TEDGlobal 2011
Sonaar Luthra: Meet the Water Canary
Sonaar Luthra: 認識水質偵測器"水金絲雀"
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一個危機後，我們怎能知道食水可以安全飲用呢？目前的測試速度不僅很慢過程又很複雜，判定上的時間耽誤可能是致命的。在2010年海地的地震後霍亂疫情。 TED研究員 Sonaar Luthra 預覽他設計的一個簡單工具，可以快速測試水的安全度 -- 水金絲雀。
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, 在海地
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for the first time in over 50 years
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50多年來首次報導
00:19
last October.
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有霍亂。
00:21
There was no way to predict
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沒有辦法預測由供水系統中
00:23
how far it would spread through water supplies
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它會傳播多遠，
00:26
and how bad the situation would get.
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和情況會的嚴重程度。
00:29
And not knowing where help was needed
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往往令在最需要支援的地區
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always ensured that help was in short supply
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最缺乏支援及協助
00:34
in the areas that needed it most.
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原因在於無法即時得知最需要協助的地區
00:37
We've gotten good at predicting and preparing for storms
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儘管我們已經得到了很好的預測風暴和準備，
00:40
before they take innocent lives
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及時阻止無辜生命的犧牲，
00:42
and cause irreversible damage,
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以及防止無法彌補的損壞
00:44
but we still can't do that with water,
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但我們仍然不能預測水質的監測上
00:46
and here's why.
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原因如下。
00:48
Right now, if you want to test water in the field,
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現在，如果你想在現場測試水，
00:50
you need a trained technician,
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你需要一個訓練有素的技術員，
00:52
expensive equipment like this,
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這樣昂貴的設備，
00:54
and you have to wait about a day
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你必須等待大約一天
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for chemical reactions to take place and provide results.
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才得到化學反應並提供結果。
00:59
It's too slow
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要偵測到
01:01
to get a picture of conditions on the ground
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地面水質被改變之前的狀態
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before they change,
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實在是太慢了
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too expensive to implement
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而且要跑完全部的測試
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in all the places that require testing.
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成本實在是過於昂貴。
01:09
And it ignores the fact that, in the meanwhile,
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它忽略了一個事實是
01:11
people still need to drink water.
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在測試的同時人們仍然需要喝水。
01:13
Most of the information that we collected on the cholera outbreak
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我們的大多數收集霍亂疫情的信息，
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didn't come from testing water;
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不是來自測試水;
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it came from forms like this,
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而是來自這樣的形式，
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which documented all the people
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記錄了所有
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we failed to help.
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我們沒有幫助到的人。
01:24
Countless lives have been saved
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煤礦中的金絲雀
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by canaries in coalmines --
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已挽救了無數人的生命 --
01:28
a simple and invaluable way
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用一個簡單和寶貴的的方式
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for miners to know whether they're safe.
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讓礦工們知道他們是否安全。
01:32
I've been inspired by that simplicity as I've been working on this problem
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我一直被這種簡單啟發，並且我針對目前水質偵測器這個問題上\
01:35
with some of the most hardworking and brilliant people I've ever known.
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與一些我所見過最勤勞和最傑出的人工作一起解決。
01:38
We think there's a simpler solution to this problem --
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我們認為有一個簡單的解決這個問題 --
01:40
one that can be used
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一個可以讓常常面對
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by people who face conditions like this everyday.
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類似這樣問題的人使用的方法。
01:44
It's in its early stages,
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這是在其早期階段，
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but this is what it looks like right now.
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這是現在的樣子。
01:49
We call it the Water Canary.
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我們把它稱為水金絲雀。
01:51
It's a fast, cheap device
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這是一個快速，廉價的設備，
01:54
that answers an important question:
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可以回答一個重要的問題：
01:56
Is this water contaminated?
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這水是否污染呢？
01:58
It doesn't require any special training.
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它不需要任何特殊的訓練。
02:01
And instead of waiting for chemical reactions to take place,
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亦不是等待化學反應發生，
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it uses light.
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它使用光。
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That means there's no waiting
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這意味著不用等待
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for chemical reactions to take place,
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任何化學反應發生，
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no need to use reagents that can run out
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無需使用試劑便可以運作，
02:12
and no need to be an expert
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不需要成為專家
02:14
to get actionable information.
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便可獲得可用的訊息。
02:17
To test water, you simply insert a sample
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要測試水，只需插入一個樣品，
02:19
and, within seconds,
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在幾秒鐘內，
02:21
it either displays a red light, indicating contaminated water,
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它會顯示紅燈，表明水被污染，
02:24
or a green light, indicating the sample is safe.
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或顯示綠燈，表明樣品是安全的。
02:26
This will make it possible
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這將有可能
02:28
for anyone to collect life-saving information
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使任何人都可以收集拯救生命的訊息
02:31
and to monitor water quality conditions as they unfold.
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和監測水質條件，基於情況變化。
02:34
We're also, on top of that,
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最重要的是，我們還在
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integrating wireless networking
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整合成一個負擔得起的
02:40
into an affordable device
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用GPS和GSM
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with GPS and GSM.
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的無線網絡設備。
02:44
What that means is that each reading can be automatically transmitted to servers
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這也意味著每次的讀取可以自動實時傳輸到伺服器
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to be mapped in real time.
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進一步繪出一同步的地圖上。
02:49
With enough users,
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有了足夠的用戶，
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maps like this will make it possible
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這樣的地圖
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to take preventive action,
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能夠及時採取預防措施，
02:55
containing hazards before they turn into emergencies
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不需要等到好幾年的時間才可復原的嚴重汙染發生
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that take years to recover from.
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就能夠先進一步的控制並防止其惡化
03:00
And then, instead of taking days
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然後，不是要等待數天
03:02
to disseminate this information to the people who need it most,
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才能將這個信息傳播到最需要的人民處，
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it can happen automatically.
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它可以自動發生。
03:07
We've seen how distributed networks,
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我們已經看到了分佈式的網絡，
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big data and information
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很多的數據和訊息
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can transform society.
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可以改造社會。
03:13
I think it's time for us to apply them to water.
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我認為是時候我們將它們應用到水上。
03:16
Our goal over the next year is to get Water Canary ready for the field
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我們的目標是在明年讓水金絲雀準備實際被應用
03:18
and to open-source the hardware
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並且開放其硬體開發
03:20
so that anyone can contribute to the development and the evaluation,
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使任何人都可以作出貢獻的發展和評價，
03:23
so we can tackle this problem together.
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讓我們可以一起解決這個問題。
03:25
Thank you.
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謝謝。
03:27
(Applause)
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(掌聲)
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