Pulling Power from the Sky: The Story of Makani [Feature Film]

[@mikiethebikie]

I am a 70 year old watching this, I feel confident the world is in good hands with this team at play. 👍 🙏 thanks

[@Steve211Ucdhihifvshi]

You know they pretty much ripped everyone off, for nothing right?

[@craigwall9536]

I'm a 70 year old that has the background in electronics and aerodynamics to understand what they did and why, and I feel confident that _very few_ people understand what they did or why it was important. Which means the world is NOT in _good hands._

[@richardjosephnovak]

I am right behind you in age and the more I see on KZbin especially in the comments make me feel confident the the world will be on the hands of a bunch of knuckleheads. But when we die I have no idea where they will live.

[@peterhladky5481]

The only failure in life is to not try. To try and fail isn't failure, it's learning. Hats off to the team!

[@Ralph_Baric_PhD_C2019]

Disagree; if you try and fail and you waste other peoples money then Houston, our superannuation accounts have a problem. Especially when an investment manager chooses the risk for you.

[@kevincresswell5272]

@@Ralph_Baric_PhD_C2019 GOOGLE I have to agree with jack. I knew the final result when I was 5years old My kite crashed when the wind died when the wind changed it flew into the trees or power line if I flew it to high the tether broke or the power of the wind broke it. conclusion kites are for fun not work. and mom did not buy me another one if I broke mine.

[@clivehorridge]

Wrong, in this regard the main failure in life is being duped into believing that humankind is responsible for any changes in climate, when historically it’s been, and will continue to be, in a state of constant flux. These idiots fooling around with kites isn’t going to do a jot of good. I despair at the level of lunacy going on in the world today, it simply beggars belief. We have tons of cheap energy, trashing it for very expensive alternatives will be mankind’s demise.

[@Ralph_Baric_PhD_C2019]

@@clivehorridge coal guzzlers instead of petrol guzzlers. That is what we are to believe. Just imagine the shifting of all transport energy to solar/wind. Its not going to happen. So then you have to ask for what other reasons. When you look up world meters, known economical viable reserves of crude run out by 2068. Now ask yourself the COP 26 goal of 2050. That leaves 18 years lee way. But the world is not leaving coal, yes it may have reached its peak of new development but with more than 100 years of current use still in the ground and no viable alternative (because the colored haired kids and germany refuse to keep nuclear as an option) means that all that energy used for transport must be shifted to electricity. So we want to increase electricity demand by a third to one half whilst at the moment 70-80% is still generated from coal. There's gold in them there hills. And only the Jews got rich selling you shovels. Now think of the hardest thing to ween off crude. Airplane travel. That avgas is pretty hard to match. And there are a class of people that want to keep flying. And they are going to want you to keep subsidizing its costs as it gets more expensive due to the availability of crude. So ground transport run on coal is the beginnings of the rationing of that valuable crude. And yes, the more you look into climate variance of the last 2-300 K years, taking nto account the LGM, the younger dryass, melt water pulses etc, increased CO2, decreased ocean ability to neutralize via fresh water river damming. You start to see a picture. Volcanology, planet wobble, and impactors (meteors asteroids) seem to be the triple threats that bring about accelerated climate variance. We serve these whims. Adapt or die.

[@marierobinson4365]

I really enjoyed the footage & work your teammates put together, it seemed as if it was an exciting time spent building and launching a kite that seemed operational.(Bravo)

[@ricl5557]

I have been watching Makani since 2010. Every time a new video was released, my spirit was lifted. I am sad to see Makani to fold. In the mean time I am happy Makani is sharing with the public the knowledge gained during the long and exciting journey. Good job Makani. Your spirit lives on. You will inspire generations after you.

[@chinmoy1955]

What kind of knowledge are they sharing and to what end? Do you really feel that this kind of BS projects can succeed?

[@hypocritical7379]

@@chinmoy1955 it's really just showing that this is a possibility for the future

[@heavyweather]

@@chinmoy1955 what's BS standing for?

[@kylematlock7499]

@@heavyweather Bull Shit

[@heavyweather]

@@chinmoy1955 you've not followed the development. The better high altitude technologies are winning now. Like Skysails Power where the generator stays on the ground and the system archives 6000 full load hours/a. That's without a heavy concrete foundation, blades, tower and accompanied transport troubles. Comes in a container and is set up in a day.

[@timokreuzer1820]

With 13 years and millions of dollars spent, this must be the record for the most elaborate and expensive documentary ever made. 😄

[@Napstone]

To put so much heart and soul covering such a technical subject and present it with absolute clarity and candid moments, is an accomplishment on its own. Congratulations, this is a top notch documentary. I remember Makani's early days and always wondered what happened to them. Thanks for this. Beautifully documented for future generations.

[@richardjosephnovak]

Yay... everyone gets a trophy. Yes, documented like the Hindenburg and other dumb ideas.

[@tuberroot1112]

Beautifully documented epic failure. May future generations learn something ( I doubt it though ). If they has spent a fraction of that time reading about the *climate scam* fake alarmism, they could have saved themselves 13y of wasted effort and done something more meaningful with their considerable skills and money. This insanity is wasting a generation and killing all our futures.

[@Preciouspink]

Ha ha. what these people learned individually, will impact all our futures

[@OscarRuiz-gj3mp]

As a sport kite flyer I found the whole film absolutely mesmerizing! I love putting my 5 meter foils into endless figure-8 loops while it drags me down the beach/field...wotta workout! lol.

[@Reth_Hard]

No... I don't agree with you.

[@OscarRuiz-gj3mp]

@@Reth_Hard wot cha talkin'bout ,willis?

[@Reth_Hard]

@@OscarRuiz-gj3mp You are wrong, admit it!

[@Argosh]

@@Reth_Hard wrong about having fun? Wrong about kiting a 5 meter foil being a workout? Do you even english?

[@Chriziz]

@@Argosh wtf is he talking about?

[@KurtRohde312]

Thank you Makani Team! You've each moved on to the next big thing, but during your time together you were an inspiring collection of pioneers, visionaries, designers, science geeks, engineers, programmers, builders, fabricators, pilots, and at the end, seafarers. Corwin would be proud of your contribution to renewable energy and the technology that makes it happen.

[@Jonathan_O]

N,

[@spencerdw1]

It entertained them for a time.. but a project that was a waste of money from the start.

[@shajanmiah5063]

@D go build them then

[@TheSd1cko]

@@spencerdw1 yes. Delusional students spending other people's money for their own enjoyment.

[@cacs99]

Wow what a great film of a great story! Amazing thank you for sharing. As a wind turbine technician I look at these guys with envy and hope, and inspiration. The path to clean accessible power for everyone is forged by the dreams and commitment of pioneers like them. Just like their kite, their dreams took off, and will doubtless inspire others to follow in their footsteps. Thank you Makini

[@PadrinoLuca]

There are others. twitter.com/awesystems

[@Alexholbert]

This is incredible! I love seeing people push their capabilities to new heights, especially when it involves solving one of the worlds biggest problem. Thank you for sharing your trials and tribulations!!!

[@jeff0247598]

This was not a failure by any stretch. What they achieved in 13 years and the jump start of the new tech is monumental. Well done to all involved. Without folks like you, humanity fails. Chalk this one up as a HUGE win. We haven’t seen the last of this type of idea and tech.

[@greyraven2636]

I will be 75 yrs old in a few weeks time and after watching this video with keen interest I have to say that what I have seen and what this group of people have acheived is commendable to the highest degree! What is a tragedy is that are so few with the means to help this project move forward to become globally viable!

