2014年11月13日 星期四

Living in Hawaii, Aiming for Mars╱在夏威夷體驗住在火星的壓力


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紐時周報精選 Living in Hawaii, Aiming for Mars╱在夏威夷體驗住在火星的壓力
A Wearable Technology That Fits Just Like Skin╱穿戴科技如皮膚般貼身
紐時周報精選
 
Living in Hawaii, Aiming for Mars╱在夏威夷體驗住在火星的壓力
By KENNETH CHANG╱陳世欽譯
On the way to Mars, Neil Scheibelhut stopped by a store for mouthwash and dental floss. "We're picking up some last-minute things," he said via cellphone on a recent afternoon.

前往火星途中,謝貝爾胡特在一家商店買了漱口水和牙線。他最近一個下午透過手機說:「我們利用最後一刻買些東西。」

Mr. Scheibelhut is not actually an astronaut leaving the earth. But three hours later, he and five other people stepped into a domeshaped building on a Hawaiian volcano where they will live for eight months, mimicking a stay on the surface of Mars.

謝貝爾胡特並不是真要離開地球的太空人。然而3小時後他與另5人進入位於夏威夷火山上的一棟圓頂建築,準備在裡面生活8個月,模擬在火星表面停留的狀態。

This is part of a study financed by NASA, the American space agency. The goal of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or Hi-Seas for short , is to examine how well people, isolated from civilization, can get along and work together.

這是美國太空總署資助的研究計畫之一,名為夏威夷太空探索類比與模擬(Hi-Seas),探究與文明隔絕時人類能否相處並合作。

When astronauts finally head toward Mars years from now — NASA has tentatively scheduled the 2030s — it will be a long and lonely journey: about six months to Mars, 500 days on the planet, and then six months home.

太空人多年後實際飛向火星時(太空總署暫訂於2030年代),將是段漫長而孤獨的旅程:飛抵火星約需6個月,在火星表面停留500天,回程又是6個月。

"Right now, the psychological risks are still not completely understood and not completely corrected for," said Kimberly Binsted of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the principal investigator for the project. (She is not in the dome.) "NASA is not going to go until we solve this."

計畫首席研究員、馬諾夏威夷大學教授金柏莉.賓斯迪德(她沒有進住圓頂建築)說:「所涉心理風險尚未完全瞭解,也尚未完全修正。在我們解決這個問題前,太空總署不可能貿然行動。」

Isolation can lead to depression. Personality conflicts can escalate over the months.

隔離可能引發抑鬱,個性衝突則可能逐月惡化。

"How do you select and support astronauts for a mission that will last two to three years in a way that will keep them healthy and performing well?" Dr. Binsted said.

賓斯迪德博士說:「你該如何挑選並支援太空人執行長達2到3年的任務,讓他們健康並且稱職?」

Or as Mr. Scheibelhut put it: "I'm so interested to see how I react. 'I don't know' is the short answer. I think it could go a lot of different ways."

或者如謝貝爾胡特所說:「我很想知道自己會有什麼反應。『我不知道』是簡單的回答。我認為可能會有很多不同的結果。」

Several mock Mars missions have been conducted in recent years. A simulation in Russia in 2010 and 2011 stretched 520 days . Four of the six volunteers developed sleep disorders and became less productive as the experiment progressed. The Mars Society, a nonprofit group that promotes human spaceflight, has run short simulations in the Utah desert since 2001 and is planning a oneyear simulation in the Canadian Arctic beginning in 2015.

模擬火星任務近年已進行多次。2010與2011年在俄羅斯那次模擬持續520天,6名志願者中有4人睡眠失調且生產力遞減。非營利組織火星學會提倡太空飛行,2001年開始在猶他州沙漠進行時間較短的模擬,準備明年在加拿大北極圈內展開為期一年的模擬。

Hi-Seas has conducted two four-month missions, and next year, six more people will reside for one year inside the dome, a two-story building 11 meters in diameter with about 140 square meters of space. It sits in an abandoned quarry at an altitude of 2,440 meters on Mauna Loa.

Hi-Seas已做過兩次各4個月的實驗,明年會有另外6個人住進圓頂建築,為期一年。這棟二層樓建築物直徑11公尺,空間約140平方公尺(42坪)。它座落在莫納洛亞火山一處海拔2440公尺的廢棄露天礦場。

The six crew members in the Hi-Seas dome are largely cut off. Their communications to the world outside the dome are limited to email, and each message is delayed by 20 minutes before being sent, simulating the lag for communications to travel from Mars to Earth and vice versa.

