TEDGlobal 2011
Sonaar Luthra: Meet the Water Canary
Sonaar Luthra: “水质金丝雀”
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灾难过后，我们如何判断当地的水质是否符合安全饮用的标准？目前的检测方法既费时又复杂，而由此带来的延迟可能是致命的，正如2010年海地地震之后霍乱爆发时的情况一样。TED人物索纳·卢瑟那简单介绍了他设计的一个可以快速检测水质的小工具——水质金丝雀。
Sonaar Luthra -
Sonaar Luthra is the creator of Water Canary, a water-testing device that collects real-time water-quality data from the field. Full bio
Sonaar Luthra is the creator of Water Canary, a water-testing device that collects real-time water-quality data from the field. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:15
Cholera was reported in Haiti
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去年十月（2010年10月）
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for the first time in over 50 years
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海地出现了50年以来的
00:19
last October.
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首次霍乱
00:21
There was no way to predict
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当时没有任何方法能够预测
00:23
how far it would spread through water supplies
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霍乱将通过水源传播多远
00:26
and how bad the situation would get.
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以及灾情会恶化到什么程度
00:29
And not knowing where help was needed
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不知道哪里需要帮助
00:31
always ensured that help was in short supply
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就意味着不能向最需要的地区
00:34
in the areas that needed it most.
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提供足够的帮助
00:37
We've gotten good at predicting and preparing for storms
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我们虽然很擅长预报和防御暴风雨
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before they take innocent lives
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避免造成人员伤亡
00:42
and cause irreversible damage,
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或不可挽回的损失
00:44
but we still can't do that with water,
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但是在水质监测方面我们还达不到这种程度
00:46
and here's why.
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我来解释一下原因
00:48
Right now, if you want to test water in the field,
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目前，如果你想检测一个地区的水质
00:50
you need a trained technician,
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需要一名接受过专业训练的人员
00:52
expensive equipment like this,
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像这样昂贵的设备
00:54
and you have to wait about a day
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然后再等将近一天的时间
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for chemical reactions to take place and provide results.
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等那些化学反应结束之后才能得到最后的结果
00:59
It's too slow
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这过程太慢了
01:01
to get a picture of conditions on the ground
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因为在拿到水质检测报告之前
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before they change,
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当地水质可能就发生变化了
01:05
too expensive to implement
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同时在所有需要进行水质检测的地区进行这种检测
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in all the places that require testing.
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成本太高了
01:09
And it ignores the fact that, in the meanwhile,
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而且这还忽略了一个事实：
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people still need to drink water.
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进行水质检测的时候，人们还是需要饮水
01:13
Most of the information that we collected on the cholera outbreak
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我们收集到的大多数关于霍乱爆发的信息
01:16
didn't come from testing water;
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并不来自水质检测
01:18
it came from forms like this,
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而是来自这样的表格
01:20
which documented all the people
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它显示了有多少人
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we failed to help.
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我们没有来得及帮助到的人
01:24
Countless lives have been saved
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煤矿里无数生命都
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by canaries in coalmines --
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被矿里的金丝雀挽救了
01:28
a simple and invaluable way
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这是一种简单但有效的方法
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for miners to know whether they're safe.
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矿工们可以通过金丝雀得知他们是否处于安全地带
01:32
I've been inspired by that simplicity as I've been working on this problem
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这个简单的理念启发了我
01:35
with some of the most hardworking and brilliant people I've ever known.
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当时我正和一些特别勤奋、聪明的同事一起想办法解决水质检测问题
01:38
We think there's a simpler solution to this problem --
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我们认为这个问题有一种更为简单的解决方案–
01:40
one that can be used
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一种可以随时随地
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by people who face conditions like this everyday.
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由受灾居民操作的水质检测工具
01:44
It's in its early stages,
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这个产品还处于研制阶段
01:46
but this is what it looks like right now.
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目前它看上去是这个样子的
01:49
We call it the Water Canary.
