So what does it mean for a machine to be athletic? We will demonstrate the concept of machine athleticism and the research to achieve it with the help of these flying machines called quadrocopters, or quads, for short.
如果呢台機器可以做運動 意味著乜嘢? 我哋會借助四旋翼飛行器(四旋翼) 去展示機器運動嘅概念 同埋我哋喺機器運動方面嘅研究
Quads have been around for a long time. They're so popular these days because they're mechanically simple. By controlling the speeds of these four propellers, these machines can roll, pitch, yaw, and accelerate along their common orientation. On board are also a battery, a computer, various sensors and wireless radios.
四旋翼已經面世好耐 佢哋最近大熱嘅原因 係因為佢哋嘅機械原理簡單 只要控制呢四個螺旋槳嘅轉速 呢部機器就可以翻側、俯仰、偏航 仲可以向任何一個方向加速 呢部機器有電池、微型電腦 各種傳感器同無線電收發器
Quads are extremely agile, but this agility comes at a cost. They are inherently unstable, and they need some form of automatic feedback control in order to be able to fly.
四旋翼靈活係有代價嘅 佢天生唔夠穩定 所以需要自動反饋控制 至保證可以飛得到
So, how did it just do that? Cameras on the ceiling and a laptop serve as an indoor global positioning system. It's used to locate objects in the space that have these reflective markers on them. This data is then sent to another laptop that is running estimation and control algorithms, which in turn sends commands to the quad, which is also running estimation and control algorithms. The bulk of our research is algorithms. It's the magic that brings these machines to life.
咁點樣做到自動反饋呢? 天花板嘅攝像鏡頭同呢部手提電腦 形成咗室內嘅定位系統 用嚟定位空間入面嘅物件 每件物件都有呢種反光標記 收集到嘅定位數據會發送去 另一部手提電腦 執行估算同控制算法 跟住電腦會發送控制指令畀四旋翼 四旋翼亦都會執行計算同控制算法 我哋研究嘅重點就係算法 算法賦予呢啲機器活力
So how does one design the algorithms that create a machine athlete? We use something broadly called model-based design. We first capture the physics with a mathematical model of how the machines behave. We then use a branch of mathematics called control theory to analyze these models and also to synthesize algorithms for controlling them. For example, that's how we can make the quad hover. We first captured the dynamics with a set of differential equations. We then manipulate these equations with the help of control theory to create algorithms that stabilize the quad.
咁係點樣設計出算法 令機器可以郁嘅呢? 我哋利用廣義稱為 「以模型為基礎嘅設計方法」 我哋首先利用數學模型 掌握機器運動嘅物理數據 然後用數學嘅一個細分學科 叫做控制理論,分析模型同合成算法 從而控制四旋翼 例如,我哋係咁樣控制四旋翼︰ 首先,用一系列微分方程 掌握佢嘅運動數據 藉著控制理論,我哋修改呢啲方程式 得出一啲算法嚟穩定四旋翼
Let me demonstrate the strength of this approach. Suppose that we want this quad to not only hover but to also balance this pole. With a little bit of practice, it's pretty straightforward for a human being to do this, although we do have the advantage of having two feet on the ground and the use of our very versatile hands. It becomes a little bit more difficult when I only have one foot on the ground and when I don't use my hands. Notice how this pole has a reflective marker on top, which means that it can be located in the space.
等我示範下呢種方法有幾厲害啦 假設我哋想四旋翼停喺空中之外 仲要穩定一轆棍 經過簡單練習 人類已經可以做到呢個動作 雖然我哋比四旋翼有優勢 我哋可以雙腿掂地 有好靈活嘅雙手輔助 但如果我金雞獨立嘅話,咁就有啲難 注意轆棍頂部有反光標記 用嚟判斷轆棍嘅空間座標
(Audience) Oh!
(觀眾)哦!
(Applause)
(掌聲)
(Applause ends)
大家可以睇到部四旋翼一直喺度微調
You can notice that this quad is making fine adjustments to keep the pole balanced. How did we design the algorithms to do this? We added the mathematical model of the pole to that of the quad. Once we have a model of the combined quad-pole system, we can use control theory to create algorithms for controlling it. Here, you see that it's stable, and even if I give it little nudges, it goes back -- to the nice, balanced position.
令轆棍平衡 我哋係點樣設計算法搞掂嘅呢? 我哋將轆棍嘅數學模型輸入到四旋翼 只要我哋個模型有齊 四旋翼同轆棍嘅資料 我哋就可以利用控制理論 建立控制算法去控制四旋翼 睇下,就算我郁佢一下 佢都穩如泰山,都會返到去平衡點
We can also augment the model to include where we want the quad to be in space. Using this pointer, made out of reflective markers, I can point to where I want the quad to be in space a fixed distance away from me.