圓頂內6個人大致與外界隔絕,對外聯絡只能靠電子郵件,而且都延遲20分鐘發出,以模擬火星與地球間的通信時間差。

On a real mission, the lag time would be considerably shorter as Mars and Earth moved closer together but, Dr. Binsted said, "We went with the worst case because we're trying to solve the worstcase situation."

真正執行任務時,時間差會因火星與地球接近而大幅縮短。不過賓斯迪德說:「我們模擬最嚴重的狀況,因為我們試圖解決最嚴重的狀況」。

The crew members are granted some exceptions. They can check a few websites, like their banking accounts, to ensure that their earth lives do not fall apart while they are away. There is also a cellphone for emergency communications .

參與實驗者享有一些例外。他們可以檢視一些網站,例如自己的銀行帳戶,以確定遠離塵俗期間世間生活不會嚴重走樣。另有一支手機供緊急連絡。

Some 150 people applied to participate. Dr. Binsted said the three men and three women were chosen to have a mix of experience and backgrounds similar to those of NASA astronauts.

約有150人報名。賓斯迪德表示,參與的3男3女經過特別挑選,使他們不同的經驗及背景得以比照太空人。

Mr. Scheibelhut, 38, had worked on the first Hi-Seas mission as part of the support crew. "I thought it would be really cool to be part of what's going on inside," he said.

38歲的謝貝爾胡特曾在第一次Hi-Seas任務擔任支援人員。他說:「我當時認為能到裡面去參加實驗會很酷。」

Each crew member is receiving round-trip airfare to Hawaii, a $11,500 stipend, and food and lodging.

每一參與者可獲夏威夷來回機票價款,1.15萬美元津貼,以及食宿。

The goal is to maintain cohesion among the crew members, but that can lead to problems. "They become more independent when they are more cohesive," Dr. Binsted said, and such a crew could spar with mission control.

目標是維繫參與者間的凝聚力。不過這也可能產生問題。賓斯迪德說:「他們變得更團結時,也會變得更獨立。」這樣一組人會與任務管制中心起爭執。

The researchers will also be looking for signs of "third-quarter syndrome." At the beginning of the mission, the experience is new and exciting. Then, in the second quarter of the mission, people fall into routines. Near the end, people can look forward to getting out and returning to the real world.

研究人員還會注意「3/4症候群」的徵兆。任務一開始時,新奇的經驗會令人興奮。進入第2個1/4階段時,組員會進入習慣狀態。接近結束時,他們可以期盼離開隔離環境,回到真實世界。

In the middle, there can be a stretch when routines turn into tedium without end. "That third quarter can be a bit of a bummer," Dr. Binsted said.

進行到一半時,可能出現一段習慣狀態變成無止境的單調乏味的時期。賓斯迪德說:「第3個1/4可能會令人不快。」

Like real astronauts, the Hi- Seas crew will be busy performing a variety of scientific work, including excursions outside the dome in spacesuits.

一如真正的太空人,Hi-Seas組員也會忙著從事多項科學實驗,包括穿著太空裝步出圓頂屋從事短途旅行。

"If you're going to keep people in a can for eight months, you want to get as much science out of them as possible," Dr. Binsted said. "It also means NASA gets a lot of bang for their buck."

賓斯迪德說:「如果你要把幾個人關在狹窄空間裡8個月,一定會想盡量從他們的身上獲得科學新知。這也意味,太空總署錢花的值得。」

 
A Wearable Technology That Fits Just Like Skin╱穿戴科技如皮膚般貼身
By NICK BILTON╱王麗娟譯
It is almost certain that the next era of computing will be wearables. But it is commensurately uncertain what these wearables will be and where on your body they will be worn.

我們幾可確定,電算的下一個年代會屬於穿戴型產品。至於這些產品會是什麼,又會穿戴在人體何處,卻同樣無法確定。

Apple and Samsung, for example, are betting on the wrist; Google, the face. Some tech companies believe clothing will simply become electronic. Yet there's a whole new segment of start-ups that believes we humans will become the actual computers, or at least the place where the technology will reside.

例如,蘋果和三星押注手腕,谷歌則是臉部。有些科技公司認為衣服會電子化。但有全新一批新創公司認為,人類會變成實體電腦,至少會成為穿戴科技的居所。

These start-ups are working on a class of wearable computers that adhere to the skin like temporary tattoos, or attach to the body like an adhesive bandage.

這些新創公司正研發可像假刺青般附著於皮膚,或像黏性貼布般附著於身體的一系列穿戴型電腦。

Many of these technologies are stretchable, bendable and incredibly thin. They can also be given unique designs, to stand out like a bold tattoo, or to blend in to the color of your skin.

