Bringing fire and steel to life - TechRepublic

Bringing fire and steel to life

  • tesla coil and boeing machine

    During a show staged in San Jose, Calif., by Survival Research Labs, veteran presenter of spectacles featuring remote-controlled mechanical monsters, the group’s tesla coil and its Boeing-engine-based machine enthrall a sold-out crowd of 2,000.

    <a href="http://www.laughingsquid.com">Scott Beale/Laughing Squid</a>
  • SRL founder Mark Pauline watches the V1 fire cannon warm up before the show.

  • Survival Research Labs artist Kimric Smyth checks on his Boeing-engine-based machine.

  • SRL founder Mark Pauline (bending over) checks the status of one of the machines.

  • SRL’s V1 fire canon torches an art piece.

  • The noise level and the amount of fire and feverish activity were nearly overwhelming, although the crowd of 2,000 wasn’t complaining.

  • SRL’s Inchworm does its thing.

  • San Jose’s fire marshals watch the SRL show.

  • CNET News.com reporter Daniel Terdiman brandished a fire extinguisher in case something went wrong during the setup for the Survival Research Labs show in San Jose, Calif., on Aug. 11, 2006.

  • Fire and burned out machines are everywhere as the SRL show nears its end.

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Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.