Josh Giegel: Super speed, magnetic levitation and the vision behind the hyperloop | TED

翻译人员: 宇航 李 校对人员: Helen Chang

Imagine you're planning a trip up the coast,

想象你正在打算去海边旅行，

but instead of driving,

但你不开车去，

you decide to hop into a vehicle shaped like a giant aluminum can.

而是选择跳进一个巨大的 像铝罐一样的交通工具里。

Your heart pounds as you strap yourself in.

当你绑好安全带的时候， 你的心砰砰的跳着。

The air is stagnant.

空气凝固了。

Beads of sweat are pooling on your brow as you prepare to launch.

正要出发的时候， 大滴大滴的汗珠从你的额头落下。

The vehicle starts to move.

这个交通工具开始启动了。

Before you know it, you're going 500 miles per hour.

在你意识到之前， 其已经达到每小时500英里的速度。

You hope that the people in control know what they're doing.

你希望那些控制的人 知道他们正在做些什么。

Turns out that's just your average airplane experience.

原来

和一般搭乘飞机的经验没什么两样。

在118年以前，

And 118 years ago,

before the Wright brothers' first flight,

即莱特兄弟试飞成功以前，

the thought of humans flying was inconceivable -- crazy, even.

飞行在当时的人看来 不可思议，甚至疯狂。

Yet today, we get into a plane, 30,000 feet above the ground,

然而现在我们却坐上了飞机， 离地面三万英尺，

and think nothing of it.

不以为意。

A year after the Wright brothers' historic first flight,

距离莱特兄弟完成历史性的 首次飞行一年以后，

another inventor, an American physicist called Robert Goddard,

另一个发明家

美国发明家、物理学家 罗伯特·戈达德

proposed an entirely new form of transportation:

提出了一种全新的交通模式：

the vactrain.

空气动力火车。

He envisioned a high-speed mass transit system

他构思了一种高速公共运输系统

where people would travel on the ground,

人们乘坐它就能在地面上旅行了，

with little to no air resistance,

在管子里几乎没有空气阻力。

inside of a tube.

And today, these are some of the earliest renderings

而现在，这些早期的设计构想

of what we call a hyperloop.

其实是超级高铁的原型。

所以对于不熟悉超级高铁的人来说，

So for those of you unfamiliar with the hyperloop,

这是一个值得我们共同探讨的话题。

this is the chance we get to geek out together a bit.

超级高铁是一个运输系统， 在管道的内部

So hyperloop is a transit system that has a vehicle called a pod

inside of a tube about the same size as a subway tunnel,

有一个和地铁隧道同样大小 叫做吊舱的工具，

where we suck most, but not all of the air out of it,

大部分的，但并不是全部， 空气被抽出。

making it the equivalent of flying at about 200,000 feet of altitude.

这种感觉类似于在 约20万英尺的高度飞行。

This allows us to glide at airline speeds,

让我们可以在没有湍流的情况下

without turbulence,

以飞行的速度滑行，

for a fraction of the energy consumption,

只消耗飞行的部分能源，

about one tenth, to be precise, of an aircraft.

准确来讲，消耗了大约十分之一 飞机飞行所需要的能源。

And that's important,

这非常重要，

because we, as humans, have an innate need for speed.

因为我们人类对于速度 有着一种本能的追求。

But this obsession with speed and volume is destroying the planet around us.

但这种对于速度和总量的过分追求 正在破坏周边的环境。

In fact, in the United States,

事实上，在美国，

the transportation industry is the single largest contributor

交通运输行业是 温室气体排放最大的罪人。

to greenhouse gas emissions.

A hyperloop system can begin to change this trend

超级高铁系统可以在本世纪末之前 开始改变这种趋势，

before the end of the decade,

by transforming short-haul journeys and commutes

方法是将短途旅行和通勤

from hours to minutes.

从几小时转变为几分钟。

Our system is inspiring a new category of companies

我们的系统正在激发新类别的公司

dedicated to bringing this to life.

致力于使其成为现实。

But it's going to take more than just vision.

仅仅有愿景是不够的。

History's full of ideas that have flopped and flourished,

历史充满了失败和繁荣的想法，

and this one’s just too important for us not to get right.

这个非常重要，我们不能搞砸。

So I am an engineer,

我是一名工程师，

and I am insatiably curious and always love a good problem.

我的好奇心很强，喜欢好问题。

So in 2013, when Elon Musk released the "Hyperloop Alpha" white paper,

在2013年，当埃隆·马斯克发布了 “超级高铁初构想”白皮书以后，

of course, I was going to give it a read.