這些科技產品許多可延展、可彎曲,或薄到不可思議。他們也可能有獨特設計,如大膽刺青般醒目,或和膚色融合為一。

Attachable computers will be less expensive to make and provide greater accuracy because sensors will be closer to a person's body (or even inside us) .

附著式電腦較不昂貴,也比較準確,因為感應器更貼身(甚至就在體內)。

MC10, a company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is testing attachable computers about the size of a piece of gum that can include wireless antennas, temperature and heartrate sensors and a tiny battery.

麻州劍橋的MC10公司正在實驗一種附著式電腦。約口香糖大小,內有無線天線、體溫和心律感應器,以及一個極小的電池。

Scott Pomerantz, head of MC10, said: "Ours are always on you. We have the smallest, most flexible, stretchable, wearable computer, and you can collect all sorts of biometric data tied to your motion."

MC10負責人波梅蘭茲說:「我們的產品永遠是穿戴在你身上。我們擁有最小、最具可撓性與延展性的穿戴式電腦。你可蒐集與你的動作有關的各種生理數據。」

MC10 recently teamed up with John A. Rogers, a professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who has been working for nearly a decade to perfect flexible devices that can be worn on the skin or implanted .

MC10最近與厄巴納-香檳伊利諾大學教授羅傑斯合作。羅傑斯已投入近10年時間,讓穿戴於皮膚或植入體內的彈性裝置更為完美。

How would these gadgets work? Maybe you want to figure out which deodorant would be best for you. A sticker that tracks your sweat level would email you a few recommendations. Or if you want to monitor your baby's breathing, a little sensor on the baby's chest would alert you to any problems.

這些小裝置將如何運作?或許你想知道哪種止汗劑最適合你使用。可追蹤汗量的一張貼紙,會以電子郵件提供你一些建議。或許你想監測寶寶的呼吸,貼在寶寶胸前的一個小感應器會在出狀況時發出警示。

"We'll eventually see a more intimate integration of electronics and biological systems," Mr. Rogers said . "Without that kind of intimate physical contact, it's going to be difficult, or maybe even impossible, to extract meaningful data."

羅傑斯說:「我們最終會看到電子產品和生理系統更親密的結合。不靠這種與身體的親密接觸,蒐集到有用的數據會變得很困難,甚至不可能。」

The health applications are enormous. Over the past year, Mr. Rogers and his team of scientists have been working with patients with Parkinson's disease to monitor their motions, with dermatologists to treat skin diseases, and with beauty companies like L'Oreal to develop digital stickers that track skin hydration.

在健康方面的應用可以無所不包。過去一年,羅傑斯和他的科學家團隊一直在與巴金森氏病人共事,監測他們的運動,也與皮膚科醫生合作,治療皮膚疾病,也和美妝公司如歐萊雅公司共同開發數位貼紙,追蹤肌膚水分。

Anke Loh of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has been experimenting with making the attachable computers look like body art. "You see these patches and you really want to put them on your skin, even without knowing what the function is," Ms. Loh said . "There's a lot of potential to combine fashion and technology."

芝加哥藝術學院的羅安克正從事一項實驗,讓附著式電腦看來宛如人體藝術。羅女士說:「看著這些貼布時,你會真的很想把它往身上貼,即使不知道它有什麼功能。時尚與科技結合,潛力無窮。」

Scientists at the University of Tokyo have been working on an "e-skin," which is an electronic skin that sits on top of real skin. It looks like a stretchable sheet of plastic wrap, yet contains lots of health-related sensors.

東京大學的科學家一直在研究「電子皮膚」,它是放在真皮膚上的一種電子皮膚。外表類似一片具伸縮性的保鮮膜,但內含許多與健康相關的感應器。

In another iteration of e-skin, scientists are working to add a layer of LEDs, turning it into a screen that sits on the body.

在另一個電子皮膚的反覆研究中,科學家正設法為電子皮膚添加一層LED燈,讓它變成人體上的一個螢幕。

Digital skins offer numerous applications, not only in monitoring a user's health, but also as a visual user interface. They may even replace smartphones one day.

數位皮膚應用範圍十分廣泛,不僅可監測使用者的健康狀況,還可作為使用者的視覺介面。有朝一日,甚至可取代智慧手機。

But don't throw aside your smartwatch or Google Glass just yet. It will be a while before our wearable future becomes known.

不過,暫時還別把你的智慧手表或是谷歌眼鏡扔到一邊。我們的穿戴未來還要一段時間才會明朗。

 
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