TED演讲 第12期:从20马赫的滑翔机到蜂鸟无人机的感想(7)

 And to carry a payload of more than a few pounds? (Yeah.)  并搭载一个只有几磅多的东西？（是的。）

Like what's the payload it could carry?  那么可能会运载什么？

Well I don't think we ultimately know what it will be, right.  呃，我想我们还不知道，对吧。

We've got to fly it first.  我们首先得让它飞起来。。

But not necessarily just a camera?  但不会只是个摄像机吧？

No, not necessarily just a camera.  不，不一定只是个摄像机。

It's amazing.  太棒了。

The hummingbird¹?Yeah?  蜂鸟？嗯？

I'm curious, you started your beautiful sequence on flight with a plane kind of trying to flap its wings and failing horribly,and there haven't been that many planes built since that flap wings.  我很好奇，你在描述飞行时以一架试图拍打机翼却不成功的飞机开头，顺序很漂亮。从那拍动翅膀的飞机失败后这种飞机就没有再问世。

Why did we think that this was the time to go biomimicry and copy a hummingbird?  为什么我们会认为，现在这是个进行生态模拟的时代去模拟蜂鸟？

Isn't that a very expensive solution for a small maneuverable flying object? 这对一个可操纵的小型飞行物来说不是个很昂贵的方案？

So I mean, in part, we wondered if it was possible to do it.  所以，我认为，一方面，我们想知道是否有可能做到。

And you have to revisit these questions over time. 而且你不得多次重温这些问题。

The folks at AeroVironment AeroVironmen tried 300 or more different wing designs,12 different forms of the avionics.  公司的人员尝试了三百多种不同的机翼设计。12种不同形式的航空电子设备。

It took them 10 full prototypes to get something that would actually fly.  他们废了10个完整的原型机才最终制作出能真的飞起来的飞机。

But there's something really interesting about a flying machine that looks like something you'd recognize.  但是如果一个飞行器看起来像。一个你能认出来的物体那么这是很有趣的。

So we often talk about stealth as a means for avoiding any type of sensing,but when things looks just natural,you also don't see them. 所以我们常常讨论隐形作为一种避开各种感测的途径。但是当事物看起来很自然时，你也就看不到它们了。

Ah. So it's not necessarily just the performance.  啊，所以不一定只是性能。

It's partly the look. (Sure.)  外形也是其中的元素 （当然。）

It's actually, Look at that cute hummingbird flying into my headquarters. 确实如此，看，一只可爱的蜂鸟飞进了我的总部。

Because I think, as well as the awe³ of looking at that,I'm sure some people here are thinking, 因为我想，虽然我们现在怀着敬畏的心情看着它但我相信肯定有人在想。

Technology catches up so quick,how long is it before some crazed geek with a little remote control flies one through a window of the White House? 科技日新月异什么时候就有疯狂的极客拿着个小摇控器让蜂鸟通过白宫的窗户飞进去？

I mean, do you worry about the Pandora's box issue here?  我的意思是，你有没有担心潘多拉盒子的问题？

Well look, our singular mission is the creation and prevention of strategic surprise.  呃，我想，我们的唯一任务是创造和预防策略性的突袭。

That's what we do. 这是我们的工作。

It would be inconceivable for us to do that work if we didn't make people excited and uncomfortable with the things that we do at the same time.  如果我们做的事情。不能同时让人们激动和不舒服，那么我们的工作就没有意义。

It's just the nature of what we do.  这仅是我们工作的性质。

Now our responsibility is to push that edge.  现在，我们的责任是不断地推进技术。

And we have to be, of course, mindful and responsible of how the technology is developed and ultimately used,but we can't simply close our eyes and pretend that it isn't advancing; it's advancing.  当然我们也得留意该技术的发展和最终用途并对其负责，但是我们不能干脆闭上眼睛，假装技术不在进步；其实，技术在进步着。

I mean, you're clearly a really inspiring leader.  我的意思是，你是个很激励人的领导者。

And you persuade people to go to these great feats⁴ of invention, but at a personal level,in a way I can't imagine doing your job.  你鼓励人们踊跃参与发明的伟大壮举，但是从个人层面来说，我想象不了你进行工作的方式。

Do you wake up in the night sometimes,just asking questions about the possibly unintended consequences of your team's brilliance⁵? 你晚上睡觉时，有时会不会醒来问自己。你的团队的聪明才智会不会有不可预期的后果？

Sure.  当然。

I think you couldn't be human if you didn't ask those questions.  既然是人都会问过那些问题。

How do you answer them?  你怎么回答的呢？。

Well I don't always have answers for them, right.  呃，我回答不了全部问题，对吧。

I think that we learn as time goes on.  我觉得我们在不断地学习。

My job is one of the most exhilarating jobs you could have. 我的工作是最令人振奋的工作之一。

I work with some of the most amazing people.  我跟非常优秀的人一起工作。

And with that exhilaration,comes a really deep sense of responsibility.  那种合作的愉快，随之而来的是强烈的责任感。

And so you have on the one hand this tremendous lift of what's possible and this tremendous seriousness of what it means.  这样，你一方面获得了可能性的巨大提升。以及其意义的巨大严肃性。

Regina, that was jaw-dropping, as they say. 瑞姬娜，他们说，那种工作令人瞠目结舌。

Thank you so much for coming to TED². (Thank you.)  谢谢来到TED（谢谢）。

1 hummingbird   

n.蜂鸟

参考例句：

• The hummingbird perches on a twig of the hawthorn.小蜂鸟栖在山楂树枝上。
• The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backward.蜂鸟是唯一能倒退向后飞的鸟。

2 ted   

vt.翻晒，撒，撒开

参考例句：

• The invaders gut ted the village.侵略者把村中财物洗劫一空。
• She often teds the corn when it's sunny.天好的时候她就翻晒玉米。

3 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

4 feats   

功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He used to astound his friends with feats of physical endurance. 过去，他表现出来的惊人耐力常让朋友们大吃一惊。
• His heroic feats made him a legend in his own time. 他的英雄业绩使他成了他那个时代的传奇人物。

5 brilliance   

n.光辉，辉煌，壮丽，（卓越的）才华，才智

参考例句：

• I was totally amazed by the brilliance of her paintings.她的绘画才能令我惊歎不已。
• The gorgeous costume added to the brilliance of the dance.华丽的服装使舞蹈更加光彩夺目。