我哋仲可以修改模型 加入四旋翼預定嘅空間座標 用著呢條有反光標記嘅指揮棒 就可以點四旋翼去任何我想嘅位置 而且同我保持特定嘅距離
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
The key to these acrobatic maneuvers is algorithms, designed with the help of mathematical models and control theory.
呢啲特技動作嘅關鍵係算法 算法依賴數學模型同控制理論
Let's tell the quad to come back here and let the pole drop, and I will next demonstrate the importance of understanding physical models and the workings of the physical world. Notice how the quad lost altitude when I put this glass of water on it. Unlike the balancing pole, I did not include the mathematical model of the glass in the system. In fact, the system doesn't even know that the glass is there. Like before, I could use the pointer to tell the quad where I want it to be in space.
等我指部四旋翼返嚟先 畀四旋翼放低轆棍 宜家我會講解 理解物理模型 同現實世界運作規律嘅重要 留意喺我放杯水上去嘅時候 四旋翼嘅高度下降咗 唔似轆棍咁樣 我無喺四旋翼系統度 加入杯水嘅數學模型 事實上,系統根本唔知道杯水喺度 同之前一樣,我可以用指揮棒 指揮四旋翼嘅走向
(Applause)
(掌聲)
(Applause ends)
Okay, you should be asking yourself, why doesn't the water fall out of the glass? Two facts. The first is that gravity acts on all objects in the same way. The second is that the propellers are all pointing in the same direction of the glass, pointing up. You put these two things together, the net result is that all side forces on the glass are small and are mainly dominated by aerodynamic effects, which at these speeds are negligible. And that's why you don't need to model the glass. It naturally doesn't spill, no matter what the quad does.
大家可能會問 點解玻璃杯嘅水唔會倒出嚟? 原因有兩個: 第一,重力對所有物體嘅作用都係一樣 第二,所有螺旋槳都指向 同玻璃杯一樣嘅方向︰指向上 呢兩點加埋,結果就係 杯水打側方向嘅作用力太細 四旋翼亦因此主要受到空氣動力控制 所以向側邊嘅力都可以忽略 亦因為咁,你無需為玻璃杯整數學模型 因為無論四旋翼做咩,水都唔會漏出嚟
(Audience) Oh!
(Applause)
(掌聲)
(Applause ends)
The lesson here is that some high-performance tasks are easier than others, and that understanding the physics of the problem tells you which ones are easy and which ones are hard. In this instance, carrying a glass of water is easy. Balancing a pole is hard.
喺度想講嘅係 某啲高性能任務簡單過其他任務 同埋,理解問题背後嘅物理 你就可以知道邊樣簡單、邊樣難 呢個例子裏面 四旋翼頂住杯水飛就簡單 平衡轆棍就難
We've all heard stories of athletes performing feats while physically injured. Can a machine also perform with extreme physical damage? Conventional wisdom says that you need at least four fixed motor propeller pairs in order to fly, because there are four degrees of freedom to control: roll, pitch, yaw and acceleration. Hexacopters and octocopters, with six and eight propellers, can provide redundancy, but quadrocopters are much more popular because they have the minimum number of fixed motor propeller pairs: four. Or do they?
我哋都聽過運動員受傷都可以完成壯舉 咁機器可唔可以 喺極度損壞嘅情況下運作? 傳統科學認為,你要飛 起碼要四塊固定螺旋槳 因為要控制四範嘢︰ 滾轉、俯仰、偏航同加速 六旋同八旋飛行器 分別有六同八塊螺旋槳 佢哋嘅螺旋槳足以應付所需 但係四旋更加受歡迎 因為佢有最少嘅螺旋槳:四套 係咪?
(Audience) Oh!
(Laughter)
If we analyze the mathematical model of this machine with only two working propellers, we discover that there's an unconventional way to fly it. We relinquish control of yaw, but roll, pitch and acceleration can still be controlled with algorithms that exploit this new configuration. Mathematical models tell us exactly when and why this is possible. In this instance, this knowledge allows us to design novel machine architectures or to design clever algorithms that gracefully handle damage, just like human athletes do, instead of building machines with redundancy.
