Prototype This!
Prototype This! is an American television series with the stated goal to "look into the viability of gadgets and technology seen in science-fiction movies". The series premiered on October 15, 2008, on The Discovery Channel. It was filmed on Treasure Island in Building 180 and occasionally at Standard Metal Products in San Francisco.
The show follows a team of inventors:
- Doc North – Material Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
- Joe Grand – Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, Boston University
- Terry Sandin – Special Effects Designer, Hollywood
- Dr. Andrew "Zoz" Brooks – 3 degrees from the University of Adelaide, namely, Bachelor of Science, First Class Honours in Computer Science and a Graduate Diploma in Education plus a Masters from the Australian National University's robotics laboratory and a PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Production
Although this show shares producers and location with the TV series MythBusters, it is entirely distinct.The pilot episode for the series was shot at TechShop in Menlo Park in December 2006. Three sets were constructed in TechShop's large conference room, and the machine shop and sheet metal shop were painted in color schemes that would look good on camera. Many parts of the TechShop facilities were used in the show pilot, including the main workshop, welding shop, and laser cutter room.