modern engineering wonders
great engineering has selected five wonders of 21 st century engineering for our excellence prize. now we're asking you to vote for one and tell us why!
Falkirk wheel (Falkirk, Scotland, 2001)
the falkirk wheel is the world's only rotating boat lift. its steel arms each hold a water-filled tank into which boats can sail. as the wheel rotates, so do the arms, raising and lowering the boats a distance of 25 meters. the wheel is very energy efficient, using about two kilowatt-hours to make a full rotation. that's about the same amount of energy needed to power a microwave for three minutes