastic
Left: Twelve times more thermally efficient
than conventional brick cavity walling,
Stumbelblocs new fireproof building block
has many applications. They can either
be made onsite using plastic moulds or
purchased ready-made. Below: The blocks
weigh just 6 kg, so even Esterhuizens petite
10-year-old daughter Isabel can carry them.
Below left: A unique patented interlocking
block profile makes accurate building easier.
moulds or purchased ready-made.
One thing Esterhuizen couldnt do when
perfecting his top-secret fireproof perlite
mix (which gets added to the standard
block aggregate) was make the blocks
load-bearing. However, as an experienced
builder, he doesnt see this as a problem
and wouldnt hesitate to construct an
entire home out of them. I would just put
in concrete support columns and use the
blocks for shuttering, then fill all the
blocks under trusses with concrete.
Instead of using mortar, all Stumbelbloc
variants are bonded together using
Blockgrip. It sets in three hours, and is
applied by simply dipping their bases into
the mix, making the construction process
at least 10 times quicker, less messier and
significantly cheaper than conventional
methods. In fact, a typical days construction
is said to result in less than one barrow-
load of waste.
To find out more, contact Andre
Esterhuizen on 083 228 8036 or
visit www.stumbelbloc.com
PHOTO SEAN WOODS
 AUTONOMOUS FARMING
LOOK MA, NO HANDS
Driverless vehicles arent just for highways as this autonomous tractor concept shows.
ALTHOUGH FARMING HAS
BECOME increasingly mecha-
nised, the heavy machinery
involved has still depended
on skilled operators until
now. The autonomous trac-
tor concept pictured here
promises to take precision
farming to the next level.
First shown at the 2016
US Farm Progress Show and
recently awarded European
honours, the Autonomous
Concept Vehicle (ACV) is a
driverless version of an
existing model. The concept
grew out of the increasing
difficulty of finding skilled
labour to work long hours
on large farms during busy
periods, such as when har-
vesting or establishing a
crop, says Case IHs Dan
Stuart. Five years of devel-
opment produced the ACV,
whose technology will likely
trickle down to existing sys-
tems. While auto-steering
and telemetry are already
available on todays tractors,
autonomous technology
takes this a significant stage
further, says Stuart.
The company is keeping
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 19
an eye on developments in
autonomous vehicle regula-
tions, developing its on-road
side and looking at optimis-
ing implements for autono-
mous application.
The ACV is based on exist-
ing Case IH Magnum high-
horsepower conventional
tractors and uses GPS-
guided auto-steering. It can
be completely remotely
monitored and controlled,
with real-time recording
and transmission of field
data. Aside from the driver-
less technology it uses a
standard engine, transmis-
sion, chassis and hitch/PTO/
hydraulic couplings and
integrates seamlessly into
existing tractor operations.
Auto-steering and
telemetry are already
available on todays
tractors, but autono-
mous technology
takes this a significant
stage further.
Remote control
Autonomous drive is suited
to cultivation, planting and
spraying and is equally
applicable to smaller tractors
used for mowing or orchard
spraying. To start with, the
most efficient field paths
are pre-plotted by computer
(manual plotting is possible).
The operator can then
choose a job from a pre-
programmed menu and set
it to work, monitoring
things by means of a PC or
tablet. The remote control
shows data and a camera
feed.
On-board sensors auto-
matically governengine
start/stop, acceleration/
deceleration, engine revs,
steering angle, transmission,
PTO, linkage and hydraulic
services operation, differen-
tials and horn. The route
to the field can also be
planned, should this involve
drivable private roads or
tracks.
Technology provider ASI
has helped create the vehi-
cles safety package using
the latest infrared, metal
detection, radar, laser and
video technology. Thats
capable of sensing an object
in the way, stopping the
vehicle and sending a
request for further instruc-
tions. Which could include
wait, drive around the
obstacle or, if its just a
straw pile, proceed. Failsafes
include automatic stop in
the event of a loss of GPS
signal.
Theres the potential to
use Big Data such as weather
records and soil data, too.
The driverless tractor could
conceivably operate 24/7 if
conditions are good, stop if
they are changeable, and
move to another field if
soils there are lighter or
there has been no rain.
Its ability to integrate
with implements has been
successfully demonstrated
and Case IH has developed
advanced seeding informa-
tion sensors and software,
draft monitoring and other
implement software for
performance supervision.
HOW YOUR WORLD WORKS
THE DISRUPTORS
SAFE AND SOUND
A wearable that alerts the deaf through vibration and light.
SOME SOUNDS CAN SOOTHE THE SOUL (think
great music), some can drive you crazy
(think yapping dog) and some, like a warn-
ing toot on a hooter, can save your life. Its
the last category of sound in particular that
bothered Zuko Mandlakazi when he tried
to get to grips with a close family members
hearing disability. Being deaf was bad
enough, Mandlakazi recognised, but worse
than that was the apparent lack of a solution
to address her daily challenges and those
of the 360 million deaf people worldwide,
That prompted him to start Senso. Its a
tool based on a wrist-mounted wearable
device that picks up sounds and translate
them into vibration and LED light. Senso
(pronounced sensor) provides the conveni-
ence of alerting through vibration and light
instead of sound, which can be distorted in
the presence of other external noise.
I just thought, hang on a second,
whats going to happen when my aunt is
old and no longer has the strength to take
care of herself? says Mandlakazi.
The device is tailored to its user. It has
the ability to alert the user when a set
perimeter in their surroundings has been
breached, which then opens the device to
be used to monitor a childs movement or
to track a pet or car.
Although Zuko has carved out a name
for himself in the startup world with his
relentless focus on productivity, synchro-
nisation, mobility and ease of access, the
goal for Senso is to give the deaf, especially
from disadvantaged communities, access
to world-class solutions. From this, Zuko
has been able to work with the SABS
20 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
BY PA PI M A B E L E
THE PLATFORM: SENSO
The Team: Zuko Mandlakazi (CEO), Peter
Shelwembe (designer), Jose Kabeya (web
developer), Melvin Musehani (product develop-
ment), Pumza Sikhumba (market research),
Siphelele Mandlakazi (IT), Khutso Bapela
(Product development), Sibusiso Mkhwanazi
(industrial designer), and Sharon Leshabane
(business analyst)
Funds raised: R1,5 million
Design Institute, South African Breweries
and mLab Southern Africa in developing
the product and refining its technical
direction. The Design Institutes technical
and creative input significantly helped his
idea progress.
However, it was through his call-up as
finalist to the Chivas Regal: The Venture
Awards that his idea and startup started
gaining international recognition. The
awards are for promising social entrepre-
neurs and social innovators who run inno-
vative businesses that have a potential to
create a positive change in the world.
Since then, hes been featured and collabo-
rated on numerous entrepreneurial and
social innovation causes worldwide.
For Senso, there are going to be multi-
ple challenges. The biggest one is going to
be adoption. How can Mandlakazi and his
team convince investors, end users and
motivators to these end users that its
worth their time to implement yet anoth-
er new piece of technology? Already, the
market is inundated with startups trying
to change the world in one way or another,
and so far, there havent been that many
explosive successes. Thats part of the rea-
son why Senso had to be a more complete
package, rather than tackling smaller ver-
sions of the problem that some apps do.
There are lots of apps out there
theres actually a lot of assistant apps out
there; it feels a bit fragmented.
We want the device to be able to learn
how your brain learns, Mandlakazi said.
If your system is content-agnostic, we can
use neuroscience and look at the motiva-
tion of the person using it. I felt the need
to build the Senso, I looked around and
what I understood was that I needed to
build the system while my aunt is around.
With the product now in its final stages,
Senso has managed to raise another round
of funding with Multichoice and The
Innovation Hub. The funding will enable
Senso to complete a market ready product,
run a pilot and commercialise the product
within Q1 of 2017. PM
TENT.

CONTENT.

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 F O R T H E LOV E O F G A D G E T S E D I T E D B Y L I N D S E Y S C H U T T E R S ( l i n d s e y. s c h u t t e r s @ r a m s a y m e d i a . c o . z a )

GREAT STUFF
Huawei Mate 9
Our instantaneous age of
NEW GEA
YOU W R
IL
LOVE L
on-demand everything hasnt
been kind to the Leica and
Huawei partnership. Many
sceptics voiced their concerns
and never followed up with the
impressive results of the camera
tests. This is Huaweis 5,9-inch
response to the naysayers, sporting
the second generation of the Leica
partnership.
The Mate product line is for the
business and power users. Both are
very well served with the Chinese
companys home-baked Kirin 960
processor, 4 GB RAM and 4 000 mAh
battery. Bear in mind that Huaweis
EMUI skin is usually very well opti-
mised and its running over the
fast and efficient Nougat (7.0)
flavour of Android.
Following on the excellent optical
tradition, the Mate 9 retains the dual
cameras that worked so well on the
P9, but this time up the monochrome
sensor resolution to 20 MP which will
capture even more detail alongside
the 12 MP colour sensor. For those
who dont know, each colour picture
taken with this camera system uses
both sensors and paints in the colour
data on to the light details of the
monochrome image. The results
are incredible.
Further camera enhancements
include optical image stabilisation Casio G-Shock G-Steel
on both sensors, 2x hybrid zoom We never thought wed see the
(uses over-sampling of the 20 MP day that Casio marches the
sensor to retain detail) and, finally, G-Shock into Edifice
4K video recording. An 8 MP selfie territory, but here we
camera with auto focus and a wide are. While a stainless steel
open f/1,9 aperture complete the casing on a G-Shock watch
optics package. certainly blurs the lines within
We cant wait to put this device the Casio product range, its a
through its paces and would, even welcome change-up for the more
before testing, highly recommend accomplished among us. And theyve
it to anyone looking for a high-end even managed to retain the Tough
camera on a phone. Solar charging technology.
RTBA, consumer.huawei.com From $280, gshock.com

22 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 HP Spectre 13:
Power never looked
so thin
Buy this Spectre 13 Notebook
and receive a Complimentary
Nespresso Citiz and Milk
Coffee Maker valued at R3499

Philips Brilliance 4K monitor

Face it: you dont need a TV. Well you do, but not one
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laptop or just to run your PS4 Pro, then you may as well
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port, but there are two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, a VGA, DVI
and Display Port 1.2 inputs, as well as audio out.
RTBA, philips.com

Awair Glow
It plugs straight into a wall socket, but has a plug
point built in. Why does it exist? To continuously
track the air quality in the room and provide
feedback via the connected bluetooth app.
From $100, getawair.com
Spectre 13 Notebook

R34 999
13 FHD (1920 x 1080) Corning Gorilla Glass Display
8GB RAM, 512GB NVMe M.2 SSD
Intel Core i7-7500U (2.7 GHz, up to 3.5 GHz, 4 MB
cache, 2 cores)
Intel 802.11ac (2x2) Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 Combo
Windows 10 Home 64bit 2 USB 3.1 Type-C Gen 2
(HP Sleep and Charge, Thunderbolt) (10068042)

Deal valid until 28 February 2017

All standard terms and conditions of
Incredible Connection & suppliers herein
apply. We reserve the right to limit
quantities on all promotional items per
customer. While stocks last
For more information please contact
Ixoost Esavox our call centre: 0860 011 700 or visit
This monocoque chassis is crafted in carbon twill 245 3K, polymerised in autoclave www.incredible.co.za

at 6 bar and fitted with a variable aperture exhaust system. Its probably the most Inc DTP 6572.
overdesigned Bluetooth speaker weve ever come across, but it makes us very happy.
19 900, ixoost.it

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 27

 FITNESS TRACKERS BEATS EP ON-EAR HEADPHONES CTEK BAT TERY CHARGER
TESTED
BACK ON THE BUS
Our man is testing out a lifestyle change on his way back to peak fitness and is trying out every
gadget and piece of gear that will help him get there quicker. BY LINDSEY SCHUTTERS
THEY NEVER TELL YOU how hard it is. They
dont because you already know. You know that
its easier to lie in slumbers sultry embrace
rather than reach for the door and head out for
a run. Its easier to tuck into a tasty toasted
treat than precisley portion and pre-pack your
daily protein. But if it was easy, you wouldnt
need to find motivation. And thats the key.
The tedious daily routine of going back and
forth from home to work and only making
time for yourself on some weekends is terrible
for your health. Dr K Sreekumaran Nair of
Mayo Clinics Rochester, Minnesota campus
puts it best: Maximal exercise capacity is a
more powerful predictor of mortality than other
established risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Studies have shown that mortality in chronic
diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity
24 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
PART 1: FINDING THE SPARK
and hyperlipidemia, substantially in-
creases in people with a lower maximal
exercise capacity.
Nair and his teams work has become
a cornerstone of the movement against
the sedentary lifestyle by giving fresh
insight into the physiological effects of
not exercising. The research shows how
regular aerobic exercise as well as com-
bined aerobic and resistant exercise
training programmes not only improve
insulin sensitivity but, also prevent
age-related decreases in muscle mito-
chondrial ATP (adenosine triphosphate:
the chemical form of energy that cells
use) production.
Its hard to convert to the kind of
lifestyle that encourages optimum
physiological function because the
human brain rewards laziness and
overindulgence. Our bodies will favour
any action that equips it for future
exertion, so resting and stockpiling
easily accessible energy (sugars) are
deemed as beneficial. You need to find
a spark to ignite a change inferno. Why
not start with a fitness tracker?
PHOTOGRAHS BY RETHA FERGUSON

THE BEST FITNESS TRACKERS
With some form of GPS, optical heart rate monitoring, profiles for gym training and mobile syncing, these are elevated
from activity tracker status.
APPLE WATCH SERIES 2 NIKE+
WHAT IS IT? The second coming of Apples
smartwatch, now with added water resistance
and GPS. WatchOS 3 is also a treat. This feels
like a complete product now.
WHAT IS IT GOOD AT? Wrist communication
doesnt get better than this. Read and reply to
messages, take and make phone calls without
having to touch your phone.
DOWNSIDES? Battery life is not ideal. Although
37 hours without using GPS is a quantum leap
from the 10 hours of series 1. Doesnt play
outside of iOS.
WHO IS IT FOR? iPhone users who want a
unified smart watch and fitness tracking solution.
EXTRAS? The Nike+ bit brings in custom strap
and watch face options as well as quick access
to Nike Run Club functions over the standard
Watch Series 2. It will also harass you to get
off the couch.
FROM R6 900, myistore.com
GARMIN VIVOSMART HR+
WHAT IS IT? The best fitness and activity tracker
for most people. Garmins Vivosmart HR, but
now with added GPS.
WHAT IS IT GOOD AT? Activity tracking. Distance
tracking without GPS was bang on 10 km when
used in a 10K race and the personalised step
goal is a great tool to keep you motivated while
also pushing you.
DOWNSIDES? While it does catch notifications
from your phone, this screen doesnt display text
in a pleasing way.
WHO IS IT FOR? Someone who wants an activity
tracker, but also does a bit of running and
cycling and needs accurate distance for that.
EXTRAS? Remote controls for music functions
and weather reports are a nice touch.
FROM R3 900, garmin.co.za
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 25
COMPILED BY THE EDITORS > popularmechanics@ramsaymedia.co.za
SAMSUNG GEAR FIT 2
WHAT IS IT? Samsungs second generation of
sleek fitness tracker. Its a Gear Fit only in name
and appearance, outside of that its a much bet-
ter, GPS capable, idea. Youll have to reach up
for the Gear S3 to compete like for like with
Apple Watch.
WHAT IS IT GOOD AT? Samsungs automatic
exercise recognition is phenomenal. Also the
GPS, Wi-Fi connectivity and music storage
means you can leave your phone behind.
DOWNSIDES? Battery lasted just around two
days. Left off of the iOS support list.
WHO IS IT FOR? Android users looking for the
best design and who dont mind Samsungs
S-Health app.
EXTRAS? Wi-Fi connectivity gives you access to
phone notifications as long as both devices are
connected.
FROM R3 000, samsung.com
FITBIT BLAZE
WHAT IS IT? Fitbits attempt at a smartwatch that
can piggyback on your phones GPS for distance
and speed metrics.
WHAT IS IT GOOD AT? The Fitbit app is the most
polished of the lot. Wed say the Blaze comes
second to the Gear Fit 2 in the beauty pageant.
It also handles notifications really well after a
significant software update.
DOWNSIDES? Connected GPS means its teth-
ered to your phone and having to remove the
module from the strap when charging is a pain.
No water resistance.
WHO IS IT FOR? The fashion conscious who also
want a powerful fitness tracker as well as a sec-
ond screen for their smartphone notifications.
EXTRAS? Music control and interchangeable
straps.
FROM R3 500, fitbit.com
GARMIN FORERUNNER 235
WHAT IS IT? Garmins best bang for buck
offering if youre serious about your running
that also dabbles in catching smartphone
notifications and general sport and all-day
activity tracking.
WHAT IS IT GOOD AT? Running metrics.
Theres also options to create or upload
custom workouts.
DOWNSIDES? Battery life is poor at around
two days if youre using GPS every day.
WHO IS IT FOR? Someone who has taken up
running as their primary sport, but not a
professional runner.
EXTRAS? The always-on display is great and
you have full access to Garmins Connect
IQ app store.
FROM R5 000, garmin.co.za
TOMTOM ADVENTURER
WHAT IS IT? TomToms most well-considered
update to the Spark Cardio sports watch, now
with course uploads and back-to-start tracking.
WHAT IS IT GOOD AT? If you want to run without
your phone and still be able to listen to music,
get this watch. TomTom does that better than
anyone, currently.
DOWNSIDES? No smartphone notifications
and the app is nowhere near as polished as its
competitors.
WHO IS IT FOR? Outdoor fitness enthusiasts who
dont like carrying too much tech with them.
EXTRAS? The raised bezels and 50 m water-
proof rating makes this the most rugged watch
in this line-up. Can come bundled with premium
Bluetooth earbuds. That premium strap is
everything.
FROM R5 500, tomtom.com
 TESTED FITNESS TRACKERS BEATS EP ON-EAR HEADPHONES CTEK BAT TERY CHARGER

BEATS EP
Shackled
ON-EAR HEADPHONES are strange. You pay the size penalty
and need to make room on the top of your head to accommodate
them, but then they make your earlobes sweat and dont do a great
job of sealing off sound. Glorified airplane earphones, the lot of them.
Except when they cost over R2 000 and come with all the baggage
of the Beats brand. And these are the entry level pair. And they are
chained to the device youre listening to by a non-removable cable.
Yes, in an age where Apple has removed the headphone jack on the
iPhone, Apple subsidiary Beats Electronics brought a corded product
to market. It isnt all folly, though. You wouldnt want your ear-
phones to fail on you at the office, forcing you to endure another per-
sonal anecdote from your chatty colleague while waiting for a full
charge. The EP is the king of the cubicle.
I passed this review pair to a colleague who still rocks the original
Beats By Dr Dre in the launch black and red colourway. She remarked
that the sound isolation is so good on the EP that she forgot she is
seated next to a very busy kitchen.
Beats has truly found its stride with regard to its unique audio
signature. Warm bass that stops just short of muddy, flat mids and
crisp highs may not be for the audiophiles, but its great for current
urban tunes. I like to think of it as made for radio, as if tuned to
complement the current dominant airwave playlist.
Build quality is an almost dramatic improvement over the Solos
and other cans from years gone by. Actual metal and quality
plastics work well with the reassuring weight.
Conclusion
While it is disappointing to see a pair of Beats that you cant
remove the cord from especially when my work desk orientation
means that the cord runs across my keyboard you can see how
the company is trying to cater to the mass market of individuals
who cant afford to get locked into the Apple ecosystem. Its a
great pair of earphones that feel premium and fit comfortably.
The sound quality is very good and does a lot to upscale
streamed music; depending on your DAC, of course. - LS
Price: R2 250, myistore.co.za

TEST NOTES
I used these
earphones in the
wrong orientation
(left side driver on
right ear) and
noticed absolutely
no difference in the
audio output. Mic
and volume controls
work great with
Apple products.

26 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 WHAT IS SULPHATION?
The lead sulphate crystals that form
in lead acid batteries are generally
dissipated by normal charging. During
extended periods of inadequate
charging think winter, with heavy
use of ancillaries these sulphates
form crystalline deposits on the nega-
tive plates that obscure the batterys
active material, severely impacting
on performance. A pulsed charge is
believed to avoid, reduce or reverse
this condition.

