New Series Reveals the Hidden Infrastructure of Modern Life

BERLIN, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- From Beneath Ancient Rome to the Future of the Power Grid: a new mini-documentary series by Nicely Done Productions reveals the hidden infrastructure of modern life, hosted on National Geographic's global digital platform.

Threads of Connectivity follows 5 companies building the systems that keep modern life moving in a new documentary series available on National Geographic's digital platform.

As AI, electrification and rising demand push our infrastructures to record strain, each of the 5 episodes follows a global company solving a problem the world relies on.  

Boldyn Networks is delivering 5G across Rome's metro serving 18 million people, in what it calls the 'largest smart city connectivity project ever built in Italy', without disturbing the ancient city above.

Medtronic is advancing the future of spine surgery, one of medicine's most complex specialties, through its AiBLE™ smart ecosystem which combines decades of clinical expertise with AI-enabled planning, robotics, and real-world data to help surgeons make more informed decisions across the surgical workflow.

Genesys is redesigning customer service around agentic AI, and is doing it as Europe writes new rules for responsible AI. "AI is going to elevate the human skills that matter the most," says Tony Bates, CEO of Genesys.

Carrier has been enhancing the lives we live for more than 120 years. "Every generation faces challenges that reshape how we live," said Carrier's Nick Arch. "A century ago, it was making indoor comfort possible. Today, it's making that comfort more intelligent, efficient and resilient for the future." Carrier is helping turn homes into intelligent energy systems that reduce grid strain and optimize when and how power is used.

OATI is an energy company that builds software that can keep the grid stable as renewables and electric vehicles flood onto networks worldwide. "This is the time when electricity becomes a data product," says one grid operator in the film.

What connects them is simple. The systems modern life depends on are being rebuilt to be stronger, smarter and more connected, by people we never see.

"The most important engineering of our time is happening where no one can see it, from the tunnels beneath Rome to the software steadying the grid," says Jay Slater, CEO of Nicely Done Productions. "We made this series to bring it into the light."

Episodes go live on NatGeo.com. Content and interviews available on request.