如果我哋分析呢台 只用兩個螺旋槳嘅機器嘅數學模型 我哋發現有種新嘅方式可以令佢飛起嚟 就係只要算法容許嘅話 我哋放棄控制偏航 但係我哋仍然控制滾轉、俯仰同加速 數學模型精確咁話畀我哋知 幾時同點解呢種配置係有可能 喺呢個例子,數學模型嘅知識 令我哋設計出全新嘅機器結構 或者好似人類運動員一樣聰明 應對損害嘅算法 而無需整多餘嘅部件
We can't help but hold our breath when we watch a diver somersaulting into the water, or when a vaulter is twisting in the air, the ground fast approaching. Will the diver be able to pull off a rip entry? Will the vaulter stick the landing? Suppose we want this quad here to perform a triple flip and finish off at the exact same spot that it started. This maneuver is going to happen so quickly that we can't use position feedback to correct the motion during execution. There simply isn't enough time. Instead, what the quad can do is perform the maneuver blindly, observe how it finishes the maneuver, and then use that information to modify its behavior so that the next flip is better. Similar to the diver and the vaulter, it is only through repeated practice that the maneuver can be learned and executed to the highest standard.
當我哋睇到跳水運動員空翻入水 或者撐杆跳運動員喺空中翻轉 然後快速著地,我哋一定會屏息以待 睇下究竟跳水嘅可唔可以壓住水花 撐杆跳嘅可唔可以站立著地 假設我哋希望呢台四旋翼表演三個空翻 然後停喺佢原來嘅位置 但呢個動作快到 我哋用唔到定位反饋信息 糾正執行過程嘅動作 時間根本唔夠 所以四旋翼只能夠盲目執行動作 執行完之後 睇下自己點樣完成呢個動作 然後修改自己嘅動作 令到下一個翻轉好啲 呢個類似跳水同撐杆跳運動員 只有通過反覆練習 先可以學好動作,做到最好
(Laughter)
(Applause)
(笑聲) (掌聲)
Striking a moving ball is a necessary skill in many sports. How do we make a machine do what an athlete does seemingly without effort?
好多運動入面,擊球係一項必須嘅技能 我哋點樣令機器做到 運動員隨便就做到嘅動作?
(Laughter)
(Applause)
(笑聲) (掌聲)
(Applause ends)
This quad has a racket strapped onto its head with a sweet spot roughly the size of an apple, so not too large. The following calculations are made every 20 milliseconds, or 50 times per second. We first figure out where the ball is going. We then next calculate how the quad should hit the ball so that it flies to where it was thrown from. Third, a trajectory is planned that carries the quad from its current state to the impact point with the ball. Fourth, we only execute 20 milliseconds' worth of that strategy. Twenty milliseconds later, the whole process is repeated until the quad strikes the ball.
呢部四旋翼個頭綁咗塊球拍 而最有效擊球點同蘋果差唔多大 所以唔係好大 部機嘅計算頻率係 20 毫秒一次 亦即係每秒 50 次 我哋第一步睇下個波飛去邊 第二步計算出四旋翼要點樣打波 四旋翼收到指令後 就飛去個波飛出嘅位置 第三步,計算出一條從四旋翼 到擊球點嘅飛行軌跡 第四步,我哋只執行 上幾個程序 20 毫秒 20 毫秒過去,重複以上成個程序 直到四旋翼打到個波
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Machines can not only perform dynamic maneuvers on their own, they can do it collectively. These three quads are cooperatively carrying a sky net.
機器唔單止可以獨立運動 佢哋仲可以一齊嚟 呢三部四旋翼就一齊帶住個球網飛
(Applause)
(掌聲)
(Applause ends)
They perform an extremely dynamic and collective maneuver to launch the ball back to me. Notice that, at full extension, these quads are vertical.
佢哋做咗個非常有動態 非常合作嘅操作 嚟丟返個波畀我 注意囉,個網全部打開個陣 呢啲四旋翼全部打側九十度
(Applause)
(掌聲)
In fact, when fully extended, this is roughly five times greater than what a bungee jumper feels at the end of their launch.
實際上,當個網全部打開 會產生相當於笨豬跳嘅人 跌到最低時五倍嘅力
The algorithms to do this are very similar to what the single quad used to hit the ball back to me. Mathematical models are used to continuously re-plan a cooperative strategy 50 times per second.
做一齊打波動作嘅算法好簡單 類似一部四旋翼打返個波畀我嘅算式 都係利用數學模型持續計算合作策略 每秒計算 50 次
Everything we have seen so far has been about the machines and their capabilities. What happens when we couple this machine athleticism with that of a human being? What I have in front of me is a commercial gesture sensor mainly used in gaming. It can recognize what my various body parts are doing in real time. Similar to the pointer that I used earlier, we can use this as inputs to the system. We now have a natural way of interacting with the raw athleticism of these quads with my gestures.
