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CatarinaMota_2012G-_玩转智能材料_

I have a friend in Portugal whose grandfather built a vehicle out of a bicycle and a washing machine so he could transport his family. 我有一位葡萄牙朋友, 其祖父用一辆自行车和一台洗衣机 改装成一辆汽车供家人乘用。
vehicle:n.[车辆]车辆;工具;交通工具;运载工具;传播媒介;媒介物; washing machine:洗衣机,洗涤机; transport:n.运输;输送;运送;运输机;v.输送;传播;使产生身临其境的感觉;(旧时)流放;
He did it because he couldn't afford a car, but also because he knew how to build one. 他这样做,一是因为他买不起车, 但更重要的是因为他知道如何改装汽车。
afford:v.给予,提供;买得起;
There was a time when we understood how things worked and how they were made, so we could build and repair them, or at the very least make informed decisions about what to buy. 曾经,我们都懂得一些机械的工作原理, 也知道它们是怎么制造出来的,所以我们能够自己制作和维修它们. 或者至少 基于我们的了解作出明智的购买决定。
repair:v.修理;修补;修缮;补救;n.修理;修补;修缮; informed:adj.见多识广的; v.通知; (inform的过去分词和过去式)
Many of these do-it-yourself practices were lost in the second half of the 20th century. 但我们很多这些DIY的实用性技能 在20世纪的下半叶就流失了。
do-it-yourself:adj.自己动手的;n.自己动手;
But now, the maker community and the open-source model are bringing this kind of knowledge about how things work and what they're made of back into our lives, 但是现在,制作者社区和开放资源模式 正在把这些物品的工作原理和制造材料的知识 带回到我们的生活中。
community:n.社区;[生态]群落;共同体;团体; open-source:adj.(计算机)开放源代码;
and I believe we need to take them to the next level, to the components things are made of. 而且我相信我们需要把这些知识带到下一个层面, 也就是了解构成这些物品的元件。
components:n.部件;组件;成份(component复数);
For the most part , we still know what traditional materials like paper and textiles are made of and how they are produced. 我们很多人都知道, 像纸和织物这样的传统材料是什么做成的, 以及它们是如何生产的。
For the most part:adv.在极大程度上,多半; traditional:传统的,惯例的, textiles:n.纺织品;纺织业;(textile的复数)
But now we have these amazing, futuristic composites -- plastics that change shape, paints that conduct electricity , pigments that change color, fabrics that light up. 但是现在我们有了一些令人惊叹的未来复合材料- 如可以变形的塑料、 可以导电的油漆、 可以变色的颜料和可以发光的织物。
futuristic:adj.未来派的;未来主义的; composites:n.复合材料(composite的复数); v.使合成; conduct:v.实施;执行;表现;引导;n.举止;管理方法;经营方式;实施办法; electricity:n.电力;电流;强烈的紧张情绪; pigments:n.[颜料]颜料,染料;[物][生化]色素(pigment的复数形式); fabrics:n.纤维织物(fabric的复数);
Let me show you some examples. 下面让我们来看一些新材料。
So conductive ink allows us to paint circuits instead of using the traditional printed circuit boards or wires. 这种导电墨水可让我们, 抛弃传统的印刷电路板或电线的方法 而直接用导电墨水来画电路板。
conductive:adj.传导的;传导性的;有传导力的; circuits:n.环行路线;电路;线路;巡回赛;v.巡回;周游;(circuit的第三人称单数和复数) printed circuit:n.印制电路;
In the case of this little example I'm holding, we used it to create a touch sensor that reacts to my skin by turning on this little light. 比如我手里拿着的这个小装置, 是我们用导电墨水做成一个触摸性的传感器, 一旦接触人的皮肤,这个小灯就会亮起。
sensor:n.传感器; reacts:vi.反应;影响;反抗;起反作用;vt.使发生相互作用;使起化学反应;
Conductive ink has been used by artists, but recent developments indicate that we will soon be able to use it in laser printers and pens. 导电墨水已经被艺术家们应用到创作中了, 最新的进展表明我们很快就能 把它应用在激光打印机和激光笔中.
indicate:v.表明;显示;象征;暗示;
And this is a sheet of acrylic infused with colorless light-diffusing particles . 这是一张泡浸过 无色光漫颗粒丙烯酸的纸.
