Ep 6. High Rise Escape

In season 1 episode 6 of Smash Lab titled "High Rise Escape," the team tackles a challenge of developing a new way to safely evacuate people from a high-rise building during an emergency. The team consists of five experts hailing from different scientific fields, each possessing a unique skillset that contributes to their innovative approach to problem-solving.

Their goal in this episode is to build a prototype that can instantly lower people from the top floors of a building to the ground in case of fires or emergencies, keeping the victims safe from the hazards that they might face while using elevators or staircases. They start their work by studying different designs of skyward escape pods and emergency fire ladders. Once they realize the limitations of current solutions, they look for ways to improve the design of these escape pods and ladders, making them more efficient in dealing with high rises and adding safety features that can keep the users protected.

The team of experts then goes on to design an innovative escape pod that can move both vertically and horizontally. The pod is created with the help of Xbrace technology, a method that can brace many buildings with just one system. It also has a modular design that can be assembled on site and that can accommodate up to seven people at once. The team tests the escape pod in a scaled-down tower, simulating different emergency scenarios, and works out any design flaws before moving onto the actual prototype.

Next, the team works on building a full-scale prototype and testing it in a real-world scenario. They look for a tall building in a controlled environment to carry out the tests, and they find the perfect location - an abandoned airport control tower. They set up a zip-line on the outside of the tower, and the pod is attached to it, ready to be lowered down in the event of an emergency situation.

The team tests the pod with both live dummies and their own team members to give viewers a more realistic idea of how the pod would be used in an evacuation situation. They take safety measures to ensure that the tests go smoothly and that their team members are not put in harm's way.

After rigorous testing, the team determines that the new escape pod is a successful breakthrough in high-rise emergency evacuation technology. It is a compact, affordable, and easy-to-install system that can save hundreds of lives in high-rise emergencies. The pod is built to withstand harsh environmental conditions, and it is equipped with safety features like airbags, seat belts, and oxygen supplies.

As the episode concludes, the team reflects on their work and the success of their prototype. They hope that this new technology will be adopted by high-rise building developers, owners, and city officials, and that it can help save countless lives in emergency situations. With the success of this project, the team looks forward to taking on new challenges and working on more innovative solutions to help make the world a safer place.