CTEK BATTERY SENSE MONITOR

MXS 5.0 CHARGER
In peak condition
MEASURED AGAINST the R1 400 cost of replacing a battery in a colleagues stranded
car including the callout fee to the battery centre the cost of maintaining battery
health using an external device starts to make sense. Particularly when the battery is
intermittently or inadequately charged.
The Swedish-developed Ctek battery maintenance system provides a convenient means
of checking on your batterys health and, where necessary, restoring it to good health.
Cteks Bluetooth-enabled Battery Sense works in conjunction with a free iPhone or
Android app and allows multiple batteries to be monitored simultaneously. Thats particu-
larly useful for seldom used batteries such as those on motorbikes, jet skis and ski-boats.
It syncs automatically to your mobile phone via Bluetooth.
According to the local distributors Charging Systems Africa, push notification is
sent if the batterys state of charge falls to a critical level or if measurements have not
been taken for seven days. JUST THE FACTS
An even easier option is the plug-in Comfort Indicator. Push it into your cigarette
lighter or 12 V supply socket to display charge state via a three-LED arrangement. BATTERY SENSE
If all this monitoring suggests that you need the battery equivalent of emergency life CONNECTIVITY Bluetooth
support, the MXS 5.0 represents a significant advance on old-fashioned dumb trickle COMPATIBILITY Android, iOS
chargers. Comprehensive, clear instructions explain how to set up and use the supplied WARRANTY 2 years
kit, consisting of a smart unit with dedicated mains connector, terminated with a two-pin PRICE R1 349
Schuko plug. The main unit appears neatly built and has two eyes for securing to a
firm base. On the charger housing, an eight-step graphic with inlaid LEDs makes it MXS 5.0 CHARGER
CHARGING VOLTAGE 14,4 (standard) 14,7
easy to see the batterys state of charge at a glance.
(AGM) 15,8 (Recond)
You begin by hooking up the charger to the battery using the supplied clamps. When
CHARGING CURRENT 5 A max
you connect it to the wall socket, the LED display indicates charging status (or, if youve RIPPLE <4 %
connected Pos to Neg by mistake, an error warning; fortunately, the device is protected COMPATIBILITY all types of 12 V
against reverse polarity). lead-acid batteries
Pressing the Mode button selects charge options, including a separate programme BATTERY CAPACITY 1,2 110 Ah
for small batteries such as those found on motorcycles and a setting for the AGM DIMENSIONS 168 x 65 x 38 mm
(absorbed glass mat) designs used in vehicles with Stop-Start technology. Theres also WEIGHT 0,6 kg
a recondition option, recommended once a year after a deep discharge. WARRANTY 5 years
The processes involved start with desulphation with an input of 15,8 volts. This is PRICE R3 450
followed by a soft start testing regimen to ensure that the battery is not defective
and involves a 5-amp cycle of up to 8 hours until 12,6 volts. This ramps up to 14,4 volts COMFORT INDICATOR
for up to 20 hours. At this point, the indicated Level 4, which equates to 80 per cent of COMPATIBILITY 12 mm and 21 mm
charge, the battery is ready to start the vehicle. (As a guide, getting to that point on a (adaptor included)
110 Ah battery will take 26 hours.) PRICE R370
Additional features include a reconditioning programme and two levels for maintaining www.ctek.co.za
charge: float (constant) or pulsed. To avoid overheating, built-in charge voltage compen-
sation is based on ambient temperature. Anthony Doman PM

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 27

 Making
the world
smarter
ISTOCK PHOTO/CHOMBOSAN

28 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 The future of the smart home
is all about self-awareness
and one innovative South
African is trading blows with
industry big hitters in the war
for control over the Internet
of things. Lindsey Schutters
finds out how he is doing it.

L
ate on a Saturday evening your
phone buzzes. Youre out at dinner
and the conversation is going well,
so you ignore it. Then another buzz.
After the third one, you check to see
what jokes are circulating the family
Whatsapp group and mute it. But it isnt
your family. Its your fridge. You need to
buy milk and cheese. Further down the
notifications list, you can tell that the TV
was unplugged and, importantly, the air- their specialist backgrounds. That is The MeIO app and website willbe a
conditioning is trying to regulate the when Seventh Sense IoT was born. The one-stop portal to view and control all
temperature because the window is open. rest, as they say, is history. IoT devices. It will turn data into valuable
You get home to realise that you were information offering tangible insights,
robbed. Completely cleaned out, even The Internet of things is a concept in says Beech of his latest project. This will
the fridge. Your house tried to warn you, which everything is connected to a local eliminate the need for 15 different apps
but you didnt listen. Its okay, though, network or a wide area data connection. to gain access to all your IoT Devices.
because the virtual neighbourhood Everything is not necessarily connected Its an ambitious plan to give users
watch can piece together the incident to the Internet. Autonomous cars, for control over all their connected devices.
from the suburbs security cameras. instance, will communicate with each Not even tech behemoths Apple, Google
From this you can see the perpetrators other in real time to make traffic more and Samsung have managed to cast a net
car circle the block. Through deep efficient; youll be able to control your TV that wide. But thats because theyre try-
machine learning the cameras have via your smartphone when your au pair ing to sell you a product and lock you
tagged feeds from earlier in the day that wants to change to a different streaming into an ecosystem.MeIO is free to use,
show how the gang staked out the neigh- service for your kids; and, importantly, open source and even comes with a dedi-
bourhood, posing as bin scratchers. your house will be able to self-diagnose cated support team who are the actual
Facial recognition, number plate rec- maintenance and security issues. developers. The idea is to let people
ognition, pattern recognition all for decide which devices to connect and
free and open source to plug straight
into an existing set-up. Bring your own
device, says Ryan Beech of Ryonic
Robotics and now Seventh Sense IoT.
He designed and built the MeIO and is
ready to take his open source platform
to market. You can bring a Raspberry Pi
or Arduino, download the source code In its infancy, the deep
TOP IMAGE: ISTOCK/AUDIOUNDWERBUNG

and be ready to go. machine learning

Beech describes himself as a serial component of MeIOs
BOTTOM IMAGE: WALDO SWIEGERS

virtual neighbourhood
technology entrepreneur. His greatest watch is behaving
passion is to put South Africa on the exactly as expected
technology map by creating world-class seen here keeping a
solutions. IoT immediately caught my watchful eye over
attention when I came across it in Beechs garage. The
live testing in Parkhurst
2013, he explains. I spoke to Bokkie has helped in rapid
Fourie and Shera Eshmade about IoT prototyping.
projects and applications because of

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 29

Making the world smarter
what functionality those devices will be
endowed with.
Its this democratic approach to con-
nected objects that makes MeIO so
intriguing. It transforms IoT into a plat-
form that interprets data in a useful way
instead of performing a manufacturer-
ordained, pre-planned, limited script of
functions. The level of artificial intelli-
gence is limited only by your coding skill
and imagination. Its actually intelligent AI.
We last saw Ryan Beech helming the
Parkhurst off-grid project, which has sub-
sequently morphed into the Parkhurst
Smart Grid project. Naturally, MeIO is the
common thread as the platform on which
all the projects will be built.
The first phase is smart grid management.
When enough households have converted
to renewables, the suburb can establish a
microgrid and control energy sharing and
distribution between residents. After that,
the 2 000 households and all businesses in
the area will pool information resources
and convert into a smart town, where visi-
tors to the area can easily locate parking
or get traffic updates, waste management
and recycling receives a smart upgrade,
and the town produces a digital neighbour-
hood guide.
The smart security is the most interest-
ing, though.

This [virtual neighbourhood watch]

is a big part of our Parkhurst project and
we are aiming to allow residents to patrol
the streets from the comfort of their own
homes. This will be done via MeIO as
well, says Beech. Every resident will allo-
cate two hours a month to watch the feeds
and patrol the streets. A panic button in
the app and on the website will allow
them to send a proactive response vehicle
when they see something suspicious.
Though there are other off-site monitor-
ing options with some AI baked in, Beech
believes that the intelligent scene recogni-
tion combined with a central control room
solutions are already outdated. The latest-
generation cameras all come with on-
board storage that eliminates the need for
a DVR, and they also have on-board video
analytics to send events only to security
companies or police. This eliminates the
need for a big control room as footage is
sent only if an event if flagged, he
The developer team at Ryonic Robotics and
Seventh Sense IoT are encouraged to create and
innovate rather than churn. The more they play
with the code and the platform, the more scenar-
ios they can prepare for. A resource like this
will be invaluable in the roll out and trouble
shooting phase.
nising patterns. Like the aforementioned
route the burglars took to reach your
house. The idea is to organise the security
systems better than the criminals are
organised and turn the war on crime into
one that favours preparedness.
The obvious red flags are when criminals
infiltrate the system, posing as residents.
What Beech has considered very
well, though, is how to scale for the
numerous local businesses in the area.
Our initial core focus is on industrial and
commercial clients to obtain data from
various types of machines and equipment.
But [at the same time] we are developing
the platform for the consumer and hobby
market to enable makers and garage tink-
erers to build IoT devices using Arduino
and Raspberry Pis that they can then link
to MeIO. We are aiming to develop an
online code base where people can down-
load embedded code for their devices to
ensure seamless connectivity to MeIO.
MeIO portal will also have preconfigured
IMAGES: WALDO SWIEGERS

explains. MeIO also gives residents or
business owners access to their video
feeds and can, in similar manner receive
footage only when preprogrammed events
take place.
Beech has built the deep learning AI
himself with the express purpose of recog-
As with all solutions that favour a sharing
and honesty economy, it seems vulnerable
to attack from the inside. Another prob-
lem is server space. For MeIO to work
optimally on a large scale, the platform
needs room to store all the data while it
feeds the algorithms.
devices for sale to connect anything from
your pool pump to your fridge.
Seventh Sense IoT is already developing
hardware specific to the platform, most
recently branching into manufacturing
low-cost electronic boards for a number of
new markets. These new markets probably

30 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 Makers and tinkerers
will be encouraged to
code unique function-
ality into MeIO, but
there will be functions
available for download
and sharing between
users.

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 31

Making the world smarter
included some of Ryonic Robotics existing
client base who are already using MeIO to
varying degrees. The team is pushing
All our robots are IoT-ready and our hard to complete
the application
customers will be able to access the data
that will form the
they acquire using our robots through basis of the user
MeIO, says Beech. We [Ryonic] are also experience.
developing Africas first locally designed
and developed industrial automation
robots that include six-axis robot arms
and cobots [collaborative robots that work
in unison with a human workforce and
require more stringent regulation]. We
will use MeIO as a remote access platform
to view equipment status and vitals in
plants and factories remotely all over the
world.
It would be easy for Beech and Seventh
Sense to become as user-hostile as its A key part of the
competitors, given the extensive automa- user interface is the
tion Ryonic is capable of. He does assure easy adding of new
devices. Simply
us that this is not his intention. Most
open the menu item
companies force you to use only their and scan the QR
hardware and software, which is a frustra- code or the NFC
tion we want to alleviate. We are also aim- chip.
ing to developed low-cost solutions as
imports are expensive due to the South
African exchange rates.
These user-oriented cost-saving meas-
ures include a printable QR Code system
to trigger IoT functions working alongside
capacity for NFC-enabled devices. This
allows for cross-platform flexibility and
leaves room for growth if a third party
hardware manufacturer can afford to
equip each device with an NFC circuit. MeIO will at launch
My focus to date has been on develop- be available on both
ing world-class robots and IoT platforms, iOS and Android, as
well as MacOS and
he tells us. We are, however, planning to
Windows 10 via an
approach select makers and makerspaces online portal.
once we are complete with MeIOs beta
testing in early 2017.

February 2017 is pencilled in as the

launch date for MeIO. The platform is well
positioned to make the deadline, but
Beech is conservative in his thinking. His
biggest hurdle at the moment is the high
cost of data storage in local data centres.
Seventh Sense is in discussions with ser-
vice providers to find a way around this
obstacle. There wouldnt be much sense in
bringing this product to market when the
user experience is hampered by frustrating
glitches, brought on by inadequate servers. ty and ultimately a generally more comfortable and improved living environment. I want
On top of the considerable effort that to put Africa on the international technology map, deliver a world-class product locally
IMAGES: WALDO SWIEGERS

has gone into bringing the platform to a and at an affordable price.

point where it can compete with the
worlds best and brightest, Beechs vision
for the impact of this project is quite
noble. The real benefits of the Internet of
things is in reduced energy consumption,
less food and water wastage, better securi-
When you think about it, a self-diagnosing home will save you money in the long run
by intelligently reporting faults before they happen. The self-aware smart home could also
protect your valuables with an array of intruder detection methods and a robust incident
escalation structure.
The counter argument to empowering the things around us is that it leaves us open to
malicious attack. Or worse, HAL will refuse to open the pod bay doors.

32 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 Ryonic Robotics has long outgrown Ryan
Beechs garage and is now in new premises
in Rosebank, just up the road from Parkhurst
in Johannesburg. The company is now
expanding to deliver on international con-
tracts and still fabricates in-house instead
of sending designs to China.
On the factory floor are CNC machines,
3D printers and countless stocks of compo-
nentry to build, mainly, highly advanced
pipe inspection robots. These projects allow
Beech and his team to test MeIOs robust-
ness in a wide array of applications and
serve clients an all-inclusive product.

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 33

Making the world smarter
Electric geyser
Garage/gate automation
Energy metering
Automation 2.0
Off-the-shelf solutions to improving your homes IQ
Home automation has steadily trickled
down from the high-end to the mass
market. The kind of functionality previ-
ously limited to specialist installations
using expensive custom-designed
systems based on either a single eco-
system, or cobbled together from a
range of products, is now available
off the shelf. Adding to the speed of
uptake, manufacturers are making
products compatible with a particular
protocol or standard, such as Z-Wave.
You dont need to be an electronics
tech to set-up, either: most of these
require only limited DIYing before
youre up and running.
There are advantages and disadvan-
tages to both approaches. The ease of
use of a one-make solution could turn
into a dead end as components or soft-
ware become obsolete. Mixing and
matching promises more versatility,
traded off against the possibility of
incompatibility further down the line.
Here are some of the options weve
come across.
34 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
Lighting
STAY IN CONTROL
Fully programmable, GSM Commander
is capable of managing everything from
opening and closing gates remotely to
monitoring energy consumption. It per-
forms its automation magic either by SMS
or the cloud. And, according to its creators
Polygon Technologies, it is easily pro-
grammed using its own Smart Setup
Software, which is based on a point and
click interface.
What you can use it to control:
Access. Activate automated gates or
doors via a simple dropped call from a cell-
phone. If theres a gate position sensor,
the home owner can be alerted if the gate
has been forced or left open.
Timed switching. Turn things on and
off via SMS or automatically on a set date
or time. For instance, switch off your gey-
ser to save electricity, or your lights to
make it look like someones at home.
Heating and cooling. Floor heating
can be automatically turned on or off
based on outside temperature; conven-
tional air-conditioners can be made
smart in the same way.
Sprinkler system
Security system
Irrigation. In addition to turning on
irrigation automatically as part of a daily
programme, activating Rain mode via SMS
will stop the system from irrigating during
showers.
Pool management. If youve got a
solar-heated pool, you can program the
GSM Commander to pump hot water into
your pool only if the roof temperature is
above your chosen threshold.
Energy monitoring. If you are using
too much electricity according to preset
criteria, the GSM Commander will alert
you via SMS or automatically turn off
high-power loads (or both). You can also
track water consumption.
An additional function of the GSM
Commander system can be used in con-
junction with your existing alarm system
at home, or can replace it entirely. It
allows you to arm or disarm your home
alarm via SMS, automatically if needed.
Programming the unit to provide automa-
tion functionality combined with the
alarm could, say, open and close access
points, allowing a set time between actions,
turn on specific lights, air-con and TV.
If you do actually have a burglar,
detailed SMS alerts can be sent in real
time via SMS (Burglar has just entered
your house via the main bedroom window
on DATE at TIME). As intruders move
through the building, updated SMSs will
be sent should you choose to have this
 areas (think fridges, freezers, server
rooms). It reports to four cellphone users
when temperature deviates from the range
you are monitoring and has an LCD screen
on which to check the temperature. It
monitors power loss and issues SMS alerts
accordingly; an internal 1-amp battery
provides back-up power for two hours.
A water sensor can be added to notify
uses to water levels fluctuating more than
desired, or in case of flooding. Additional
sensor and LCD screen options are availa-
ble, with the possibility of monitoring up
to four fridges.

OKAY, YOU CAN LOSE THE KEYS

functionality enabled. Loading neighbours
onto the system means that they get the
alerts as well and theres an optional pep-
per gas dispensing add-on.
In addition to its SMS communications,
theres a Web-based platform called AirDrive
(airdrive.co.za) where you can view the live
status of everything you are controlling,
from lights to energy consumption, incident
logs and control systems and appliances,
and reprogram the device itself.
To find out more: johnf@gsmcommander.
com
power supply is not assured, such as a car-
avan, gun safe or freight containers.
A pepper gas slave unit is available that
allows expansion into other rooms. The
gas will either spray together with the
master unit, or each slave unit can spray
on its own.
From the same company comes SMS
TEMPERATURE ALERT, which provides
notifications for temperature-controlled
If youre tired of lugging around what
seems like the collected keys to Fort Knox,
Yales new Keyless Connected Smart lock
could be a godsend. Theres a wide variety
of RFID access accessory options, too,
ranging from an access card carried in
your wallet to an entry tag on a lanyard or
keyring, or an admission sticker on your
phone. You can program a combination of
these accessories to suit your lifestyle.
Techno-savy users will be happy to
know that the Smart Living lock Z-Wave
module, which integrates with most
home automation systems, is fully availa-
ble to link the Digital Door Lock to cur-
rent systems for full control from
anywhere in the world.

FIGHT BACK
Heres a DIY, portable stand-alone alarm
system that not only alerts you to a break-
in, but also fights back by spraying pepper
gas; by remote control, if you want.
Simply plug it into a wall socket and
yourre good to go. When the alarm goes
off, four cellphone users are notified via
SMS. Thanks to a listen-in microphone,
the user is able to verify adjacent noise.
The system can be checked, armed and dis-
armed via SMS. Theres also power loss
and restore SMS notification.
Boxed with the device are pepper gas,
one PIR motion detector, sound bomb
siren, 1,2 A battery and 2-button remote
(for arm/disarm and panic). An additional
relay output can be used to operate a gate
motor or switch a light on and off. Other
functions include a walk-through test
function and auto battery disconnect
when battery is low.
A solar panel connector with a built-in
regulator allows the unit to be used where

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 35

Making the world smarter
Add brains to home security
Cloud functionality and intelligent monitoring add a new dimension to off-the-peg systems
A Cape Town security technology
startup based in has spent nearly four
years developing Sentian 3i, a system
designed to make off-the-shelf security
smarter while at the same time simpler
to operate.
Sentian 3i connects your alarm, CCTV
and home automation to the Cloud and to
your phone, allowing these systems to do
things they cannot do individually:
Identifying what has triggered an alarm
by sending the user a 12-second video clip.
The ability to respond to an alarm event,
even remotely, by carrying out actions
such as pressing a panic button, opening
gates, turning on security lights or viewing
CCTV.
Substituting multiple, outdated and
often counter-intuitive keypads and sys-
tems to access and control your alarm,
CCTV or home automation with a single,
intuitive interface, available on multiple
platforms.
We live in a world with the iPhone,
artificial intelligence and drones, says
Teague Little, who developed Sentian 3i
with fellow engineer Trevor Lewis. We
have access to vast amounts of informa-
tion at our fingertips. Now go take a look
at your alarm system. Your alarm system
is analogue when the rest of the world is
digital and, over 98 per cent of the time, it
falls short at the one thing it is designed
to do, to let you and your armed response
company know when there is an intruder
on your property.
Little and Lewis built the Sentian Cloud
services, the API, the firmware, the front-
end app, the backend installer app and the
hardware right here in SA. A Raspberry Pi
forms part of the system, which in addi-
36 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
YOUR HOME
YOUR CCTV
YOUR ALARM
THE CLOUD
tion to handling standard RF home auto-
mation is also Z-Wave capable. Its
suitable for controlling lights, plugs and
heavy current devices such as geysers or
pool pumps and flood sensors.
Their creation can be viewed as a real-
time, curated, information system, which
through home automation and links to
armed response, allows you to respond to
what you see at your property. There is
something amazing about being able to
look in through the live feed and open
your gate and watch it all happen, from
the other side of the world, Little says.
Two particularly intriguing features are
user-specific notifications and share
access. I can set up notifications for my
property that only I am interested in (ie, I
dont bug my wife with them), says Little. Share access is perfect for AirBnB, house-
sitters or staff: you can very simply hand
out access to your property through our
app, and specify the time frame they are
to have access for.
A typical standalone four-bedroom
house alarm system, with indoor and out-
door sensors, will cost you anywhere
between R20 000 and R40 000 installed.
Add at least R10 000 if you want CCTV.
Sentian costs R 19 995 once-off for the
hardware, with an ongoing R159 monthly
service fee to cover the 2 GB of Cloud stor-
age, unlimited email and SMS communica-
tion and access to ongoing system and app
software upgrades. Installation takes two
to three days.