sheet:n.薄板;床单;纸张;报纸;v.覆盖;展开;给…铺床单;铺开;adj.片状的; acrylic:adj.丙烯酸的; infused:灌输; colorless:adj.无色的;苍白的;无趣味的; particles:n.微粒,粒子;粒子系统;碎木料(particle的复数形式);
What this means is that, while regular acrylic only diffuses light around the edges, this one illuminates across the entire surface when I turn on the lights around it. 只浸过普通丙烯酸的纸 只在其边缘周围有漫光现象, 而这张浸过无色光漫颗粒丙烯酸的纸,当我们开灯时 漫光会照亮整张纸.
diffuses:adj.弥漫的;散开的;vt.扩散;传播;漫射;vi.传播;四散; illuminates:v.照明;阐释(illuminate的第三人称单数形式);
Two of the known applications for this material include interior design and multi-touch systems. 就目前所知,这种材料已经被应用到 室内设计和多点触控系统两个领域中了。
interior design:n.室内设计; multi-touch:多点触摸;
And thermochromic pigments change color at a given temperature. 而热变色颜料 在特定的温度下会改变颜色。
So I'm going to place this on a hot plate that is set to a temperature only slightly higher than ambient and you can see what happens. 我先把这张东西放到一个电热板上 温度设定比外界温度稍高一点 然后你可以看到发生了什么.
slightly:adv.些微地,轻微地;纤细地; ambient:adj.周围的;外界的;环绕的;n.周围环境;
So one of the principle applications for this material is, amongst other things, in baby bottles, so it indicates when the contents are cool enough to drink. 除了其它用途,这种材料主要用作 婴儿奶瓶的制造。 它能告诉你什么时候瓶里的东西凉到可饮用的温度。
principle:n.原理,原则;主义,道义;本质,本义;根源,源泉; amongst:prep.在…之中;在…当中(等于among); indicates:v.表明指示,显示;(indicate的第三人称单数) contents:n.内容; v.知足; (content的第三人称单数和复数)
So these are just a few of what are commonly known as smart materials. 这些就是我们通常所说的 “智能材料” 的 几个例子。
In a few years, they will be in many of the objects and technologies we use on a daily basis. 几年内,它们将被应用到很多 我们日常使用的物件和科技产品上。
technologies:n.技术;科技(technology的复数);
We may not yet have the flying cars science fiction promised us, but we can have walls that change color depending on temperature, keyboards that roll up, and windows that become opaque at the flick of a switch. 我们也许还不会有科幻小说向我们保证的飞行汽车, 但是我们能拥有 随温度变色的墙, 可以卷起来的键盘, 和一摁开关就变不透明的窗户。
science fiction:科幻小说; opaque:adj.不透明的;不传热的;迟钝的;n.不透明物;vt.使不透明;使不反光; flick:v.轻弹;忽然摇动;轻轻拂去;n.弹开;快速的轻打;轻打声;
So I'm a social scientist by training, so why am I here today talking about smart materials? 我是科班出身的社会科学家, 为什么今天我在这里讲智能材料?
