英国皇家科学院圣诞讲座：让火花飞（2014）

那就让我们来看看
OK, well, let's see.
我先把魔方校齐
I just align my Rubik's Cube...
戴夫 你会想来看看这个的
And if, Dave, you just want to come and have a look at this.
按下开始按钮
I press my go button...
仅用四秒
Four seconds!
看上去是挺神奇 但事实上这只是
And I know it looks magic, but actually,
搭积木的技巧和智能手♥机♥的配合而已
it's Lego and a smartphone.
手♥机♥拍摄魔方后
Now, it takes photographs of the cube,
系统计算出最快捷的方法
and the software works out the quickest way
来还原这个魔方
in which to solve these Rubik's cubes.
系统编程以指示机械臂的移♥动♥方向
So, it writes a program to tell each robot arm which way to turn.
编程完成后
And then, actually, once the maths is done,
软件只给出一系列简单的指示 比如
it's just a simple list of instructions, so,
"转动这里"
"Spin this part of the cube",
"转动那里"
"Rotate that part",
"转动另一面"
"Spin the other face".
机器人鼓手也是这么工作的
Now, the same is true for our robot drummer.
机器人鼓手来自伦敦玛丽女王大学
Now, he's from Queen Mary's University of London,
大家看
and here he is.
向马尔蒂默问好吧
Say hi to Mortimer.
你好 马尔蒂默
Hi, Mortimer.
我们需要进行编程来确定
Now, we need to write a program to know exactly
何时该让电动机工作以打出节奏
when each motor will turn on to create the rhythm.
最简单的解决办法
Now, the easiest way to do this
就是利用一种叫做MIDI的电子乐谱
is a form of electronic sheet music called MIDI,
也就是"音乐设备数字接口"
or Musical Instrument Digital Interface.
这种系统是专门用来解决
And it's been designed specifically
乐器和计算机间的交流问题的
so that instruments can talk to the computer and back again.
所以不用重新编程
So, instead of writing a whole new program,
我们只要把鼓的乐谱
we can take the drum from our sheet music,
导入MIDI就可以了
write it in MIDI software,
系统会将乐谱转为下达给马尔蒂默的指令
which will then convert it into instructions for Mortimer.
如果我们向鼓手发出简单的指令
So, if we sent a simple code to the drummer,
我们会听到这个
we should hear this.
不错吧 简单动听
OK? Nice and simple.
我们也可以发送一个更复杂的代码
But we could send a more complex code
使其重复某种节奏
that repeats a certain rhythm,
我们会听到这个
and we'd hear this.
我是丛林乐手
I am a junglist.
太棒了
Excellent! OK.
我们已经开始摇滚了
Already, we're starting to rock,
虽然只有一名乐手
and we just have one.
其实我们的机器人都是用MIDI来控制的
Now, in fact, all our robots are going to be controlled by MIDI,
这意味着我们可以使用人类能看懂的格式
as it means we can work in a format that humans can read,
也就是乐谱
which is sheet music,
然后再把它直接转换成
and then convert it straight into code
机器人乐手能够更好理解的代码
that our robot musicians are much more comfortable with.
一名乐手已经到场 其他的还在后面呢
OK, so one musician down, lots more to go.
我们的音乐中不仅需要节奏
Because we don't just need a rhythm in our piece.
还需要音调
We also need pitch.
我们先从低音合成器的声音开始
So we need to start with that low bass synthesiser sound.
就是《神秘博士》里那种声音 有人知道吗
You know, the one for Doctor Who? Who knows it?
大家一起唱出来吧
Sing it, everybody.
不错 不错
Not bad, not bad.
我希望机器人乐队的演奏能跟你们一样好
I hope the robot orchestra are as good as you guys!
所以我们还需要另一个懂音乐的机器人
So, we need another robot that can read music
来调节所生成声音的音调
and adjust the pitch of the sound as it produces it.
本着制♥造♥ 改造以及旧物新用的精神
Now, in the spirit of making and hacking and repurposing,
这个机器人乐手是用一台
this robot musician is made from a device
淘汰多年的设备改造的
that was made redundant many years ago.
在激光和喷墨打印机出现之前
Now, in the days before laser and inkjet printers,
我们用噪音很大的点阵打印机来打印文档
documents were printed by very noisy dot matrix printers,
点阵打印机将字母形状
which had to punch a letter shape
透过覆盖油墨的色带打印到纸上
through the ink-covered ribbon onto paper.