Fighting fires
THE LITTLE BLUE BOX THATS SAVING HOMES AND SAVING LIVES.
Smart homes are safe homes and
a safe home brings peace of mind.
But peace of mind is something
that people living in informal set-
tlements are rarely afforded due to
the constant threat of fire. Lumkani
is a unique device that is trying to
change that.
Lumkani is not just a blue box; it
is a heat detector like no other. Meaning
watch out in Xhosa, Lumkani alerts
communities when they are in danger
of fire.
Developed in 2014by UCT student
Francois Petousis and his supervisor
Samuel Ginsberg, Lumkani measures the
rate of increase of heat in homes and sets
off an alarm if that rate is rising too fast.
The idea for Lumkani came to Petousis
and his colleague Paul Mesarcik in 2014
when a fire ravaged Khayelitsha on New
Years Day. (Formal) residential houses
have fire detectors and every measure
possible to avoid fire damage, so why
shouldnt informal homes? asks Mesarcik.
Assisted by the Community
Organisation Resource Centre (CORC), the
Lumkani team partnered and engaged
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 37
with the community of UT gardens in
Khayelitsha to create a human-centred
design for their heat detector. They found
that people living in informal settlements
know how to put out and prevent fires,
but simply need a warning.
Mesarcik explains how Lumkani works.
Instead of just measuring the heat of a
particular home, Lumkani measures the
rate at which heat increases. Once the rate
of rising heat reaches a certain threshold
that is considered dangerous, the device
According to Statistics SA, 13,6 per cent
of South Africans live in informal settle-
ments. Fire Protection Association of
South Africa figures for 2014 reveal that
there were 5 191 fires in informal settle-
ments, resulting in total damage costing
R103 999 546.
communicates this to neighbouring devic-
es in an approximately 40-metre radius.
Lumkanis alarm not only alerts house-
holders to take the necessary precautions,
but if a fire is confirmed, emergency services
are alerted to the danger so they too can
act quickly. The developers have rolled out
smart centralised devices that connect
every heat detector in a community. This
central device constantly checks the sys-
tems health and, in the event of fire,
stores GPS co-ordinates and simultane-
ously sends text-message warnings to
members of the affected community and
to Lumkani headquarters in Cape Town.
Lumkani has distributed heat detectors
to more than5 000 households in
Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban
and is looking to expand across the country,
into the rest of Africa and into Bangladesh.
Its currently trialling new models of the
original detector and thinking of ways to
increase accessibility and inclusivity. Cost
is, of course, a sensitive issue both in the
marketplace and in an organisation that
has been largely been funded by money
made from entering and winning social
entrepreneurship competitions. The device
costs R130 and is usually bought by NGOs
or community leaders. We have tried to
keep the price as low as possible, Mesarcik
says. It uses a AA battery that lasts for a
year, so it is sustainable for the people
who we are trying to assist.
LUMK A NOFEMELE PM
The network of
Lumkani devices
is carefully mon-
itored from their
offices in Cape
Town.
38 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
 YOUR
DRIVERLESS
RIDE
IS ARRIVING
Uber thinks its self-driving taxis could change
the way millions of people get around. But
autonomous vehicles arent anywhere near to
being ready for the roads.
By WILL KNIGHT OF MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW

OUTSIDE A LARGE WAREHOUSE in Pittsburgh, in an

area along the Allegheny River that was once home to
dozens of factories and foundries, but now has shops and
restaurants, Im waiting for a different kind of techno-
logical revolution to arrive. I check my phone, look up,
and notice its already here. A white Ford Fusion, its roof
bedazzled with futuristic-looking sensors, is idling nearby.
Two people sit up front one monitoring a computer, the
other behind the wheel but the car is in control. I hop
in, press a button on a touch screen, and sit back as the
self-driving Uber takes me for a ride.
As we zip out onto the road towards downtown, the
car stays neatly in its lane, threading deftly between an
oncoming car and parked trucks that stick out into the
street. Ive been in a self-driving car before, but its still
eerie to watch from the back seat as the steering wheel
and pedals move themselves in response to events
unfolding on the road around us.
To date, most automated vehicles have been tested on
highways in places like California, Nevada and Texas.
Pittsburgh, in contrast, features crooked roads, countless
bridges, confusing intersections, and more than its fair
share of snow, sleet and rain. As one Uber executive
said, if self-driving cars can handle Pittsburgh, they
should work anywhere. As if to test this theory, as we turn
on to a bustling market street, two pedestrians dart on to
the road ahead. The car comes to a gentle stop some
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 39
distance from them, waiting and then continuing on its way.
A screen in front of the back seat shows the cars peculiar
view of the world: our surroundings rendered in vivid
colours and jagged edges. The picture is the product of
some of an amazing array of instruments arranged all over
the vehicle. There are no fewer than seven lasers, including
a large spinning lidar unit on the roof; 20 cameras; a high-
precision GPS; and a handful of ultrasound sensors. On
the screen inside the car, the road looks aqua blue, buildings
and other vehicles are red, yellow and green, and nearby
pedestrians are highlighted with what look like little lassos.
The screen also indicates how the vehicle is steering and
braking, and theres a button thatll ask the car to stop
the ride any time you want.
This being 2016, Uber has even made it possible for
riders to take a selfie from the back seat. Shortly after my
ride is over, I receive by e-mail a looping GIF that shows
the cars view of the world and my face grinning in the
top-right corner. People on the sidewalk stop and wave
while we wait at a traffic light, and a guy driving a pick-up
behind us keeps giving the thumbs-up.
My ride is part of the highest-profile test of self-driving
vehicles to date, after Uber began letting handpicked cus-
tomers book rides around Pittsburgh in a fleet of automated
taxis. The company, which has already upended the taxi
industry with a smartphone app that lets you summon a
car, aims to make a significant portion of its fleet self-
driving within a matter of years. Its a bold bet that the
technology is ready to transform the way millions of people
get around.
But in some ways, it is a bet that Uber has to make. In
the first half of this year it lost a staggering $1,27 billion
(about R17 billion), mostly because of payments to drivers.
Autonomous cars offer a great opportunity for Uber, says
David Keith, an assistant professor at MIT who studies
innovation in the automotive industry, but theres also
a threat that someone else beats them to market.
Most carmakers, notably Tesla Motors, Audi, Mercedes-
Benz, Volvo and General Motors, and even a few big tech
companies including Google and (reportedly) Apple, are
40 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
testing self-driving vehicles. Tesla cars drive themselves
under many circumstances (although the company warns
drivers to use the system only on highways and asks them
to pay attention and keep their hands on the steering wheel).
But despite its formidable competition, Uber might have
the best opportunity to commercialise the technology
quickly. Unlike Ford or GM, it can limit automation to
the routes it thinks driverless cars can handle at first.
And in contrast to Google or Apple, it already has a vast
network of taxis that it can make gradually more auto-
mated over time.
Ubers executives have little trouble imagining the upside.
With no drivers to split revenues with, Uber could turn a
profit. Robot taxis could become so cheap and easy to use
that it would make little sense for anyone to actually own
a car. Taken to its logical conclusion, automated driving
could reprogramme transportation itself. Uber is already
experimenting with food delivery in some cities, and it
recently bought Otto, a startup that is developing auto-
mated systems for long-haul trucks. Self-driving trucks
and vans could ferry goods from fulfillment centres and
stores to homes and offices with dizzying speed and effi-
ciency. Shortly before my test ride Andrew Lewandowski,
head of Ubers autonomous operations, a veteran of Googles
self-driving programme, and one of the cofounders of Otto,
said: I really believe that this is the most important
thing computers are going to do in the next 10 years.
Uber is moving quickly. The company created its Advanced
Technology Centre, where its developing its driverless cars,
in February 2015 by hiring a number of researchers from
the robotics department at nearby Carnegie Mellon Universi-
ty. Using that expertise, Uber developed its self-driving taxis
in a little over a year roughly the amount of time it takes
most automakers to redesign an entertainment console.
But is it moving too quickly? Is the technology ready?
ROBO ANCESTORS
For the rest of my time in Pittsburgh, I get around using
Ubers controlled exclusively by humans. The contrast is
stark. I want to visit CMUs National Robotics Engineering
Opposite: Its roof bedazzled with futuristic-looking sensors,
Ubers autonomous ride makes its way through traffic. Left:
Google has spun off its self-driving car project into a stand-
alone company, Waymo. Above: In the Uber car, one person
monitors the computer and another sits behind the wheel.
Right: A screen ahead of the back seat shows the cars
peculiar view of the world.
Centre (NREC) part of its Robotics Institute, one of the
pioneering research groups involved in developing self-
driving vehicles to see what its experts think of Ubers
experiment. So I catch a ride with a guy named Brian, who
drives a beat-up Hyundai Sonata. Brian says hes seen
several automated Ubers around town, but he cant imagine
a ride in them being as good as one with him. Brian then
takes a wrong turn and gets completely lost. To be fair,
though, he weaves through traffic just as well as a self-
driving car. Also, when the map on his phone leads us to
a bridge thats closed for repairs, he simply asks a couple
of road workers for directions and then improvises a new
route. Hes friendly, too, offering to waive the fare and
buy me a beer to make up for the inconvenience.
It makes you realise that automated Ubers will offer a
very different experience. Fewer wrong turns and over-
bearing drivers, yes, but also no one to help put your
suitcase in the trunk or return a lost iPhone.
I take a rain check on the beer, say goodbye to Brian,
and arrive at NRECs vast warehouse about 20 minutes
late. The building is filled with fascinating robotic proto-
types. And if you look carefully, youll find some ancestors
of todays automated vehicles. Just inside the entrance, for
instance, is Terregator, a six-wheeled robot about the size
of a refrigerator, with a ring of sensors on top. In 1984,
Terregator was among the first robots designed to roam
outside of a lab, rolling around CMUs campus at a few
kilometres per hour. And Terregator was succeeded, in
1986, by a heavily modified van called NavLab, one of the
first fully computer-controlled vehicles on the road.
Just outside the front door to NREC sits another notable
forerunner: a customised Chevy Tahoe filled with computers
and decorated with what looks suspiciously like an early
version of the sensor stack on top of one of Ubers self-
driving cars. In 2007 this robot, called Boss, won an urban
driving contest organised by the US Defence Advanced
Research Projects Agency. It was a big moment for auto-
mated vehicles, proving that they could navigate ordinary
traffic, and just a few years later Google was testing self-
driving cars on real roads.
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 41
The three of these CMU robots show how gradual the
progress towards self-driving vehicles was until recently.
The hardware and software improved, but the system
struggled to make sense of the world a driver sees, in all
its rich complexity and weirdness. At NREC, I meet William
Red Whittaker, a CMU professor who led the develop-
ment of Terregator, the first version of NavLab, and Boss.
Whittaker says Ubers new service doesnt mean the tech-
nology is perfected. Of course it isnt solved, he says.
The kinds of things that arent solved are the edge cases.
And there are plenty of edge cases to contend with,
including sensors being blinded or impaired by bad weather,
bright sunlight, or obstructions. Then there are the inev-
itable software and hardware failures. But more important,
the edge cases involve dealing with the unknown. You cant
program a car for every imaginable situation, so at some
stage, you have to trust that it will cope with just about
anything thats thrown at it, using whatever intelligence
it has. And its hard to be confident about that, especially
when even the smallest misunderstanding, like mistaking
a paper bag for a large rock, could lead a car to do something
unnecessarily dangerous.
Progress has undoubtedly picked up in recent years.
In particular, advances in computer vision and machine
learning have made it possible for automated vehicles to
do more with video footage. If you feed enough examples
into one of these systems, it can do more than spot an
obstacle it can identify it with impressive accuracy as a
pedestrian, a cyclist, or an errant goose.
Still, the edge cases matter. The director of NREC is
Herman Herman, a roboticist who grew up in Indonesia,
studied at CMU, and has developed automated vehicles for
defence, mining and agriculture. He believes self-driving
cars will arrive, but he raises a few practical concerns
about Ubers plan. When your Web browser or your com-
puter crashes, its annoying, but its not a big deal, he says.
If you have six lanes of highway, there is an autonomous
car driving in the middle, and the car decides to make a
left turn... well, you can imagine what happens next. It
just takes one erroneous command to the steering wheel.

Another problem Herman foresees is scaling the tech-
nology up. Its all very well having a few driverless cars on
the road, but what about dozens, or hundreds? The laser
scanners found on Ubers cars might interfere with one
another, he says, and if those vehicles were connected to
the cloud, that would require an insane amount of band-
width. Even something as simple as dirt on a sensor could
pose a problem, he says. The most serious issue of all
and this is a growing area of research for us is how you
verify, how you test an autonomous system to make sure
theyre safe, says Herman.
LEARNING TO DRIVE
For a more hands-on perspective, I head across town to
talk to people actually developing self-driving cars. I visit
Raj Rajkumar, a member of CMUs robotics faculty who
runs a lab funded by GM. In the fast-moving world of
research into driverless cars, which is often dominated
by people in Silicon Valley, Rajkumar might seem a bit old
school. Wearing a grey suit, he greets me at his office and
then leads me to a basement garage where hes been working
on a prototype Cadillac. The car contains numerous sensors,
similar to the ones found on Ubers cars, but they are all
miniaturised and hidden away so that it looks completely
I really believe that this is THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING computers are going to do in the next 10 years.
normal. Rajkumar is proud of his progress on making driver-
less cars practical, but he warns me that Ubers taxis might
be raising hopes unreasonably high. Its going to take a long
time before you can take the driver out of the equation,
he says. I think people should mute their expectations.
Besides the reliability of a cars software, Rajkumar worries
that a driverless vehicle could be hacked. We know about
the terror attack in Nice, where the terrorist driver was
mowing down hundreds of people. Imagine theres no
driver in the vehicle, he says. Uber says it takes this issue
seriously; it recently added two prominent experts on
automotive computer security to its team. Rajkumar also
warns that fundamental progress is needed to get com-
puters to interpret the real world more intelligently. We
as humans understand the situation, he says. We are
cognitive, sentient beings. We comprehend, we reason,
and we take action. When you have automated vehicles,
they are just programmed to do certain things for certain
scenarios.
42 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
Left: Boss, Carnegie Mellon Universitys DARPA Challenge-winning
autonomous vehicle. Above: CMUs Professor Raj Rajkumar (third
from right) is pictured with colleagues, General Motors officials
and a Cadillac SRX test vehicle celebrating GMs agreement with
the University to continue developing technologies that could
allow future production vehicles to drive autonomously.
In other words, the colourful picture I saw in the back
of my automated Uber represents a simplistic and alien
way of understanding the world. It shows where objects
are, sometimes with centimetre precision, but theres no
understanding what those things really are or what they
might do. This is more important than it might sound. An
obvious example is how people react when they see a toy
sitting in the road and conclude that a child might not be
far away. The additional trickiness is that Uber makes most
of its money in urban and suburban locations, Rajkumar
says. Thats where unexpected situations tend to arrive
more often.
Whats more, anything that goes wrong with Ubers ex-
perimental taxi service could have ramifications for the
entire industry. The first fatal crash involving an automated
driving system, when a Tesla in Autopilot mode failed to
spot a large truck on a Florida highway in 2016, has
already raised safety questions. Hastily deploying any
technology even one meant to make the roads safer
might easily trigger a backlash. While Uber has done a
great job of promoting this as a breakthrough, its still
quite a way away, realistically, says MITs Keith. Novel
technologies depend on positive word of mouth to build
consumer acceptance, but the opposite can happen as
COPYRIGHT 2016 TECHNOLOGY REVIEW, INC. DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY, LLC
well. If there are terrible car crashes attributed to this
technology, and regulators crack down, that certainly
would moderate peoples enthusiasm.
I get to experience the reality of the technologys limits
firsthand, about halfway through my ride in Ubers car,
shortly after Im invited to sit in the drivers seat. I push a
button to activate the automated driving system, and Im
told I can disengage it at any time by moving the steering
wheel, touching a pedal, or hitting another big red button.
The car seems to be driving perfectly, just as before, but
I cant help noticing how nervous the engineer next to
me now is. And then, as were sitting in traffic on a bridge,
with cars approaching in the other direction, the car begins
slowly turning the steering wheel to the left and edging
out into the oncoming lane. Grab the wheel, the engi-
neer shouts.
Maybe its a bug, or perhaps the cars sensors are con-
fused by the wide-open spaces on either side of the
bridge. Whatever the case, I quickly do as he says. PM
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 now. A comic book can cost between R60

Magnificent
and R70, says Pereira. Ive had to develop
relationships with stores in order to get
what I want, when I want it. I didnt collect
as much during my varsity years because of
the cost.

OBSESSION
Comics might be expensive, but Pereira
could make a nice sum of money selling a
few of his pieces as well. I have an X-Men
comic book that could be worth around
$4 000. But selling is not an option.
Whats so special about comic books, DVDs, hat moulds and antique Pereira keeps most of his 500-strong col-
radios? You cant have just one. Three very different individuals talk lection in storage to save the books from
about their collections. L U M K A N O F E M E L E wear and tear, which can happen to flimsy
comic book covers. If you want to start
collecting, go to a comic book store and

W ere all guilty of amassing stuff. This is called hoarding. Its a disorder in which we cant
bear to part with possessions. As distinct from collecting: while collectors may feel
anguish of their own at the thought of parting with a prized collectable, their activity has its
speak to people, get their opinion and do a
little research. Read previews to see what
storylines you would like to read, Pereira
compensations. Collecting is often satisfying, methodical, and, for the astute, lucrative. advises aspiring collectors.

You are greeted by your childhood when you step into Sergio Pereiras home. In no need of such advice is Art
Theres Batman, The Joker, Wolverine and every comic book hero or villain you could Pereira (no relation), a graphic designer
think of, or, at least, that a 31-year-old like Pereira could think of. and drummer for rock band Victoria Walls.
Pereira has a love for comic books and graphic novels, overshadowed only by his passion Arts a collector by nature: his house is a
for explaining the difference between comic books and graphic novels. treasure trove of comic books, memorabilia
Comic books are single issue, usually have about 24 pages and come out once a month. and Hot Wheels cars. His true passion,
A graphic novel is six comic book issues together, released usually every six months. though, is collecting DVDs; in fact, video in
Graphic novels are more expensive, but far easier to collect, Pereira explains. general. At last count, he had a total of 658
Pereiras collection spans a good two decades, with most of his comic books coming DVDs and 30 VHS tapes plus a few TV
from events and conventions, and online stores. series box sets and music DVDs.
Pereira grew up watching Batman: The Animated Series and the Dark Knight remains his Art arranges and sometimes chooses his
favourite superhero. The others are just wimps, anyway. vast collection by year, genre and actor. He
He started subscribing to comics in 1996. They were then much cheaper than they are is a fan of classics (think Casablanca and

44 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 Citizen Kane), but will
buy a superhero movie,
good or bad.
Art was given his
first DVD in the early
2000s: the 1978
Vietnam war drama
The Deer Hunter. He
didnt consciously
start collecting until he realised
that his DVDs were turning into, well, a
collection. Now he searches online, scours
stores and occasionally receives DVDs as
gifts from his friends. He doesnt just fon-
dle the boxes, either: somehow Art has
actually found the time to watch his mov-
ies. I watch a DVD maybe about four or
five times. There is usually an original cut,
special cut and a directors cut. I like to
watch the different versions and compare,
he says. Special editions are great, because
I can watch the commentary, which gives
the viewer a greater experience.
Art struggles to get VHS tapes and is
starting to have a hard time with DVDs as
well. It is unfortunate that discs are dying
out. It is a struggle to find certain old mov-
IMAGES BY RETHA FERGUSON
ies digitally.
The most valuable piece in his collection
is the 1986 fantasy action movie, Big
Trouble in Little China, a gift from an
English friend. The gift is an original copy
encased in a steel book, the most sought-
after packaging for DVDs.
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 45
If you want to get into collecting, you need to find what interests you and start
small. If you are collecting movies, try to look for them based on cinematography,
direction or actors, says Art.
Antiques are what got 60-year-old Grenville Liepner into collecting.
Liepner collects hat moulds and radios.
As a child, I was at auctions almost every weekend and thats where my love of
antiques began, says Liepner.
Radios wireless came first. Many of Liepners childhood hours were spent lis-
tening to radio stations from all over the world in the depths of the night at his win-
dow, where reception was best. Because they are so hard to come by, Liepner does not
collect radios as avidly anymore.
The hat mould thing evolved out of a job lot he obtained at auction. He now owns Cape
Malay hats that date as far back as the 1800s.
Proving that collecting need not break the bank, Liepner has never paid more than a
R100 for anything in his collection. It helps that hes developed the ability to beat down
the ambitious prices of countless antique-shop owners. At the same time, he says hes
invested too much time,
effort and money to allow
himself to be beaten down.
Its taken too much effort
to collect everything. I could
get a good R20 000 for one
of my radios from a movie
studio or a restaurant look-
ing for dcor, but I will
never sell. Id rather give
them away.
Liepners advice to wan-
nabe antique collectors:
hang out with old folks.
(Not to collect them, of
course: they either have or
know about old stuff.) PM
 SIMPLY BECAUSE A NEW INVENTION IS INNOVATIVE DOESNT MAKE IT SMART.
HERE, OUR JUDGEMENT OF THIS YEARS MOST NOTABLE ADVANCES.