social scientist:n.社会科学家;
Well first of all , because I am a maker. 首先,我是个制造者。
first of all:adv.首先;
I'm curious about how things work and how they are made, but also because I believe we should have a deeper understanding of the components that make up our world, and right now, we don't know enough about these high-tech composites our future will be made of. 我对于东西如何运转 和怎样制作有好奇心, 我也相信我们应该对 我们这个世界的组成材料有更深的了解, 并且现在,我们对于 这些构成我们未来的高科技材料了解不多。
curious:adj.好奇的,有求知欲的;古怪的;爱挑剔的; high-tech:adj.高科技的,高技术的;仿真技术的;n.高科技;
Smart materials are hard to obtain in small quantities . 要获得少量的智能材料是很难的。
obtain:vi.获得;流行;vt.获得; quantities:n.数量;数目;大量;大宗;(quantity的复数)
There's barely any information available on how to use them, and very little is said about how they are produced. 有关如何使用这些材料的信息也很少, 它们是如何制作的信息就更加少得可怜。
barely:adv.仅仅,勉强;几乎不;公开地;贫乏地;
So for now, they exist mostly in this realm of trade secrets and patents only universities and corporations have access to. 目前,它们绝大多数都存在于 贸易机密和专利中, 只有大学和大公司才能得到。
realm:n.领域,范围;王国; patents:n.[专利]专利(patent的复数形式);专利权; corporations:n.[贸易]公司,[经]企业(corporation的复数形式);
So a little over three years ago, Kirsty Boyle and I started a project we called Open Materials. 所以三年多以前,我和Kirsty Boyle 发起了一个叫做Open Materials(“开放材料”)的项目。
Boyle:n.波义耳(17世纪英国物理学家,化学家);
It's a website where we, and anyone else who wants to join us, share experiments, publish information, encourage others to contribute whenever they can, and aggregate resources such as research papers and tutorials by other makers like ourselves. 在那个网站上,我们 和想要加入我们的任何人, 分享实验,发布信息, 鼓励其他人为此作出力所能及的贡献, 并且收集像研究论文 和像我们一样的制造者所制作的教程一类的资源。
publish:v.出版;发表;公布; contribute:v.贡献,出力;投稿;捐献; aggregate:vi.集合; vt.集合; n.合计; adj.聚合的; resources:n.[计][环境]资源; v.向…提供资金(resource的第三人称单数); tutorials:n.教程;专题报告;学习指南(tutorial的复数);
We would like it to become a large, collectively generated database of do-it-yourself information on smart materials. 我们希望把这一网站做成一个大规模的、 集体生成的数据库, 搜集用智能材料DIY的信息。
collectively:adv.共同地,全体地; generated:v.产生;引起;(generate的过去式和过去分词)
But why should we care how smart materials work and what they are made of? 但是我们为什么要关心 智能材料是如何工作和它们是用什么来制造的呢?
First of all, because we can't shape what we don't understand, and what we don't understand and use ends up shaping us. 首先,因为我们无法影响我们不理解的东西, 我们不理解和不会用的东西 还会反过来影响我们。
The objects we use, the clothes we wear, the houses we live in, all have a profound impact on our behavior, health and quality of life. 我们使用的东西,我们穿的衣服, 我们住的房子, 都对我们的行为、健康和生活质量上产生深远的影响。
profound:adj.深厚的;意义深远的;渊博的; impact:n.影响;效果;碰撞;冲击力;v.挤入,压紧;撞击;对…产生影响;
So if we are to live in a world made of smart materials, we should know and understand them. 所以如果我们将要生活在一个由智能材料构成的世界中, 我们就应该知道并了解它们。
Secondly, and just as important, innovation has always been fueled by tinkerers . 第二,同样重要地, 创新总是来源于修补匠。
innovation:n.创新,革新;新方法; tinkerers:机械能手;思想者们;
So many times, amateurs , not experts, have been the inventors and improvers of things ranging from mountain bikes to semiconductors , personal computers, airplanes . 很多时候, 是业余爱好者而非专家, 发明和改进了诸如 山地车、 半导体、个人电脑、 甚至飞机。
amateurs:n.业余爱好者;业余运动员;生手;外行;(amateur的复数) improvers:n.改进者;改善者;改良物; semiconductors:n.[电子][物]半导体;半导体组件(semiconductor的复数); personal:adj.个人的;身体的;亲自的;n.人事消息栏;人称代名词; airplanes:n.(美)[航]飞机(airplane的复数);
