I know this is going to sound strange,

我知道這聽起來怪怪的

but I think robots can inspire us to be better humans.

但是我認為機器人能夠啟發我們

See, I grew up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania,

讓我們成為更好的人

the home of Bethlehem Steel.

我在美國賓州伯利恆(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)長大

My father was an engineer,

伯利恆鋼鐵廠(Bethlehem Steel)就在那裡

and when I was growing up, he would teach me how things worked.

我父親是個工程師

We would build projects together,

在我成長的過程中

like model rockets and slot cars.

他會敎了我工程的原理

Here's the go-kart that we built together.

我們會一起做一些東西

That's me behind the wheel,

像是模型火箭和軌道車

with my sister and my best friend at the time.

這是我們一起做的卡丁車

And one day,

站在輪胎後方的是我

he came home, when I was about 10 years old,

還有我的姐姐和我當時最好的朋友

and at the dinner table, he announced

有一天我父親回到家

that for our next project, we were going to build ...

當時我大概十歲

a robot.

吃晚飯的時候

A robot.

他宣布下一個我們要做的東西是機器人

Now, I was thrilled about this,

機器人

because at school, there was a bully named Kevin,

我感到非常樂不可支

and he was picking on me,

因為學校裡

because I was the only Jewish kid in class.

有一個愛欺負人的同學叫做凱文

So I couldn't wait to get started to work on this,

他很愛找我麻煩

so I could introduce Kevin to my robot.

因為我是班上唯一的猶太人

(Laughter)

我等不及能夠快點開始做這件事情

(Robot noises)

這樣我就可以讓凱文「見識見識」我的機器人 (笑聲)

(Laughter)

(機器人的聲音)

But that wasn't the kind of robot my dad had in mind.

這並不是當時我父親所想的那種機器人

(Laughter)

當時他擁有一家鍍鉻公司

See, he owned a chromium-plating company,

他們得在一堆化學物品中

and they had to move heavy steel parts between tanks of chemicals.

搬運沉重的鋼鐵零件

And so he needed an industrial robot like this,

所以他需要一個像這樣的工業機器人

that could basically do the heavy lifting.

來搬運重物

But my dad didn't get the kind of robot he wanted, either.

但是我父親並沒有得到他想要的那種機器人

He and I worked on it for several years,

我父親和我在這件事情上努力了好幾年

but it was the 1970s, and the technology that was available to amateurs

但是當時是1970年代

just wasn't there yet.

還沒有出現

So Dad continued to do this kind of work by hand.

非專業人士能夠取得的技術

And a few years later,

因此我父親靠著人工繼續這類工作

he was diagnosed with cancer.

幾年後

You see,

他被診斷患有癌症

what the robot we were trying to build was telling him

你看，當時我們想做的那種機器人

was not about doing the heavy lifting.

不是在告訴他不要搬重物

It was a warning

而是對他暴露在有毒的化學物品中的一種警告

about his exposure to the toxic chemicals.

當時他沒有意會到

He didn't recognize that at the time,

所以得了血癌

and he contracted leukemia.

在45歲的時候過世

And he died at the age of 45.

這件事情讓我受到很大的打擊

I was devastated by this.

我永遠忘不了我父親和我想做的那種機器人

And I never forgot the robot that he and I tried to build.

大學的時候，我決定像父親一樣主修工程

When I was at college, I decided to study engineering, like him.

我進了卡內基美隆大學，取得機器人學博士學位

And I went to Carnegie Mellon, and I earned my PhD in robotics.

在那之後，我一直在研究機器人

I've been studying robots ever since.

我想向你們介紹的是

So what I'd like to tell you about are four robot projects,

四項機器人設計

and how they've inspired me to be a better human.

以及這些設計如何啟發我成為更好的人

By 1993, I was a young professor at USC,

1993年以前 我是南加大(USC)裡的一個年輕教授

and I was just building up my own robotics lab,

當時才要開始建立我個人的機器人實驗室

and this was the year the World Wide Web came out.

網路的出現也是在這一年

And I remember my students were the ones who told me about it,

我記得是我的學生

and we would -- we were just amazed.