虽然我们一般不把打印机看作机器人
Now, we don't really think about printers as robots,
但它们也是用电动机来代替人类工作
but they use motors to replicate human work,
至少代替了以前数百名抄写书籍的僧人
or at least, the hundreds of monks that used to copy books.
如果我们让它打印 我们就能听到
So, if we set it printing, we'll hear the motors
马达转动的声音及其变化的声调
whirring away and changing its pitch.
但我们对打印了什么不感兴趣
But we're not interested in what's being printed.
我们只想听听声音是如何变化的
We just want to hear how the sound changes.
这台打印机的主人研究发现
So the owner of this has hacked it,
他能通过使其打印不同模式的图形
and he realised that he could alter the pitch of the sound
来改变声调的高低
by printing different patterns.
它能处理我们的MIDI代码
So, it accepts our MIDI code,
打印机里的计算机将代码转换成指令
so the computer in the printer converts into instructions
来控制不同马达转动的时间
telling different motors when to move.
听起来是这样的
So, it sounds like this.
看看你们能不能猜出这是什么曲子
Let's see if you can guess the tune.
太棒了
Fantastic.
有人猜到了吗
Did anyone guess it?
猜到了吗
Anyone guess it?
请说
Yeah?
《欢乐颂》 是的 真棒
Ode To Joy, well done, yes.
在家里收看的观众能猜到也很棒
And well done if you knew that at home as well.
现在我们的乐队已经初具雏形了
Now, our orchestra's starting to take shape.
机器人能将MIDI转换成电动机的运动
Robots can convert MIDI into motorised movements.
现在有一种更为精密复杂的打印机
And there's a much more sophisticated breed of printer
开始越来越受欢迎
that's starting to increase in popularity
它在我们接下来将要介绍的
and may prove very useful
乐队的下一件乐器中发挥了作用
as we move to the next instrument in our orchestra.
我们非常规乐队的节奏乐器组中
Finishing off the rhythm section
最后一件乐器是一把低音吉他
of our unconventional orchestra is a bass guitar,
它已经被利兹大学的学生们改造成
which has been adapted to play itself
可以自动演奏的了
for students at the University of Leeds.
就像我们先前的乐器一样
So, like our earlier instruments,
它能读取我们的MIDI程序
it reads our MIDI program.
利用电磁螺线管和压缩空气
This uses solenoids and compressed air
来按下琴弦
to press down on the strings,
然后当传动机构拨动琴弦时
and then it adjusts the pitch of the notes played
它能调整所演奏音符的音调
when the actuator plucks the strings,
就像人类吉他手那样
so just like a human guitarist would.
让我们来听听我们的低音吉他怎么样
So let's hear what our bass guitar sounds like.
太棒了
Brilliant!
然而制♥作♥这把吉他的小组
But the team who put this together
想要将它做得更有人类的感觉
wanted to give the guitar an even more human-like feeling,
所以给它做了手指
so it gave it fingers.
制♥作♥手指的方法是利用3D打印机
The solution for these fingers was to print them
将它们打印出来
using a 3D printer
跟我们将看到的这个很相似
which was quite similar to this one that we have.
我们现在要非常小心
Now, we have to be very careful with this
因为这个模型才打印了一半
because it's halfway through making a model.
它打印的模型...
It's making a model...
...是我们现场的一位观众
...of someone in the audience,
艾拉 你可以到我这儿来吗
so, Isla, would you like to join me?
-艾拉 你好吗 -好
- Hi, Isla! How are you? - OK.
好的 我们到这边来
OK! Let's just go around here
看看这里正在做什么 艾拉
so we can see what's going on, Isla.
几周前我们派人去了艾拉家
A few weeks ago we sent some people to Isla's house
对她的头部进行3D扫描
to get a 3D scan of her head.
我们可以看到扫描你头部时的情形
And now, we can see people scanning your head there.
-感觉一定怪怪的对吧 -就是
- That must have been very strange for you, was it? - Yeah!
头部被一层一层
So, the head is being printed
打印出来
layer by layer.
每一层都可以看成是
Each of these layers can be seen
艾拉头部水平切面的薄片
as a thinly sliced horizontal cross-section of Isla's head.
3D打印是一种快速的制模过程
3D printing is just a rapid prototyping process
它可以根据一个数字文件打印出
which is capable of making three-dimensional solid objects
三维立体物体
from a digital file.
购买♥♥3D打印机还是相当昂贵的
To buy a 3D printer is still quite expensive,