当然，我打算去读一遍。

It sketched out an idea with an open invitation

这份白皮书公开邀请

for anyone to take it from a concept and design it to reality.

那些能够从其概念入手， 并将其转化为现实的人。

We decided to not only make it tangible

于是我们决定不仅要把它设计出来，

but make it safe, sustainable and economically viable.

还要将它设计得安全、可持续， 并且在经济上可行。

And we were so convinced that we could make it work

我们坚信我们能够成功，

that I quit my job to build it.

我辞了职，着手去打造这个项目。

I thought I was being optimistic.

我以为我很乐观。

My wife, on the other hand, thought I was completely delusional.

然后，我的妻子却认为我 完全是在痴心妄想。

Either way, we heard over and over

不管怎样，总有些人老和我们说

that building a functional hyperloop was unrealistic.

打造一个实用的超级高铁 是不现实的。

But for each "no" we heard,

纵然他人质疑不断，

we dove deeper and deeper into the science and the engineering

我们始终潜心钻研科学和工程，

and showed that it was in fact possible,

为了去证明超级高铁 事实上是可以建造出来的。

but it was going to be no easy feat for us to build something that had never existed.

但是建造一个从不存在的 事物着实有点困难。

So our early prototypes

所以我们最初的原型

started with the traditional concept that maglev uses,

是从磁悬浮使用的传统观念开始的，

that is, where the track controls the vehicle.

即轨道控制着车辆。

But something about that just wasn't quite right

但用在超级高铁系统上 总是有点不对劲。

for a hyperloop system.

So for months,

几个月来我一直在想

I had been noodling on how to make our system future-proof.

该怎样让我们的系统 去经受未来的考验。

And while I was on a bike ride in the mountains above Los Angeles,

有天我正在洛杉矶的山上骑自行车，

I came around a bend.

来到了一个转弯处。

A 1933 Ford Roadster followed by a Tesla Model S passed me.

1933年的福特跑车和特斯拉S型汽车 先后从我身边经过。

Those two cars are light-years different in technology,

这两辆车所应用的技术差距很大，

yet they drive on the same passive road.

然而它们都在相同的 被动式道路上行驶。

And there it was.

那里有

Smart vehicle, dumb road.

智能汽车搭配着笨笨的路。

Or in the case of a hyperloop,

或是在超级高铁的例子中，

smart pod, dumb tube.

智能车厢搭配着笨笨的管道。

So technology has made it possible

换言之，技术使得

that a car can be modular, upgradeable and future-proof,

汽车的模板化、更新换代、 未来化成真，

while the road stays pretty much the same.

而道路始终保持不变。

So for a hyperloop, our tube is passive and simple, like the road,

对于超级高铁来说， 管道是被动、简单的，像马路一样，

but our modular pods can evolve as technology advances,

而我们的模块化乘坐感应系统 随着技术的更新不断完善，

just like the automobile.

就像汽车一样。

So we now had our vision.

我们现在有了自己的愿景。

The next thing we had to do is assemble the team.

下一步我们所要做的就是 集合团队。

So we've all seen a "Mission Impossible" movie in this room,

此地每个人都看过 “职业特工队”这部电影，

and there's always a scene in those movies

电影中总会有这么一幕：

where someone lays out a task or plan calmly.

其中一个人冷静地安排好计划。

But what they lay out is completely and totally insane.

但他们所列出来的方案 是极度不合理的。

So for a hyperloop,

至于超级高铁，

our mission that we've chosen to accept

我们选择去接受的使命

is to build the world's largest vacuum structures,

是去打造世界上最大的真空结构，

devise new passive magnetic guideways,

设计全新的被动式磁化导轨，

create pods capable of withstanding a space environment,

创造能够承受太空环境的吊舱，

powered by next-generation batteries

由下一代电池供电，

while levitating using state-of-the-art magnetic levitation,

在使用最先进的磁悬浮

while quietly accelerating,

以及悄悄加速的同时，

using the world's most efficient linear electric motor.

运转世界上最高效的直线电机。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Everyone turns to the engineer.

每一个人都仰赖工程师。

I have to make that possible,

我必须要让这成为可能，

or we have to make that possible.

我们必须要让这成为可能。

Luckily for us,

辛运的是，

we have more than just one of those engineers,

我们有不止一位这样的工程师， 我们有上百位，

we have a few hundred that have designed reusable rockets, spaceships,

能够设计可回收火箭、宇宙飞船、

自动飞行器、电动汽车、 人工智能系统，

autonomous aircraft, electric vehicles, AI systems

and loads of other cool things.

