If a car is to go where the driver wants it to go, it needs to have a steering mechanism that makes the wheels turn in the right direction. Meanwhile, brakes can stop the car and an engine powers the wheels which are the entire reason why the car can even move in the first place. Every machine is different, though, and must be controlled a bit differently.

We’ll take a look at a few of the most interesting ones, and see what’s inside. We’ll see what propels them forward, and talk about the mechanisms that control them. You’ll learn how to control a submarine, hot-air balloon, helicopter, a sailboat, and many other remarkable devices and machines—all thanks to demonstrative illustrations, easy-to-understand text, and simple flap pages. At the end of the book we’ll take a look at what the city you live in needs in order to function.