In the 1800s, we thought the telephone was amazing. Now we have hybrid computer phones
in our pockets. Flat-screen TVs impressed us in the early 2000s, but that was before wed seen HD.
Which was before wed seen OLED TVs. And theres no way the guy who invented the microwave
knew hed indirectly spawned an entire convenience food industry. But for every useful creation,
there is a useless one. For every person inventing the PC in his garage, theres someone thinking
up the recumbent bike. It can be hard to tell what technological feats are worthy of our time and
admiration. Thats why were here. As a magazine, we support advancement. But we also realise
that sometimes just sometimes there is such a thing as a bad idea.

46 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

Unzip the handlebars and pop out the foot pegs and
this R20 000 carry-on suitcase becomes a small electric
motorcycle you can ride all the way to Gate 27. An hour
of charging gets you a 10- to 13-kilometre range and
speeds of 8 to 13 km/h, depending on how much you
packed and your body weight. Sounds fun and it is. But
its also ridiculous, like something Kim Jong-un would
ride if he didnt already have people forced to carry him.
The tiny pegs barely keep your feet off the floor, so you
have to hope you dont ride over anything that could
snag a heel. Plus, your eyes are at approximately navel
height, which makes it tough to see in anything less
than a wide-open terminal.

FEBRUARY 2017 __ www.popularmechanics.co.za 47

FEBRUARY 2017 www.popularmechanics.co.za 2
 Weve 3D-printed plastic, metals and wood fibre. And now that same technology is being
used to make chocolates and pizza. Unlike with most other food, how printed meals taste
isnt the real point. Its what they can do.
BY L A R A S O R O K A N I C H

H
od Lipsons laboratory at Columbia University is a place designed to
nurture the human instinct to tinker. The space itself is pretty basic: lino-
leum floor, white walls, natural wood tables. Wires, markers, textbooks
and glue bottles cover most surfaces: the detritus of students designing, mak-
ing, refining and tweaking. Robotic models line the shelves: a robot with giant
plastic wings that look like a houseflys, miniature machines with exposed silver
gears, geometric robotic skeletons. There are laser cutters and microscopes and
welding masks hung on hooks. Pushed up against a wall, a robotic arm bears a
paper sign: DANGER. Robot moves without warning. KEEP AWAY.
Lipson became a professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia in 2015,
after 14 years as a professor at Cornell University. He is a pioneer in the field
of three-dimensional printing and one of the first to experiment with substi-
tuting the usual raw materials plastics, metals with edible food products.
It was in Lipsons lab about ten years ago that a few of his students had the
idea to mess around with it. Somebody tried filling a printer syringe with
icing. Then cheese, chocolate and other foods. In the beginning we thought
it was frivolous, Lipson says. Wed say Look, we printed with chocolate,
but lets get serious and do our battery work.
But when writers at The New York Times and the
BBC started enquiring about the technology, Lipson
saw public interest that he hadnt anticipated. People
who couldnt care less about batteries or robotics
suddenly cared about 3D printing when food got
involved, he says. Everybody cares about food. A new
branch of 3D printing began.
This is what humans do. We tinker. We improvise.
We have weird ideas and mess around with them. It
leads to things like the discovery of electricity and
sailing boats and machine guns and food that comes
out of a printer. Lipson is like the rest of us in that
sense; its just that his reflex to act on his curiosity is
more acute, more insatiable. We the more insatiable
among us have now devised technology that influ-
ences the way we communicate, travel, work out,
sleep and entertain. Lipson sees these printers as the
future of food preparation. There are a handful of

48 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017


startups already building up the industry, but experi-
ments with the technology have also been backed by
more venerable organisations, such as Columbia
University, NASA and the European Union.
The term 3D printing, of course, is odd. Its desk-
top manufacturing and making food this way is no
different from making toys or machine parts or any-
thing else 3D printed. Once you place the raw material,
in this case an edible paste, into a 3D printer, a
robotic arm deposits or spreads the paste in precise
layers, forming whatever shape youve programmed
into the machine. The better equipped the machine,
the more advanced the recipes it can make.
Lipson and his students agree that 3D-printed food
will never completely replace our current food system.
A printer is unlikely to print a filet mignon and salad
anytime soon. But it is likely to become a regular
appliance you use, as soon as the next ten years,
Lipson says. A machine with multiple material canis-
ters lets you print different flavours or colours into
the layers, like a rainbow-striped cake or kale-filled
chocolate bars. A laser or infrared light on the nozzle
serves as a cooking element, so ingredients cook as
theyre deposited out of the machine.
Of the few 3D-food printers sold right now, most
emphasise novel shapes. The Magic Candy Factory
prints big gummy candies in the shapes of octopuses,
butterflies, a childs name. The PancakeBot prints
two-toned pictures on a griddle. 3D Systems prints
beautiful sugar sculptures, precise geometric shapes
that the human hand could never do as perfectly.
People shrug off this technology and
say its just fun, says Kjeld van Bommel, WE COULD DEVELOP
a research scientist who has worked on NUTRITION TRACKERS pizza printers into a franchise to be used at stadiums and other
candy-printing technology. But fun is a AND PRINT PERSONAL- large venues. Chief marketing officer Jordan French says its
huge part of food. And all over the world, ISED BREAKFAST BARS product could make line cooking faster, cheaper and less stress-
universities and corporations are experi- TAILORED TO OUR EXACT ful. Lynette Kucsma, cofounder of the Foodini commercial food
menting with applications for 3D-printing NUTRITION NEEDS
food beyond amusement. As a senior con-
sultant at the Netherlands Organisation
(TNO) for applied scientific research, Van Bommel
looked into the possibility of using 3D-food printers
in nursing homes. For elderly patients who have diffi-
culty chewing, printers would fashion purees into
more appealing shapes: carrot puree shaped like real
carrots or salmon puree shaped like a real block of
fish. The printers could also personalise nutrition in
the printed meals, adding things like sunflower oil,
whey protein and minerals. They could produce about
20 personalised meals per hour and label each indi-
vidual meal with the exact name and address of nurs-
ing-home residents. TNO is now talking to companies
interested in taking the experimental technology to
commercial production.
NASA also experimented with the technology for
Mars missions, since food loses nutritional value over
ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES PROVOST
time even more so in the radiation of space. In 2013,
it awarded a Small Business Innovation Research con-
tract to Systems & Materials Research Corporation
(SMRC) to develop a 3D-printed food system for
astronauts. SMRC successfully printed a pizza, though
the project was later abandoned after a senator called
it wasteful government spending. But SMRC is look-
ing into other applications. SMRC president Malcolm
Prouty says the US Army has shown interest in using
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 49
Servomotor
Plunger
Syringe
Syringe
Rack
Plate
HOW IT WORKS
To print a recipe, you load ingredients into the machines syringes, then
use software to tell the printer how to assemble the food. For example,
you might tell it Lay down a base of pizza dough, then top with sauce
and cheese. The machine picks up syringes using electromagnets and
deposits them according to the recipe. An infrared spotlight located
behind the syringe cooks ingredients as they print.
the technology to take customised nutrition to soldiers.
BeeHex, a spin-off of the NASA project, is attempting to turn
printer, wants to make foods that people would typically buy in
processed form more wholesome. Instead of restaurants serving
you flash-frozen burger patties that are full of preservatives,
they could efficiently print their own. Its fast and convenient and your burger
wouldnt be full of manufacturing chemicals.
Dozens of other potential uses have been proposed, some imaginative,
some outlandish, some brilliant. We could print delicious food out of cheap,
sustainable, otherwise unpalatable ingredients, like algae or insect flour. We
could develop nutrition trackers and print personalised breakfast bars tailored
to our exact nutrition needs. We can take these printers anywhere thats
hard to get fresh food to, one of Lipsons students said, into space or sub-
marines, across the world to deserts.
There are limitations to overcome. Right now, printers are slow, use a lot
of energy and require some knowledge to program. Chef Herv Malivert,
director of culinary technology and chef co-ordinator at the International
Culinary Centre in New York City, thinks theyll be a hard sell for chefs, who
value a variety of textures in their dishes. But we are, by nature, progressive
creatures. Ten years after those experiments with icing and chocolate, new
students in Lipsons lab are still experimenting with 3D-printed food, now as
serious work. The once frivolous hobby is now the focus of graduate work
and theses.
Whether humans decide we want to eat the food
paste that comes out of these machines remains to be
seen. In a way, thats not the point. This is a moment in
the continuum, an early stage in the evolution of what-
ever this is. People the more insatiable among us
keep experimenting with what weve got. We keep
tinkering. Because thats what we do.
Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree cameras have dropped to GoPro Especially if the person you show the video to doesnt have a VR
prices. (The 360fly is only about R4 000.) The only real issue is headset or Google Cardboard. But this is about looking forward.
editing. In terms of field of view, youre looking at six to ten times Not to a day when everyone is using YouTube 360, which, hon-
more raw footage with a 360 camera. As with drone footage, estly, will always be pretty fun to play with. To a day when we all
unless you do something truly VR-worthy tour an Air Force have VR set-ups in our houses, hooked to our phones (or directly
base, dive with sharks, visit a cat caf only a portion of what to our brains or souls, or whatever happens in this future world;
360 cameras capture is worth looking at. For now, the final video we arent there yet, so we dont know). That day will come in part
wont be as focused or compelling as a tight 2D clip. It cant be. because of 360-degree cameras. And well get better at editing.
50 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
 AUTONOMOUS
DRIVING
ASSISTANCE
E AIRPORT
arlier this year, when Teslas
Autopilot gained the dubious
distinction of being the first
driver-assistance system to be impli-
cated in a fatal crash, it was tragic,
to be sure. But is it enough reason
to abandon a promising technology?
The systems havent been around
for very long and you need a whole
lot of data to paint a picture of acci-
dents that dont happen. And early
studies suggest that, yes, smarter
cars can help save us from our own
imperfect driving.
Itll be a long time before a car can
drive you anywhere you want with-
out human intervention, but for the
moment, the questions are pretty
simple. If you start to drift into the
wrong lane, would you like the car
to steer you away from the oncom-
ing traffic? If theres an oblivious
guy stepping into the crosswalk,
would you prefer not to hit him?
And if youre about to reverse into
the path of a school bus, would you
like your car to automatically hit the
brakes? All of those systems lane-
assist, pedestrian-detection, cross-
path-detection are available
already, and, yes, you want them.
The car isnt yet ready to take over
your whole commute. But that
doesnt mean it cant save you some-
where along the way.
ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES PROVOST
NEW
SECURITY
Instead of passengers putting their wallets and belts into bins one at a
time, single-file, a situation in which one slow guy delays the entire line,
Delta created a security checkpoint that uses five simultaneous stations.
The system is completely automated. You approach an empty station, fill
your bin and put it on the conveyor. If you accidentally leave that water
bottle in your carry-on, or theres something suspicious that requires a
second look, your bin is routed to a separate area. The conveyor belts
even automatically send the bins back to the front of the line. Until
recently, the only location using this kind of technology was Atlanta,
Deltas hub. But last month Johannesburgs OR Tambo
Airport became the first African airport to trial a similar
smart security system. Suddenly were feeling much
more forgiving about that lost bag.
WE LIVE
S PA C E S
Last April, the office-sharing company WeWork
introduced its newest communal venture:
housing. WeLives fully furnished apartments
offer an average of 40 square metres of semi-
private or private areas for sleeping, in addi-
tion to open, shared spaces that come with
startup-like perks including laundry rooms out-
fitted with table tennis tables, on-site yoga
studios and bars equipped with bitters and shakers. Community managers plan team-
building activities, such as taco night or karaoke and residents can contact building
management using an app. Theres even unlimited free beer and
coffee. Its a dorm for post-grads. This is not a good thing.
There are certain things you stop after university: accepting T-shirts
because theyre free, eating 2 Minute Noodles and wearing a back-
pack everywhere. Also, sharing four walls with a relative stranger and
icebreaker games of two truths and a lie.

When people look back at this era of ubiquitous technology, what will they see? All of us flipping
through the Bambi eyes and horrifying digital makeup of Snapchat filters. They may not be all
that impressed until they see face swap, which shows you what youd look like if you had the
features of the person next to you. Live. Its delightful. And frightening. And its a technological
marvel. Sure, some conspiracy theorists think the app is feeding the FBIs facial recognition data-
base, but future people wont mind because theyll obviously be living in a crimeless society, thanks
to our willingness to unknowingly indulge the government. We hope those people will pull out
their phones and be able to open Snapchat. Because they deserve to know happiness, too.

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 51

 BEER SOMMELIERS

CARS THAT KNOW
WHEN THE LIGHT
WILL CHANGE
As Tom Petty could tell you, the waiting is the hardest part
of red lights. Audi has a solution; not to make the lights any
shorter, but to let you know exactly when youre getting the
green. Next year, in select cities with smart traffic signals,
Audis Traffic Light Information System will use the cars on-
board LTE data connection to communicate with the inter-
sections signals and give you a countdown to green. Its
the first step in V2I (vehicle to infra-
structure) technology, an area that
will be crucial for both safety and
automation, and, luckily, its just
the beginning.
T
here are a lot of kinds of beer. Take India Pale
Ales, for example. There are Belgian IPAs, rye
IPAs, double IPAs and at least four colours of
IPA: black, brown, red and white. It can start to feel a
little overwhelming. To keep track of it all there is an
aide: the cicerone (SIS-uh-rohn). Cicerones are the
sommeliers of the beer world, only they have less
clout and dont get to wear that sipping dish around
their neck when they work. They go through official
training and ordination and, upon graduation, they
help us drink.
Started in 2008, the Cicerone Certification
Programme offers anyone with tuition money and a
bottle opener four increasingly sophisticated titles
(beer server, cicerone, advanced cicerone, master
cicerone). But what it offers to the world is a sign
that weve gone too far. Beer can be complex in its
flavours and preparation. We appreciate that. Its
why we have favourites and why well spend more
time at restaurants reading the beer menu than
pondering the days specials. But we dont necessari-
ly want help. Although it may be a complicated
drink, beer is a simple pleasure. Lets keep it that
way. Besides, we already have a name for cicerones:
bartenders.

THE NFL ON TWITTER

This year, Twitter made a rumoured
R1,4 billion deal with the USAs
NFL to live-broadcast ten Thursday
night American football games. (It
made similar deals with major
league baseball and ice hockey.) For
Twitter, it was a way to find new
users, and something to actually
sell ads against. Viewers could
watch football, for free, no matter
pay-TV package they had. But it
means having to share the game
with all the people on Twitter.
Twitter gives everyone a voice,
which is nice, but that voice during
a football game is usually yelling
about how a particular team sucks
or how stupid the announcers cap
is and it never seems to go hoarse.
In that respect, its like being at a
know who will sit next to you. But
instead of costing you a couple of
grand and an hour in parking-lot
traffic, Twitter is absolutely free.
And theres no last call on the beer
in your fridge. You can handle the
yelling. And if you decide you cant,
simply turn your phone to land-
scape mode and the conversation
stream disappears.
ILLUSTRATION BY JAMES PROVOST

where they were or what kind of real football game, where you never

Since it launched in April, the most-viewed videos streamed on Facebook Live have been of a woman laughing in
a Chewbacca mask and an exploding watermelon. But thats not the only thing it can do. Facebook Live provides
ordinary people with the power to broadcast important events. In instances when the TV news van is stuck in
traffic and real reporters cant be on the scene, we have a temporary stand-in: some guy named Tim
and his cellphone. Or in places cameras cant always be filming, like when Philando Castile was
shot by police and his girlfriend broadcast the scene. When something happens, newsworthy or not,
theres not always going to be a camera crew there. But there will be people with cellphones.

52 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 Dakine, the surfboard accessories company, has always been better known for outfitting its packs and bags to best accommodate
things like surf leashes and helmets. Now, its focusing on transporting easy-access soda and beer in what is clearly the mullet of
backpacks. Up top, its all business: 28 litres of storage capacity for your regular gear plus a protected pocket for sunglasses and
your phone. Down below, its a party with a separate compartment that holds 12 cans and ice packs. The best part, though, is a
zippered side dispenser. You can pull out a drink without having to take off the pack. Take into account the three insulated cosies
and bottle opener on the shoulder strap and youre a roving, unencumbered good-time Charlie.

A few weeks ago Facebook notified me of a nine-year friendship anniversary with a guy I met in
university. For such a special occasion, Facebook algorithmically selected two pictures to warm
my heart one of us at Disneyland and one of him and his now-wife, whom I mocked in the
caption. Charming. On 4 February, Facebook treated everyone to a video of Polaroids of their
friends and things theyve done together. It was the social networks 12th anniversary, or
roughly the tenth anniversary of the day friend became a verb. Which is why these anniversaries
are so pointless. When friend is a thing you do with the click of a button, not a thing you earn,
theres no real reason to memorialise it. Kevin Dupzyk

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 53

 Scrub Daddy is a brightly coloured smiley-face sponge, with
holes for the eyes and the mouth. Its ugly. But it works.
Invented by the former owner of an automotive buffing company,
the Scrub Daddy uses a temperature-dependent polymer-based
foam called FlexTexture, which was originally invented to help
mechanics clean their hands. In warm water, the sponges tex-
ture changes, becoming softer and more malleable. When the
water is switched back to cold, the sponge increases in rough-
ness, easily scraping away old soap scum and mildew. And it
smiles at you the whole time. No matter what its covered in.

54 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 A BATTERY FOR
YOUR HOUSE
Teslas new Powerwall banks energy in an
aesthetically pleasing reservoir so you can
power your home with solar energy at night.
It is a model of utopian efficiency, if you can
afford the set-up costs. The base model is
$3 000 (about R42 000), plus half as much
again for the required inverters and installa-
tion and three to ten times as much for solar
panels. But making solar power affordable is
not what Elon Musk is after. First he has to
make it convenient. The Powerwall offers a
way to become energy self-sufficient. If you
live in an area with enough sunlight, you wont
pay for power again. Bank what you harvest
during the day and use it at night. With less
sun, your battery can still top itself off from
the grid during cheaper periods of the
day. Eventually, you may actually start
saving money. But the whole time youll
be doing something more important:
saving the planet.

