TEDGlobal 2012
Catarina Mota: Play with smart materials
Catarina Mota: 玩转智能材料
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能导电的墨水、 一摁开关就由透明变不透明的窗户、 能播放音乐的果冻 －－ 这些东西确实存在。Catarina Mota 说：现在是时候尝试他们了。 Mota 将带领我们认识这些新颖和神奇的材料, 她说，弄清楚这些材料的神奇之处的最好方式就是用它们来做实验，不断尝试并乐在其中。
Catarina Mota - Maker
A TEDGlobal Fellow, Catarina Mota plays with "smart materials" -- like shape-memory alloys and piezoelectric structures that react to voltage -- and encourages others to do so too. Full bio
A TEDGlobal Fellow, Catarina Mota plays with "smart materials" -- like shape-memory alloys and piezoelectric structures that react to voltage -- and encourages others to do so too. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:16
I have a friend in Portugal
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我有一位葡萄牙朋友，
00:18
whose grandfather built a vehicle out of a bicycle
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其祖父用一辆自行车和一台洗衣机
00:21
and a washing machine so he could transport his family.
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改装成一辆汽车供家人乘用。
00:24
He did it because he couldn't afford a car,
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他这样做，一是因为他买不起车，
00:26
but also because he knew how to build one.
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但更重要的是因为他知道如何改装汽车。
00:29
There was a time when we understood how things worked
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曾经，我们都懂得一些机械的工作原理，
00:32
and how they were made, so we could build and repair them,
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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.
00:36
or at the very least
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或者至少
00:37
make informed decisions about what to buy.
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基于我们的了解作出明智的购买决定。
00:41
Many of these do-it-yourself practices
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但很多诸如此类的动手能力
00:43
were lost in the second half of the 20th century.
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在20世纪的下半叶就流失了。
00:46
But now, the maker community and the open-source model
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但是现在，制造者们和开放资源模式
00:50
are bringing this kind of knowledge about how things work
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正在把事物的工作原理和材料构成的知识
00:53
and what they're made of back into our lives,
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带回到我们的生活中。
00:57
and I believe we need to take them to the next level,
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而我认为我们需要进行更深层次的挖掘,
01:00
to the components things are made of.
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去研究和探索其构成的成分。
01:03
For the most part, we still know
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通常来说我们还是知道，
01:05
what traditional materials like paper and textiles are made of
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像纸和纺织品这样的传统材料是由什么做成的，
01:08
and how they are produced.
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是如何生产的。
01:10
But now we have these amazing, futuristic composites --
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但现在我们有了这些充满神奇和未来色彩的复合材料-
01:14
plastics that change shape,
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如可以变形的塑料、
01:16
paints that conduct electricity,
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可以导电的油漆、
01:19
pigments that change color, fabrics that light up.
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可以变色的颜料和可以发光的织物。
01:23
Let me show you some examples.
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让我来给你们展示一些样品。
01:30
So conductive ink allows us to paint circuits
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这种导电墨水可让我们,
01:33
instead of using the traditional
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抛弃传统的印刷电路板或电线的方法
01:35
printed circuit boards or wires.
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而直接用导电墨水来画电路板。
01:38
In the case of this little example I'm holding,
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比如我手里拿着的这个小装置，
01:40
we used it to create a touch sensor that reacts to my skin
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是我们用导电墨水做成一个触摸性的传感器，
01:44
by turning on this little light.
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一旦接触人的皮肤，这个小灯就会亮起。
01:47
Conductive ink has been used by artists,
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导电墨水已经被艺术家们应用到创作中了,
01:50
but recent developments indicate that we will soon be able
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最新的进展表明我们很快就能
01:53
to use it in laser printers and pens.
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把它应用在激光打印机和激光笔中.
01:58
And this is a sheet of acrylic infused
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这是一张泡浸过
02:00
with colorless light-diffusing particles.
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无色光漫颗粒丙烯酸的纸.
02:03
What this means is that, while regular acrylic
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只浸过普通丙烯酸的纸
02:06
only diffuses light around the edges,
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只在其边缘周围有漫光现象,
02:08
this one illuminates across the entire surface
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而这张浸过无色光漫颗粒丙烯酸的纸，当我们开灯时
02:11
when I turn on the lights around it.
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漫光会照亮整张纸.