[@vinnartaigh2076]

it's very expensive

[@jdickson242]

Commendable however the project went way off scope. Simple, cheap electricity........this is not that. There are so many complex factors that mean this isn't viable...I like the concept but I cant see it happening. The simple rise and fall system with the surf kites still seems a system 'on scope'. Also as a noise consultant I think would have a hard time getting this through planning...A craft that sounds like a dive bomber....Id have people complaining within a 5 miles radius....

[@roquemocan]

@@jdickson242 I think they were a bit ahead of some techonological advances. We see now AI driving cars and flying drones, and that AI is/will no longer be that expensive. I think with a push of AI and also some input from aeronautical engineers this could be taken up by an aeronautical company.

[@YodaWhat]

@@jdickson242 You are thinking too conventionally. Only 1/4 or so of all present energy use is in the form of electric power. How might things be re-arranged if we had just as much energy, but it was electric power, far offshore? Hmm? Anyway, on the wide open seas, there is nobody around to notice the noise.

[@jdickson242]

@@YodaWhat 😄

[@tanyouliang]

Great job in advancing an untapped sector on renewable energy. These engineering efforts are not wasted, future companies are generations will learn from this and make renewables more viable in the coming years. Kudos to the team

[@MrDarchangelomni]

someone forward this to trump for a trump narration of its process ala his "shjjj... shjjj..." cancerous windmill explanation. maybe both hands going in circles with a "shj. shj. shj. shj." maybe the noise causes 8 types of cancer this time.

[@YodaWhat]

@@MrDarchangelomni Better: Attach him firmly to a blade of a regular giant machine and let it spin for a few weeks.

[@philip2774]

@@YodaWhat why? Do you wish people tortured? Do you believe it justified? What must one do to deserve such treatment? Would you personally execute and complete your previously written/described assault, if given legal opportunity? Or do you just like to talk out your starfish on the internet..

[@YodaWhat]

@@philip2774 "He" isn't "people". "He" has killed hundreds of thousands of people. "He" is also a traitor, having committed High Treason. But none of the Parties will mete out appropriate punishment, fearing their own _just desserts._

[@miramichi30]

@@YodaWhat Wow, someone drank the Kool-aid

[@lodecarnel3614]

Fantastic movie, very recognisable from our work at Kitemill. Thanks for sharing!

[@jimbronson687]

Very cool project. Not sure why approached in this manor as there is in fact already a kite and prop generating system. A fellow in Orange county CA designed it and built at least two models And one of the two is for sale right now. It does not use the cross wind you folks are going for but then it does not need to. A faster than the wind wind turbin car has already proved you do NOT have to use cross wind other than that picked up by the prop pitch. sailboats certainly can and do go faster than the wind driving them in many situations but you can harness that power with far less sophistication. But this is one cool and brilliant undertaking for cleaner energy. So glad you did this. very glad you shared it.

[@ZBackas]

Unbelievably inspiring - Thank you for sharing this journey with us!

[@jimthvac100]

This project went far beyond What I thought it would accomplish. I am very impressed with what they was able to do with this "Power generating Kite". My hats off to the team involved in putting this together. However It is hard to imagine something this complex surviving long enough in wind gust etc to be able to make a profit in producing electricity. Still extremely impressive.

[@chinmoy1955]

And how much power did it generate?

[@wadesminutes]

@Chinmoy Mitra exactly no specs at all.

[@joepbreuer9615]

Thanks for sharing this great story, very recognizable journey towards an operational airborne wind energy system. Pity Makani couldn't continue this story but it will always be recognized as a great pioneer of our technology.

[@tristancraven3685]

It's a pile of shit mate .the whole idea was stupid from the begining .

[@georgej.robinson4316]

If NASA can drive around on the moon and Mars… and, moreover fly over Mars, Makani WILL succeed!

[@z33r0now3]

@@georgej.robinson4316 If NASA is able to put men on the moon, you sure should be able to lick your own elbow... what a nonsense argument

[@craigwall9536]

@@tristancraven3685 YeahNO. I can see YOU aren't a sailplane pilot...

[@Marshall1174]

I'm sorry, this statement will come off cocky as heck here on KZbin where we all should applaud/commend great efforts, cheer for one another, and simply root for trying (right?). However, as an engineer involved in the tech community, I had huge conceptual doubts about this project from the start. I predicted what a massive waste of funding and resources it would likely turn out to be, and needless to say, unfortunately all of my predictions turned out to be right in line with my initial sarcasms about the project. It was one of the biggest wastes of resources I've seen in years. It was as if they chose a group of some inexperienced children just wanting to toy with investment money to create, well, a giant toy for them to play with on other people's wallets, regardless of the results. No engineer that I know had any actual expectations for these "kites" to do anything worthwhile--especially on the big current stage of current wind harnessing designs existing. The whole project came off as a practical joke, on a giant scale. It's ok to have ideas, concepts, etc., but when those concepts depict immediate modes of likely problems and failures, good scientists know when to cut the project and change course. These guys just didn't care, they wanted to be correct, refusing to admit defeat, when defeat was inevitable. What energy committee would honestly get together and believe there would be huge-scale operations of these things deployed across great areas of landscapes (I.E. deployed in large numbers) and expect a successful deployment on such a scale that there wouldn't be more unit downtime, crashes, and maintenance of these devices to overcome the costs to keep the others running and consistently deploying? This was an engineering nightmare in its full glory from the get-go, and I hope many learned to watch what they throw investment money at in the future. The failures taught more about hideous designs than the small amounts of up-time taught about ever trying such a disaster again. As I said before, I am sorry to have to be so honest and blunt about this project, but a nightmare project it truly was. It never had the slightest chance at defeating the common wind generators for up-time and low maintenance abilities, it should have been shut down long before it ever reached such scales of failure. Some folks just aren't cut out for the work they do; they operate on internal bias to try and force the unobtainable. Unfortunately, this group of folks fell into that category. Never knowing when to simply pull out and start a new path to a new project. Fortunately for some, we got to learn that bad ideas on large scales can still exist that allude the general public into buying into hocus pocus and sleight of hands, only to be fooled and used in the long-run for their lack of knowledge on the subjects at play. I hope many of you view future projects with a much finer toothed comb before crossing fingers and emptying wallets towards donations. This is a project that to a degree has really angered and upset many fellow engineers including myself as something that amounted to nearly a prank on the ones who really are making great strides in the fields of renewable energy sources, only at the cost of their much harder work, devotion, and common-sense attitudes about what to do when failure is inevitably on the horizon due to bad initial ideas. I hope these "kite junkies" picked up a lot of what never to repeat in the future when real world engineering is on the front-line. Sometimes, better ideas simply already exist in implementation, and a good scientist will quickly recognize such fact. But, we are all human with emotional flaws sometimes tied to our work, and great failures are often great learning lessons in disguise to those too young to realize how much of our work is fundamentally flawed by such evolutionary traits. To that I say, God speed humanity; don't give up forever, just allow good and bad experiences to keep shaping our brains and thought processes, continuously evolving our future endeavors for the advancement of this great race found here on planet Earth. 😉 After All, we're only a few hundred thousand years into our discoveries--a blink of time on the cosmic scale. Imagine humanity after a few hundred thousand more years building upon our discoveries. Eventually, we won't be chasing the wind, we will be creating it. I find great pleasure imagining that distant future for us--no matter how many times humanity may have to reboot through that lengthy process. We will get there, one day, we will get there.