告訴我網路的出現

We started playing with this, and that afternoon,

我們對此讚嘆不已

we realized that we could use this new, universal interface

我們開始摸索網路

to allow anyone in the world to operate the robot in our lab.

某個下午 我們發現可以利用這個縱橫全球的平台

So, rather than have it fight or do industrial work,

讓全世界任何一個人

we decided to build a planter,

來操作我們實驗室中的機器人

put the robot into the center of it,

我們捨棄將它做為戰鬥或工業使用

and we called it the Telegarden.

選擇用它來耕種

And we had put a camera in the gripper of the hand of the robot,

我們把機器人放在這東西的中心位置

and we wrote some special scripts and software,

並稱它為天線花園

so that anyone in the world could come in,

我們在機器人手上的夾具裝設了照相機

and by clicking on the screen,

也寫了專屬的程式和軟體

they could move the robot around and visit the garden.

如此一來

But we also set up some other software

世界各地的人就可以透過點擊螢幕

that lets you participate and help us water the garden, remotely.

進來任意移動機器人

And if you watered it a few times,

並且參觀花園

we'd give you your own seed to plant.

我們同時也設有其他軟體

Now, this was an engineering project,

讓人們進來幫忙我們遙控澆水

and we published some papers on the system design of it,

在你澆過幾次水之後

but we also thought of it as an art installation.

我們就會給你種子去栽種

It was invited, after the first year,

這是一個設計，一個工程設計

by the Ars Electronica Museum in Austria,

我們出版了一些

to have it installed in their lobby.

天線花園系統設計的文件

And I'm happy to say, it remained online there, 24 hours a day,

但我們也視天線花園為一種裝置藝術

for almost nine years.

天線花園出現一年後

That robot was operated by more people

受到了奧地利的電子藝術博物館邀請

than any other robot in history.

將其設置在博物館大廳

Now, one day,

並且很榮幸地在博物館網站上

I got a call out of the blue from a student,

每天24小時展出將近九年時間

who asked a very simple but profound question.

操作這個機器人的人數

He said, "Is the robot real?"

比歷史上任何其他機器人都還要多

Now, everyone else had assumed it was,

有一天

and we knew it was, because we were working with it.

我突然接到

But I knew what he meant,

一個學生的電話

because it would be possible

他問了我一個非常簡單卻意義深遠的問題

to take a bunch of pictures of flowers in a garden

他說，天線花園是真的嗎?

and then, basically, index them in a computer system,

當時所有人都認為那是真的

such that it would appear that there was a real robot,

而我們是製作人所以我們知道

when there wasn't.

但是我能理解他為什麼這麼問

And the more I thought about it,

因為那有可能是拍下一堆花朵在花園裡的照片

I couldn't think of a good answer for how he could tell the difference.

然後利用電腦系統合成出來的

This was right about the time that I was offered a position

看起來像是有一個真的機器人在那裡

here at Berkeley.

但實際上並不存在

And when I got here,

我想了很久

I looked up Hubert Dreyfus,

卻想不出能讓他分辨兩者差異的方法

who's a world-renowned professor of philosophy,

這件事情差不多是發生在

And I talked with him about this and he said,

柏克萊大學(Berkeley)請我過來工作的時候

"This is one of the oldest and most central problems in philosophy.

我到達這裡時

It goes back to the Skeptics and up through Descartes.

拜訪了世界著名的哲學家德雷佛斯

It's the issue of epistemology,

我和他談到這件事情，他說

the study of how do we know that something is true."

這是最古老也最重要的哲學問題之一

So he and I started working together,

這要回顧到懷疑主義者

and we coined a new term: "telepistemology,"

並且向上追溯至笛卡兒

the study of knowledge at a distance.

這是認識知識論的問題

We invited leading artists, engineers and philosophers

研究如何判別事物真假

to write essays about this,

我們開始一起研究

and the results are collected in this book from MIT Press.

創造出一個新名詞：天線認識論

So thanks to this student,

是對遠距知識的研究

who questioned what everyone else had assumed to be true,

我們邀請了藝術家、工程師以及哲學家的先驅

this project taught me an important lesson about life,

來寫一篇相關報告

which is to always question assumptions.