02:14
Two of the known applications for this material
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就目前所知，这种材料已经被应用到
02:16
include interior design and multi-touch systems.
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室内设计和多点触控系统两个领域中了。
02:21
And thermochromic pigments
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而热变色颜料
02:23
change color at a given temperature.
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在特定的温度下会改变颜色。
02:26
So I'm going to place this on a hot plate
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我先把这张东西放到一个电热板上
02:29
that is set to a temperature only slightly higher than ambient
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温度设定只要比外界温度稍高一点
02:32
and you can see what happens.
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你就可以看到变化发生
02:38
So one of the principle applications for this material
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除了其它用途，
02:41
is, amongst other things, in baby bottles,
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这种材料主要应用于婴儿奶瓶的制造。
02:44
so it indicates when the contents are cool enough to drink.
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当瓶内饮料凉到适和饮用的温度时人们就会看得到
02:50
So these are just a few of what are commonly known
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这些只是我们通常所说的
02:52
as smart materials.
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“智能材料”的一部分。
02:54
In a few years, they will be in many of the objects
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几年内，它们将被应用到很多
02:57
and technologies we use on a daily basis.
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我们日常使用的物件和科技产品上。
03:01
We may not yet have the flying cars science fiction promised us,
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或许我们还看不到科幻小说内所描述的会飞的汽车，
03:05
but we can have walls that change color
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但是我们能看到
03:07
depending on temperature,
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会随温度变色的墙，
03:09
keyboards that roll up,
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可以卷起来的键盘，
03:11
and windows that become opaque at the flick of a switch.
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和一摁开关就变不透明的窗户。
03:15
So I'm a social scientist by training,
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我是科班出身的社会学家，
03:18
so why am I here today talking about smart materials?
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那为什么今天我要在这里讲智能材料？
03:22
Well first of all, because I am a maker.
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首先，因为我是个制造者。
03:24
I'm curious about how things work
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我对事物的工作原理
03:27
and how they are made,
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和构成成分非常好奇，
03:28
but also because I believe we should have a deeper understanding
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但我也相信我们应该对
03:32
of the components that make up our world,
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构成我们这个世界的各种成分有更深的了解，
03:34
and right now, we don't know enough about
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但现在，我们对于
03:37
these high-tech composites our future will be made of.
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这些构成我们未来的高科技材料了解不够。
03:41
Smart materials are hard to obtain in small quantities.
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要获得少量的智能材料是很难的。
03:44
There's barely any information available on how to use them,
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有关如何使用这些材料的信息也很少，
03:48
and very little is said about how they are produced.
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至于它们是如何制造的信息就更加少得可怜。
03:52
So for now, they exist mostly in this realm
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目前，它们绝大多数都存在于
03:55
of trade secrets and patents
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贸易机密和专利中，
03:57
only universities and corporations have access to.
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只有一些大学和大公司才能得到。
04:02
So a little over three years ago, Kirsty Boyle and I
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所以三年多以前，我和Kirsty Boyle
04:04
started a project we called Open Materials.
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发起了一个叫做Open Materials（“开放材料”）的项目。
04:08
It's a website where we,
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在那个网站上，我们
04:09
and anyone else who wants to join us,
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和志同道合的一些人，
04:12
share experiments, publish information,
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分享实验，发布信息，
04:15
encourage others to contribute whenever they can,
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鼓励其他人为此作出力所能及的贡献，
04:18
and aggregate resources such as research papers
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并且收集各种资源信息
04:22
and tutorials by other makers like ourselves.
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包括其他制作爱好者的研究论文和教程等资源。
04:26
We would like it to become a large,
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我们希望做成一个大规模的、
04:28
collectively generated database
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集体生成的数据库，
04:31
of do-it-yourself information on smart materials.
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储存与智能材料相关的第一手信息。
04:35
But why should we care
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但是我们为什么要关心
04:37
how smart materials work and what they are made of?
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智能材料的工作原理和构成呢？
04:41
First of all, because we can't shape what we don't understand,
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首先，因为我们无法掌控我们不理解的东西，
04:45
and what we don't understand and use
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而那些我们不理解和不会用的东西
04:48
ends up shaping us.
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反过来会掌控我们。
04:50
The objects we use, the clothes we wear,
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我们使用的东西，我们穿的衣服，
04:52
the houses we live in, all have a profound impact
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我们住的房子，
04:56
on our behavior, health and quality of life.