A T R A C K PA D
STREAMING ORIGINAL MOVIES ON YOUR ARM

N
etflixs chief content officer
Ted Sarandos set a 2016 origi-
nal content goal at 600 hours;
25 uninterrupted days worth of
acclaimed, binge-worthy series like
House of Cards, Narcos, and Stranger
Things. If the deepening butt craters
in our couch cushions are any indica-
tion, the challenge was accepted.
Lost in the unquestioned success of
Netflixs content boom, however, is
its shaky history with original films.
Since late 2015, Netflix has offered up
a trial-and-error mix of indies (Indian
comedy Brahman Naman), sequels no
one was really hoping for (Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny),
and heavily streamed but critically
panned Adam Sandler comedies like
The Ridiculous 6. It was a slow start.
But theres hope for Netflix movies, as
the saviour of art-house fare and the
medium-budget films that major stu-
dios ignore for reboots and superhero
franchises. Netflixs theatrical origi-
nals are getting
better, with
upcoming titles
like Christopher
Guests Mascots;
Death Note, a
GETTY IMAGES
from buzzy director Adam Wingard;
and Will Fortes A Futile & Stupid
Gesture, about a cofounder of
National Lampoon.
The surest sign that Netflix films
are improving is upcoming collabora-
tions with bold-face names whose sole
interest isnt getting David Spade
much-needed work. The company paid
R830 million for the rights to Brad
Pitts War Machine. It invested another
R700 million in Okja, a South Korean
action flick with Jake Gyllenhaal.
Theatregoing may never go out of
style completely, but as long as Netflix
is willing to pony up for projects while
charging its 83 million subscribers
less than R150 a month, the success
it has enjoyed with original series is
easily and inevitably
repeatable. Consider
using the money
you save on a
new couch.
David Walters
Whether you consider tattoos art, desecra-
tion, or just a foolproof way to ensure that
whatever relationship youre memorialising
wont last, theres now another option:
trackpad. This year, Cindy Hsin-Liu Kao
and a team of researchers from MIT Media
Lab and Microsoft announced DuoSkin, a
conductive gold-leaf temporary tattoo with
a power source and Bluetooth connectivity.
The tattoos recognise taps and swipes and
can be used with most Bluetooth devices.
No, youre probably not going to want a
calculator on your forearm. But an easy
way to turn on the lights or control your
music from across the room? The technol-
ogy may bring us one step closer to
becoming true cyborgs, but
at least well be popular at
dinner parties.

supernatural
horror movie

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 55

 The US militarys amazing new inventions allow soldiers to climb walls made
of nearly any material, without the need for ropes or ladders.
BY D A N D U B N O

I
m dangling near the top of six-metre
plate of glass. All 90 kilograms of me.
On land, I cant do a single pull-up
not even if you held a doughnut over the
bar. But I got up here using my own
strength and if it werent for my nerves,
I wouldnt have broken a sweat. The suc-
tion-cup paddles in each of my hands are
harnessed to my waist. Stirrups loop
around my feet. As I shift my weight off
my right leg and on to my left, the pneu-
matic fingers on the paddle in my right
hand release the pressure holding the
seven suction cups above them to the wall.
My body weight moves to my left leg, pull-
ing down the fingers in the paddle in my
left hand. The suction cups of the left pad-
dle push into the wall, forcing microscopic
silicone ridges against the glass for maxi-
mum surface contact and hold. When I
reach the ceiling, I linger, feeling more
than a little like a superhero, but also
wondering how Im going to get down.
Those loops around my feet are very
important. If I lean too far back or to the
side the vector of my weight no longer
directly beneath the paddle that suction
will quickly release. I know this because
its exactly what I do. In my excitement to
move from the glass wall and try the
device on a painted surface, I stretch the
paddles too far apart. With my foot and
my weight no longer aligned below the
paddles, I slide down the wall and crash to
the ground in a tangle of devices and
luckily backup ropes.
The idea for this equipment called
Z-Man, named for the third-dimensional,
or Z axis came about ten years ago at
DARPA, a group whose mission is to pro-
tect the US defence establishment and
the nation from technological surprise.
Two programme managers, John Main
and Morley Stone, were discussing the
urban battlefield. We were in the thick of
the Iraq war and a lot of activities taking For the past decade, DARPA Z-Man sci-
place were urban, and the urban high Main wondered if the same type of tech- entists have struggled with a challenge
ground is the top of buildings, says Main. nology would work for humans. Stone that has perplexed scientists since
We were trying to get people safely to the shrugged his shoulders and said, I think Aristotle: how the hell does a gecko run up
top of a building. A study at Stanford sug- so, Main says. And I shrugged my shoul- and down a tree? And how do we replicate
gested that mimicking gecko skin could ders and said, I think so. That was the that ability on humans? There were many
help small robots climb, and Stone and genesis of the whole programme. theories and, in desperate times, the sug-

56 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017


gestion of magic. But its nothing like
magic, Main says. If you look at the toe of
a gecko, its got millions and millions of
tiny hairs. These little protrusions are
very flexible and very, very strong. The
gecko gets all of those hairs in close contact
with the wall hes climbing or the ceiling
hes hanging from and they all hold him
up. The phenomenon is based on a physics
principle called Van der Waals forces, in
which atoms in very close contact create a
temporary attraction. So they understood
how the sticking-to-the-wall part hap-
pened. Next they had to figure out the
actual movement: to translate the
mechanics of how the gecko dragged its
upper and lower feet together to maintain
PHOTOGRAPHS BY TONY LUONG
the Van der Waals attraction, while also
being able to move freely. Even when
upside down.
Things got frustrating. Whatever the sci-
entists learned, whatever new approaches
they took, the results didnt seem applicable
to human use. This programme would
have been over in two years if we could
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 57
Like a geckos feet, these
suction cups have millions of
tiny hairs that grip the wall
when air is removed from the
cups by the pistons beneath
them.
have done exactly what
the gecko does, Main
says. But what the gecko
does that humans cant do
is flex between two con-
tact points all the time.
People cant get their
hand on the wall and their
foot on the wall and put a
lot of force into sliding
them towards each other.
Plus, there are all types
of walls. What works on
glass may not work on
brick, which may not work
on metal.
That frustration was
felt at Draper Labs in
Cambridge, Massachusetts,
too. Draper is a not-for-
profit engineering
research and development
organisation that does a
lot of highly classified
work for DARPA and
other branches of the gov-
ernment. Its staffed with
brilliant scientists, most
of whom have no idea
what their colleagues are
doing in the room next
door. In one of those
rooms, David Carter and
Will McFarland had a minor break-
through. They had considered creating
hand and foot paddles with a silicone
skin made with nano-ridges, just like a to a series of pistons. When the foot stir-
geckos. But it still wouldnt be strong
enough to hold most people up on a wall.
So they shifted their attention to another
animal theyd been studying at the same
time: spiders. In watching the insects
climb brick, they discovered an ingenious
array of fishhook spines, tightly assembled
with the hooks facing downward. Those
hooks grab into the brick face without
slipping, as long as the spiders or the
climbers body weight is suspended
directly below them. Soon they developed
hand paddles with tiny metal spines. And
those paddles worked, allowing you to
climb any wall, just as long as that wall
was brick. This led researchers to experi-
ment with steel and iron.
The obvious material was magnets and
the two men created paddles that locked
and unlocked from the wall by shifting a
handle on the paddle up or down. Strap
your legs in and you could climb any sur-
face, just as long as it was metal. The uses
were immediately apparent. There are a
lot of steel structures like oil rigs that peo-
ple needed safety and climbing equipment
to manage, Main says. The magnetic pad-
dles have been licensed to a high-end mili-
tary-supply company, Atlas Devices, and
the technology is rumoured to be already
in use by special-operations forces to climb
on to ships, tankers and oil platforms.
So now scientists had a way to climb
brick and a way to climb metal. But they
had nothing for smooth, non-magnetic
walls. At this point, Main had cycled out
of DARPA, working for a startup for seven
years and returned. When he got back, the
mood was worse than when hed left. Much
worse. Theres a required stage in every
technology project, Main says. Thats the
despair stage. That took place when we
had been working on Z-Man for quite
some time but were in a rut. The idea of
using suction came about because of frus-
tration at being in that rut. Despair, in
this case, was a good thing. Thats when
the creativity and drive kicks in and some-
thing terrific happens.
The problem with the nano-ridged sili-
cone skin Carter and McFarland had pic-
tured before was that the surface couldnt
get close enough to the walls to activate
the Van der Waals forces. Theyd tried sim-
ple suction cups, too, but those could only
hold climbers in place. There was no way
to release and reaffix them to actually
climb. Under Carters leadership, the team
at Draper were inspired to combine the
gecko skin and suction cups with leg
power. Their new paddle consisted of syn-
thetic gecko skin layered inside suction
cups. To increase the efficiency of those
suction cups, they attached foot stirrups
rups are depressed, the pistons evacuate
extra air inside the suction cups. This
smashes the nano-ridges against the wall
surface, activating the Van der Waals forces.
And when the suction is released by lifting
the climbers weight off of the stirrup, the
paddle can be easily moved elsewhere.
Equally impressive is the cost: Carter and
his team estimate that each pair will cost
only R40 000 to R70 000.
Although it takes three types of paddles
to conquer any surface instead of one,
Main is confident that the technology will
one day be combined into a single device.
Like all military contractors, DARPA is
cagey about if, where and how the Z-Man
has been deployed in the field. Use your
imagination is all that Main will say.
Which is probably the same advice he gave
when he issued the Z-Man challenge ten
years ago. PM
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N E W I D E A S T H AT C O U L D C H A N G E T H E W O R L D l Compiled by NIKKY OOSTHUIZEN nikky.oosthuizen@ramsaymedia.co.za

UPGRADE
SLEEPING SOUND, SLEEPING SNOO
For the first time in a millennium, the cradle is changing
Not since Mary ingeniously upcycled a manger, or Moses drifted down the river Nile
in a basket woven from reeds, has the cradle had such significance.
SNOO is a collaborative effort between Happiest Baby a company started by
paediatrician and child development specialist Dr Harvey Karp and Yves Behar,
founder and principal designer at fuseproject, to create the worlds smartest and
safest baby bed. This intelligent cradle responds to unhappy babies by gently moving
at a rhythm that mimics the movement babies feel in the womb. The movements,
coupled with comforting shushing sounds, are said to promote the infants sleep.
Dr Karp says SNOOs effect on babies can be seen within days: babies become
better sleepers. Even better: parents get much-needed rest.

ORTEGA SUBMERSIBLES

60 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 Whats special about SNOO:
l Gentle, broad movements and comforting
shushing designed to promote sleep.
l A robotic system that responds to
unhappy babies and reacts to them.
l An unravel-proof swaddle that is hip-safe;
l A high-performance custom motor with a
unique drivetrain that can rock for millions
of cycles.
l Specially engineered white noise that
adapts its volume and pitch to the babys
needs.
l A mobile app that allows parents to
control SNOO remotely when babies need
to be weaned.
l Sides made of breathable mesh so baby
remains visible.
FUSEPROJECT

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 61

 UPGRADE

GEODESIC GARDEN DOME

A transparent hideaway and year-round shelter
garden gnome not included
A couple of years ago, there was the inflatable Bubbleroom. Now
there is the Garden Igloo, a semi-portable dome that can be used as a
conservatory, kids play area, greenhouse or gazebo.
This lightweight and durable geodesic dome is designed to let the
Sun in year-round, manage uniform temperature, have good airflow
even in warm weather and be robust enough to stand up to strong
winds and snow. The Igloos lattice shell is made from PVC and the
company guarantees tool-free set-up of less than two hours.
The Garden Igloo is also available partially covered or with full
mosquito netting options.

ed VTEC
GARDEN IGLOO

62 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

CHARGE
AN ELECTRIC TRUCK: SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED
This Ikea-style transporter hopes to change the world, four hours at a time
Somewhere in the near future a small business owner
receives a large flat-pack. Inside is an all-electric truck it may
even be a food truck that will, within hours, stand assembled
and quickly become an integral part of the business owners
everyday life. Or something like that.
British all-electric automotive company Charge hopes to
soon introduce its ultra-lightweight electric trucks to roads
everywhere.
Says CEO Denis Sverdlov: At Charge, we are making trucks
the way they should be: affordable, elegant, quiet, clean and
safe. We are removing all the barriers to entry for electric vehi-
cles by pricing them in line with conventional trucks, giving
every fleet manager, tradesman or company, no matter how big
or small, the opportunity to change the way they transport
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 63
goods and make our towns and cities better places to live in.
Zero-emission travel for up to 160 kilometres is claimed, but
the vehicle can manage a further 540-odd kilometres with the
assistance of an extended range dual mode. Also capable of
autonomous travel, Charge will be spun off into various models
ranging in size from 3,5 to 26 tons.
The trucks are said to be so simple to assemble that a single
person could complete a truck within four hours. Yes, they
do say that 10 workers over two shifts can assemble 10 000
trucks a year, but that doesnt mean that self-assembly units
are too far off.
The first Charge factory will be opening near the organisations
head office in Oxfordshire in the UK later this year, with plans
to expand globally soon. PM
 BENTLEY CRAFT VOLVO V40 ROADTRIP SPECIAL EDITION SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT PAJERO SWB BMW DOUBLES DOWN ON ELECTRIC

DRIVING Compiled by ANTHONY DOMAN

anthony@ramsaymedia.co.za

TRUE TO TRADITION
TECHNOLOGY AND HAND-
CRAFTED LUXURY JOIN FORCES
AT BENTLEY. ANDREW LEOPOLD
SOAKS UP THE HISTORY
Romeo isnt really the robots name,
just one coined by our bubbly tour guide.
Romeo is blue and has the typical lean,
mechanical frame bent at a 45-degree
angle. And yet, at the Bentley factory in
Crewe, Romeo is unique: in this 30-hec-
tare manufacturing facility, hes the only
evidence of automation.
Romeos sole purpose is to place sealant
around Bentley windscreens. Once done,
he is not allowed to position the wind-
screen into its aperture, as he would have
done if this were any other car manufac-
turing facility. Like everything else here,
that job is done by hand.
Crewe is home to the biggest collection
of Bentleys at any one time anywhere in
the world. But on these exact foundations,
the Rolls Royce V12 27-litre Merlin
engines for the Spitfire circa 1938 were
assembled and tested.
The lore oozing from these brick-faced
walls brings the coachbuilding era back to
life. Yet I do believe that, if WO Bentley
was standing exactly where I am today,
hed recognise not only the buildings, but
also the methods.
Having visited my fair share of manu-
facturing plants, I can vouch for the fact
that Bentley still plies its hand-crafted
trade in the purest sense. Notwithstanding
the 10,2-inch tablets, on-board Wi-Fi and
Shiatsu massages, Bentleys finished product
is not technology-reliant. Here, technology
needs to be invisible and is approved only
if it can add to the luxury side of the drive.
First revelation upon entering the facto-
ry is that youre not required to wear a
protective hat. Since this is a factory
mostly of people, it can stop, pause and
adapt. Its tranquil, all things considered. I
can hear a seamstress radio playing the
BBC. To our left, ovens heat up the one-
piece wiring harness into a flexible state
while a team crawl through each Bentley
to spread it out along with the brake hoses

64 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

SANDMASTERS BIKES: OLD IS THE NEW NEW WHEN YOU SHOULDN'T DIY

Hides are vacuum-clamped for inspection,

checked for flaws and precision-cut according
to a computer-optimised cutting plan. Applying
the leather to a Bentley steering wheel can take
up to four hours.

and ancillaries. To our right we meet
Maxine, the lady whose radio has been
humming.
With needle and thread in hand, she
demonstrates the optional cross stitch as a
decorative feature for customers shes
never likely to meet. There are rows of
ladies like Maxine, sitting at their organ-
ised work stations all performing this
time-consuming process; to complete this
intricate stitch pattern on a Mulsanne
takes around 38 hours.
Swivel round and we bump into a skilled
coach trimmer. With 48 years at Bentley
behind him he has the fine muscle co-ordi-
nation in his right hand to manipulate two
needles for an alternate thread colour in
every stitch. Hes patiently applying the
leather to a steering wheel, a task that can
take three or four hours. But every piece
of leather reacts slightly differently, so
theres no guarantee of time, only quality.
What he can rely on is his ability to impro-
vise, pressing a fork into the leather-
bound wheel to create four equidistant
points for the thread to slip through. Due
to the leathers flexibility, the fork is more
accurate than a machine.
If a customer times his visit well, he will
be given the chance to sew his own stitch,
or sign the inside. Its all part of the price-
less personalisation.
Minutes later Im in Bentleys wood
shop, surrounded by timber sourced from
all over the world: California burr walnut,
Canadian birdseye maple and other sweet-
smelling organic fragrances. And as of
recently, 200-million-year-old Indian

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 65

DRIVING
Stone veneer skimmed down to 0,1 mm
for a bespoke look.
Veneer bundles in their raw form are
kept in packs of 21 sheets; 17 of them will
go into a Bentley and the other 7 are kept
briefly as insurance should one of them
get damaged along the build process. This
is because every Bentley is unique and
theres no other match for it. These are
sanded by hand through an intimate rela-
tionship between man and his personal
tools, the craftsman eventually eschewing
digital scales for his sixth-sense.
Taurus is the name given to the tables
where each hide is inspected, apt since
Bentley only uses the bull. First, air sucks
the hide taut across brightly lit tables
where a team will mark off slight imper-
fections with sticks of coloured chalk.
Then the hide is inflated as if back on
66 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
Heritage and high-tech go hand in hand at
Bentley. Veneer bundles in raw form are kept in
packs of 21 sheets; 7 are kept as insurance
should one get damaged during the build. Hand
sanding is the norm, as is priceless personali-
sation. And perfection is everything.
the bull to re-examine the accuracy of
the chalk marks before a light box moves
across and captures a high-definition
image in order for the computer and
360-degree cutting wheel to work out the
most efficient pattern to maximise the
hide. Thats generally 67 percent and a
Mulsanne will require anywhere from
16 hides upwards.
As we pass the canteen where some
people have brought in their work as that
days exhibit of inspiration, two Bentleys
are selected at random for a final quality
inspection and the results are then com-
municated to everyone on the factory
floor. The pressure to achieve perfection
is relentless.
Of course, in the modern era theres a
similarly relentless pressure to evolve.
With its first sport-utility, the Bentayga,
Bentley is poised to flourish in new era.
But rest assured, back at Crewe the rela-
tionship between sophistication and emo-
tional luxury carries on as it always has.
South Africans at Bentley
PAUL WILLIAMS,
Head of Powertrain
and Chassis
Our latest engine technology
means the difference in carbon
emissions and fuel consumption
between our 12-, 10- and 8-cyl-
inder engines has narrowed
significantly compared with a
few years ago. Our customers
still want big 12-cylinder engines
and those will meet the next
round of emission regulations.
Ive been building diesel pro-
totypes for the last eight or nine
years. The Bentayga as an SUV
gave us the right opportunity
once we got the refinement up
to standard.
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 67
Bentleys first diesel engine is
fitted with an electric supercharg-
er. It operates for very brief peri-
ods at a time. The power draw
is huge (120 amps off a 12 V
system) but the Bentyaga debuts
the 48 V system.
The 48 V system also runs
the active roll bars. This motor-
ised mechanism is equipped
with a high-powered gearbox in
the centre, which enables us to
put counter-active forces on to
that bar. For off-roading it can
de-couple, so the wheels can
behave independently.
Having links into the (Volks-
wagen) family is an enormous
advantage, but we also act inde-
pendently, taking existing
designs and modifying them to
suit our needs. This includes
engines and the groups scalable
MLB platform.
BRIAN GUSH,
Motorsport Director
Brian was in charge of the Le
Mans programme 20012003,
finally winning the race with
the Speed 8. Yet the regulations
have since changed and Bentley
wont enter if it cant win out- the Volkswagen Group. Were set
right in the LMP1 category.
Brian now designs and looks
after the administration of
Continental GT3 race cars. This
is an endurance series compet-
ing across the world while offer-
ing customers a chance to race
in cars that strongly represent
Bentleys production engineering.
Continental GT3s are powered
by a 4,0-litre V8 twin turbo with
450 kW and 800 N.m. The body
weighs 1 000 kg less than the
road car thanks to carbon-fibre
cladding and the removal of the
all-wheel-drive system.
Our motorsport plan is not
affected by recent changes in
up to break even, not make or
lose money and that keeps us
under the radar. By being on the
race track we are serving the
brand and customers.
DRIVING

VOLVO V40 D3 INSCRIPTION FAMILY VALUES

NEED TO KNOW
ENGINE: 2-litre four-cylinder turbocharged
diesel
I walked away from the hatchback My children colonised the backseat and POWER: 110 kW @ 3 750 r/min
life a long time ago, so it takes something my wife was very comfortable up front. TORQUE: 320 N.m @ 1 750 r/min
really special to make me re-evaluate my Ride quality was supple enough so every- CONSUMPTION (COMBINED): 4 L/100 km
SUV-loving ways. To be fair, the V40 start- one enjoyed a decent nap, but was stiff PRICE: R463 800
ed life as a station wagon, so technically enough to transform Michells Pass into
this isnt a hatch. Either way its still a far a fun ride.
cry from the acres of practical space that If I should ever downsize to a hatch, the
my family is accustomed to. V40 would be at the front of the queue. specification list is Apple Carplay and
A 500-km round trip from our home to Adaptive cruise control, self-parking, Android Auto, although Volvos home-
Robertson and returning via cherry-pick- responsive motor with the lower-pressure baked Sensus Connect isnt a terrible
ing in Ceres is a tall order for any test car. turbo The only thing missing from the system.
Gravel roads, over-tired children and 39
heat upped the ante, but the Volvo never
missed a beat. The 110 kW/320 N.m two-
litre diesel mill even made short work of
the caravans and overly aggressive trucks
between Robertson and Worcester.
But it was the internal climate control
that really helped to slow the loss of
humour. The advantage of a substantial
luggage area partition is that the air-con
doesnt need to chill unoccupied volume.
Volvo has offered automatic climate contol
in the upper trim levels of its entry-level
model for years now.
The first car I ever put into a wall (acci-
dentally) was a V40 T4 and, fortunately,
I wasnt injured. Thats the beauty of a
Volvo. Youre confident enough in the
safety features that youll entrust your
family to it. This model is no different. I
usually shy away from other traffic when
driving a platkar but I had an air of
confidence.