[@cheriabraham813]

Wonderful film! I was so engaged the entire time! Thank you for documenting Makani’s achievements and for depicting the humanity of the workers, including their selfless desire to share this important technology with the world! Bravo!

[@phantomwalker8251]

how old are you,3?., this is a total waste of time & money. 13 yrs,& they achieved what,.nothing.. free energy is available,, but its free,. so you cant have it..

[@kevinchurch5934]

It's a wonderful film for audiences that have heads full of slop.

[@shortstroke8712]

I wasn’t aware that wind/power technology had gone in this direction. Awesome!

[@chanhopong]

The exploration of new and better solutions will be noticed and recognized. The sharing of knowledge and experience is selfless. I hope some day, people will make this master piece of invention financially viable. It takes decades to commercialize solar panels and wind mills. The kite will be there surely though slowly. Thank you for sharing your exciting journey.

[@markdanielson2759]

Lol

[@The8thSpirit]

Thank you so much for your enduring efforts, Makani! Your pioneer work won't be forgotten! Take a look at Skysails Power !

[@benwatkins7032]

Sky Sails did not piggyback off their tech. They understood what simplicity meant from the get-go and are now a profitable going concern.

[@The8thSpirit]

@@benwatkins7032 Well, they have also tried and failed before. Their technology was originally meant to power large scale maritime cargo ships for reducing carbon emissions of the biggest pulluters. But they came up with the solution right at the time of the crises of this entire industry. Hundreds of cargo ships, if not thousands, have been scrapped, while barely the biggest companies have survived. Noone was ready for paying a new technology. Sky Sails went bankrupt and was bought out and has continued with the mobile energy generation solution.

[@The8thSpirit]

@@benwatkins7032 But yes. Simplicity is crucial sometimes. Amazing technology Makani has developed with such a giant powered kite. Unfortunately extremely difficult to be proven stabile in a long time autonomous flight mode even enduring very high wind gusts like at places with the best wind resources have to face. And the cost and safety risks are sadly high in case of loss of control.

[@maxwaters1461]

And how many million birds has it killed?

[@The8thSpirit]

@@maxwaters1461 😂

[@NiteshAgarwalGeek]

I had goosebumps at least 10 times throughout the video and almost cried when the last crash happened. This is the kind of work I want to do, the kind of engineering I want to do, this is why I love engineering.

[@tcctech3211]

Longest video I have ever watched on KZbin and honestly enjoyed every second of it....

[@bermchasin]

how could they posssibly not know this was going to fail when they completely abandoned the original premise of the kite design - simplicity.

[@norikootsuki4661]

Thanks to everyone on the team at Makani for making this data available to all. Success is measured in many different ways. Success could be measured purely on the basis of experimentation and in the accumulation of research in this field. Good job to all!

[@rogernegrete5492]

I like your positive vibes you create with our almost poetic words that were uplifting and positive.

[@jpeterman6178]

Yes. If we stop questioning and testing the obvious (our even if it's a "what if") our "goals for man kind" will never happen.

[@Jody-nf2bz]

Great stuff! Only the music makes it annoying!

[@iliketowatch.]

This brings to mind the quote from Thomas Edison: "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”

[@rusemers]

It is people like you, who serve, who strive and do not yield, that will get the rest of where we need to be. Thank you for what you have done and the knowledge you have left behind.

[@jonbeno9926]

A beautiful story of an outside of the box idea that came together at the right time with the right people for the magic to happen. It is hard to say what may come of the ideas generated from this effort. Makani's impact on the world is far from over.

[@craigwall9536]

It wasn't outside the box at all. This is an OLD concept. What is NEW are the electronics and control techniques.

[@nicolasgrilly]

Thank you so much for documenting this over 13 years and sharing it with us! Inspiring.

[@BooDevil65]

I think the technical term is "uneffingbelievable". Awesome story - credit to the whole team for achieving what you did.

[@sailingsolar]

Whatever! They spent 13 years and didn't produce a final working product. Maybe because the project kept going bigger and more complex for greater power generation. I see it every time. "The gravity light", imo, was/is a far greater success which continues bringing benefit to individual people. What produced this failure were the investors, unlike the gravity light which stopped and got what it had developed out into the world. Google was never interested in developing a product that can be sold and will benefit the people's power needs. It was interested in getting a product that it will own and sell the power generated to the grid who then sells that power to the people. What they started with was derailed by the deep pockets they accepted money from early on. Just my opinion. Cheers.

[@tomgray971]

@@sailingsolar I think you're right. A small project that could bring power to one town or village might have had traction.

[@RomboutVersluijs]

@@sailingsolar Depends what you call a final product, product design tends to keep renewing and keep being improved.

[@BooDevil65]

@@sailingsolar Never heard of that one - I just tripped over this in my feed. This also isn't a zero-sum game: this team's accomplishments didn't lessen "the gravity light's" accomplishments, did it?

[@codrangelf]

Even though they didnt finish with a final product, their research and product development will still help future endeavours on the subject. This is first and foremost a film about the story of the company as a whole, not just the tech or that they "didnt deliver". They certainly delivered; if this was a university doing the research and publishing papers on it, it would (imo) be highly praised by the scientific society. Maybe even Siemens would dip their toe into it. That remaims to be seen. (I just finished this video when writing this. Havent read more on the subject if there has been further development by other teams after Mekani)

[@titlepower]

There are a group of people out there that have the burning desire and passion to convert an idea into a goal that is driven by the need to solve a problem plaguing humanity. These men and women of Makani are no exception. To them on behalf of the world I say Thank you thank thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you. May you all be successful in your endeavors.

[@TentOX]

For me, this is a wonderful documentary and worthy of a thank you to the many people who have visions, can emas funding and people to keep exploring options that will move us away from this climate situation. The failure of this project with millions of dollars spent over 13 years is in fact it’s greatest value, as the next person takes what was learned and gets another step closer to the solution.

[@richardjosephnovak]

Why are you still living with your parents..

[@richardjosephnovak]

If you want to move away from this climate situation just get in your car and move. Easy.

[@DaniDipp]

This is great, thank you for filming and editing all of this over so many years!

[@duanesalstrand7361]

Amazingly,t hat's all they have accomplished... 13 years of wasted time and money

[@DaniDipp]

@@duanesalstrand7361 You couldn't be more wrong if you tried. The amount of knowledge and experience that was gained from such a massive and long-running project probably wouldn't even fit into a masters degree. Look up the papers they published for a small taste. Even if this project didn't work out as intended, the lessons learned here are already being used by others in the scientific community. This is proof that the science works!

[@duanesalstrand7361]

@@DaniDipp Science does work but it doesn't take 13 years and tons of cash to understand the lessons you say were learned. Really? 13 years to figure out that

[@duanesalstrand7361]

@@DaniDipp I agree, science does work. But it doesn't take a scientist to understand that a kite isn't going to solve any energy needs. Any educated mech engineer can tell you that you didn't need top spend that kind of wasted time and money to "learn" what these people wasted their time on. Too invested in a bad idea from the get go to make it a worthwhile endeavor. Road to hell is paved with good intentions and this is the epitome of that. It's desirable to try new things, it's foolish to not understand that you don't need to spend 13 years and tons of money on something that won't solve the stated objective...and the science already exists, engineering wise, they did't break any new ground.