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都对我们的行为、健康和生活质量有着深远的影响。
05:00
So if we are to live in a world made of smart materials,
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所以如果我们要生活在一个由智能材料构成的世界中，
05:03
we should know and understand them.
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我们就应该知道并了解它们。
05:06
Secondly, and just as important,
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其次，同样重要地，
05:08
innovation has always been fueled by tinkerers.
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创新总是来源于修补匠。
05:12
So many times, amateurs, not experts,
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很多时候， 是业余爱好者而非专家，
05:15
have been the inventors and improvers
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发明和改进了诸如
05:18
of things ranging from mountain bikes
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山地车、
05:20
to semiconductors, personal computers,
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半导体、个人电脑、
05:23
airplanes.
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甚至飞机等等。
05:26
The biggest challenge is that material science is complex
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材料科学的最大挑战是它的复杂性，
05:30
and requires expensive equipment.
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以及对昂贵的仪器的需求。
05:33
But that's not always the case.
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但事实并非总是如此。
05:35
Two scientists at University of Illinois understood this
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伊利诺伊大学的两名科学家就明白这个道理
05:39
when they published a paper on a simpler method
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他们发表一篇论文
05:41
for making conductive ink.
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旨在阐明制作导电墨水的更简便的方法。
05:44
Jordan Bunker, who had had
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Jordan Bunker 在这一实验之前
05:45
no experience with chemistry until then,
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是一个没有任何化学经验的人。
05:48
read this paper and reproduced the experiment
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但他读了这篇论文后在他的工作间里
05:51
at his maker space using only off-the-shelf substances
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用现成的物质和工具
05:56
and tools.
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重复了这个实验。
05:57
He used a toaster oven,
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他用了一个烤箱，
05:59
and he even made his own vortex mixer,
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甚至在另一个科学家/制造者的教程的基础上
06:02
based on a tutorial by another scientist/maker.
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自制了旋涡混合器。
06:06
Jordan then published his results online,
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后来，Jordan在网上发表了他的实验结果，
06:09
including all the things he had tried and didn't work,
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包括所有失败的实验结果，
06:12
so others could study and reproduce it.
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这样其他人可以学习然后复制这一实验。
06:15
So Jordan's main form of innovation
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所以Jordan主要创新方式
06:18
was to take an experiment created in a well-equipped lab
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是在芝加哥的一个车库里
06:22
at the university
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用便宜材料和自制的工具来重复了
06:23
and recreate it in a garage in Chicago
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一个在设施齐全的大学实验室里
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using only cheap materials and tools he made himself.
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创造的实验。
06:31
And now that he published this work,
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现在他发表了实验结果，
06:33
others can pick up where he left
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其他人可以在他的基础上接着做下去
06:35
and devise even simpler processes and improvements.
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并且尝试更简单的步骤并加以改进。
06:39
Another example I'd like to mention
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我想分享的另外一个例子
06:41
is Hannah Perner-Wilson's Kit-of-No-Parts.
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是Hannah Perner-Wilson的Kit-of-No-Parts.
06:45
Her project's goal is to highlight
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她项目的目标是在强调
06:48
the expressive qualities of materials
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材料丰富的表现力的同时
06:50
while focusing on the creativity and skills of the builder.
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专注于制造者的创造力和制造技巧。
06:55
Electronics kits are very powerful
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电子元件非常有地向我们展示了
06:58
in that they teach us how things work,
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事物的工作原理
07:00
but the constraints inherent in their design
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但其本身所固有的限制性
07:03
influence the way we learn.
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约束了我们学习的方式。
07:06
So Hannah's approach, on the other hand,
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所以Hannah的方法，在另一方面，
07:08
is to formulate a series of techniques
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就是创制一系列的技术，
07:11
for creating unusual objects
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来创造非常规的东西，
07:14
that free us from pre-designed constraints
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通过展示材料的本质，
07:17
by teaching us about the materials themselves.
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把我们从预先设定的约束中解放出来。
07:20
So amongst Hannah's many impressive experiments,
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在Hannah众多令人钦佩的试验中，
07:23
this is one of my favorites.
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这个是我的最爱之一。
07:25
["Paper speakers"]
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["纸质扬声器"]
07:28
What we're seeing here is just a piece of paper
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我们在这里看到的只不过是一张纸
07:32
with some copper tape on it connected to an mp3 player
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上面的铜带连接着一个mp3播放器
07:36
and a magnet.
