As a roboticist, I get asked a lot of questions. "When we will they start serving me breakfast?" So I thought the future of robotics would be looking more like us. I thought they would look like me, so I built eyes that would simulate my eyes. I built fingers that are dextrous enough to serve me ... baseballs.
身為機器人學家, 我被問過很多問題。 「何時才有會煮早餐的機器人?」 我過去認為未來的機器人 會跟我們長得很像。 我覺得它們會長得像我一樣, 所以我用自己的眼睛當範本 來為它們做眼睛。 我給它們做手指, 讓它們能靈活地丟棒球。
Classical robots like this are built and become functional based on the fixed number of joints and actuators. And this means their functionality and shape are already fixed at the moment of their conception. So even though this arm has a really nice throw -- it even hit the tripod at the end-- it's not meant for cooking you breakfast per se. It's not really suited for scrambled eggs.
這種傳統式的機器人 有一定數量的關節和致動器 來執行它的功能, 這也表示,在設計構思的階段, 它們就已有了一定的功能和形狀。 所以,就算它能完美地投球—— 打到三角架了—— 它並不能為你做早餐, 也無法幫你炒蛋。
So this was when I was hit by a new vision of future robotics: the transformers. They drive, they run, they fly, all depending on the ever-changing, new environment and task at hand. To make this a reality, you really have to rethink how robots are designed. So, imagine a robotic module in a polygon shape and using that simple polygon shape to reconstruct multiple different forms to create a new form of robot for different tasks. In CG, computer graphics, it's not any news -- it's been done for a while, and that's how most of the movies are made. But if you're trying to make a robot that's physically moving, it's a completely new story. It's a completely new paradigm.
思索至此,我對未來的機器人 有了新的構想: 變形金剛。 它們能疾駛、奔跑、飛翔, 隨著多變的環境和任務來變化。 為了讓這個想法成真, 就必須重新思考機器人設計的概念。 想像一下,如果有一個 多角形的機器人模組, 運用簡單的多角形 來變化成多種不同形狀, 我們就可以用這樣的模組 來建造多才多藝的新型機器人。 這在電腦繪圖的領域中不是新概念, 它已應用多年,現在的電影 大量運用這項技術。 但要建造一個可以移動機器人, 就完全是另一回事了, 因為沒有前例可循。
But you've all done this. Who hasn't made a paper airplane, paper boat, paper crane? Origami is a versatile platform for designers. From a single sheet of paper, you can make multiple shapes, and if you don't like it, you unfold and fold back again. Any 3D form can be made from 2D surfaces by folding, and this is proven mathematically. And imagine if you were to have an intelligent sheet that can self-fold into any form it wants, anytime. And that's what I've been working on. I call this robotic origami, "robogami."
各位都有過摺紙的經驗, 無論是紙飛機、紙船、紙鶴。 以設計的角度來看, 摺紙是一種變化多端的平台; 用一張紙,你就能摺出各種形狀, 如果你不喜歡摺出來的作品, 可以拆開來重新摺成別的東西。 任何立體形狀 都可以用平面來摺疊成型, 這是數學可以證明的。 如果這張紙長了腦袋, 就可以自己隨時摺成任何形狀。 這就是我目前致力創造的東西, 我稱之為「摺紙式機器人」。
This is our first robogami transformation that was made by me about 10 years ago. From a flat-sheeted robot, it turns into a pyramid and back into a flat sheet and into a space shuttle. Quite cute.
這是我十年前做的摺紙式機器人 首次變形的過程, 它從一個平面, 變成金字塔形狀,然後再變回來, 接著變成太空梭的形狀。 很可愛吧!
Ten years later, with my group of ninja origami robotic researchers -- about 22 of them right now -- we have a new generation of robogamis, and they're a little more effective and they do more than that. So the new generation of robogamis actually serve a purpose. For example, this one actually navigates through different terrains autonomously. So when it's a dry and flat land, it crawls. And if it meets sudden rough terrain, it starts rolling. It does this -- it's the same robot -- but depending on which terrain it meets, it activates a different sequence of actuators that's on board. And once it meets an obstacle, it jumps over it. It does this by storing energy in each of its legs and releasing it and catapulting like a slingshot. And it even does gymnastics. Yay.
十年後的今天, 我的摺紙式機器人忍者研究團隊—— 成員約有 22 人—— 已經做出新一代的摺紙式機器人, 它們的執行效率更高, 能做的事情也更多。 新一代摺紙式機器人有實際用途, 舉個例子,這個機器人 能根據地形來自主導航; 在乾燥和平坦的地面,它會用爬的, 突然碰到崎嶇不平的地形, 它會開始用滾的。 它會這樣——這是同一個機器人—— 隨著碰到的地形, 它會啟動致動器中不同組的程序。 一旦有障礙物,它會跳過去, 這是藉著在它的腿中儲存能量, 然後在釋放能量時 讓它像射彈弓一樣彈出去。 它甚至還能會體操動作。 耶!