[@DaniDipp]

@@duanesalstrand7361 From how you write, it's very clear that you DON'T understand how the scientific process works and have no capacity to do research before opening your mouth. That's quite unfortunate but luckily for me, it's not my duty to teach you :D So get your of my replies and go troll someone else, please and thank you 👋

[@johnhaggerty6009]

Kate and Andrea, I am sure I have just watched a film that deserves a "Best Documentary Film" nomination for an Oscar. I hope the film is possibly able to bring Makani back to Norway next year by getting you the funding you need. The technology is just so beautiful when compared to conventional wind tech. It seems like a great solution to off-shore wind generation and sure is a lot nicer to look at. What a great story ... I just wish it had a happier ending ... maybe someday it will.

[@annastirr2660]

Great job, Kate and Andrea! What a moving story of Makani's journey.

[@jimchambers8810]

What a woke joke of a project, spanking all that money! Seriously, the waste is criminal. It’s numptys like you the feed the BS projects like this. This is a typical feel good factor going way too far before some has the balls to pulls the hand break on. This project should have never got off the ground. Pun intended!

[@kevinchurch5934]

@@jimchambers8810 Yes Jim, as they lost taxpayer funding all this proof they accumulated couldn't attract a single private investor and none of those so-called engineers or researchers were willing to dig into their own pockets.

[@collectorguy3919]

There are so many accomplishments here, but I'm most impressed how they're doing all this while raising children. Can't imagine how it's possible.

[@Bobalicious]

A noble enterprise. Thank you for sharing this film. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[@EduardoEmery]

Wow, amazing! Thanks for sharing such an incredible project.

[@tomclark6271]

Other than being disappointed in the absence of an explanation of how electrical power would be conducted to the ground, the amount of power generated, and the many technical aspects of the project, the film was entertaining and held my attention throughout.

[@QuigleySharps45]

Really? It's tethered.. a tether would make a great roadway for those helpful little electrons.

[@HunkabrninSteele]

You’re listening comprehension isn’t very good because they explained it all what do you mean how are they going to get it to the Ground silly it’s tied to the ground

[@stevensamuel4634]

Incredible film, and absolutely love the vision to thoroughly document the whole process over 13 years. The shot of the kite flying offshore with the generic wind turbine in the background perfectly captured. It's just a shame that offshore couldn't be pushed further. I remember being so excited seeing that you guys had achieved offshore, but unfortunate to know that was also the beginning of the end

[@jahjah_light6121]

what would you say if found out this is all a big joke?

[@slfriend]

jahjah_light - I know, right! I can’t believe people are buying this BS! “Let’s make a windmill as complicated as an airplane, and get $150M or so of funding!” ($15M before X bought them). Never produced a MVP (Minimum Viable Product). I’m guessing they pulled a dummy load to be able to say they “pulled power from the sky”, since their tether seems much too small to be carrying power....a better name would be “throwing money at the Sky”.

[@jimchambers8810]

I want to know who the mastermind behind the stewardship of this farce was. Absolute Legend. “Hey look man do you want to change the world? Just cut me a cheque, I’m like the dude!” Like wow. 13 years of guzzling cool aid and spanking all that dosh, whilst kids in Africa read at night with bloody candle. What a bunch of over educated self-entitled tossers. Now they all have jobs with the likes of BP. Hahahahaha

[@YodaWhat]

@@slfriend The tether conducts electric power both ways, at high voltage, much like the electric grid. That eliminates the need for heavy wires. If you knew the first thing about electric power, you would not shoot off your mouth/finger in ignorance.

[@chinmoy1955]

@@YodaWhat Yes, the tether conducts high voltage, so what? What's the outcome of all that BS? Millions pilfered for the sake of fun time! Right from the beginning of the video I could tell that it was a dead project, just a means of fooling the sponsors. How could a technology giant like google bite the hook? Unbelievable!

[@bo_b12]

the idea of an energy kites has been haunting me ever since i was a kid. had a whole notebook of drawings of them, so it deeply touched me to see my childhood dreams pushed into reality by a team of true heros. Reality is harsh in wind energy though as I learned lateron. Particularly going offshore is a different animal, just the corrosion is a whole battlefield of its own. And so is wear, tear and vibrations on the tether. Whatever goes out there for commercial purpose must work without maintanance for long periods of time in any kind of storm, ice and extreme uv. Tough stuff.

[@drewesalan7152]

Extraordinary human effort and innovation. The world is blessed with the intellectual power and dedication of from these people that came together for a higher purpose. At a human level, Makani was not a failure by any measure, but a standard all humans must aspire to save the earth and its countless inhabitants.

[@blacklizzard2807]

One of the best content I've ever watched. I hope I'll be able to work in such a great company like yours was. Started out with a few friends and ended up like a big company. I love humanity!

[@phantomwalker8251]

this is bs.. regardless of what power it is,,you will still have to pay for it. unlike nikola teslas power tower. based on the ancient pyramid power generators,, tru, power from the sky.. not this bs..

[@dennisb6238]

@@phantomwalker8251 for real?

[@blacklizzard2807]

@@phantomwalker8251 Holy shit dude, thanks for enlightening me! No shot you have to pay for power and anyways I wasn't talking about that. I was commenting the cinematography and the fact that young people gathered and made a company with a dream of improving our world. Yeah okay, they didn't make a multi-million company, but at least they made a lot of research and progress, collected a lot of data, make lifelong friendships and created this beautiful piece of video content for others to see what is like working in such a company.

[@suedenim6590]

@@phantomwalker8251 nah. If tesla succeeded we would have NO internet. There wouldn't be able to be a chip in anything it would fry.

[@kenosabi]

@@phantomwalker8251 this from the numb nuts that doesn't know the difference between , and . ..but sure will listen to those physics plans you got there big boy.

[@ormsin4072]

This is amazing thing in the world , I love it . THANK YOU for Sharing.

[@Mindbodyamit]

Keep setting goals and meeting them. What a great milestone for the spirit of engineering and team work.

[@suedenim6590]

Hey, I also Amit I Singh sometime's

[@meteorfive6]

Hey, don't make fun of someone's name

[@oldspammer]