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和一块磁铁。
07:38
(Music: "Happy Together")
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（音乐："Happy Together"）
07:48
So based on the research by Marcelo Coelho from MIT,
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在麻省理工学院教授Marcelo Coelho研究的基础上，
07:52
Hannah created a series of paper speakers
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Hannah使用各种材料
07:55
out of a wide range of materials
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包括普通的铜带、导电的纺织品和墨水等，
07:57
from simple copper tape to conductive fabric and ink.
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创造了一系列纸质扬声器。
08:02
Just like Jordan and so many other makers,
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就像Jordan和其他很多制造者一样，
08:04
Hannah published her recipes
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Hannah公开了他的秘诀
08:06
and allows anyone to copy and reproduce them.
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使得任何人可以模仿或重复这些实验。
08:11
But paper electronics is one of the most promising branches
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但是纸上电子是材料科学中
08:14
of material science
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最有前景的分支之一，
08:16
in that it allows us to create cheaper and flexible electronics.
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因为它让我们能创造出便宜又灵活的电子产品。
08:20
So Hannah's artisanal work,
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所以Hannah的手工作品，
08:23
and the fact that she shared her findings,
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以及她分享了她的发现这个事实，
08:25
opens the doors to a series of new possibilities
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为我们打开了一扇，
08:29
that are both aesthetically appealing and innovative.
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通向兼具美学和创新的无限可能的大门。
08:34
So the interesting thing about makers
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制造者的有趣之处在于
08:37
is that we create out of passion and curiosity,
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我们创造是出于热情和好奇，
08:40
and we are not afraid to fail.
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并且我们不害怕失败。
08:42
We often tackle problems from unconventional angles,
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我们通常从非传统的角度处理问题，
08:46
and, in the process, end up discovering alternatives
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并且，在这个过程中，发现其他方案
08:49
or even better ways to do things.
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或者更好的方法。
08:52
So the more people experiment with materials,
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所以当更多的人愿意用新材料做试验的时候，
08:56
the more researchers are willing to share their research,
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更多的研究者就会愿意分享他们的研究成果；
08:59
and manufacturers their knowledge,
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有更多的制造商分享他们的知识，
09:01
the better chances we have to create technologies
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我们就更有可能
09:04
that truly serve us all.
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创造出造福我们所有人的科技。
09:07
So I feel a bit as Ted Nelson must have
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所以我的感觉有一点像Ted Nelson
09:10
when, in the early 1970s, he wrote,
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在70年代初期的感觉一样，他写道，
09:13
"You must understand computers now."
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“你们现在必需懂电脑。”
09:16
Back then, computers were these large mainframes
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那个时候，电脑是只有科学家关心的
09:20
only scientists cared about,
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大型机器，
09:22
and no one dreamed of even having one at home.
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没有人会想到能够在家拥有一台。
09:25
So it's a little strange that I'm standing here and saying,
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所以我今天站在这里说
09:28
"You must understand smart materials now."
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“你们现在必需懂智能材料”有一点奇怪。
09:31
Just keep in mind that acquiring preemptive knowledge
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请记住
09:35
about emerging technologies
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先发制人去获取新兴科技的知识
09:37
is the best way to ensure that we have a say
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是确保我们在对未来的创造中
09:40
in the making of our future.
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有发言权的最好方式。
09:42
Thank you.
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谢谢。
09:44
(Applause)
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(掌声)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Catarina Mota - MakerA TEDGlobal Fellow, Catarina Mota plays with "smart materials" -- like shape-memory alloys and piezoelectric structures that react to voltage -- and encourages others to do so too.
Why you should listen
A maker of things and open-source advocate, Catarina Mota is co-founder of openMaterials.org, a collaborative project dedicated to do-it-yourself experimentation with smart materials. This is a new class of materials that change in response to stimuli: conductive ink, shape-memory plastics, etc. Her goal is to encourage the making of things; to that end, she teaches hands-on workshops on high-tech materials and simple circuitry for both young people and adults--with a side benefit of encouraging interest in science, technology and knowledge-sharing. She's working on her PhD researching the social impact of open and collaborative practices for the development of technologies. In other words: Do we make better stuff when we work together? She is also a co-founder of Lisbon's hackerspace altLab.
Catarina Mota | Speaker | TED.com