研究結果發表在麻省理工學院

Now, the second project I'll tell you about

出版的這本書裡

grew out of the Telegarden.

我要感謝這名提出疑問的學生

As it was operating, my students and I were very interested

他質疑了所有人都相信的事實

in how people were interacting with each other,

這件事情給我上了人生的一課

and what they were doing with the garden.

就是我們要對任何假設提出質疑

So we started thinking:

我要講的第二項設計

what if the robot could leave the garden

是在天線花園之後發展出來的

and go out into some other interesting environment?

天線花園還在運作的時候

Like, for example, what if it could go to a dinner party

我的學生和我對於人與人的互動

at the White House?

以及他們在花園中所做的事情很感興趣

(Laughter)

我們開始思考

So, because we were interested more in the system design

如果機器人可以離開花園

and the user interface than in the hardware,

進入其他有意思的環境中會怎麼樣呢?

we decided that,

比方說

rather than have a robot replace the human to go to the party,

在白宮舉行的晚宴? (笑聲)

we'd have a human replace the robot.

比起硬體設備

We called it the Tele-Actor.

我們對系統設計和使用者平台更感興趣

We got a human,

因此我們決定

someone who's very outgoing and gregarious,

讓人來取代機器人

and she was outfitted with a helmet with various equipment,

而不是機器人取代人去參加宴會

cameras and microphones,

我們稱之為人形機器人

and then a backpack with wireless Internet connection.

我們找到一個人

And the idea was that she could go

她非常外向又熱衷社交

into a remote and interesting environment,

她戴著一頂頭盔

and then over the Internet,

上面有各種設備、攝影機和麥克風

people could experience what she was experiencing.

背著一個備有無線網路連線功能的背包

So they could see what she was seeing,

我們的想法是

but then, more importantly, they could participate,

她可以進入一個有意思的遠距環境

by interacting with each other and coming up with ideas

人們可以透過網路體驗她所經歷的

about what she should do next and where she should go,

看到她所看的

and then conveying those to the Tele-Actor.

更重要的是

So we got a chance to take the Tele-Actor

人們可以透過與其他人的互動參與其中

to the Webby Awards in San Francisco.

關於她該做什麼去哪裡

And that year, Sam Donaldson was the host.

我們想了很多點子

Just before the curtain went up, I had about 30 seconds

並且將這些都傳輸到人形機器人上

to explain to Mr. Donaldson what we were going to do.

我們得到機會，把人形機器人

And I said, "The Tele-Actor is going to be joining you onstage.

帶到在舊金山舉行的威比獎典禮上

This is a new experimental project,

那年的主持人是山姆．唐納森

and people are watching her on their screens,

在幕簾拉開之前

there's cameras involved and there's microphones

我有大概30秒時間向唐納森先生說明我們要做的事

and she's got an earbud in her ear,

我說

and people over the network are giving her advice

人形機器人會和你一起出現在舞台上

about what to do next."

這是一項實驗性的新設計

And he said, "Wait a second.

人們會從自己的螢幕上看到她

That's what I do."

她身上有攝影機和麥克風

(Laughter)

單邊耳朵會戴耳機

So he loved the concept,

她下一步該怎麼做

and when the Tele-Actor walked onstage, she walked right up to him,

人們會透過網路給她出主意

and she gave him a big kiss right on the lips.

唐納森先生說

(Laughter)

慢著，那是我的工作 (笑聲)

We were totally surprised -- we had no idea that would happen.

他很喜歡這個概念

And he was great, he just gave her a big hug in return,

在人形機器人步上舞台時

and it worked out great.

她直接朝唐納森先生走去

But that night, as we were packing up,

並且在他嘴唇上用力親了一下 (笑聲)

I asked the Tele-Actor, how did the Tele-Directors decide

我們都非常驚訝

that they would give a kiss to Sam Donaldson?

這是我們意料之外的事情

And she said they hadn't.

唐納森先生人非常好，回給她一個大擁抱

She said, when she was just about to walk onstage,

得到熱烈的回響

the Tele-Directors still were trying to agree on what to do,

當天晚上，在我們打包的時候

and so she just walked onstage and did what felt most natural.