​@@meteorfive6 If the guy had really really thin skin and was severely injured by that guys goofy sense of humor that appears as though it was not insulting in the slightest, he would be able to speak for himself. Here is the long boring story, but maybe you suffer from a short attention span and are unable to read fast nor install a browser plugin for reading aloud selected portions of text? If it was me, I'd tell you to chillax, remain calm, and stop trying to inflate a hurt feelings and emotions thing into any kind of huge victimhood conflict that could elevate into more serious conflict or physical injury as seems always to be the plan with cultural Marxism enthusiasts that fail to realize that Marxism was tried many times and no one competent was able to pull it off because the revolutionaries murdered everyone competent in those societies. 200 plus million people were murdered due to Marxist dialectic materialism prompted by the removal of religion so that humans were NOT made in the image of some deity so cold be summarily murdered for political power gain, etc, IE., that immorality could rain free of any constraints of a higher power. As well, the axioms, presuppositions, conclusions, policies, ideology, are deliberately biased by viewing everything through a distorted lens. Also each person is an individual not merely a clone of everyone in their various group memberships so that they think in ways that can be different especially if they are divergent from their socially engineered Prussian education system that intends that cookie cutter copies are made so that everyone has predictable consumer behaviors that can be swayed by advertising to buy the latest fad thing, or adopt the latest fad ideology, or whatever else. Leftism likes to blame all woes of individuals who made their own life choices on other innocent, uninvolved parties. Recall Jacobinism was the precursor to Marxism. It drove the French revolution that saw mostly trouble making based mostly on envy of those who had higher levels of competence who were able to make and save some money to have any. It was using Hebrew Israelite Biblical "sins of the father" kind of punishment of death on those trying to make a happy life, etc, even though Jacobins were atheistic and supposedly shunned religious stuff. "THE IMPERIAL FRENCH CAUSE" "IN DEFENSE OF NAPOLEON BONAPARTE" Fascifist Turns out the Jacobins were funded by their supposed enemies--an extremely wealthy banking dynasty who eventually funded internationally the forces of many countries to oppose Napoleon Bonaparte who determined who was at the actual root of trouble making turmoil. Instead, if you are talented, then go out and start a business. You'll soon learn that the oppressed versus oppressor narrative is utterly a false one unless you get backers with unlimited deep pockets that would support you in the high burn rate years until you gained some kind of monopoly market share or whatever, that is just not going to happen typically. I was at one time a lefty too. It usually is very unhelpful to issue criticism upon comedians who were attempting to be amusing rather than hurtful. Having thin skin is a sure way to elevate minor issues into huge trouble making that could cause revolutions, and wars over simple misunderstandings or poor senses of humor. Life is too short to have it wasted being thin skinned, stirring up trouble and trouble making. In high school bullies there would punch me in the face, break my nose, having it bleeding--real physical injury--I just turned around and walked away from the fools and did not say anything. That is real tolerance of someone who is being deliberately annoying and violent. Everyone taught in schools to be SJWs is NOT a good plan so that the long march through the institutions of society of the Frankfurt school and Antonio Gramsci cultural hegemony are doing their task to make the world a much worse place due to making young naive propaganda unquestioning into domestic enemies of everyone else who is innocent and just trying to live their lives free from real tyrannical fascism. See kgb defector yuri bezmenov cultural subversion Learned a new thing a few hours ago from very nice older black female university lecturer about slavery about the way Eastern Europeans from slavic countries (from where the word slave was derived) sold many of their children into slavery even prior to 500 BC. That is a very long history of slavery, if you ask me. See kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpq9dZSmnLaXfNE Why White People are Called Caucasian (Illustrated) Skip the long introduction by the old man there, then watch and listen to the older black lady scholar from Princeton University all the way until the end. Some people have cited news that these same peoples are still victims of slavery by having the young females tricked into thinking that they have been offered a well paying office job in Western Europe only to find themselves in the sex industry in brothels, turning many tricks per day, etc. The system of enslavement is being run by ethnic mafia kinds of dudes. This is true injustice rather than just a poor sense of humor. Some have said that this form of human trafficking has been facilitated by nefarious members of the elite people who run most of the countries around the world. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKGliWBpZ9KegpI Chief Counsel Robert David Steele. ITNJ.org Seating Hearings on international human trafficking, pedophilia rings, organized crime sex enslavement, etc.

[@nizarjiwan6970]

I intend to show this to every high school student I counsel to inspire her or him to peruse an engineering career. There is no more rewarding way to live and work. Thank you for sharing this beautifully illustrated video.

[@patman0250]

You said her or him, it's actually him or her. Him alway's comes first.

[@solarmande7280]

​@@patman0250 My condolences to your wife...

[@patman0250]

@@solarmande7280 Phh! I ain't got no ball and chain buddy. Keep them jars away from my nuts.

[@nigelnewton3127]

Just watched the film, great to see people trying to make a difference to the world's power production. It's a shame that things didn't work out as planned, but with just a few changes to the design the results would have been a lot different. If a company has decided to go ahead with a similar kind of product then maybe with certain areas of improvement then they might be able to create a sustainable product, if they have the amount of financial help that will be required.

[@sharadbagri7677]

Great work Makani team. Hope it could have continued.

[@LimestoneCoastCustoms]

WoW !! One of the best doco's I've even seen. Almost emotional after the ending, Very sad but HUGE gains along the way. Well Done!!

[@jamolamo999]

Zeitgeist 👀🤯

[@viralmeme1289]

If Ads were made this way i would always watch them It was so well made and inspirational thank you for sharing it with us!

[@fiegenfiegen]

44:00 So you say bladed wind generators are awful... and you build a tower just like that of a wind generator. This video is full of delight!

[@DaveAwesome]

Thanks everyone! This is amazing! I can't wait for the next story on youtube!

[@CuervoRC]

The idea seems horrible, complex, with a high probability of failture and possibly more expensive than a wind turbine. But the fact is that you tell the story so eagerly that it will turn out well that I was very excited throughout the documentary.

[@TheSailingBrothers]

this was a fantastic watch, thank you

[@suedenim6590]

With those bald heads have you ever been called a pair of tits?

[@syedzuhairkhalid8515]

@@suedenim6590 u must be fun at parties

[@suedenim6590]

@@syedzuhairkhalid8515 I know that must seem a horribly excessive burn to someone with zero experience of a party and all the pessimism towards jovialilty that that ensues but it really isn't. It's a joke because two bald heads look like breasts which is also something you may experience if your horrible attitude improves

[@arfyness]

Thank you for documenting this epic adventure of groundbreaking innovation. And thank you for putting together such a beautiful cinematic tapestry that so expertly holds your fantastic storytelling.

[@MartinAston00]

“Epic” “groundbreaking” “innovation” ??? You realize they basically didn’t do a damn thing right?.. besides waste tons of money! Sooo much of they’re troubleshooting could’ve been easily solved by real and experienced Pilots. On top of that, they could’ve consulted Engineers who’ve already been down this road. This was not a NEW idea, there’s a reason we went with huge wind turbines in valleys. Cause even with the best AI, Algorithms, and Systems, you can’t control the wind. So trying to use a Kite attached to essentially a winch, to produce energy. Is just foolish.

[@marclappin2508]

Wow what a story of reinvention A hard line to take With so many variables! Unexpected and expected outcomes Great bunch of clever individuals trying to solve cheap green energy from harnessing nature's invisible touch Hats off to the team and to your boss and friend who died unexpectedly! who got this off the ground in the 1st place Thanks for sharing this story Makes me wish I was a part of it Recommended watch

[@dekanr]

I can fully understand that feeling. You did anazing work and soul connections that will remain in your hearts as long as they beat. Beautiful work to admire and the level of persistivity you don't see every day. thank you for this video.

[@johngilbert9553]

I would have liked to know more about the actual power generation results. Also more details of how the power is produced, by the turning props? Or some other more passive or solid state system?

[@christiangeiselmann]

Indeed, the film lets this completely unclear. - Anyway it's obviously ths spinning of the tiny propellers. I don't see the point why this thing should be better than a traditional wind mill of, say, similar wing size. The one explanation in the beginning that due to the larger diameter the yield was larger is nonsense because of course the moving plane does not use the power of the wind that blows where the plane just isn't.