68 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 PM

SUZUKI SWIFT SPORT ECSTAR TRIBUTE EDITION LOUD AND PROUD

The parents at my daughters school think Im a drug dealer
with a very big garage. Driving a bunch of test cars will do that.
I somehow suspect they may no longer think that, because no
drug lord would want to draw this much attention to themselves.
I think the Swift Sport is a helluava fun car, no doubt about it, but
the luminous livery is a little too much to deal with.
At its base, it is still a Swift Sport cranking out 100 kW from a
lively 1,6-litre, naturally aspirated engine. But try and tell that to
the street racers trying to bait me into a drag race. The only crowd
who really knew what was up were the motorcyclists who obvious-
ly also follow Moto GP and recognise Ecstar as the name sponsor
for Suzukis factory team. The livery was designed to the same
scale as the Moto GP bike and, originally, to celebrate Suzukis
2014 return to the sport.
Price: R264 900

PAJERO SWB GLS MIGHTY

Following on last months outing in the
5-door Pajero comes the 3-door variant. Our
test model arrived adorned in Dakar
livery that had staff fielding all sorts of ques-
tions and giving understandably brief inter-
nal tours to inquisitive patrons in the Makro
parking lot. Its still the same dark-continent-
conquering tour de force of old, but it now
boasts a few modern touches like a needlessly
complicated Bluetooth-enabled touchscreen
infotainment system.
You will want this car if you prefer your
overland excursions limited to two people,
but you do lose a few litres of fuel capacity
and an entire row of seating options. My
daughter loved riding in the back seat and I
found the SWB to be much more responsive
to throttle inputs and easiery to bring to a
halt than its lumbering sibling. Suprisingly,
the shorter wheelbase made things a bit
more stable without the lazy body roll. It
does get affected more by crosswinds than
the five door and is a bit more choppy on
gravel corrugations.
Price: R689 900

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 69

DRIVING
ON THE CHARGE
SOLAR TOP-UPS, JOINT-VENTURE CHARGING POINTS,
RENTAL-COMPANY DEALS: COULD ELECTRIC CARS FINALLY
BE PICKING UP SPEED LOCALLY?
It wasnt coincidental that we gathered one November morn-
ing at the offices of Avis Car Hire at Cape Town airport to start
our drive of BMWs latest e-car, the 740e. Aside from the con-
venience of travelling against the rush hour flow, the particular
relevance is that Avis has bought into the whole alternative
energy thing. In a small way, but its a statement nonetheless:
four of BMWs compact i3s will go into the rental companys
point-to-point chauffeur service and four of the i8 supercars
into its luxury division. Underlying this is Aviss ongoing initia-
tive to lower emissions and introduce alternative energy vehicles
into its fleet.
The other news to come out of the day: BMW and Nissan are
expanding their EV infrastructure with the first joint charging
stations in the Western Cape. The three stations at Cape Towns
V&A Waterfront join similar facilities already installed at BMWs
Midrand headquarters, 27 of its dealerships and at the Melrose
Arch precinct in Johannesburg. Possibly onstream by now are
charge points at Constantia Village Mall in Cape Town and
Brooklyn Mall in Pretoria.
And they will be one size fits all, or at least the two main part-
ners. The latest charging stations will offer Type 2 connections
that can be used by the BMW i3 and i8 as well as the Nissan
LEAF. BMW says these stations are future-proof and will be able
to cater for future EV and PHEV models.
Its all about increasing public access to charging, says the
BMW Groups CEO for South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa,
Tim Abbott. And thats a critical component of future success
for EVs here, he adds.
BMWs fast-charging focus is on North America, Europe, South
Africa, China and Japan and the company has made supporting
strategic investments in the charging business. In a total of more
than 30 projects and partnerships globally, more than 3 000 DC
and more than 1 300 AC charging points have been initiated.
70 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
Having sold more than 100 000
purely electric-powered cars and
plug-in hybrids worldwide, BMWs
prominence in the EV business is
unquestioned. More than 60 000 of
its i3 alone have been sold and it is
the most successful electric vehicle in the premium compact
segment. Locally, in a little under two years, i3 sales have
reached 142 and those of the i8 have totalled 181.
Driving sales to the next level will depend, as Abbott says, on
support and convenience. To help persuade those on the fence,
BMW says it is able to supply a range of solutions that help
make charging intelligent and quick. The sophisticated BMW i
Wallbox charging station, for instance, is chosen by one in three
i3 buyers; and the latest version of the i3 with a more powerful
battery and increased range will derive even more benefit.
Besides the physical convenience of having charging where
and when its needed, theres also a need for a hassle-free trans-
actions. So, access and payment for charging on the go at public
stations is facilitated by means of the ChargeNow customer card
and app, valid at more than 40 000 charging points in 25 coun-
tries. Thats the worlds largest network of publicly accessible
charging points for electric and plug-in-hybrid vehicles. In addi-
tion, BMW provides assistance services designed specifically for
electro-mobility. Its ConnectedDrive navigation services not
only include the charging status of the high-voltage in route
planning, but also recommend the most efficient route.
Partnerships in certain countries allow customers to benefit
from assistance in the use of electricity gained from regenerative
sources they either acquire from energy providers or produce
themselves.
Latest arrival: BMW 740e
Suffice to say that the 740e fulfills the
basic requirement of a plug-in hybrid,
namely that it makes you feel less
guilty about your presence contributing
to Cape Towns clogged arterial roads,
sluggish freeways and gridlocked
urban corridors. The fact that it does
this in superb luxury further cushions
the guilt, though it doesnt entirely
insulate you from the breathtaking
asking price.
Traditionalists might roll their eye-
balls at the mention of whats under THE ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE
the bonnet. Namely, a four-cylinder For the ultimate in planet-friendly recharging, the BMW i solar carport supplies an average
TwinPower Turbo and an electric of 3,6 kW of solar power (at peak times on a clear sunny day) to the BMW i Wallbox.
motor. So you think you might miss South Africa is the first market to implement the companys solar carport.
the traditional sumptuous BMW howl Enhancing its Green credentials, the solar carport is made using a sustainable material,
of six, eight, 10 or 12 cylinders? namely bamboo. Not only is this composite material sustainanble, it has a high strength-
to-weight ratio thats useful for structures. In addition to solar carports as public facilities,
Consider: this is the most powerful
private buyers will be able to order them for home and office use.
four-cylinder engine ever fitted in a
The solar carport charging system can be integrated with home energy management
production BMW. Just pause for a systems for greater overall efficiency.
moment to let that sink in. Then mash
the pedal to the floor. As the scenery
begins moving backwards very quickly, NEED TO KNOW
thanks to the combined efforts of 740E
240 kW and 500 N.m, you might RANGE 44 to 48 kilometres
begin to wonder if sound effects really COMBUSTION ENGINE 2,0 four-cylinder petrol,
matter. Of course, at that moment turbocharged
even the 740es smart energy manage- OUTPUTS 190 kW/400 N.m
ment will struggle to achieve the ELECTRIC MOTOR 83 kW/250 N.m
2,0litres per 100 kilometres the car is TRANSMISSION 8A
said to be capable of. Use that massive 0-100 KM/H 5,4 sec
electric boost for accelerative purposes PRICE R1 431 500
and youll have less at your disposal
for around town, when the hybrid sys-
tem prioritises electric-only activity up
to 80 km/h. (Its capable of 140 km/h
in Max eDrive pure electric mode.)

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 71

DRIVING
THE DESERT MONSTER
YES, THEY STILL MAKE BEACH
BUGGIES. AND YOU WONT
COMPARE THESE WITH A GOLF
CART. W I T H E Z R A D Y E R
On specs alone, the new Can-Am
Maverick X3 X RS is a car: a turbocharged
and intercooled 115-kilowatt engine, zero
to 100 km/h in less than five seconds and
a base price (in the USA) of R375 000. The
The wide stance prevents flipping in places
you dont want to flip. Like next to sheer
cliffs in Mexico.
72 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
2 590-millimetre wheelbase is not much
shorter than a Ford Focuss. And its 1,8
metres wide, slightly broader than a BMW
3 Series. The only thing un-car-like about
it is the suspension travel, which tops out
at 60 centimetres. Thats the spec that
defines how much permission you have to
try to catch air off a sand dune.
Over the years, ATVs have mutated
from four-wheeled dirt bikes into
increasingly outrageous utility task
vehicles (UTVs, aka. side-by-sides),
machines that are closer to a modern pick-
up than the single-cylinder Kawasaki
Mojave I grew up riding. Laws are changing
to reflect this evolution, with many juris-
dictions now allowing you to drive them
on the street. And while I would love to
roll into a suburban Walmart in the X3,
Im in Baja, Mexico, doing 140 km/h in a
vehicle with no windscreen on a surface
with no tar.
PHOTOGRAPH BY WAYNE DAVIS

Thats when the electronic limiter steps
in, compensating for my heavy foot. Just
as well. The lack of contrast out in the desert
can obscure obstacles that you dont want
to hit at 140, cows, boulders, gullies two
metres deep. One moment youre trying to
blink the sand out of your eyes, the next
youre dropping into a river bed at high-
way speeds and bracing for impact.
Its dangerous out here. At one point, I
stop to let the dust clear and find myself
at a small memorial for Kurt Caselli, a
motorcycle racer. He died three years ago
when he hit some kind of large animal
during the Baja 1000. Im suddenly thank-
ful for the optional anti-intrusion bars
bolted across the windscreen area of my
X3. Theyre designed to protect you from
that particular brand of off-road peril.
IM IN MEXICO DOING 140
IN A VEHICLE WITH NO
WINDSCREEN ON A SURFACE
WITH NO TAR
I thought my groups plan to reach
Mikes Sky Ranch, an off-the-grid hotel
where they kill the generator a half hour
after last call, before sunset was mildly
insane. Ten of these machines, driven by
a bunch of testosterone-crazed lunatics,
were setting out to cover 400 kilometres
at high speed across a moonscape of razor-
edged rocks, deep silt and blind hills.
The first day, on a flat, empty beach that
wouldve been crowded by mansions were
it a few hundred kilometres north, two of
our posse flipped their X3s. (Lesson: when
you want to spin a donut, put it in two-
wheel drive so that you dont have too
much grip.) But the vehicles and drivers
were unscathed. We heaved the vehicles
right-side up and kept going.
Despite the worries of my passenger,
who happened to be the travelling mechan-
ic, the beach mishaps ended up being the
worst that happened. I normally have an
18-wheeler full of spare parts, he said.
Out here, if we break, were walking. At
one point, lacking a jack, we changed a flat
by lifting the corner of the X3 off the
ground. Other than a smattering of tyre
swaps and two broken drivebelts, the vehi-
cles survived two long days of severe
abuse. Nobody ended up walking.
The belt breakage was inevitable. The
X3s CVT transmission was developed for
the low-traction, low-ambient-tempera-
ture world of snowmobiles, not for four-
wheel-drive turbo desert buggies. Theres
just too much power, too much traction,
too much weight, and too much heat. Yes,
its an easy part to replace out on the trail,
but the mechanic had hoped it wouldnt be
a problem. Yamaha, by contrast, has both
manual and paddle-shift gearboxes in its
X3 competitor, the YXZ (see below), fur-
ther obscuring the delineation between
UTV and civilian automobile.
A few years ago, I drove a lap in the Mint
400 desert race behind the wheel of a
150-kW custom buggy. My co-driver that
day, an experienced racer, derisively
referred to the side-by-sides as golf carts.
As in, Hurry up and pass this golf cart.
Were losing time. Now? A Maverick X3 X
RS, floating on its daddy-longlegs suspen-
sion and riding a wave of turbo torque, is
decisively quicker point to point than
that Mint race buggy. Which means that,
strangely, these pricey playthings are a
good value. That would be a lot of money
for a golf cart, but its a pretty sweet deal
for a race car that you could drive to
Walmart.

THE MANUAL BUGGY Yamahas latest UTV, the YXZ1000R,

has a five-speed sequential manual
transmission: either full manual with a clutch or steering-
column paddle shifters. Yes, choosing your own gears
presents a higher degree of difficulty compared with the
Can-Ams automatic, but it also means more driver
involvement. The YXZs naturally aspirated triple-cylinder
engine has a five-digit redline, and banging off 10 000-r/
min upshifts is as fun as it sounds. Conversely, if you
want to chill out, you can shift early to drop the revs. The
paddle-shift model also has launch control, which gives
you an aggressive high-rev clutch drop, just like in a 911
Turbo or Huracan, more car stuff in a side-by-side.
Perhaps best of all: youll never break a belt, because
theres no belt to break.

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 73

DRIVING

I decline, concerned about

Parr has more than 50
vintage bikes at his
Manhattan warehouse.
OLD IS THE NEW NEW
YOUR BIKE IS AN EXTENSION OF WHO YOU ARE,
AND THATS NOT ALWAYS SHINY AND PERFECT.
B Y D AV I D C U R C U R I T O
Theres an entire subspecies
of humans who ride and collect
only old bikes. They are as
numerous as the insects hit-
ting your helmet at night. Now,
with most bikers its a constant
battle to be the coolest guy on
the road. But thats especially
the case with these folks.
Theyll rattle off endless stats
that only bike nerds seem to
comprehend. Its mostly pos-
turing. Vintage riders have a
certain rite of passage to biker
manhood and thats out-statting
another biker. I know this isnt
the only category of male
behaviour in which this hap-
pens sports, cars, carpentry
and baking that perfect muffin
all come to mind but its even
more amplified when it comes
to vintage bikes.
There is one man I met on
the road to understanding vin-
tage who stood out from the
rest. His name is Stuart Parr
and hes a designer, architect,
movie producer and collector
of all things amazing, but most
notably vintage Italian motor-
cycles from the 1960s and
1970s. His hidden warehouse
in Manhattan is home to gag-
gles of rare Ducatis, MV Agustas,
Laverdas, and Magnis, all per-
fectly preserved and working,
with very few kilometres and
mostly original paint. Dressed
in fine Italian denim, a crisp
white bespoke shirt and cash-
mere, Parr explains how bikes
are an extension and reflection
of the aesthetics in his life.
Beautiful, expensive, well-
designed treasures will last for-
ever. Theyre not just items
to admire, but functional
machines to be used. Often.
Parr points out a couple of MV
Agustas that he recently
acquired for about R1,5 million
each and asks if Id like to ride.
riding one of the fastest and
priciest Italian racing bikes on
cobblestone streets. But it
doesnt seem to faze him. You
pick the bikes you like, and you
ride them how you like.
Me, I own a 1996 BMW K
1100 RS with 55 000 kilometres
on the clock. Its certainly not
vintage, its just old enough to
be, well, old. Its the first bike
Ive owned and it belonged to a
friend who owned it from day
one. It has been loved over the
years and Im told itll run for
500 000 km if I take good care
of it, which means let someone
else take care of it. My 1100 is
a battle-hardened beast, having
zigzagged America from New
York City to San Francisco and
back, up and down the East
Coast from Maine to Florida in
pursuit of the finest country
roads. The gears are broken in
perfectly. Theres an abundance
of Velcro that has held various
devices including radar detec-
tors, a compass, EZ pass tags,
iPhones for navigation, and
Bluetooth devices. The bike is
missing everything that a mod-
ern bike has built right into its
LED dash. The serial numbers
are scratched off the frame and
the licence plate is held on by
Velcro so its hard to get a ticket
when illegally parked on city
streets. It has two massive side
fairings that meet at the giant
square headlight. Its as 90s as
it gets, and if youre around my
age, the 90s dont seem that
long ago. This bike isnt too old
and isnt too young. Its exactly
how I feel.
TOP: PHOTOGRAPH BY WESLEY MANN

A MODERN CLASSIC Ciao! The 399-cm3 30-kW L-twin Ducati

Scrambler Sixty2 may be called a
scrambler, but it doesnt exactly act like one. When you rev high
enough through its six gears, the bike moves as fast as a beautiful
Italian woman avoiding advances from men on the streets of Rome.
Its air-cooled with antilock brakes. On the high-tech digital dash
there are no ride modes or traction control to cycle through, no gear
indicators, no fuel gauge. Just a weird digital tachometer that goes
backwards and a normal-reading speedometer. The seat is flat and
comfortable enough for short distances, but gets a little uncomforta-
ble outside the city limits. Along with grey and black, you can fulfill all
of your retro senses by choosing the Atomic Tangerine paint
option. Throw your date on the back and ride to the art-house thea-
tre to see Blow-Up for the hundredth time. D C

74 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 (DONT) DIY and give it the right amount of
torque.) But that assumes you
can reach all the plugs. If youre
THE JOBS BETTER LEFT TO PROFESSIONALS.
W I T H E Z R A DY E R
lucky, a V6 might have four
accessible plugs and two that
Theres maintenance you should do, the kind of work that demonstrates are underneath a fluid reser-
or imparts mechanical aptitude. But sometimes, it doesnt seem worth voir or some other hunk of
the bloody fingers and oil stains. Thats okay! Youre a car owner who removable equipment. Worst
understands opportunity cost and has better ways to spend an hour. case? The rear plugs are buried
Here are four tasks worth handing over to the mechanic. under the firewall. If you want
to feel deep empathy for your
fellow man, find an online
forum on strategies for chang-
ing the rear plugs on a Chrysler
minivan. Unbolting the whole
bonnet is just the beginning.

CAR WASH
If you want to throw on your
favourite Warrant concert tee
and wax the Trans Am, dont
let us stop you. But youll never
do it as well as the real car wash.
Youll miss sections, leave water
spots, or catch grit on the
sponge and rake it over the
clear coat. Itll look clean when
wet, but as it dries youll see
the water-spotted folly of your
penurious ways. If youre afraid
youll catch Legionnaires dis-
ease from your own door handle,
go to the car wash. Go auto-
matic. Tip the guys.

AND ONE TO
DO YOURSELF

OIL CHANGE BATTERY REPLACEMENT for better weight distribution.

If you can drain and refill a
bathtub, you can do an oil
change. Doing it yourself
doesnt make you the Orville
Wright of Chevy Berettas.
What an oil change will do is
force you to crawl under your
car and have hot liquid spill
down your hand and possibly
your face. Youll need to extract
the filter, which is great fun if
you think your knuckles have
too much skin. Then you need
to safely get rid of the old oil,
which wont happen before you
step in it, knock it over, or
otherwise replicate Deepwater
Horizon in your driveway. You
know whats easier? Pay the
guys who do this every day and
can knock it out in ten minutes.
Last time I did this, I attempt-
ed the swap in the parking lot
of the car-parts store to return
the old battery. As with oil
changes, battery replacement
leaves you with a toxic nuisance
to recycle. There, I learnt that
the tie-down system involved
tiny bolts located so far down
in the engine bay that they
were, technically, part of the
Earths molten core. Its worse
in new cars. Generally, the
more modern the car, the more
irritating the battery swap.
Just for fun, I popped the hood
on a 2017 Audi Q7 to test my
hypothesis. Unsurprisingly,
theres no battery in the engine
bay, performance-minded com-
panies often put it in the rear
So I lifted the cover on the
rear floor, only to find a sub-
woofer and amp. With much
chagrin, I resorted to the own-
ers manual. The index says,
Battery location inside the
luggage compartment, page
325. Page 325 reads, The bat-
tery is located in the engine
compartment. I give up, Audi.
You change the battery.
NEW SPARK PLUGS
Modern spark plugs last more
than 150 000 kilometres, which
means that car companies dont
give much thought to accessi-
bility. Yes, it is theoretically
simple to unscrew a plug and
replace it. (You know, as long
as you avoid cross-threading
Wiper blades usually snap
right on and off with a locking
plastic tab, requiring only a
bit of 3D-temporal processing
to figure out. Sure, you can
have it done when your cars
at a garage for a checkup.
But you should know how to
replace them. When a wiper
blade totally fails, its always
during a weather event so
heinous that Simon Gear will
be reporting from the other
side of the parking lot. Learn
how to change your blades
with the quickness of a
Formula 1 pit crew, and youll
be your own hero during the
next deluge.

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 75

 Artingers primary
workspace, once a
first-grade classroom,
is now a gallery of
guitar templates.

