英国皇家科学院圣诞讲座：让火花飞（2014）

so that when we hear the finished thing,
就会像是它们在同时演奏了
they all sound like they're in time.
最后但绝对同样重要的是
Now last but definitely not least,
我们组建机器人乐队时
when designing our robot orchestra,
我们想要加入一位
we wanted to include a percussionist
超级酷的打击乐乐手
that would be unashamedly cool
共同参与现场表演
and take to the air.
也许你们见过玩具店里出♥售♥的四轴飞行器
Now you may have seen quadcopters for sale in toy shops,
但和这个都不尽相同
but nothing quite like this.
我们来看看它能做些什么
Let's just watch what it can do.
精妙之处在于 没人在控制它
But the clever bit is - nobody's controlling it.
相反 这个四轴飞行器的飞行轨迹
Instead, the flight of the quadcopter is being
已经由电脑精确控制
precisely controlled by a computer,
这款软件是由布里斯托机器人实验室的
and the software designed has been designed
团队设计
by a team at Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
如果你们中的一些人抬头
If you look above your heads, some of you,
会看到这种发光的红色圆圈
you'll see some of these glowing red circles.
它们被固定在这间阶梯教室的各个角落
There's a few of them around the lecture theatre.
事实上 这些是小型红外摄像机
Now in fact, these are small infrared cameras
正在捕捉就像这样的小球
and they're looking for small balls just like this one
它们被放置在四轴飞行器的周身
which have been placed around the quadcopter.
这些小球是动作捕捉反射器
These are motion capture reflectors,
电影制♥作♥人也是利用这一工具
so the same thing that filmmakers would use
将演员转变为三维动画角色
to turn an actor into a CGI character,
不过我们通过它们给电脑反馈
but we're using them to tell a computer exactly
飞行器到底在阶梯教室的哪个位置
where the drone is in this lecture theatre.
屏幕上 大家可以看到摄像机的位置
On screen, you can see the position of the cameras
和飞行器的位置
and the position of the drone.
只要飞行器呆在三维空间的精确方位上
If the drone stays in this precise position in 3D space,
那四个马达就能加速或减速
those four motors can speed up or slow down
使其回到它应在的位置
and move it back to where it's supposed to be.
不过我们能追踪的不止是四轴飞行器
But it's not just a quadcopter we can track.
我们将几个动作捕捉反射器安在这只茶壶上
We've attached some motion capture reflectors to this teapot
如果我移♥动♥茶壶
and if I wave this around,
大家就能看到摄像机也在
we should see the cameras are tracking
追踪这只茶壶的位置
the position of this teapot as well.
我们给这台电脑编程
And we've programmed this computer
使其识别我手中茶壶的运动轨迹
to recognise the movements of my teapot
并相应地调整
and adjust the positions
飞行器的位置
of the quadcopter accordingly.
这样我就能通过茶壶
So I should be able to control this quadcopter...
来控制飞行器了
with my teapot.
多好玩儿啊
How good is that?
真不可思议
That's fantastic!
现在瞧我能把飞行器停得多稳
Now let's see how good I am at landing this.
不是很稳
Not so good.
回到我们的机器人乐队
Now for our robot orchestra,
飞行器的栓绳
the quadcopter's tether
与下面的摆臂系在一起
has been connected to this arm down here,
位置已调整好
which is positioned so that
因此当飞行器升起时
when the quadcopter jumps into the air,
摆臂便会敲响铜钹 就像这样
it will strike and crash the cymbal like so.
每一次升起的飞行轨迹
The flight path for each of these...
都已经预先设定好了
for each of these jumps has been pre-programmed
并跟其它机器人一样
and will be cued by a MIDI signal
由MIDI提供演奏信♥号♥♥
just like all of the other robots,
所以表演是完全自动化的
so it is completely automated.
好了 我想乐队马上就要组建完毕
Right, I think our orchestra is just about complete,
但我还想再向你们介绍几位机器人乐手
but we have a few more robot musicians I'd like you to meet.
麻烦将其余机器人送上来好吗
So can we bring on the rest of the robots, please?
除了鼓手马尔蒂默
As well as Mortimer the drummer,
我们还带来了一套机械架子鼓
we've also brought in this robotic drum kit
由伦敦国王学院的团队设计
that's been designed by a team at King's College, London.
能让机械架子鼓演奏一下吗
Can we hear a little bit from this robot, please?