还有很多其他很酷的东西。

And after building that system,

我们建造完这个系统以后，

we created a test track in the desert outside of Las Vegas.

在拉斯维加斯的沙漠外端 创造了高速试验轨道。

We've operated the system over 500 times

该系统已经运转超过500次了，

and had countless other tests on our subsystems.

我们还对子系统进行了无数次测试。

But there was one test

但只有那一次试验

that was going to be the defining moment for hyperloop technology:

对超级高铁来说 是一次决定性的时刻：

the first passengers in the vehicle.

高铁上坐着第一批乘客。

And we were going to do it with regular people

我们打算利用普通人来进行试验。

that didn't need years of training and experience

踏入太空舱不需要 多年的训练和经验。

to set foot inside of a space capsule.

So by October of 2020, we had run hundreds of tests,

在2020年10月以前， 我们已经进行了数百次的测试，

some with these extremely handsome mannequins that you see here.

一些试验是利用这些你所看见的 好看的人体模型进行的。

We had an independent safety auditor give us the green light,

尽管有位独立的安全审计员 让我们进行，

but still, it was nerve-racking.

但仍然让人焦虑。

We were boldly going

我们大胆地前去

where only these handsome mannequins had gone before.

以前只有这些漂亮的人体模特 去过的地方。

And on November 8th, 2020, we made our first attempt.

在2020年11月8日 我们第一次尝试。

So at our test site, my colleague Sara and I

我和一位叫做萨拉的同事， 从试验场地

climbed into that can-like vehicle suspended by magnetic levitation

来到一个近乎真空的环境中，

at a near-vacuum environment,

爬进一个罐头状的磁悬浮列车里，

and the countdown began.

倒数计时开始了。

In those 15 seconds,

在那15秒，

we showed the world that what was deemed ludicrous over 100 years ago

我们向世界证明了 那个100年以来人们认为荒唐的构想

was in fact possible.

实际上是有可能实现的。

That brief moment has opened so many doors for us.

短暂的一刹那却为我们 打开了许多扇门。

We've had conversations in the US, Europe, India, the Middle East,

我们与美国、欧洲、印度、 中东各方对话，

about building hyperloop systems in the next 10 years.

谈的是在未来 10 年 构建超级高铁系统。

This is the start of a systemic change in the way we travel.

这我们出行方式 发生系统性改变的开始。

Simply put,

简言之，

society has moved forward, as we've moved faster.

社会的发展加快， 我们的步伐也加快了。

The railroad ushered in the industrial revolution,

铁路引领了产业革命，

the airplane forever changed the way we move.

飞机永远地改变了我们的出行方式。

But today, we’re at an inflection point.

而现在，我们正处于一个转折口。

Nations around the world are looking for ways to reduce carbon emissions,

世界各国都在寻找 减少碳排放的方法，

but at the same time,

与此同时，

we need to get where we're going in minutes, not hours.

我们需要在几分钟内到达目的地， 而不是花费几小时的时间。

We also need to invest in infrastructure

我们还需要去投资那些能够满足

that can meet the needs of the 21st century, and beyond.

21世纪和以后需求的基础设施。

And so my hope for a hyperloop system

因此，我希望超级高铁系统

is that it can transform the way that we live --

能够转变我们生活的方式 --

we can live where we want to live, work where we want to work,

让我们能够在心仪的环境下 生活、工作，

we can create a world in which your daughter,

创造的世界是

你住在洛杉矶的女儿 可以去圣克鲁兹冲浪，

who lives in Los Angeles,

can go surfing in Santa Cruz and be home in time for lunch.

还在冲完浪后能够准时回家吃午饭。

A world in which 150 million people can live in Mumbai and travel to Pune,

在这里，1.5亿人能在孟买生活 去普纳旅游，

the equivalent distance of Philadelphia to New York,

相当于从费城到纽约的距离，

in 30 minutes, not four hours,

30分钟就到了，而不是4个小时，

while saving 1.1 million tons of pollution each and every year.

同时减少了每年110万吨的污染量。

The last century started with two people riding on a plane,

上个世纪从两个人乘坐飞机开始，

and it ended with millions of people flying all over the world.

到世界各地数百万人的飞行而结束。

This decade started with two people riding on a hyperloop system,

而这十年从两个人乘坐超级高铁开始，

and my hope is that by the end of it, you'll ride one too.

我希望在十年结束之前， 你们都能够坐上超级高铁。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）