[@This_is_my_real_name]

@@christiangeiselmann -- It's long been known that there is a dramatic voltage differential between ground and altitude, the higher the altitude, the higher the voltage. This is used for some autonomous flight control systems, which constantly measure the left/right wingtip voltage delta. The problem with _harnessing_ this voltage is that -- besides the fact that it's of extremely low _current_ (amperage), it's _Direct_ current. Cue video of Edison pulling out his hair as his engineers read the facts of life to him (regarding power generation and distribution). What are you going to do with umpteen thousands of volts of DC? Well, you could step it down to a more _manageable_ voltage, at which point the _current_ would increase all by itself. Well, that is, you could if it was _Alternating_ Current. Solutions? Sure. Viable? Not so much. Easiest would be a spark gap -- when the voltage -- likely fed into a condenser bank -- reached a high enough level so as to make a spark happen between two electrodes, the current would _crudely_ "alternated" -- and if there was the primary of a transformer placed between the spark and either the feed, or ground, then the _secondary_ would provide the desired voltage, with a higher current. Of course, this would not be our nice friendly 60 Hz sine wave. It'd be random, noisy, probably s sawtooth or perhaps something between a sawtooth and a square wave. Or, just random noise. Oh, right -- the feed -- which gathers the voltage out of the air -- would also become a _very_ powerful _radiator_ of the broadband "signal" created by the spark gap. ("Broadband" in the traditional sense of the word, from before it became "synonymous" with "high speed" Internet; this, apparently due to "broadband" having won the protocol war with "baseband" -- with either/both being fully capable of very _high_ speed or very _low_ speed -- but, I digress.) The result would be the obliteration of all open air radio communications within a quite large radius (the higher the collector/radiator, the higher the voltage and thus the higher the efficiency, with efficiency being a two-edged sword, therefore the higher the efficiency, the larger the radius of obliteration). Or, someone could come up with a super-efficient DC motor that could run at the tens of thousands of volt/microamp juice, and use it to turn a generator to produce 60 Hz AC at usable voltage levels. I would not hold my breath waiting for that. Well, I guess I should start watching the video now, and see if it can hold my attention throughout its entirety.

[@This_is_my_real_name]

And the answer is a resounding *_Nope!_* I don't have enough time in my life to endure this long, droning [yeah, I said "droning"!] puff piece covering a pack of idealistic young saps who'll swallow the crisis du jour, and then proceed to wash it in Other People's Money. But should I ever find myself in need of a tragic yawner I'll be back in a flash.

[@noneck3099]

@@This_is_my_real_name ...i'm suspicious of all the positive comments...someone is deleting the ones that question them....like " How much power does your overly complicated and prone to damage windmill make?"

[@aki44]

Bravos Makani team, this was truly inspiring. Absolutely loved the team!

[@jannek5757]

Has to be the most over engineered system I have ever seen, whee!

[@JustinRK81]

about the same thing and it does the same thing that a wind turbine does LOL I guess you got to give these kids something to do who wants to work a 9 to 5:00...

[@billdale1]

@@JustinRK81 sorry, but you must have ADHD, having missed the entire mention of the proposed advantages of such a kite, namely, that the higher you go, the faster and more consistent the winds are. You, sir, are a dunce.

[@unsucks9337]

It kept them employed and earning and I suspect they are more accountancy types than engineer. I would like to know the cause of the original leader's cause of death. The most important event in this video and it was glossed over. Suspicious?

[@jannek5757]

@@unsucks9337 Employed yes, earning is debatable.

[@jelliott8424]

@@unsucks9337 ​ iLluMinATi OmG I added this conspiracy to my database of global tragedies that are likely perpetrated by the UN and their team of alien overlords

[@shoppe99]

Having flown RC gliders and electrics for a number of years I toyed with the idea of making an RC kite/glider. When I saw the crash at China Lake where the "kite" got slack line then suddenly pulled away breaking the wing I was astonished the designers hadn't built breakaway couplers into the two tethers attached to the wings. Then it would just be either a powered or dead stick glide to the ground. I noticed the pilot was using an RC style control box. It might have helped also if they had built in a ton more flexibility into the wings, have you ever seen how much flex jumbo jet airliners have in their wings, incredible. That would have saved maybe two of the first crashes, tether break and wing break. Maybe even simple dihedral in the wings would help stabilize the "kite" and control the "aircraft". Anyway, just idle thinking. Loved the video. It would have been interesting to get some real world data about how this process could stack up against the current crop of energy production. Also, real world longevity in this system. Like what will happen to the bouy and the kite when a hurricane comes a callin'?

[@SleepyBoBos]

You should apply for a spot on the team.

[@nickshewring4400]

What an amazing film and powerful group of humans! Thank you for sharing our journey with the world and inspiring us to dream big. This is what innovation looks like and every young human with a passion for solving problems needs to watch this! Thank you

[@brucekaiwi3839]

Forgive me if I missed it but something I didn’t see mentioned in this documentary is company name they chose. Makani is Hawaiian for wind. Much respect for everyone who worked so hard on such a noble project.

[@lorenzoblum868]

Thank you for this fun fact. Unfortunately "The answer is not blowing in Makani" if you allow me this cheap pond🙄

[@pashmaster]

For the Team the last 13 Years where not lost....this was the Engineering life I was longing for.

[@tanner882]

Eventually when “Global Warming” has gotten every other president elected over the past 20 years and nothing has happened yet maybe they can turn a profit on this by allowing rides on their kites 🪁 😃

[@Snugglez187]

*were

[@spencerdw1]

A lot of money and wasted time (time we don’t have according to the documentary). Your statement belies the notion you really believe the urgency. It’s not about giving you ‘the experience’. Is it?

[@Studio23Media]

@@tanner882 "nothing has happened" You aren't paying attention...

[@tanner882]

@@Studio23Media things haven’t changed since the late 90’s. All the tech we have now we had then, things have been nipped and tucked to appear “New” but nothing is.

[@AbsolutFlippy]

So inspiring to see all your process and perseverance. Beautifully shot!

[@dennisf.macintyre117]

Thank you for all your work and effort!

[@PeaceChanel]

Thank You for All that you are doing for World Peace and for our Planet... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. La Paz.. Namaste .. 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮️ ❤️ 💐 🕊

[@mvadu]

Amazing engineering..While watching this i was thinking about what challenges Spacex had to overcome to nail drone landing, where they had to wait for a paying customer launches to try out their attempt to land.

[@neverasummersurfer]

This project is incredible. The amount of resources required to get this to where it is, is mind boggling.

[@DickChisqo420]

"Mind-bottling" Ron Burgundy

[@u2509249]

I am very impressed with your accomplished goal and even more impressed with the knowledge gained. Congratulations.

[@kirtandreamrezzer]

WOW! Soaring outside the box of "established" ideas. This can inspire anyone to question current tech ideas and let their minds invent without limits.

[@blastfiendsunite420]

Reminds me of how SpaceX is designing and building Starship. Fly, crash, learn, fix, repeat. Very cool!

[@andrschiller]

Probably the most extreme overengineering I have ever seen. Done for a problem that has been solved decades ago with wind turbines. Flabbergasted!

[@supertramp6011]

Try thousands of years- think sailboats and windmills grinding flour. Stuff like this pisses me off,what a ridiculous waste of time,money,fossil fuels etc- I would love to know the carbon footprint this monstrosity left in its wake....

[@UncleBeef]

I like the transition from wind powered flying to hovering with stored power. Thats was a great idea and also seeing it in action showed me how creative your team is. Its very interesting to see the movement when its powered by the wind and when it transitions to hover mode. Great work team

[@southbostongear629]

I was curious about the power demand for hovering.

[@drewm1980]

The efficiency for hovering isn't great compared to a similarly multicopter that is optimized to operate only in thrust mode. They had to make tradeoffs around this in the propeller design. If you want the actual number, it may well be in their final technical paper; it is pretty thorough.

[@wakenow7612]

@@southbostongear629 it's a drone on wire. Using huge power consumption. This is the most bogus " power saving" equipment ever invented.