我哋目前睇到嘅所有嘢 都同機器同埋佢哋能力有關 如果我哋將機器嘅運動能力 同人類結合,會點呢? 喺我面前嘅係一部商業用姿勢感應器 主要用喺遊戲 佢可以實時識別我身體唔同部位嘅動作 而同我之前用嘅指揮棒相似 我可以用呢個感應器 當成系統嘅輸入裝置 我哋宜家可以用身體姿勢 自然咁同四旋翼互動
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Interaction doesn't have to be virtual. It can be physical. Take this quad, for example. It's trying to stay at a fixed point in space. If I try to move it out of the way, it fights me, and moves back to where it wants to be. We can change this behavior, however. We can use mathematical models to estimate the force that I'm applying to the quad. Once we know this force, we can also change the laws of physics, as far as the quad is concerned, of course. Here, the quad is behaving as if it were in a viscous fluid.
互動唔一定係虛擬,可以係現實嘅 以呢部四旋翼為例 佢想停喺空間嘅一個固定位置 如果我要擁開佢,佢會抵抗我 佢始終會返去佢想要嘅位置度 但係,我哋可以改變呢種行為 我哋可以用數學模型 估算我用喺四旋翼上面嘅力 只要我哋知道呢個力 我哋就可以改變四旋翼嘅物理定律 依家四旋翼就好似喺粘性流體度
We now have an intimate way of interacting with a machine. I will use this new capability to position this camera-carrying quad to the appropriate location for filming the remainder of this demonstration.
而我哋依家可以好親密咁同機器互動 我會用呢種新技術 將帶住攝像頭嘅四旋翼放喺適當位置 去錄低餘下嘅示範
So we can physically interact with these quads and we can change the laws of physics. Let's have a little bit of fun with this. For what you will see next, these quads will initially behave as if they were on Pluto. As time goes on, gravity will be increased until we're all back on planet Earth, but I assure you we won't get there. Okay, here goes.
正如頭先所講 我哋可以同四旋翼有實體互動 亦可以改變佢哋嘅物理定律 等我哋嚟玩下呢樣 接著落嚟 你會睇到四旋翼 一開始好似喺太空咁輕飄飄 隨住時間增加,引力亦都加大 直到恢復地球引力為止 但係我保證你同我唔會有事 好,開始
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Whew! You're all thinking now, these guys are having way too much fun, and you're probably also asking yourself, why exactly are they building machine athletes? Some conjecture that the role of play in the animal kingdom is to hone skills and develop capabilities. Others think that it has more of a social role, that it's used to bind the group. Similarly, we use the analogy of sports and athleticism to create new algorithms for machines to push them to their limits. What impact will the speed of machines have on our way of life? Like all our past creations and innovations, they may be used to improve the human condition or they may be misused and abused. This is not a technical choice we are faced with; it's a social one. Let's make the right choice, the choice that brings out the best in the future of machines, just like athleticism in sports can bring out the best in us.
呼! 你哋一定諗緊四旋翼嘅 開發人員有太多娛樂 你都可能會問自己 點解佢哋要整運動機械人? 有人一口咬定話 「玩」嘅功能就係磨練 包括人在內嘅動物嘅技藝同埋能力 其他人就諗,四旋翼更加有社會功能 可以用嚟聚合群體 對我哋嚟講 我哋用運動同崇尚運動嘅精神 創造咗新嘅機器算法 將機器嘅潛能發揮到極致 機器嘅速度 對我哋嘅生活方式有咩影響? 同我哋以前所有嘅創造發明一樣 佢哋可能用嚟改善人類嘅生活條件 亦都可能俾人誤用或者濫用 我哋面對嘅,唔係技術決定 而係社會決定 等我哋做個正確決定 令最好嘅機器可以喺將來問世 就好似崇向運動嘅精神 發掘到運動潛能最勁嘅人咁
Let me introduce you to the wizards behind the green curtain. They're the current members of the Flying Machine Arena research team.
等我介紹你哋四旋翼項目 背後勞苦功高嘅人 佢哋係飛行器競技場 研究小組嘅現任成員
(Applause)
(掌聲)
Federico Augugliaro, Dario Brescianini, Markus Hehn, Sergei Lupashin, Mark Muller and Robin Ritz. Look out for them. They're destined for great things.
Federico Augugliaro, Dario Brescianini Markus Hehn, Sergei Lupashin Mark Muller 同 Robin Ritz 請留意佢哋 佢哋日後一定會有偉大嘅成就
Thank you.
多謝大家
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(掌聲)