Recently my girlfriend lured me to go shopping with the promise of bountiful free samples. Proving that she is indeed the perfect woman for me, we enjoyed over a 100 varieties of jam, jelly, curd, relish, dip, spread, peanut butter, salsa, and olive oil without spending more than $10. Inside one of these quaint country stories, I came across something I hadn't seen in years—a player piano!
As I put my quarter in the slot and gleefully watched the piano bang out something eerily similar to Sesame Street, my girlfriend shook her head; amazed that I could be entertained so easily.
On the other hand, I was amazed how something so old-fashioned could do something so complex. Yet, if you were to take the piano apart, it probably wouldn't be that difficult to figure out how it worked; it's just a bunch of gears, chains, and hoses connected to an air pump.
This being a few days after the release of our AMC Eagle video, it got me thinking. The revolutionary part of the Eagle's 4WD system was its transfer case, which used a viscous coupling to send power to both the front and rear wheels. And while I lack the mechanical finesse to understand exactly how it works, a few dealership training films helped me explain it in layman's terms during our video.
On the other hand, I was amazed how something so old-fashioned could do something so complex. Yet, if you were to take the piano apart, it probably wouldn't be that difficult to figure out how it worked; it's just a bunch of gears, chains, and hoses connected to an air pump.
This being a few days after the release of our AMC Eagle video, it got me thinking. The revolutionary part of the Eagle's 4WD system was its transfer case, which used a viscous coupling to send power to both the front and rear wheels. And while I lack the mechanical finesse to understand exactly how it works, a few dealership training films helped me explain it in layman's terms during our video.
This 30 year old Eagle genuinely impressed me. I don't do a lot of off-road driving, and there were situations where I felt pretty uncomfortable behind the wheel of that car. Yet, we never got stuck.
It amazes me what engineers were able to accomplish through purely mechanical solutions. Modern cars have all kinds of advanced computers with wheel-slip detection and torque-vectoring software that allows vehicles to do unbelievable things. However, you'll have a much harder time understanding how they do it. 30 years ago, cars couldn't even stop in a straight line; now they'll automatically stop for you!
It amazes me what engineers were able to accomplish through purely mechanical solutions. Modern cars have all kinds of advanced computers with wheel-slip detection and torque-vectoring software that allows vehicles to do unbelievable things. However, you'll have a much harder time understanding how they do it. 30 years ago, cars couldn't even stop in a straight line; now they'll automatically stop for you!
You might think me ridiculous, but the Eagle's transfer case and that player piano have a lot in common. Both are meticulous yet ingenious designs that address a very complex challenge. Imagine, for a moment, you're an engineer in a world without computers and somebody told you:
"We need to build a piano that plays itself and a car that can shift in and out of 4WD while driving on dry pavement."
Amazingly, somebody figured both of these things out, and their solutions are simple enough that a bum like me with no formal engineering education can understand them. Maybe I am too easily entertained...
"We need to build a piano that plays itself and a car that can shift in and out of 4WD while driving on dry pavement."
Amazingly, somebody figured both of these things out, and their solutions are simple enough that a bum like me with no formal engineering education can understand them. Maybe I am too easily entertained...
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