76 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 77
 one of Matt Artingers customers had an idea. He
had run into some scrap aluminium sheeting from an actual World War II B-24
Liberator and he wanted to design a guitar with it, says Artinger, a stocky son
of Pennsylvanias industrious Lehigh Valley, where he works out of a former
elementary school in a town called Emmaus. I thought it was the coolest thing
on Earth, so of course I said yes. Dubbed Final Objective, after the nose art
on the vintage bomber from which its materials came, the resulting guitar
incorporated not only the salvaged aluminium skin, replete with rivets, but
also scrounged cockpit parts, a fretboard inlaid with the US Army Air Force
logo and a scaled-down rendition of the original nose art.
Artinger said yes again when he was approached by a guitar-playing toy collector who sought a double-necked
instrument to commemorate his considerable enthusiasm for GI Joe paraphernalia. It had a custom paint job
on it with Snake Eyes, a bad guy and it had one of the good guys. I dont recall which good guy it was and Im
embarrassed about that because I was a GI Joe freak as a kid. It had .45-calibre bullets as the knobs and swords
going up the necks, he says. It was insane.
Matt Artinger, 39, is approaching his 20th year in business as a luthier, which is a fancy way of saying he

78 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

 builds guitars for a living. All kinds of guitars, close
to seven hundred in all, no two precisely the same.
Electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass guitars, delicate
jazz guitars, take-no-prisoners rock-and-roll guitars,
ornate, plain, elegant, outrageous; whatever a cus-
tomer wants, so long as Artinger thinks he can do
it justice. A typical instrument requires seventy-five
to a hundred hours of labour over roughly six months
and prices start at around R45 000 for a basic model
in line with the cost of a high-end mass-produced
guitar but can escalate quickly. Hes fairly young
as far as luthiers go. but his quality is up there with
some of the older masters, says Bob Willcutt, pro-
prietor of Willcutt Guitars in Lexington, Kentucky,
a top dealer for most of the big-name brands who
also stocks guitars from a curated slate of small
builders like Artinger. Hes an underground
favourite.
Willcutt was introduced to Artingers
work in part by Kingsley Durant, 57, a fellow
Kentuckian who owns 16 Artinger guitars
among a collection that numbers north of
50 instruments, several of which are custom-
built. Its the same thing
that drives people to shop
at farmers markets, says
Durant of the allure of
handcrafted instruments.
Yeah, its going to be more
expensive, but youre getting
something a real person
built. Its about support of
small artisans. Artinger
calls it an intimacy: Youre
not dealing with an infra-
structure. Youre dealing
with one guy who is bleed-
ing and sweating over every
guitar. Bleed and sweat he
does. Artingers work ethic is legendary among his
peers and customers alike. Hes immersed, says
jam-guitar wizard Steve Kimock, perhaps best known
for playing alongside members of the Grateful Dead.
Its not like he does this when hes not doing some-
thing else. Matt doesnt do something else.
Artingers story is an enviable one, that rare tale
of a man doing well by doing precisely what he was
put on this Earth to do, undaunted by the odds against
success, unfazed by powerful and prolific competition
and seemingly unburdened by the pedestrian concerns
that stymie most mens dreams. He has followed an
obsession to its wonderful, logical conclusion, pro-
pelled initially by the navet of youth, blinded to
perils and distractions along the way by the singular
vision that burns through his safety goggles and
now in a position to step back from his work long
enough and only long enough to survey with
deep satisfaction what he has wrought, both on the
workbench and in life.
Artingers craft has evolved considerably from its
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 79
roots, back when the M in MTV still stood for some-
thing. I was fascinated by guitars from a young
age, he says. Id cut them out of cardboard and
stand in front of the TV, as embarrassing as it is to
say now. He built his first real guitar, an acoustic,
from a kit at age 16 and almost immediately built
another. And another. Working out of his familys
basement, he eventually earned a following. The
parade of adults arriving to pick up instruments
from this upstart kid made for an amusing scene
and focused his parents attention on Artingers
burgeoning obsession. His mother and stepfather
even arranged a meeting with Chris Martin, head
of venerable acoustic guitar-maker CF Martin, based
in nearby Nazareth, Pennsylvania. I think their
motivation was that he would knock a little bit of
sense into me and say it was an unrealistic
goal to build guitars for a living, says Artinger.
But he did just the opposite. He told me to
follow my dreams, so thats exactly what I did.
Through his teens, Artinger continued to
hone his skills, apprenticing with a local cabinet-
maker to bolster his woodworking chops,
constructing store kiosks
and built-ins for high-end
local homes, even a news
desk for Channel 6 in
Philadelphia. After hours,
Artinger had free rein in
the shop and access to tools
no teen could afford. At
19 he became one of
Martins youngest-ever
factory-certified warranty
repairmen.
In 2006, Artinger launched
a design of his own, the
OMC Artinger 1, under the
Martin banner. A midsize
acoustic with a solid Sitka-spruce top, Indian rose-
wood sides and back and koa accents, the guitar
typifies Artingers forward-leaning approach. The
sound hole is not round, but oval and its slanted.
An unusual bevel on the top edge of the guitar
helps avoid damping caused by the players arm
resting directly on the body. A second oval sound-
port cut into the guitars upper side helps project
the instruments output directly to the players ear,
while the fretboard inlays typically mother-of-pearl
are cut from aluminium. The overall aesthetic is
one of unconventional grace, modern and classic at
once. His work is very crisp and clean. Thats kind
of the Artinger thing, the Artinger appeal, says Bill
Comins, a Philadelphia luthier whose instruments,
a staple among jazz players, have been exhibited in
the Smithsonian. He tends to take everything he
sees and make it his own and he does it with a very
refined sense of line.
When it comes to guitars, however, the proof is
in the playing. As pretty as a guitar looks, it has to
80 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
 Clockwise from top perform five times better,
left: At days end, says Artinger. Its not a
Artinger is a mess piece of furniture; its a func-
of sawdust and
sweat; a semi-hol- tional piece of art. A guitars
low-body guitar in inherent sound is the product
quilted maple; sol- of a complex interaction
dering the guitars between its materials, which
electronics; a well-
used drill press. vibrate or dont in sym-
pathy with the strings. Every
element you put on a guitar
has a counterbalancing element to it and to get that
balance right is the most important thing in making
a great-sounding guitar, says Artinger. If youre
using soft materials you have to counter with hard
materials. Artinger is unusually
adept at capturing the specific
sounds his customers seek, says
Clay Sears, who has toured with
a whos who of pop and hip-hop
artists and has played Artinger
guitars onstage with Jay Z,
Rihanna and Janet Jackson. We
talked in great detail about things
that are really hard to put into
words; like how do you describe
boinginess or elasticity or snap
or punch, says Sears. Communi-
cating with somebody who can
really speak that language is
super important.
Wood is the most critical
input in guitar construction and
Artinger strives to source the best
he can find. Fortunately, Ive
gained relationships with people
who procure and sell wood over
the years, he says. If they run
into something they think Id like,
theyll forward me pictures. In
the hallway outside his shop,
Artinger shows off one of his
latest acquisitions, a towering
slab of wood called box-elder burl,
a boldly figured maple variant
that has one other notable char-
acteristic; it positively reeks.
BRENT HINDS/GETTY IMAGES; WES MONTGOMERY/REDFERNS
(Artinger describes the smell as
a gentle bouquet of dead fish,
feet and peat moss.) A little
over two metres tall, 66 centi-
metres across and thick enough
to weigh 170 kilograms, the fresh-
cut hunk stands propped on the
checkerboard linoleum floor, partially obscuring a
bright American-eagle mural that once welcomed
kids to class. Its a perfect example of what we have
to deal with when were procuring wood, Artinger
says. Out of this giant piece of wood, he says, hes
going to be lucky to get two guitar tops that are
probably going to weigh about 350 grams each.
Returning to his office (once shared, for reasons
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 81
perhaps best not investigated, by the principal and
the school nurse) Artinger steps into the adjacent
room, a former first-grade classroom that serves as
his primary workspace. Theres the usual array
of woodshop machinery, along with some more
specialised stuff. Various templates and exterior
moulds line the wall high above the blackboard that
still anchors the room. A bending iron, a heated
cylinder used to warp damp strips of wood to form
the curved sides of hollow guitars, sits at one corner
of an immense worktable, across from a carefully
angled jig used to perfect Artingers guitar necks.
There are clamps, clamps and more clamps, enough
aggregate clamping power to make a diamond from
a charcoal briquette. But most
precious is a set of well-worn
finger planes, tarnished cast-
WOOD & TONE bronze tools Artinger uses to
David Gilmour hand-carve the arched tops and
An alder body gives backs of his hollow guitars. Id
Gilmour a warm, be lost without these, he says.
balanced sound he Building guitars is great fun,
can electronically says Artinger, but as a profession,
manipulate into Pink its not for dilettantes. This is
Floyd psychedelia. one of those 10 000-hour careers,
where you dont even have a rel-
Brent Hinds
ative grasp of what youre doing
Mastodons bone- until you get to that point and
crunching sound its still a struggle from there,
comes from the he says. Even so, By the end of
dark, full-bodied the day, I might just have two
growl of Hindss areas around my eyeballs, because
mahogany axe. of my goggles, that arent covered
with sawdust and sweat, but
those are some of the most fun
BB King days I have. Those are the days
Kings guitar, where eight hours can go by in
Lucille, mixed like 15 minutes.
maple, which can be
Artinger turns back to his
overly bright, with
bench, where hes levelling frets
poplar, which tem-
on a nearly completed blue-green
pers the tone.
semi-hollow convertible electric
that features an oblong sound-
Wes Montgomery port with a unique removable
The arched spruce cover. The sun streams across
top of Montgomerys the erstwhile playground outside
guitar lent it the and through the big elementary-
responsive, emotive school windows. This is a cheer-
sound of his influen- ful place to work. Artinger looks
tial jazz recordings. up from the guitar and sets down
the fret file. Every day I wake
up to a new set of tasks, a new
set of issues, a new set of things
to solve, he says. Every day is a new day for me
and Im getting to do exactly what I want to do.
Hes immersed, as Kimock would say, but some-
where in the back of his mind, one suspects, is his
next challenge. A customer recently asked if he
could build an electric guitar weighing under two
kilograms, which any luthier will tell you would be
a remarkable feat. Artinger said yes. PM
 AR MECHAN
PUL IC
PO S
ESTD 1902

THE WAR TRUNK

How my grandfathers old army trunk became a history lesson and my new coffee table.
BY JACQUELINE DETWILER

W
hen I was casting around for
furniture to take to college, I
found a red army footlocker Id
never seen before. It probably came from
the garage. My mom, who once bought a
pick-up truck just to bring home tables and
chests of drawers left on the side of the
road, helped me paint and stencil it so it
would match my dorm-room decor. In the
PHOTOGRAPH BY CORY DAWSON

fifteen years since, the footlocker followed

me to nine apartments in three cities, filled
with Halloween costumes, old photo albums,
Christmas ornaments. Eventually I learnt
that it had once belonged to my stepdads
father, Richard Purnell, who had done a
tour at Osan Air Base in Korea as an Army
The starting point. The author had added her own coat of paint before taking the trunk to college. corporal in the early 1960s, after the

82 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

Above: The trunk had six different paint colours, at least two moon stencils, and a
sticker of a toy soldier spanning fifty-three years of use.
Above right: After four coats of stripper and a few hours of scraping, nearly four
litres of old paint came off.
Right: The banding around the edges turned out to be some sort of soft composite,
possibly cardboard or plastic. It needed to be painted.

signing of the armistice that unofficially
ended the Korean War in 1953. Apart from
an insignia he had misplaced somewhere,
the footlocker was the only artefact from
that time that hadnt been thrown away.
And Id put it in storage. I felt a bit ashamed
about that, so I started asking questions.
Every antique is a catalogue of the past
and, in that way, refurbishing an old foot-
locker is much like doing construction in,
say, Rome, where you must proceed care-
fully lest you encounter a subterranean
landmark you dont want destroyed. I had
no idea what Id find under the trunks
layers and layers of paint, which were so
deep in places that theyd dried in globs.
I didnt want to use a heat gun and fry
through wood, if that was what was under
there and I didnt want to accidentally
grind the rivets flat with a power sander.
That was a long time ago, my grandpa
said when I called to ask about the trunks
original condition. He didnt remember
what it was made of, but he did remember
getting it on the sly from a friend who
worked in the supply division when he
came home in 1963.
They expected you to pack your stuff in
boxes and duffel bags, he said. It was
much simpler to know somebody and get
them to give you a footlocker.
He told me he was about to take a week-
long vacation to California with my
grandma to visit my great-uncles farm.
Ill just give you a call when I get to the
bottom of all the paint, I said.
Oh, youll still be doing that when we
get back.
I knocked on each of the trunks surfaces
but, not being MacGyver, couldnt tell what
materials the sounds might indicate. Then
I asked senior home editor Roy Berendsohn
for help. Roy got a magnet, which was
how we learnt that the corners, handles
and rivets were steel. The panel and edge
banding materials remained a mystery.
Roy advised taking the restoration
slowly so as to catch any markings that
might appear along the way, so I dipped
wet-or-dry 220-grit sandpaper in a bucket
of water, folded the paper in thirds and
sanded away. Folding in thirds gives you
three sanding surfaces to work with before
you have to replace your sandpaper. You
just flip or refold whenever the grit wears
down. Underneath the top layer of paint,
the trunk was red and then yellow. I wiped
away the muddy mix of colours from the
centre panel and an image of a toy soldier
appeared.
My grandma filled me in: my stepdad
was born in 1966, three years after his
dad came home from Korea. My grandma
painted the trunk yellow and covered it
with decals of toy soldiers to make it a toy
box for her son. In one generation it had
gone from a tool of war to a container for
playthings.
At this point, Id worked through only
two layers and on only one panel. I could
be sanding for weeks. It was time to employ
paint stripper, which Id hoped to avoid
because its nasty stuff that requires gloves,
a respirator and eye protection. I found
something much more gentle called 3M
Safest Stripper, which is as thick, biode-
gradable and creates no fumes. They say
you can use it without gloves, but I put
them on anyway. I globbed it on with a
metal scraper and waited.
Three hours later, the footlocker looked

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 83

 who didnt come home.
After four doses of the stripper, Id
hauled around five litres of soggy paint
WAR TRUNK out of the workshop. Most of the trunk
was a patchy green-brown, but the hard-
ware had got down to the primer. I found
that brushing the metal with a steel-wire
brush removed most of the red and
like it had erupted in hives. I scraped fist- imparted a dull, antiqued sheen. The flexi-
fuls of bubbling paint off the panels with ble wet-or-dry sandpaper Id used earlier
the scraper and used a thin steel pry bar was crucial for handles and crevices where
and a pentalobe screwdriver from a cell- the primer wouldnt come off. In places
phone-repair kit to clean the crevices where the primer was thick, I used sand-
around the hardware. I repeated this pro- paper with a rougher grit, though nothing
cess again and again. There were six col- lower than 100, to avoid scratching the
ours of paint in all: the light green with metal.
bronze Moon stencils Id added before The edge bandings, once fully exposed,
taking the trunk to college in 2001; the had been crafted out of some sort of com-
red my stepdad added before taking it to posite that was too soft and oddly col-
camp in 1976; the yellow from the toy- oured to leave bare. It might have been a
box era; two layers of army green that thick cardboard or plastic. Regardless, Id
came off in a slime; and a dusty reddish have to paint it. To remove the remainder
primer. of the paint stripper and any flakes, I
The biggest clue as to the trunks origi- sanded the entire trunk with wet 220-grit
nal manufacture appeared on the lid after paper and wiped it with a rag. Then I
the very first stripping. An oval stamped sanded it again with dry 220-grit and
with Purves Manufacturing Corp. 1948 wiped off the dust with a tack cloth.
sat above the front lock. I contacted The trunk at this point looked like it
Luther Hanson, a historian with the US could fit in on the set of M*A*S*H. It
Army Quartermaster Museum in Fort didnt look awful, but it would fit in at my
Lee, Virginia, which catalogues the histo- Brooklyn apartment about as well as a
ry of the Army branch that provides sol- tommy gun. Though I wanted to respect
diers with clothes, food and equipment. the trunk, I knew that if I left it a patchy
Hanson told me that Purves had been Army green, it would just end up back in
based in Indianapolis and had Army con- storage.
tracts from World War II through Korea. To make it work as a coffee table, I
So even though my grandfather hadnt masked the metal hardware with
been to war, the trunk probably had. It ScotchBlue outdoor painters tape. (Its
might have even belonged to someone stickier than the indoor kind and wont
A VERY BR I EF GUIDE TO PAINT REMOVA L
THE OPTIONS WHEN TO USE IT HOW TO USE IT
POWER SANDER You need to sand on a broad Wear a dust mask. Always
flat area, and you want to keep the sander moving to
have some fun. avoid depressions.
STRIPPER When the surface is ornate Gear up eye, breathing,
or difficult to get at with and skin protection and
sandpaper. be patient. It takes a while.
SANDPAPER
Youre working on an area with On a sanding block or folded
details or a lot of damaged in thirds. Wet-or-dry paper
areas or chipped paint. with water limits scratches.
HEAT GUN
Never. In most cases, heat Box it up and hope the
guns end up doing more store accepts opened
harm than good. returns.
84 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
OTHER ARMY
SURPLUS
WORTH
CONSIDERING
Aside from the modern moisture-wicking
insole that keeps your feet cool in the
summer, Corcoran jump boots are sewn
to nearly the same specs as the ones made
for World War II paratroopers air-dropping
into France and Germany. The thick leather
around the toe boxes and instep is surpris-
ingly flexible, making the boots comfortable
enough to wear to work. Try the 1500s,
which have a flat rubber sole instead of a
lug sole. Theyre lighter and much quieter.
If you swap out the fray-prone stock laces
and remember to resole them every few
years, your boots may even outlast you.
Alexander George
slip off even after multiple coats.) Then I
primed the whole trunk with Rust-
Oleums Clean Metal primer to protect
the rivets and any other metal. I taped off
the trim and painted two coats of white-
eggshell finish on the body of the trunk
with a 10-centimetre paint roller. Then I
taped off the body and painted two coats
of black eggshell finish on the trim.
Finally, I protected the painted parts and
sprayed an acrylic over the metal hard-
ware. The final product looked as neat as a
bunk in an Army barracks.
One of the times I talked to my grand-
father about the footlocker, he told me he
had worked as an air-ground liaison in
Korea, watching his friends fly out over
the DMZ almost every day or going out
himself. The DMZ wasnt straight, he said.
The very day before he left to come home,
his captain was in a helicopter that zigged
when it should have zagged. It was shot
down in North Korea and soldiers hauled
the captain off in something called a
deuce-and-a-half. I looked that up. Its one
of those hooded trucks you see in old war
movies. The captain made it home, but
not for another six months.
That made me think about how often
luck determines who comes home from
dangerous places and who doesnt. It was
lucky that my grandfather was in Korea
ten years after the war and not during it.
And it was lucky again that he made it
home safe. I felt fortunate to have an old
trunk that had been through so much.
And I felt proud of the hard work that
made it look this good again.
 TO
HO W

UNUSED FIREWORKS
Law enforcement ignites a big pile of
them in controlled explosions. If you
need to disarm them yourself, submerge
them in water overnight, wrap them in
plastic bags and throw them in the bin.

