VOA常速英语2015--新相机记录看似无形的运动（在线收听）

New Camera Records Invisible Motion 新相机记录看似无形的运动

The world around us is in constant motion, even objects that seem to be perfectly still. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology use a special camera that offers glimpses into the world of seemingly invisible movements.

Many objects around us vibrate when hit by sound waves but the movements are invisible to the naked eye.

我们周围的许多物体受到声波影响都会出现振动现象,但单凭肉眼是看不见这种运动的。

For instance, a wine glass exposed to a loud noise…..vibrates although it looks perfectly still.

比如暴露于噪音环境当中的一只酒杯…虽然表面看起来完全静止但仍然是在振动。

However, if you tape the movements with a special high-speed camera that records thousands of frames per second, and use a computer program to amplify the vibrations and insert them in the video, the results are stunning. The so-called motion microscope makes the glass look like it's made of a jelly-like substance.   

然而,如果你使用每秒记录成千上万帧的特殊高速摄影机记录下这种振动现象,并使用一个计算机程序将其放大,然后通过视频展现,其结果会令人震惊。显微镜下这种所谓的运动使得玻璃杯看起来如胶状物质一般。

“The motion microscope is a way to visualize small motions that are seemingly invisible to the naked eye in videos,” said Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate student Neil Wadhwa, who recorded and amplified the movements of a face, clearly showing the man’s blood pressure going up and down with every heartbeat.

“显微镜运动是一种将肉眼近乎看不见的微小运动以可视化视频展现的方式。”麻省理工学院记录脸部运动并进行放大的研究生尼尔·瓦德瓦表示这种运动明显显示随着每一次心跳这个人的血压升降情况。

Wadhwa says the motion microscope can be very useful for monitoring critical movements such as the movements of a baby in mother’s womb or of an infant breathing.

瓦德瓦表示运动显微镜可以有助于监测在母亲子宫一个婴儿的运动或呼吸等关键动作。

“You can create a non-contact vital signs monitor so you don't need to attach anything to a person and you will still be able to figure out their heart rate and respiration rate,” he said.

“你可以创造一种非接触式的生命体征监测器,这样你就不需要给人们佩戴任何装置,而且你将仍然能够观察他们的心率和呼吸率。”

Wadhwa says recording invisible motion could be used for other applications, such as helping engineers detect vibrations of construction elements and even buildings, road bridges or construction cranes.

瓦德瓦表示记录无形的运动可以用于其他应用程序,例如帮助工程师们检测建筑元素，甚至是建筑物,道路桥梁和建筑起重机的振动。