好极了
Excellent.
后面挨着飞行器的是管风琴
And at the back next to the quadcopter
不管你信不信
is a pipe organ that believe it or not
那是由一组书架改装的
used to be made out of a set of shelves.
由阿伯里斯特威斯大学的研究者
It was hacked out of household items
利用家居用品制♥作♥而成
by a researcher at the University of Aberystwyth
而管中的空气实际上是由一台真空吸尘器
and the air is actually being pushed through the pipes
来吹动的
by an old vacuum cleaner.
能听一下管风琴的声音吗
So can I hear a tune out of the pipes, please?
家就要这样加以利用 真的很厉害
Now that's how to hack your home, very cool indeed.
我们还有一台机械钟琴
We've also got a robotic glockenspiel
和这个非常酷炫的电吉他
and this very cool electric guitar
原理是利用压缩空气将控制杆压到琴弦上
which uses compressed air to push down the levers on the strings.
让吉他演奏一下好吗
So can we hear the guitar?
很好
Excellent, ok.
之前说过 我们还邀请了几位真人音乐家
Now as promised, we've invited some human musicians
和机器人一道演奏
to join our robots too,
所以请大家欢迎来自伦敦当代交响乐团的
so please can you welcome Galia, Robert, Chris and Kate
加利亚 罗伯特 克里斯和凯特
from the London Contemporary Orchestra.
我想现在所有准备工作都已完成
Now I think we're actually there.
你们先调整到舒适状态
I'll just let you guys get comfortable there
现在欢迎来自伦敦城市大学的
and please welcome Andy Lambert
安迪·兰伯特
from City University, London,
过去几天就是他在指挥这支
who has been conducting this robot orchestra
机器人乐队
in the past few days.
请大家将热烈的掌声送给安迪
A huge round of applause for Andy, please.
其实我还没听过这些机器人共同演奏
I've not actually heard these robots play together yet
所以我也完全不知道会有怎样的效果
so I genuinely have no idea how this is going to sound,
今晚我与你们一起聆听
so I'm with you guys tonight.
尽管机器人还不及人类
And even if the humans outshine the robots,
但我们要说明的是组建管弦乐队
we'll have shown that performing in an orchestra
并不是机器不可能完成的任务
is not beyond the grasp of machines.
如若能够精确掌握过去一小时所见识到的科技
If we can master the technologies we've seen over the past hour,
我们就能够为所有人创造出更美好的未来
we should be able to make a better future for everyone,
不管是利用3D技术打印四肢或探索其它星球
be that by 3D printing limbs or discovering other planets.
我称本次讲座为"全新革命"
I called this lecture A New Revolution
而这场革命就从这里开始
and the hacking revolution starts right here.
我不要你们再把自己的
I want you to stop thinking about
手♥机♥或电脑看做一个黑匣子
your phone or your laptop as a black box,
而是看做你能鼓捣的玩意儿
but as something you can tinker with.
如果你的手♥机♥做不了你想做的事
If your phone doesn't do what you want it to do,
自己写个手♥机♥应用
write an app of your own.
如果你家中物品的功能不尽如你意
If something in your house doesn't behave the way you want it to,
去思考能如何利用它 如何控制它
think about how you can hack it, how you can take control.
在这些讲座中 我们为自己设定了三大挑战
We set ourselves three grand challenges in these lectures
而这最后一项挑战是给你们的
and my final challenge is to you.
你的伟大工程挑战是什么
What is your great engineering challenge?
你打算解决什么问题
What problem are you going to solve?
要是你还没想好 也没问题
And if you haven't worked it out yet, that's ok too.
现在是时候掌握那些技巧
Now is the time to get those skills -
学会编写一些代码
learn some code,
买♥♥些简单的电子设备
buy that simple electronics kit.
当灵感来袭
Then when the inspiration hits,
你就做好让智慧火花纷飞的准备了
you'll be ready and sparks will fly.
现在将现场留给大家
Now I'm going to leave you tonight
欣赏今晚皇家科学院机器人乐队的
with the first ever performance
首场演奏
of the Royal Institution Robot Orchestra.
大家准备好了吗
Are we ready for this?
-好了吗 -好了
- Yeah? - Yeah!
棒极了
Brilliant, ok.
开始吧 安迪
Take it away, Andy.
谢谢 晚安
Thank you and good night.