A DIAMOND
A SPACECRAFT For unknown reasons, concentrated
UV-C light, which our atmosphere filters
Once fuel runs out, NASA sends out, breaks the carbon atoms off a
the vessel straight into the planet diamond. Or you can heat it with a
its orbiting to avoid creating blowtorch, then expose it to oxygen to
dangerous floating space junk or make it evaporate into carbon dioxide.
GUNS

damaging a planet or moon that

could potentially support life.
Some hardy microbes could sur-
vive and potentially contaminate an
otherwise pristine environment,
Cassini project manager Earl Maize
says. One benefit of this method:
the craft sometimes relays images
and data moments before impact.
BODILY WASTE ON
THE SPACE STATION
A humidity system collects
sweat and exhalations and
makes it into potable water.
Urine is also converted to
drinking water. Excrement
and other trash from the
station is launched towards
Earth, where it burns up in
the atmosphere.
DRUGS
Guns confiscated or collected in buy-back programmes are
typically sent to a metal-smelting plant. Technicians remove
any batteries and ammunition, then dump the weapons into
SUPERGLUE
Apply nail-polish remover to the bond.
a 7-metre-wide furnace where three 70-cm graphite electrodes The acetone will soften it so you can
send electricity from a transformer to the metal like a big scrape, shave, peel or sand off whats left.
welding rod. The furnace heats up to 1 700 degrees; well
beyond 1 500 it takes to turn most guns to gelatine. The metal
gets used for things like construction rebar and hand tools.
GUM
Polyisobutene, the base synthetic poly-
mer in most gum, doesnt biodegrade.
Steam cleaners with detergent and steel
brushes can vaporise it and researchers
When you hit Empty Trash on your computer, have made a caustic enzyme solution
used in some cities in Europe. But for
those photos and Word documents dont get
now, most just sits in landfills.
destroyed. Theyre just more difficult to access.
Operating systems use a master information
table to find your files. Hitting Empty Trash
deletes only the master-file table reference for
that file. The actual data is still on your phone
or laptop, just hidden away somewhere. Heres how to get
rid of sensitive information, in ascending level of paranoia:
After youve of the box. At TV seasons.
backed up this point, your If even that
everything or old files are still isnt enough,

extracted the in there, only now a rare-earth

Customs, drug enforce- important files, theyre protected magnet distorts
ment agencies and border before you by that compli- hard-drive data
Every year, the US Federal
patrols will pay private donate or give cated password beyond recon-
Reserve destroys 7 billion
businesses, like a crema- your laptop or you set, which struction.
damaged bills. Stacks of cash
torium, to incinerate phone away, set turns them into Fine. Now go into a giant paper shredder
seized narcotics at 800 degrees a really compli- illegible nonsense you can get out with carbon-steel blades that
when they are no longer needed cated admin to anyone trying the drill. Aside turn the bills into 2- by 20-milli-
as evidence. Most drugs dont password. Dont to get access. from the obvious metre slivers. Employees use
worry about If youre still destruction, the small fishnets to confirm that the
release toxic gases, but for sub- bills are cut to the appropriate
remembering it. worried, fill the heat it creates
stances like methamphetamine, size. The scraps are then hauled
Do a factory device with new will further
which release ether and methanol, off to be used for curing cement
reset. The laptop data to overwrite degrade any
the incinerator has a separate your files. Try remaining data.
or lining insulation.
or phone runs
chamber where the gas is like its fresh out high-definition
rendered harmless.
With thanks to Brandon Gregg at Seagate and James Nguyen at Symantec.

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 85

 1. PREPARE THE SIDE SUPPORTS
The frame (two side pieces and top) is
made from a left-over piece of veneered
16 mm chipboard and the inner supports
are a standard cut size of pine. You could
use raw chipboard, MDF or SA Pine. The
raw chipboard should be coated with
sanding sealer and painted.
Figure 1 (right) shows the dimensions
I used, but you could scale up and down,
triple-deck depending on the number of
pairs of shoes you need to store. My
requirements were quite modest, the
wifes, well
My local wood shop cut the two side
supports to size for the price of some
lunch money for the operator, as I dont
have a table or circular saw. I dont have
any professional tools and depend on
basic routers, drills, sanders, lots of
clamps, (you can never have enough
clamps) and a trusty Workmate bench.
The top was to be hidden dowelled to
the side supports and the cross-support
pieces dowelled to the side supports.
Setting up the two side supports to cut
the slots was done for both sides using a
router and a simple jig to hold the two
pieces. I used a scrap straight piece of
wood as a cutting guide. You need to do
this as a series of passes to cut to the
required depth (about 8 mm) and the
required width of the chipboard.
Bear in mind that the glues used to
bind machine-made products wear out
tools quickly and you cant make deep
cuts with home DIY routers. Sanders get
clogged easily, too. Pine is not much bet-
ter: it tears easily, the knots in the wood
dont cut well and its resinous nature
causes over-heating of tool bits.

BUST THE CLUTTER

A practical rack thats easy to construct using mostly ordinary home
workshop tools, while honing some DIY skills.
iSTOCKPHOTO/RONSTIK

BY JEFF HOLLINGDALE

IN THE INTERESTS of preserving fine floorings classy finish, or to avoid

tracking dirt through the home, on entering it makes sense to leave shoes
just inside the front door. In the same way, some of us like to have
running or working shoes conveniently placed at the front door for
grabbing and lacing on as they head out. What this all adds up to,
of course, is an unruly jumble of shoes.
This shoe rack tidies up the clutter in a practical yet elegant way
at minimal cost: its made of scrap pieces found in the workshop.
Construction is straightforward, too. Though not a simple cut-
and-nail procedure, it is designed to help you enjoy the journey
and improve your skills.
86 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

1 5
320
160
445
215
70
300
Dowel 8mm inserts to cross pieces
2 action creating the holes to match those
Cutting the two slots on the side supports.
The next step is to drill the holes for the
dowels, which will support the slat sup-
ports. I guess you could have simply glued
the supports in place, even screwed and
glued, but I needed a little more strength
as I usually sit on the shoe rack to put on
my shoes.
Preparing the dowel fixing to the sides.
I have the luxury of a drill press that
helped when cutting the holes to locate
the dowels. Drill a small pilot hole all the
way through, then reverse the workpiece
and use an 8 mm dowelling drill.
Drill carefully to avoid a ragged hole.
Later, the dowels can be glued and tapped
into position. The dowel will be trimmed
to finish flush with the surface.
Alternatively, drill and countersink for
a 5 x 30 mm screw.
FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 87
720
Countersunk screws
to secure ends to
cross pieces
680
2. PREPARING THE TOP
Dowelling holes for 8 mm dowels are
drilled into the top; matching 8 mm holes
are drilled into the side supports. This is a
fiddly job to do accurately and the best
way is a dowelling jig. I treated myself to
a JointCrafter 1360A by Milescraft and,
after a bit of practice, the process was a
breeze.
In Figure 4 you can see the jig in
in the top.
To make sure you dont over-drill the
depth of dowel holes, you can fit a stop
collar to the drill bit. Note the handy
clamp in Figure 4 being used as a third
hand to hold the dowel jig in position.
Remember, when drilling the holes in
the top, not to go all the way through.
DIY PROJECT SHOE RACK
Top hidden dowelled
to side pieces. Top
overlaps sides by
20 mm on each side.
Dowelling the top
Before gluing the top to the side supports,
we need to just finish off a couple of jobs.
The first is to make the circular cut-out at
the bottom of each side support. Make a
marking template from stiff paper board
or cardboard; a piece of flat aluminium
strip will help to get the curve right. Use
a marking pen to show the width of the
side support. Transfer the curve to the
paper board/cardboard and trim the curve
shape with a box cutter. Cover the bottom
of the side support with two or three
widths of masking tape to prevent tearing
or splitting. Now you can transfer the
curve that will guide your cut on the side
support.
I used a jig saw to cut the curve shape.
Be sure to choose the right jig saw blade
depending upon the material youre using.
I finished the shaping with a wood rasp.
6
Figure 6 shows the process as I cut the
curve. The other remaining job, if you
used veneered board like I did, is to use
some iron-on wood strip to finish the
sides of the side supports and the top.
Iron on the strips using the cotton set-
ting. After the glue has dried, trim the
excess off with a sharp chisel or a box cut-
ter and lightly sand edges.
 DIY PROJECT SHOE RACK
7 in position using a 4 x 20 screw. Clean up
3. GLUING THE SIDES TO THE TOP
The only careful check needed at this
stage is to ensure that the sides are at
right-angles to the top when gluing the
top to the sides.
Start by lightly gluing the dowels and
tap into position on the top piece. Do not
overglue. Using a rubber- or nylon-headed
mallet, tap the top into the side piece. I
used a large block, cut with the sides at
a right-angle to ensure the top was at
right-angles to the side support.
Again, clamps come in useful for
securing secure the side support while
the glue dries.
Repeat this process on both sides and
leave overnight for the glue to set.
4. SETTING THE SIDE SUPPORTS AND
CROSS STRETCHERS IN POSITION.
Once the glue has set, sand down using a
200-grit paper and then coat all sides using
a wood sealer. I used Woodoc 10 Indoor
Polywax Sealer (Velvet). Leave to dry.
The next step is to position the side
supports in the slots and get the dimen-
sions needed to cut the cross stretchers
(6) to size. As the cross stretchers are
secured by both gluing and screw fixing,
the position needs to be marked where
the pilot holes for the screws are located.
The cross stretchers have a half-lap
joint cut into both ends. Once the side
supports are positioned, a measurement
can be made to determine the overall
length of the cross stretchers and the
depth of the half lap. Do the measuring
again using the rule of checking, then
double checking.
88 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
I used standard 45 x 20 mm pine for
the side supports and cross stretchers.
Once cut, these were sanded, then stained
to reasonably match the veneer used on
the top and side supports.
Drill a pilot hole through the ends of
each stretcher, positioned by measuring
in from the ends about 20 mm. Use the
type of countersink drill bit you can see in
Fig. 8 to drill and countersink in on go.
You can also see in Figure 8 the action
of clamping the side supports in position;
the process of marking the position of the
pilot holes for the screws in the cross
stretchers.
8 Once dry, use a rubber or nylon mallet
The side supports have been clamped into
position; the position of the pilot hole used
to secure the stretchers has been marked.
NOTE: At this stage the half-lap has not
been cut. The cutting position has been
lightly marked on the underside. Its not
critical to get a super-accurate perfect fit.
Remember, when you are working with
the cross stretchers, they are on the reverse
side to where they will be screwed and fitted.
Youll be able to locate where they are
positioned as the pilot hole goes all the way
through the side support. Mark on pieces
of masking tape that the support is, for
example, bottom, right hand; a stretcher
is outside front, arbitrarily marking the
Assembly of the cross supports
9 and stretchers.
Slots 20 mm wide Cut length to fit inside dimension between end supports
frame front, left and right.
Repeat the process with the other five
cross-stretchers. Remember to position the
middle stretcher halfway on the supports.
Mark and cut the half lap joints on each
end. Use a tenon saw to accurately cut the
half lap. Figure 9 shows a side and top
view of the slats/stretchers and cross sup-
ports.
5. FINAL ASSEMBLY
The top and bottom slats/stretchers can
be assembled to the side supports as a unit.
Position the top and bottom assemblies
using the masking tape marked pieces as
a guide. Check youve got the pieces cor-
rectly positioned.
Lightly glue each half lap joint and fix
any squeezed-out glue. Leave everything
until the glue dries.
Lightly rub down each assembly with a
200-grit paper and apply two coats of
wood sealer.
to lightly tap the top and bottom assem-
blies into the slots cut into the side sup-
ports. Dont force things; you can always
shave a bit off the side support.
Align the assemblies between the side
supports. Lightly tap glued dowels into
the side supports or, if you decide to use
screws, screw into position until the
screws are just below the surface to allow
the use of wood filler to hide the screws.
After the glue had set on my rack, I
trimmed the dowels flush with the sides
support surfaces using a fret saw and sharp
chisel. I then lightly sanded the frame, stain-
ed the cut dowel ends with an artist brush
(using the same stain used on the stretch-
ers/cross supports) and applied another
coat of sealer to all parts of the assembly.
Slats and side supports:
45 x 20 mm
Cut half-lap on ends
 Catastrophe

MY
SPANNER
Stranded in West Africa with
a dead Peugeot, a little
French, and, fortunately, a
set of spanners.
BY DAVID BRANCACCIO

MY MOTHER SAID every adult should

be able to make a quick pasta marinara.
I would add one more essential skill:
knowing how to wield a spanner.
After a semester abroad in Ghana,
another student and I got it into our
heads to drive to Timbuktu. We team-
ed up with a guy who owned a well-
worn Peugeot 504, a sedan with a
skid plate beneath it for light off-
roading. Im not sure we understood
the scale of our trip. Three days got
us to the right country, Mali, but not
to Timbuktu since the sand was too
deep for two-wheel drive. We had to
turn around.
Headed south in Togo, just past a
sign warning of crossing elephants,
the needle in the Peugeots voltmeter
wobbled, then sagged towards zero.
The engine began to misfire, so I tried
to get us to the top of the next hill.
That way, if we had to push-start
the manual transmission, at least
we were pointing downhill. We got
to the peak just as the engine cut
out for good. I popped the hood.
Diagnosis: a bad alternator.
Luckily, I had my spanners metric
box-end beauties Id packed just in
case. Alternator in hand, I hitchhiked
the 20 km back to the town of Sokod, Youre right, Im an idiot, I said. engine sprung to life. The winter
where, as luck would have it, there Idiot! he said again, this time that had clouded my fellow students
was a Peugeot dealership. Once with more enthusiasm. face when the car broke turned to
there I used my slim French and In case you Only then did I realise he was not spring, then summer, as she watched
robust pantomime skills to convey find yourself calling me an idiot. He was using the the voltmeter rise from the dead.
my problem. The parts guy had a stuck in Togo French pronunciation of diode, We were able to make Togos cap-
new alternator in stock. Perfect. dee-YODE. Alternators have diodes ital of Lom by nightfall, and adjacent
With a notched
Except for the price: the equivalent jaw on the open
to keep the current passing in the Ghana the next day. The timing turn-
of R10 000. I asked about a used end and a locking right direction. It was my diode that ed out to be critical. Our first night
part. He pointed across the street to cam on the box had failed, not the entire alternator. back, a faction of the Ghanaian
a man he called the fitter. end, Craftsmans Back at the dealer, a new diode was military staged a coup, deposed
ILLUSTRATION BY RYAN INZANA

The fitter was a pipe-fitter, a black-
smith, and a mechanic. Barefoot,
standing by an anvil next to an open
fire, he inspected my dead alternator.
Idiot! he exclaimed using the
French pronunciation with the
accent on the last syllable.
Extreme Grip just R100. their president, and closed off the
spanners grab
rounded fasteners I hitched back to the stranded borders. Without my ninja moves
with five times the car and with my cherished spanner, with that spanner, we would have
force of a standard bolted the alternator back in. Igni- been stranded on the wrong side
spanner. A set of tion on, second gear, clutch in, we of the border trying to raise money
five costs R700.
started rolling down the hill. I for food and shelter by auctioning
popped the clutch and the Peugeots off a dead Peugeot. PM

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 89

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

90 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 91

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

CFP TECHNOLOGIES
Digital readouts (DRO) for Milling
Machines & Lathes
Linear Glass scales. 130 mm - 1 200 mm
Magnetic scales up to 32 m

Please visit website for more information and prices.

Website: www.cfptech.co.za
Email: cjvdb@mweb.co.za
Tel: 012 5673618 / 012 5430683
Cell: 0828570324

92 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 93

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

94 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

WOOD ALUMINIUM WINDOWS DOORS

Frameless Folding Doors

Enclose your Patio !

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FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 95

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

96 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

SN1014-12M Sniper
www.snipertorches.com Game/Security
gavin@adventuretech.co.za Camera R5499
011 021 3869 Stealth Security Monitoring.
Invisible Infra Red LED Flash.
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KHS H3 Tritium Military Watches Triggers on motion and sends
photo to your phone or email
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Runs on Batteries so can be
placed anywhere. Excellent for
security or game spotting
SN8053 Sniper
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Reaper R3999 Shooter R4999 This light is rechargeable
It is robust, lightweight This KHS special operations but can also run
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the very popular its tactical features such as
H3 colour scheme the H3 color scheme
Red Halo HiCon with 16 Trigalights

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 97

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

98 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017

BUYERSGUIDE To advertise in Buyers Guide contact Joanne, Lindi or Patrick on 011 449 1100 or
email: popbuyersguide@ramsaymedia.co.za

FEBRUARY 2017 _ www.popularmechanics.co.za 99

DO IT YOUR WAY / USEFUL, CLEVER TIPS FOR YOUR HOME
WINNING TIP
RESTORE THE THREAD
We have all had the experience of taking
something apart and painting it and,
when its time to reassemble, threaded
studs and bolt shafts are covered in
paint and the nuts wont go back on.
They bind and get stuck and when you
force the issue, things go bad; nuts get
stripped and things get messy. Next
time, try this handy tip:
Take a standard nut of the same size
and file at least one slot across all the
threads at about 90 degrees to them,
about 1-2 mm deep (you can use a nee-
dle file or a junior hacksaw blade).
Carefully turn the nut on the shaft
going forward a few turns and back
again. You will see the threads getting
cleaned as you progress. In some cases,
you may need to remove the nut alto-
gether and clean the accumulated debris
before the whole shaft is clean. It nor-
mally takes less than two minutes and
you can save hours.
The slot that you filed allows a place
for the old muck or paint to accumulate
and turns an ordinary nut into a sort of
die. Once you remove the nut, the shaft
will be clean and perfect, ready for a new
nut. This is great for repainting projects,
nuts that have been off for a long time,
rusted or dirty shafts and even slightly
damaged threads.When I tried using
masking tape to prevent the threads
getting clogged, I ended up using this
method to clean out all the old tape.
No more struggling and all for the
cost of a single nut.
JUSTIN VAN DER MOLEN
RANDPARK RIDGE
HOT STUFF
My wife will go everywhere with me, pro-
vided that she can have a steaming cup of
tea whenever she wants. Disaster struck
when our two beloved 18/10 unbreakable
RESERVATION OF COPYRIGHT
The publishers of Popular Mechanics reserve all rights of reproduction or broadcasting of feature articles and factual data appearing in this journal under Section 12 (7) of the Copyright Act,
1978. Such reproduction or broadcasting may be authorised only by the publishers of Popular Mechanics. Published by RamsayMedia for the Proprietors, Popular Mechanics, 36 Old Mill Rd,
Ndabeni, Western Cape. Distributed by RNA, 12 Nobel St, Industria West, Johannesburg, and printed by CTP Web, 12-14 Boompies Street, Parow, Cape Town. Apple Mac support: Digicape tel
021 674-5000.
100 www.popularmechanics.co.za _ FEBRUARY 2017
stainless steel vacuum flasks broke. The
parts of the (plastic) lids that come into
contact with hot water disintegrated. That
caused the insulated section of the lids to
come apart and they could not keep the
water hot any more. Lids can be bought,
but our flasks are too old and nothing
fits. What a shock when I learnt that
replacing a 1-litre stainless steel vacuum
flask will cost me R669.
After cleaning out the disintegrated
parts, I realised that a threaded plug would
seal off the plastic compartments again. To
fit the rubber seal, some shoulders were
needed and a plug alone will not do the job.
So, at our nearest co-op I bought two nylon
reducing bushes (25 x 20 mm) at R3,50
each, as well as two 20 mm nylon plugs at
R2,50 each. I repaired the lids of the two
flasks at a total cost of R12.
When we tested them with boiling water
on a cool day (22 degrees in the house) the
water still measured 89 degrees after five
hours in the flasks. Hot enough to make a
fine cup of tea!
WIKUS LIGTHELM
NELSPRUIT
HOOP TO IT
Having to live with water restrictions at
level 3 in Cape Town, I came up with this
quick-fix anti-evaporation pool cover.
The hula hoops cost R14 each from a
plastics storeand the bubble wrap was not
too expensive.I used Genkem polystyrene
foam adhesive to attach circles of
bubble wrap to the hoops.
This cover is easy to put into the pool
and take out again. One person can manage
this solution, whereas one person would
not be able to manage a large, cumbersome
plastic cover. (The pool cleaner still operates
under my cover.)
TRISH DINGLE
HOUT BAY
UNIVERSAL OIL FILTER TOOL
Make an oil filter tool for hard-to-reach
places. In a piece of suitable tubing (I used
WIN
SEND US YOUR HINT
AND SCORE!
Send us your tip and you could win a
Master Lock hamper worth R1 500 - which
includes the tower combination lock, M1
Excell padlock, Excell square link chain and
armoured padlock.
The Master Lock No. 1535EURDGRY
Set-Your-Own Combination Padlock has a
strong, durable 37 mm wide zinc body and
hardened steel shackle.
The toughest boron alloy and cutting-edge
technology (40 patents) went into Excell, a
padlock 50 per cent stronger than the norm.
Features include 45 mm laminated steel core
with titanium-reinforced outer body; exclusive
octagonal boron-carbide shackle for maximum
cut resistance; pry-resistant double deadbolt
locking; and a four-pin cylinder.
The Master Lock No. 8016EURD Chain
is 1 m long with 8 mm hardened steel links
encased in a protective vinyl sleeve.
The Master Lock No. 680EURD
Armoured Padlocks tough 80 mm wide
zinc body, surrounded by hardened steel,
has a shrouded design to minimise shackle
exposure. Its 5-pin cylinder prevents picking
and the dual locking levers prevent prying
and hammering.
Send your tips to:
PM Do It Your Way, Box 180, Howard
Place 7450, or e-mail popularmechanics
@ramsaymedia.co.za. Please include your
name, address and contact number. Re-
grettably, only South African residents are
eligible for the prize. Prizes not claimed
within 60 days will be forfeited.
10 mm square tubing), cut a slot with a
cutting disc. Then, take a piece of metal
strapping to fit your oil filter and drill a
hole on the groove you made, as well as
on the metal strap. Bolt it on. Dont for-
get to put a lick of oil on your new filter
seal, and hand tighten it back on.
FERGUS MILES
CATHCART PM
 JHB 58372/OJ
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