我問了人形機器人

(Laughter)

導演是如何決定讓她親山姆‧唐納森的

So, the success of the Tele-Actor that night

她說他們並沒有要她這麼做

was due to the fact that she was a wonderful actor.

她說在她上台之前

She knew when to trust her instincts.

導演們還在討論要怎麼做

And so that project taught me another lesson about life,

所以她就走上台

which is that, when in doubt, improvise.

做了她覺得應該做的(笑聲)

(Laughter)

因此，那晚人形機器人的成功

Now, the third project grew out of my experience

完全歸功於她是個很棒的演員

when my father was in the hospital.

她知道什麼時候該相信自己的直覺

He was undergoing a treatment -- chemotherapy treatments --

這個設計給我上了人生中另一課

and there's a related treatment called brachytherapy,

不確定怎麼做的時候，要隨機應變 (笑聲)

where tiny, radioactive seeds are placed into the body

第三項設計是源自我父親住院時

to treat cancerous tumors.

我個人的經驗

And the way it's done, as you can see here,

當時我父親在接受化療

is that surgeons insert needles into the body

還有另一種相關療法

to deliver the seeds.

稱為近距放射療法

And all these needles are inserted in parallel.

是將微小的放射性種子植入體內來治療癌症腫瘤

So it's very common that some of the needles penetrate sensitive organs.

這個療法正如你所見

And as a result, the needles damage these organs, cause damage,

外科醫師會把針插在人體上

which leads to trauma and side effects.

來傳遞放射性種子

So my students and I wondered:

這些插入人體的針呈平行排列

what if we could modify the system,

因此有些針

so that the needles could come in at different angles?

很容易會刺入敏感的器官

So we simulated this;

結果這些針破壞了器官

we developed some optimization algorithms and we simulated this.

引起器官損傷及副作用

And we were able to show

我的學生和我開始想

that we are able to avoid the delicate organs,

我們是不是可以改善這個系統

and yet still achieve the coverage of the tumors with the radiation.

讓針可以從不同角度插入

So now, we're working with doctors at UCSF

我們做了模擬

and engineers at Johns Hopkins,

找出最佳的運算法則並再次模擬

and we're building a robot that has a number of --

我們有辦法做到避開脆弱的器官

it's a specialized design with different joints

同時仍然能夠維持

that can allow the needles to come in at an infinite variety of angles.

放射線在腫瘤上的覆蓋範圍

And as you can see here, they can avoid delicate organs

我們現在和加州大學舊金山分校裡的醫生

and still reach the targets they're aiming for.

以及約翰霍普金斯大學裡的工程師合作

So, by questioning this assumption that all the needles have to be parallel,

我們正在做一種機器人

this project also taught me an important lesson:

它經過特殊設計，有許多的關節

When in doubt, when your path is blocked, pivot.

讓針能夠以各種不同角度插入

And the last project also has to do with medical robotics.

如你所見，他們可以避開脆弱的器官

And this is something that's grown out of a system

在需要的地方插針

called the da Vinci surgical robot.

透過對針必須以平行排列有所懷疑

And this is a commercially available device.

我又在這個設計上學到一件事情

It's being used in over 2,000 hospitals around the world.

就是當我們心中有疑問時

The idea is it allows the surgeon to operate comfortably

當你眼前的路受到阻斷時，就換條路走吧 (投影片翻譯) 1. 要質疑假設 2. 猶疑不定時，要隨機應變 3. 此路不通時，要繞道而行

in his own coordinate frame.

最後一個設計也是跟醫學機器人有關

Many of the subtasks in surgery are very routine and tedious, like suturing,

這是從一個叫做

and currently, all of these are performed

達文西手術機器人的系統中發展出來的

under the specific and immediate control of the surgeon.

這個設備市面上可以買得到

So the surgeon becomes fatigued over time.

全球已經有超過兩千家醫院使用這項設備

And we've been wondering,

這個創意讓外科醫生

what if we could program the robot to perform some of these subtasks,

能夠在屬於自己的空間裡自在地做手術

and thereby free the surgeon

但是許多手術的附加工作

to focus on the more complicated parts of the surgery,

比方說縫合，是非常一成不變又沉悶的

and also cut down on the time that the surgery would take