The biggest challenge is that material science is complex and requires expensive equipment. 材料科学的最大挑战是它的复杂性, 以及对昂贵的仪器的需求。
complex:adj.复杂的;合成的;n.复合体;综合设施;
But that's not always the case. 但事实并非总如此。
Two scientists at University of Illinois understood this when they published a paper on a simpler method for making conductive ink. 伊利诺伊大学的两名科学家在 他们发表一篇关于用更简便的方法制作导电墨水的论文时 就明白了这个道理。
Illinois:n.伊利诺斯州(美国州名);
Jordan Bunker , who had had no experience with chemistry until then, read this paper and reproduced the experiment at his maker space using only off-the-shelf substances and tools. Jordan Bunker 在这一实验之前 是一个没有任何化学经验的人。 他读了这篇论文后在他的工作间里 用现成的物质和工具 重复了这个实验。
Bunker:n.沙坑;煤仓;燃料库;vt.使陷入困境;把球击入沙坑; reproduced:v.重现(reproduce的过去分词);再生产;生育;adj.再生的;重制的; off-the-shelf:adj.现成的;常备的;成品的;adv.现成地;无需作重大修改地; substances:n.[物]物质;基本内容;物品药物(substance的复数);
He used a toaster oven , and he even made his own vortex mixer , based on a tutorial by another scientist/maker. 他用了一个烤箱, 而且他甚至在另一个科学家/制造者的教程的基础上 自制了旋涡混合器。
toaster:n.烤面包器,烤箱;祝酒人;烤面包的人; oven:n.炉,灶;烤炉,烤箱; vortex:n.[航][流]涡流;漩涡;(动乱,争论等的)中心;旋风; mixer:n.混合器;搅拌器;[电子]混频器;
Jordan then published his results online, including all the things he had tried and didn't work, so others could study and reproduce it. 后来,Jordan在网上发表了他的实验结果, 包括所有他试过的没成功的东西, 这样其他人可以学习然后复制这一实验。
So Jordan's main form of innovation was to take an experiment created in a well-equipped lab at the university and recreate it in a garage in Chicago using only cheap materials and tools he made himself. 所以Jordan主要创新方式 是拿一个在设施齐全的大学实验室里 创造的实验, 然后在芝加哥的一个车库里 用便宜材料和自制的工具来重复实验。
well-equipped:adj.设备精良的;装备很好的; recreate:vt.再现;再创造 garage:n.车库;汽车修理厂;飞机库;v.把…送入车库;把(汽车)开进车库;
And now that he published this work, others can pick up where he left and devise even simpler processes and improvements . 在他发表的实验结果基础上, 其他人可以接着做下去 并且设计甚至更简单的步骤和改进实验。
devise:v.设计; n.[法]遗赠财产的遗嘱(或其中的条款); processes:n.过程; v.处理(process的第三人称单数形式); improvements:n.改善;改进;改善的事物;(improvement的复数)
Another example I'd like to mention is Hannah Perner-Wilson's Kit-of-No-Parts. 我想分享的另外一个例子 是Hannah Perner-Wilson的Kit-of-No-Parts.
Her project's goal is to highlight the expressive qualities of materials while focusing on the creativity and skills of the builder . 她项目的目标是在突出 材料富有表现力的特质的同时 专注于制造者的创造力和制造技巧。
highlight:vt.突出;强调;使显著;加亮;n.最精彩的部分;最重要的事情;加亮区; expressive:adj.表现的;有表现力的;表达…的; builder:n.建筑者;建立者;
Electronics kits are very powerful in that they teach us how things work, but the constraints inherent in their design influence the way we learn. 电子工具在教我们东西如何运转 这方面非常有力, 但是它们设计中传承下来的约束 影响我们学习的方式。
Electronics:n.电子学;电子工业; kits:n.装备;小桶;锦囊(kit的复数); constraints:n.[数]约束;限制;约束条件(constraint的复数形式); inherent:adj.固有的;内在的;与生俱来的,遗传的; influence:n.影响;势力;感化;有影响的人或事;v.影响;改变;
So Hannah's approach , on the other hand , is to formulate a series of techniques for creating unusual objects that free us from pre-designed constraints by teaching us about the materials themselves. 所以Hannah的方法,在另一方面, 就是创制一系列的技术, 来创造非常规的东西, 通过教给我们材料本身的知识, 把我们从事先设计好的约束中解放出来。
approach:n.方法;路径;v.接近;建议;着手处理; on the other hand:另一方面; formulate:v.制订;规划;准备;确切表达; series:n.系列,连续;[电]串联;级数;丛书; techniques:n.技巧;技艺;工艺;技术;(technique的复数)
So amongst Hannah's many impressive experiments, this is one of my favorites. 在Hannah众多令人钦佩的试验中, 这个是我的最爱之一。