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我们叫它“水质金丝雀”
01:51
It's a fast, cheap device
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它是一个快速见效而且便宜的设备
01:54
that answers an important question:
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同时能解决一个重要问题：
01:56
Is this water contaminated?
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这里的水是否受到了污染？
01:58
It doesn't require any special training.
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它不需要操作者受过任何特别培训
02:01
And instead of waiting for chemical reactions to take place,
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也不需要等任何化学反应的结果
02:04
it uses light.
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它使用光来进行检测
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That means there's no waiting
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这意味着不需要等待
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for chemical reactions to take place,
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任何化学反应的结果
02:10
no need to use reagents that can run out
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也不需要使用那些总会被耗尽的化学试剂
02:12
and no need to be an expert
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不需要操作者是水质检测专家
02:14
to get actionable information.
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就能获得很有价值的信息
02:17
To test water, you simply insert a sample
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要检测水质，你只需要把水样放进去
02:19
and, within seconds,
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等待几秒钟
02:21
it either displays a red light, indicating contaminated water,
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如果红灯亮，代表水样受到污染
02:24
or a green light, indicating the sample is safe.
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如果绿灯亮，代表这里的水是安全的
02:26
This will make it possible
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这一发明将使每个人
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for anyone to collect life-saving information
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都能获得可以挽救自己生命的信息
02:31
and to monitor water quality conditions as they unfold.
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并且可以监测水质的变化
02:34
We're also, on top of that,
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除此之外，
02:37
integrating wireless networking
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我们还在它顶部安装了无线网络
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into an affordable device
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这样这个并不贵的设备就有了
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with GPS and GSM.
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GPS和GSM功能
02:44
What that means is that each reading can be automatically transmitted to servers
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这意味着所有的检测数据都会被自动发送到总服务器
02:47
to be mapped in real time.
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并形成一幅实时监测地图
02:49
With enough users,
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只要有足够多的使用者
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maps like this will make it possible
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这样的监测地图就可以被用来
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to take preventive action,
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指导水质污染防治工作
02:55
containing hazards before they turn into emergencies
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在疫情发展到紧急情况之前就控制住它
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that take years to recover from.
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否则可能需要许多年才能恢复该地的水质
03:00
And then, instead of taking days
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现在，不用再等好多天的时间
03:02
to disseminate this information to the people who need it most,
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才能把这些信息告诉最需要它的人们
03:04
it can happen automatically.
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人们自动就会得到这些信息
03:07
We've seen how distributed networks,
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我们已经见识过广泛分布的网络
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big data and information
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以及海量的数据和信息
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can transform society.
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是如何改变我们这个社会的
03:13
I think it's time for us to apply them to water.
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我想是时候将这些技术运用到水质检测了
03:16
Our goal over the next year is to get Water Canary ready for the field
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我们明年的目标是将“水质金丝雀”应用于实地检测
03:18
and to open-source the hardware
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并对硬件进行开源
03:20
so that anyone can contribute to the development and the evaluation,
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这样任何人都可以为设备开发和升级做出贡献
03:23
so we can tackle this problem together.
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从而一起来解决水质监控这一问题
03:25
Thank you.
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谢谢大家
03:27
(Applause)
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（掌声）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Sonaar Luthra -Sonaar Luthra is the creator of Water Canary, a water-testing device that collects real-time water-quality data from the field.
Why you should listen
Sonaar Luthra was a writer and educator when he enrolled in NYU's famed Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP) -- a breeding ground for cross-disciplinary thinking. He tells the TED Blog what happened next:
"I wanted to come up with some way of becoming what I was calling an 'urban planner for the global village.' And ... I fell in love with circuitry and with making tangible objects that had real functionality. Next thing I knew, I found myself in a class called Design for UNICEF, taught by Clay Shirky in association with UNICEF’s Innovations Lab.
"I wanted to see what was possible with water, and I was lucky to have an incredible team and the support of faculty that were willing to take on such a huge challenge. We started off as novices but we all became water experts in the process."
Read the TED Blog's full Q&A with Sonaar Luthra, "Waterwise" >>
Sonaar Luthra | Speaker | TED.com