[@lucasatilano8008]

The tech definitely has some uses where it would be better than most solutions, but it is a complex system

[@shaneintegra]

Way too complex. Even with the simplicity of windmills they are running into new problems

[@AquarianNomadic]

Yeah but imagine being the guy who gets to spend all of the money on ultra complex "cool" systems. You can't stop him. Apparently. It truly is a vanity project that could be simplified.

[@jimchambers8810]

@@AquarianNomadic Elon Musk would have scheduled Rapid Disassembly. Just a ridiculous idea dreamt up on a beach after smoking one too many joints.

[@spencerdw1]

Has some uses? You don’t have to think long before realizing currently used renewables are far less complex. Can you imagine the transmission cost for enough off shore units? Remember their test unit powered only 30 homes. A lot of unshared infrastructure for very little capacity. This idea was a waste of time and money

[@Aeroworks540]

So are cars and planes but they work

[@gooblio]

I've seen a similar thing used for making electricity from tides in the ocean with an underwater kite. But it didn't just do circles it was doing figure eights. I think it's in Norway or one of the Scandinavian countries.

[@bugstomper4670]

Yeah, but that actually works. It doesn't crash into broken pieces.

[@MrBigbear1684]

My heart broke a little at the end. Let's hope this plants the seeds for other projects that bear greater fruit for mankind

[@bozosplayhouse]

Great teamwork and dedication to such a project, one that would be a monumental task marrying all the technologies involved to get a viable outcome. I only wish we can one day watch such a grass-roots effort overcome the challenges of cold fusion, as I don't think such noisy esoteric mechanical birds will generate much energy in the future. More of a proof of concept, I'm sure the investors saw this as well.. just imagine the noise, risks and maintenance such a system would incur even if based out in the ocean.

[@claudiohess7692]

In the ocean I think is twice difficult!!

[@FrankReif]

It looked dodgy at the beginning, it looked dodgy in the end, but I'm glad they tried.

[@rssvss]

yes maybe this will help other research. But like most of these energy things, All in it for the government grant money/ 10% research 90% salaries.

[@FrankReif]

@@rssvss the market isn't really figuring it out either. We need new ideas. *aword

[@geoffM6009]

Was dodgy at the start. Was dodgy at the end. Full stop.

[@mrschnider6521]

Why does their kite look so complex? ( Ref: 37:00) I thought they were trying to make wind for cheaper?

[@mrschnider6521]

@@FrankReif We need batteries my friend, we need batteries.

[@blackrockcity]

Thank you! Great film. I hope people find a use for all of this knowledge. Would more money get you to a place where this project makes sense? Or is this solution hopelessly complex?

[@Heshhion]

I was constantly on the edge of my seat. Amazing :)

[@jabuki2]

Great video. I loved the engineering. It shows how a simple idea can explode into a ton of complexity to implement. Even with a simpler consistent retrieval system, there are just so many moving parts and points of failure. Maintenance and reliability would be huge factors.

[@fiegenfiegen]

Well, the matter was complex from the start, but it was sold as a beautiful thing that, once again, "would bring cheap and simple energy all over the world to simple people"... Same with clean water sourcing, for instance. This basic lie has harnessed a lot of investment in a host of projects to produce nothing in so many projects! As a whole, it can be viewed, I guess, as "parasitic engineering".

[@miramichi30]

@@fiegenfiegen That's an incredibly cynical take on it. None of the incredible technologies we have would be possible without risk taking.

[@dh2032]

@@miramichi30 well if it does not work or uses almost as much as it will give back, or more, what would call it, even window mill (turbines), if you could get one to work 24/365 all the, which then don't, the don't work if there no wind, and if the to much wind, which was a big surprise, consider that the hole point of them, and the bigger they get the more parts and stuff the need to make them go? (are the not meant to make something else go instead) and all the part weir out they tent to make electricity, when it not needed, when when the do make, meaningful amounts, and and this is the big one, because the wind is not constant it can an does stop blowing unpredictably, to keep a constant supply going, you have to keep a regular power station running in standby, all the time you are getting the power from the wind, so what the point you might as well just use the power from regular power station running in standby, waiting for the wind to stop in the first place, (there some technical, stuff the bout it running it stand by there not using as much as if they where making power, but that only a small amount, but power the cost of all the windmills, extra instructor need, there there not much left, and that if it all works perfectly, and how many thing do that

[@DanielZajic]

Outstanding film! I do wish there had been more first principles discussion of why this idea has merit at all. I was not convinced. Scale seems to be the key to success in most economical technology, like container ships, planes, trucks, rockets, cars, etc. The trend to ever larger windmills seems to supports this. Also, what about noise? Noise means resistance. Small propellers are surely much less efficient and maybe more important, have far less longevity, which would be crucial for making this economical. Then there's the risk of crashing. I would never have invested in this over the relative simplicity of windmills. Maybe there's more to the story, I wish they had been able to convince me. How did they convince Google X and Shell? In any case, this pursuit will surely pay off anyway, in the future successes of everyone involved, and how it will have inspired anyone that witnessed it.

[@robertmcdonnold3038]

Thanks Daniel. I was wondering the same thing. You expressed it far better then I could. Thanks Bob

[@Damathus]

I understood that it is apparently very costly, complicated and ressource needy to put up conventional offshore wind mill parks. In my mind it is understandable that once you have this kite system figured out well enough you can set it up nearly anywhere comparably quickly and you could even move it to different locations later. To give you an example I am from Germany and from what I have been reading the last year we really desparately need to speed up green hydrogen production to somehow get closer to meet the CO2 reduction obligations for our energy hungry industry. Apparently the official government assumptions on future energy consumption are far from reality.

[@Damathus]

So ho about putting some of these kites on a massive ship and convert it into a movable hydrogen plant that can go move to the optimal wind spots and sell the hydrogen to the best paying customer xD

[@jahjah_light6121]

@@Damathus fake it is

[@2nd3rd1st]

I was wondering about the viability as well. This took over a decade to get to a point where it just works, while established wind turbines got iteratively more efficient and cheaper. It's like taking ten years to develop solar panels on cars to gain 5-10 more miles a day, only to see batteries getting 20x better and electric motors getting 10x more efficient in the same time.

[@jo.b]

Fascinating effort and well told. Thank you everyone at Makani who dared to try something so innovative, what a great adventure.

[@zerosugarmatcha7348]

It's poetic, but hard to believe the reliability would be close to the stationed turbines, too many dynamic factors like wind shear for sustainable operation.

[@skm9420]

B52, they'll be over a hundred years old when retired.

[@steveperreira5850]

Exactly, too many crazy high force dynamic factors. No way does it scale up, no way. It’s a pipe dream and that’s what I expect from people With the California mentality that we can do anything because we are smarter than everyone else. I’ve lived here my whole life I’ve seen it over and over again. When I faced impossible projects, I told the management so, and refused to work on them, not because I’m afraid of Possible failure, because I’m sure of it. Somethings are just not possible to become viable products.

[@Studio23Media]

@@steveperreira5850 LMAO maybe you fail so many times because of that attitude...

[@pepitoaus]

Yes just like planes, very unreliable and many dynamic factors, I think we should just stick to trains, actually just horses...

[@87stevan]

@@Studio23Media Just be confident bro..

[@ycy-technologies]

What an effort! What A GREAT TEAM! I commend you all! really! I just can't understand how the goal of making wind energy harnessing simple and cost-effective in relation to wind turbines can be achieved by implementing a much more complex machine, that probably costs more, is much more complicated to operate maintain and install, makes less power, makes much more noise and interference, and is under the constant threat of fatal failure. Can someone please elaborate on how this is even remotely sane?