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
So I just showed you what a single robogami can do. Imagine what they can do as a group. They can join forces to tackle more complex tasks. Each module, either active or passive, we can assemble them to create different shapes. Not only that, by controlling the folding joints, we're able to create and attack different tasks. The form is making new task space. And this time, what's most important is the assembly. They need to autonomously find each other in a different space, attach and detach, depending on the environment and task. And we can do this now.
你們剛剛看到了 單一摺紙式機器人的能耐。 成群時它們能做甚麼? 它們能合力執行更複雜的工作。 每個模組——有的是主動式模組, 有的是被動式模組—— 能組合成不同的形狀。 更甚於此,我們能 藉由控制摺疊處的關節, 讓它們有能力因應更多不同的工作。 組合的形狀決定它能創造的新功能, 此時,最重要的就是組合的動作, 各個模組必須在 分散各處的情況下找到彼此, 然後視環境和任務的需要 組合或分離。 這我們已經辦到了。
So what's next? Our imagination.
接下來呢? 那就要運用想像力了。
This is a simulation of what you can achieve with this type of module. We decided that we were going to have a four-legged crawler turn into a little dog and make small gaits. With the same module, we can actually make it do something else: a manipulator, a typical, classical robotic task. So with a manipulator, it can pick up an object. Of course, you can add more modules to make the manipulator legs longer to attack or pick up objects that are bigger or smaller, or even have a third arm. For robogamis, there's no one fixed shape nor task. They can transform into anything, anywhere, anytime.
我們用這種模組做了一些模擬。 我們決定要做一個 用四隻腳爬行的機器人, 它變成一隻小狗,然後小步走路。 我們能用同一個模組做成別的東西: 機械手,一種典型的傳統機器人。 機械手可以把東西拿起來。 你當然也可以加用更多模組, 讓機器手臂更長, 來拿起更大或更小的物體, 或讓它有第三隻手臂。 摺紙式機器人沒有特定的形狀, 也沒有特定的功能, 它們能隨時隨地變成任何東西。
So how do you make them? The biggest technical challenge of robogami is keeping them super thin, flexible, but still remaining functional. They're composed of multiple layers of circuits, motors, microcontrollers and sensors, all in the single body, and when you control individual folding joints, you'll be able to achieve soft motions like that upon your command. Instead of being a single robot that is specifically made for a single task, robogamis are optimized to do multi-tasks. And this is quite important for the difficult and unique environments on the Earth as well as in space.
這種機器人是怎麼建造的呢? 技術上最大的挑戰是超薄化, 讓它們更靈活, 同時保有功能性。 每個單一的機體都是由多層電路、 馬達、微控制器和感應器組成, 如果摺疊處的關節都能分別控制, 一個指令就能夠達成 像那樣柔軟的動作。 一個機器人不再只有一種用途, 摺紙式機器人是優化的多工機器人。 這項技術在地球以及太空中 各種獨特的環境裡, 有很重要的用途。
Space is a perfect environment for robogamis. You cannot afford to have one robot for one task. Who knows how many tasks you will encounter in space? What you want is a single robotic platform that can transform to do multi-tasks. What we want is a deck of thin robogami modules that can transform to do multiples of performing tasks. And don't take my word for it, because the European Space Agency and Swiss Space Center are sponsoring this exact concept.
摺紙式機器人最適合 應用於太空的環境, 單工機器人成本太高, 太空任務的各項需求難以預測, 我們需要的是一個能變形 來執行各種工作的機器人平台—— 一種薄型摺紙式機器人模組的太空艙, 機器人能各自變形來完成各種工作。 口說無憑, 歐洲太空總署和瑞士太空中心 已贊助了這個概念。
So here you see a couple of images of reconfiguration of robogamis, exploring the foreign land aboveground, on the surface, as well as digging into the surface. It's not just exploration. For astronauts, they need additional help, because you cannot afford to bring interns up there, either.
現在你可以看到摺紙式機器人 多種組態的畫面。 它們探索外星, 能在地表工作,也能飛天遁地。 它們的功能也不僅止於探索。 太空人需要協助, 但把實習生送上太空也不敷成本。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
They have to do every tedious task. They may be simple, but super interactive. So you need robots to facilitate their experiments, assisting them with the communications and just docking onto surfaces to be their third arm holding different tools. But how will they be able to control robogamis, for example, outside the space station? In this case, I show a robogami that is holding space debris. You can work with your vision so that you can control them, but what would be better is having the sensation of touch directly transported onto the hands of the astronauts. And what you need is a haptic device, a haptic interface that recreates the sensation of touch. And using robogamis, we can do this.