impressive:adj.感人的;令人钦佩的;给人以深刻印象的;
["Paper speakers"] [ 会说话的纸 ]
What we're seeing here is just a piece of paper with some copper tape on it connected to an mp3 player and a magnet . 我们在这里看到的只不过是一张纸 上面的铜带连接着一个mp3播放器 和一块磁铁。
copper:n.铜;铜币;警察;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的;v.用铜板[铜皮]盖[包]; mp3 player:n.MP3播放器; magnet:n.磁体;磁铁;磁石;吸铁石;
(Music: "Happy Together") (音乐: Happy Together )
So based on the research by Marcelo Coelho from MIT, 在麻省理工学院教授Marcelo Coelho研究的基础上,
Hannah created a series of paper speakers out of a wide range of materials from simple copper tape to conductive fabric and ink. Hannah使用各种材料 创造了一系列纸质扬声器。 从普通的铜带到导电的织物和墨水,
Just like Jordan and so many other makers, 就像Jordan和其他很多制造者一样,
Hannah published her recipes and allows anyone to copy and reproduce them. Hannah发表了她的配方 并且允许任何人来重复这些实验。
recipes:n.烹饪法;食谱;方法;秘诀;诀窍;(recipe的复数)
But paper electronics is one of the most promising branches of material science in that it allows us to create cheaper and flexible electronics. 但是纸上电子是材料科学中 最有前景的分支之一, 因为它让我们能创造出便宜又灵活的电子产品。
flexible:adj.灵活的;柔韧的;易弯曲的;
So Hannah's artisanal work, and the fact that she shared her findings , opens the doors to a series of new possibilities that are both aesthetically appealing and innovative . 所以Hannah的手工作品, 和她分享了她的发现这个事实, 打开了一扇门, 通向兼具美学和创新的一系列新的可能。
artisanal:手工艺性的; findings:n.调查发现;判决;裁决;(finding的复数) aesthetically:adv.审美地;美学观点上地; appealing:adj.吸引人的; v.呼吁; (appeal的现在分词) innovative:adj.革新的,创新的;
So the interesting thing about makers is that we create out of passion and curiosity , and we are not afraid to fail. 制造者的有趣之处在于 我们创造是出于热情和好奇, 并且我们不害怕失败。
passion:n.激情;热情;酷爱;盛怒; curiosity:n.好奇,好奇心;珍品,古董,古玩;
We often tackle problems from unconventional angles, and, in the process, end up discovering alternatives or even better ways to do things. 我们通常从非传统的角度处理问题, 并且,在这个过程中,最终发现其他方案 或者更好的方法。
tackle:v.处理; n.用具; unconventional:adj.非常规的;非传统的;不依惯例的; alternatives:n.可供选择的事物;(alternative的复数)
So the more people experiment with materials, the more researchers are willing to share their research, and manufacturers their knowledge, the better chances we have to create technologies that truly serve us all. 所以当更多的人愿意用新材料做试验的时候, 更多的研究者就会愿意分享他们的研究成果; 有更多的制造商分享他们的知识, 我们就会有更好的机会 来创造造福我们所有人的科技。
manufacturers:n.生产者;制造者;生产商;(manufacturer的复数)
So I feel a bit as Ted Nelson must have when, in the early 1970s, he wrote, "You must understand computers now." 我的感觉有一点像Ted Nelson 在70年代初期的感觉一样,他写道, “你们现在必需懂电脑。”
Back then, computers were these large mainframes only scientists cared about, and no one dreamed of even having one at home. 那个时候,电脑是这些只有科学家关心的 大型机, 没有人会梦想到放一台在家里。
mainframes:n.大型主机(mainframe的复数形式);
So it's a little strange that I'm standing here and saying, "You must understand smart materials now." 所以我今天站在这里说 “你们现在必需懂智能材料”有一点奇怪。
Just keep in mind that acquiring preemptive knowledge about emerging technologies is the best way to ensure that we have a say in the making of our future. 请记住对于新兴科技 拥有先发制人的知识 是确保我们在对未来的创造中 有发言权的最好方式。
keep in mind:记住; acquiring:n.捕获,探测;习得;瞄准;v.获得;(acquire的现在分词); preemptive:adj.优先购买的;先发制人的;有先买权的; emerging:adj.新兴的;v.出现,浮现,露出;暴露;(emerge的现在分词) ensure:vt.保证,确保;使安全;
Thank you. 谢谢。
(Applause) (掌声)