[@MD-zy9xk]

This was engineering that needed people thinking with an occams razor element. Back to the drawing boards and completely start over.

[@Danger_mouse]

Did they mention the output capacity of a unit like this? Maybe I missed it...

[@askandy7952]

I must have missed it too. Cool accomplishment/learning opportunity and great documentary but the concept is completely silly. Not efficient, practical, safe, or scalable.

[@Jarekurban6]

I can’t believe someone founded it for 13 years. At least some people had good income for that period .

[@craigwall9536]

You need to edit your post if you mean "funded". Yeah, they were milking that tit for all it was worth. And some of them deserve contempt- the broad running the lathe wearing a _long sleeve sweatshirt,_ for instance. But overall, I'd say it was pretty damned impressive.

[@fafontes8473]

Thank you Makani for sharing your story and all the rest. I hope that those that will continue to research on Airborne Wind Energy can now build on the shoulders of giants and make it work!

[@Reegareth]

This is an interesting concept but I dont see how this can be practical. There are too many things that can go wrong. Also how much energy can this produce relative to other more simple systems? I'm not against new things but it does seem like a much more risky system with so many failure points.

[@__WJK__]

Well said and I couldn't agree more... just wayyy too many high-risk variables and even if most of the variables could be solved, I simply do not see how such a design could survive sitting out in the elements long term, especially during major weather events.

[@steveperreira5850]

Is absolutely insane, like you said too many moving parts, and that should be the death knell from the get go. They should have done something else if they want to make something competitive with conventional wind turbines. One guy in the comments suggested tethered helium dirigibles. That sounds a hell of a lot more practical than this joke.

[@ehombane]

@@steveperreira5850 it was tried as I remember. A ring shaped balloon and the rotor in the middle. Never heard of follow up though.

[@__WJK__]

@Daneel Olivaw - I recall seeing those experimental ring-shaped balloon wind turbines (with the center-mounted wind turbine)... not in person but online. Which btw, sure seems to make a lot more sense vs thinking a super finicky kite wing (expected to rotate round and round 24/7/365 while tethered to massive moorings) was somehow going to revolutionize the energy industry(?) At least the ring balloon wind turbine design could be configured to retract back into a (sealable) ground-level bunker or sealable above-ground domed housing ... which would not only offer superior protection during non-ideal wind conditions/severe weather but would also offer ideal sheltered maintenance. On a side note (and to be clear) I'm not knocking the amazing feat of engineering involved in the tethered kite project but I am knocking the total and utter impracticality... which should have been realized long before the project was further and further green-lighted/funded. It's too bad the design team didn't shift focus to a more practical project, such as the ringed balloon wind turbine design ... I bet they could have knocked that design out of the park and more likely seen the fruits of their labor blossom into actual mass production and long-term contracts(!)

[@kng128]

After watching the film how many things can go wrong now seems pretty obvious. That is to say they couldn't have foreseen all of those issues from setting out a decade ago.

[@asgeirlno5956]

And the journey continues - with Kitemill, Skysails, Kitepower, Twingtec, Enerkite, Skypull, Kitenrg, Mozaero, Windlift and more. AWE is coming soon!

[@kpadalldotablet1009]

This deserves a lot more than 1.5M views.

[@tonyrusi1978]

Interesting story! I bought a used Hyper-Tech slalom board from Corwin Hardham in 1986 in Hood River. I always thought someone would turn kitesurfing into power. Carbon-Fiber is expensive. Cloth is cheap.

[@frankfahrenheit9537]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jme0ZZquhsyZoLM

[@peterfox8701]

wonderful tale of inovation and gritty stick to it ness , however did i miss the part of how much power was ever produced over and above the power used in transition and vtol envelope? also i am not against good alt energy in any form ,,, but the entire team on this one seemed way more interested in the camera than the text books

[@Syclone0044]

It would be a drop in the bucket. I fly 2.2sqm sport kites and the amount of power is absolutely incredible. It is exactly the same feel as waterskiing when the boat goes full throttle to lift you out of the water. Like you’ve just been yanked by a freight train. I bet the power for VTOL is less than 1% of what it generated during a typical flight.

[@peterfox8701]

@@Syclone0044 i dont "bet" on this sort of data ,, i think it would be reasonable to expect some real data on the process , the "kite" you get pulled by is one example of force , however in this example the electricity is only developed by the props on the wing ,,, what still remains a mystery is how much power is developed

[@iforce2d]

@@peterfox8701 Exactly. Comments like the one above saying things like "it pulls really hard so it must have a lot of usable power" is just what the misguided kite-boarders in this video thought. If it were really so, we could usefully harness the pull of gravity on any large object.

[@rodzlenz]

one of the most amazing projects i ever seen! thanks for sharing this inspirational story!

[@BenWh4n]

Awesome documentary and very inspiring project!! Love this!!

[@pedroivomedeira1334]

Failure are the pillars of success my best wishes to you all god’s blessings for whole team and their family

[@fabchan25]

Mindblowing technology. Really admire the vision and the dedication of the entire team, and sad to see it come to a halt. I've been in a startup before and could understand the feeling when you reach the end of the rope. I'm still wondering though, would it've been cheaper to mass produce hundreds of low-cost small scale kites and base stations instead of handful of big expensive ones?

[@drewm1980]

The economics don't work out for wind turbines unless they're big enough to be up off the ground. The M600 was the very bottom of the scale that would have been viable for utility scale power generation. Power generation goes with wind speed cubed.

[@thebiomatrix]

I agree Fabian, nature has the best designs. What makes nature choose trillions of cells to form a body? The cell works in cooperation and symbioses with other cell. To do this the cell does not only function to the cell wall. Its walls are permeable and share two way. The space in between the cell is worked with too and a part of the design. So vector solutions is not ONLY about magnitude. They are about directions in space. Nature 'works with' 'directions' and 'mass' Both these qualities need to be present as the energy is dynamic. How else can energy be collected/absorbed other than a propeller? This team has made some remarkable achievements and they are right. The different 'points' of view are of great values as we are working with 4D systems. I feel, looking to and working with natures design. will be the road to a long tern solution. A birds feathers are not solid for a reason. The air around them being part of there design.

[@69uremum]

@@thebiomatrix do you feel smarter after typing all that?

[@chinmoy1955]

@@69uremum hahahaha... 😀

[@chinmoy1955]

@@thebiomatrix bla bla bla blaaaaa 😂😂

[@choques18]

Great story :) Makani was always the kite energy company to watch out for while working in this sector.

[@bodhidharma9363]

engineers are good at solving problems, but not necessarily good at realizing when an idea is really crazy

[@happyactivehealthy100years4]

Great video. Professionally made. Excellent commercial for Shell and Alphabet. The goal of those investors had never been to come up with a commercially successful product. The intended message is and has been that we must protect our planet and that we must do everything otherwise humanity is doomed. However when doing some first principle analysis, we see that our planet could host 1000 billion people, i.e. 100 times more than today. Harvesting solar power is not difficult. Fighting desertification on individual scale is easy, but that would not generate profits for the big players. The world could be ok, if we would not kill each other because of social conflicts triggered by our rulers. I enjoyed the film showing all this passion, buildup of skills and team spirit.

[@joeypalenchar9721]

What I find amazing is they found people to invest in their toys. We know this would never go worldwide because of the moving parts and stuff to go wrong. Need to be more practical. At least they had fun playing with others money and for that we thank you.