TED演讲 4D打印机的诞生(2)

 So I'd like to propose that we can combine those two worlds, that we can combine the world of the nanoscale programmable adaptive materials and the built environment.  所以我建议把这两个世界结合起来，把纳米级上可程序化、能自我调节的材料和生产环境结合起来。

And I don't mean automated¹ machines. I don't just mean smart machines that replace humans.  我的意思不是自动化设备。我指的也不仅仅是让智能机器替代人类劳动。 

But I mean programmable materials that build themselves.  而是那些可以可程序化的材料实现自我组装。

And that's called self-assembly, which is a process by which disordered parts build an ordered structure through only local interaction. 这就叫做自我组装，一种把各个无序的零部件组成一个有序的结构的过程，这一切都只通过材料自身的相互作用来完成。

So what do we need if we want to do this at the human scale?  那么要把它应用于人类社会生活，我们又需要些什么呢？

We need a few simple ingredients.  我们只需要一些简单的条件。

The first ingredient is materials and geometry,  第一个就是材料和几何形状，

and that needs to be tightly coupled with the energy source.  这需要和能源材料紧密结合起来。

And you can use passive energy -- so heat, shaking, pneumatics, gravity, magnetics.  我们可以用被动式能源——比如热力、抖动、气压、重力、磁力。

And then you need smartly designed interactions.  同时我们也需要设计得非常巧妙的交互方式。

And those interactions allow for error correction,  而且这些交互方式可以纠错，

and they allow the shapes to go from one state to another state. 可以让已成型的物体改变状态。

So now I'm going to show you a number of projects that we've built,  我现在要为大家展示我们已经做好的一些项目，

from one-dimensional, two-dimensional, three-dimensional and even four-dimensional systems.  从一维、二维、三维甚至到四维的系统。

So in one-dimensional systems -- this is a project called the self-folding proteins.  在一维系统里——我们有个项目叫“自我折叠蛋白质”。 

And the idea is that you take the three-dimensional structure of a protein -- in this case it's the crambin protein -- you take the backbone² -- so no cross-linking, no environmental interactions -- and you break that down into a series of components³.  思路是我们拿一个蛋白质的三維结构模型——这里我们用的是花菜蛋白——我们拿出它的主链——没有交叉链接的地方或者与环境的相互作用——我们把它分解成一系列的组成部分。

And then we embed⁴ elastic⁵. And when I throw this up into the air and catch it,  然后我们嵌入一定的弹性松紧度。然后我把它抛向空中再接住， 

it has the full three-dimensional structure of the protein, all of the intricacies.  它就变成了蛋白质本身复杂的三维结构。

And this gives us a tangible⁶ model of the three-dimensional protein and how it folds and all of the intricacies of the geometry.  它为我们展示了一个形象的三维蛋白质模型，它是如何折叠的以及它的几何复杂性。

So we can study this as a physical, intuitive model.  所以我们可以利用这个实际直观的模型来研究蛋白质。

And we're also translating that into two-dimensional systems -- so flat sheets that can self-fold into three-dimensional structures. 同时我们也把这个想法应用到二维系统里——比如使平板能够自我折叠形成三维结构。

 

1 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

2 backbone   

n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气

参考例句：

• The Chinese people have backbone.中国人民有骨气。
• The backbone is an articulate structure.脊椎骨是一种关节相连的结构。

3 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

4 embed   

vt.把…嵌(埋、插)入，扎牢；使深留脑中

参考例句：

• The harpoon struck but did not embed.鱼叉击中了但并没有插入。
• This photo showed us how did the root of plant embed the soil deeply.这张照片显示植物的根是如何深入到土壤里去的。

5 elastic   

n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的

参考例句：

• Rubber is an elastic material.橡胶是一种弹性材料。
• These regulations are elastic.这些规定是有弹性的。

6 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。