他們要自己做各種單調的工作, 這些工作可能很單純, 但互動性很高。 這時候就可能需要機器人 來幫他們進行實驗、 協助執行輸送任務, 或直接附著在艙殼上, 變成太空人的第三隻手臂, 自己拿著工具工作。 但太空人該如何在艙內 控制艙外的摺紙式機器人? 這裡看到的是一個機器人 拿著太空殘骸。 如果能看到艙外的狀況, 就能控制機器人。 但如果太空人能用手的觸覺 感受到太空艙外的物體, 那就更好了。 此時我們需要的是模擬觸覺的裝置, 一種觸覺模擬的介面, 重現標的物觸摸起來的感覺。 這是摺紙式機器人做得到的。
This is the world's smallest haptic interface that can recreate a sensation of touch just underneath your fingertip. We do this by moving the robogami by microscopic and macroscopic movements at the stage. And by having this, not only will you be able to feel how big the object is, the roundness and the lines, but also the stiffness and the texture. Alex has this interface just underneath his thumb, and if he were to use this with VR goggles and hand controllers, now the virtual reality is no longer virtual. It becomes a tangible reality. The blue ball, red ball and black ball that he's looking at is no longer differentiated by colors. Now it is a rubber blue ball, sponge red ball and billiard black ball. This is now possible. Let me show you.
這是全世界最小的觸覺模擬介面, 它能在你的指尖下模擬觸覺的感受。 摺紙式機器人是在模擬台上 以肉眼看不出來的顯微動作, 搭配肉眼可見的動作, 來達成這項模擬。 有了這項裝置, 你不但能感覺到這物體 有多大、多圓,或線條狀, 還能感覺到軟硬度和質地。 影片中,介面在艾力克斯的拇指下, 如果再搭配使用 虛擬實境眼鏡和手動控制器, 虛擬實境就不再是虛擬了, 而是摸得到的實境。 他看到的藍球、紅球、黑球, 不再只能用顏色來區分; 藍球是橡皮做的, 紅球是海綿做的,黑球是撞球。 這已經變成可能。 我來示範給你們看。
This is really the first time this is shown live in front of a public grand audience, so hopefully this works. So what you see here is an atlas of anatomy and the robogami haptic interface. So, like all the other reconfigurable robots, it multitasks. Not only is it going to serve as a mouse, but also a haptic interface.
這真的是第一次 在這麼多觀眾的公開場合做展示。 希望行得通。 你現在看到的是人體解剖圖, 以及摺紙式機器人的觸覺模擬介面。 就像其他所有可重新組態的機器人, 它具有多工性。 它不但是個滑鼠, 也是觸覺模擬介面。
So for example, we have a white background where there is no object. That means there is nothing to feel, so we can have a very, very flexible interface. Now, I use this as a mouse to approach skin, a muscular arm, so now let's feel his biceps, or shoulders. So now you see how much stiffer it becomes. Let's explore even more. Let's approach the ribcage. And as soon as I move on top of the ribcage and between the intercostal muscles, which is softer and harder, I can feel the difference of the stiffness. Take my word for it. So now you see, it's much stiffer in terms of the force it's giving back to my fingertip.
比如說,空白背景中沒有物體, 所以沒有感覺要模擬。 這介面就會很軟。 現在,我把它當作滑鼠移到皮膚上, 肌肉發達的手臂上, 我們來摸一下他的二頭肌, 然後他的肩膀, 你可以看到它變得比較硬。 我們來摸其他部位。 現在移到他的胸廓, 我從肋骨滑到肋間肌上, 馬上感覺到由硬變軟, 有很明顯的差別。 你要相信我。 你們看,現在摸起來很硬, 因為傳到我指尖的反作用力比較大。
So I showed you the surfaces that aren't moving. How about if I were to approach something that moves, for example, like a beating heart? What would I feel?
剛才都是摸一些靜止的表面, 摸到在動的東西會怎麼樣呢? 比如說,跳動的心臟? 會有甚麼感覺呢?
(Applause)
(掌聲)
This can be your beating heart. This can actually be inside your pocket while you're shopping online. Now you'll be able to feel the difference of the sweater that you're buying, how soft it is, if it's actually cashmere or not, or the bagel that you're trying to buy, how hard it is or how crispy it is. This is now possible.
有一天這可能是你的心臟。 在網路上購物的時候, 將此裝置放在口袋裡。 你就能伸手到口袋裡, 摸到毛衣的不同質地, 它有多柔軟, 是不是真的喀什米爾羊毛。 如果你想買貝果, 你能感覺到它有多硬或多脆。 這已經變成可能。
The robotics technology is advancing to be more personalized and adaptive, to adapt to our everyday needs. This unique specie of reconfigurable robotics is actually the platform to provide this invisible, intuitive interface to meet our exact needs. These robots will no longer look like the characters from the movies. Instead, they will be whatever you want them to be.
機器人技術已進步到 更個人化和更有適應性, 來因應我們日常的需求。 這種獨特的可重組態機器人技術 為無形而直覺的介面提供平台, 來迎合我們各種特定的需求。 這些機器人不再像是 電影中看到的機器人角色, 而是你們想要的, 它們就會變成那個樣子。
Thank you.
謝謝大家。
(Applause)
(掌聲)