Bart Weetjens: How I taught rats to sniff out land mines

翻译人员: L Y 校对人员: Angelia King

I'm here today to share with you

我今天和你们分享

an extraordinary journey -

一个不同寻常的旅行 -

extraordinarily rewarding journey, actually -

一个不同寻常的有价值的旅行，事实上 -

which brought me into

我

training rats

训练老鼠

to save human lives

去拯救人类的生命

by detecting landmines

通过探测地雷

and tuberculosis.

和发现肺结核。

As a child, I had two passions.

孩童时，我有两个梦想。

One was a passion for rodents.

第一个梦想是关于啮齿类动物的。

I had all kinds of rats,

我有各种各样的鼠，

mice, hamsters,

老鼠，仓鼠，

gerbils, squirrels.

沙土鼠，松鼠。

You name it, I bred it, and I sold them to pet shops.

你们能叫上名的鼠，我都喂养过，然后我将它们卖到宠物商店。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

I also had a passion for Africa.

我还有一个关于非洲的梦想。

Growing up in a multicultural environment,

在一个多元文化的环境中长大，

we had African students in the house,

我们学校里有非洲的学生，

and I learned about their stories,

然后我了解到了他们的故事，

so different backgrounds,

（非常）不同的背景，

dependency on imported know-how,

依赖于引进的技术，

goods, services,

物品，服务，

exuberant cultural diversity.

丰富的多元文化。

Africa was truly fascinating for me.

非洲对我很有吸引力。

I became an industrial engineer,

我成为了工业工程师 -

engineer in product development,

产品研发的工程师 -

and I focused on appropriate detection technologies,

我负责相应的探测技术，

actually the first appropriate technologies

实际上对于发展中国家也是

for developing countries.

第一个适用的技术。

I started working in the industry,

我开始在工业界工作，

but I wasn't really happy to contribute

但是我工作不开心

to a material consumer society

来迎合商品消费为主的

in a linear, extracting

线性市场，以及行销手段

and manufacturing mode.

和生产的模式。

I quit my job to focus on the real world problem:

我辞掉了工作专注于实际的现实问题：

landmines.

地雷。

We're talking '95 now.

我们现在在讨论1995年。

Princess Diana is announcing on TV

Diana戴安娜王妃在电视上宣布

that landmines form a structural barrier

地雷对于发展来说成为阻碍，

to any development, which is really true.

事实上确实如此。

As long as these devices are there,

只要地雷在那里，

or there is suspicion of landmines,

或者有可能存在地雷，

you can't really enter into the land.

你就不能到那片土地。

Actually, there was an appeal worldwide

实际上，全球范围都需要

for new detectors

新的探测器

sustainable in the environments

为了可持续发展的环境，

where they're needed to produce,

急需这些探测器的地方

which is mainly in the developing world.

尤其是在发展中国家。

We chose rats.

我们选择了鼠。

Why would you choose rats?

为什么会选择鼠呢？

Because, aren't they vermin?

因为，它们是害虫？

Well, actually rats are,

但是，事实上鼠是 -

in contrary to what most people think about them,

和多数人想的相反 -

rats are highly sociable creatures.

鼠是非常友善的生物。

And actually, our product -- what you see here.

而且实际上，我们的产品 - 你们所看到的。

There's a target somewhere here.

这里某个地方有个地雷。

You see an operator, a trained African

你看到了一个受过训练的非洲探测者，

with his rats in front

和在他前面的鼠

who actually are left and right.

实际上是左右相伴。

There, the animal finds a mine.

鼠在那里发现了地雷。

It scratches on the soil.

它挖土地。

And the animal comes back for a food reward.

然后鼠得到了食品奖励。

Very, very simple.

非常，非常简单。

Very sustainable in this environment.

非常环保。

Here, the animal gets its food reward.

这里鼠得到了食品奖励。

And that's how it works.

这是它的工作方式。

Very, very simple.

非常，非常简单。

Now why would you use rats?

现在为什么使用鼠呢？

Rats have been used since the '50s last century,

鼠自从上世纪50年代被使用

in all kinds of experiments.

在各种各样的实验中。

Rats have more genetic material

鼠在嗅觉方面有更多的基因

allocated to olfaction

相比于

than any other mammal species.

其它哺乳动物。

They're extremely sensitive to smell.

它们对于味道非常敏感。

Moreover, they have the mechanisms to map all these smells

进而，它们具备确定这些味道方位的能力

and to communicate about it.

并能够表达出来。

Now how do we communicate with rats?

我们怎么和鼠交流呢？

Well don't talk rat,

不用语言，

but we have a clicker,

但是我们有一个发声器，

a standard method for animal training,

一个标准的动物训练的方法，

which you see there.

就是你看到的。

A clicker, which makes a particular sound

一个发生器，发出特殊的声音

with which you can reinforce particular behaviors.

可以强化某类特定行为。

First of all, we associate the click sound with a food reward,

首先，我们将声音与食品奖励联系起来，

which is smashed banana and peanuts together in a syringe.

奖励品是碎香蕉和花生做成的液体。

Once the animal knows click, food,

一旦鼠听到了声音，就有食物吃，

click, food, click, food --

声音，食物，声音，食物 -

so click is food --

所以一旦有声音就是食物的反应 -

we bring it in a cage with a hole,

我们把鼠带到有个洞的笼子里，

and actually the animal learns

然后实际上鼠学会

to stick the nose in the hole

将鼻子放到洞口

under which a target scent is placed,

下面带有目标气味的洞口，

and to do that for five seconds --

它们停留5秒钟 -

five seconds, which is long for a rat.

5秒钟，对鼠来说很长。

Once the animal knows this, we make the task a bit more difficult.

一旦鼠知道了这个，我们让任务变得难一些。

It learns how to find the target smell

它学习如何找到目标气味

in a cage with several holes, up to 10 holes.

在带有一些洞的笼子里，共有10个洞。

Then the animal learns

然后鼠学会

to walk on a leash in the open

拴着皮带在空地上走

and find targets.

并发现目标。

In the next step, animals learn

在下一步,鼠学会

to find real mines in real minefields.

在地雷区发现真正的地雷。

They are tested and accredited

它们被测试和认证

according to International Mine Action Standards,

通过国际地雷工作标准，

just like dogs have to pass a test.

就像狗通过测试一样。

This consists of 400 square meters.

在这400平方米的雷区，

There's a number of mines

那里有一些地雷

placed blindly,

随意地摆放。

and the team of trainer and their rat

然后训练者和他们的鼠

have to find all the targets.

需要发现所有的目标。

If the animal does that, it gets a license

如果鼠成功了，它得到许可

as an accredited animal

作为被认证的动物

to be operational in the field --

在雷区工作 -

just like dogs, by the way.

就像狗。

Maybe one slight difference:

可能一个很小的不同是

we can train rats at a fifth of the price

我们可以用五分之一的价钱训练鼠

of training the mining dog.

相比起训练探雷狗的价钱。

This is our team in Mozambique:

这是我们在莫桑比克的队伍。

one Tanzanian trainer,

一个坦桑尼亚的训练者，

who transfers the skills

将本领传授给

to these three Mozambican fellows.

这三个莫桑比克同伴。

And you should see the pride in the eyes of these people.

你应该能够看到他们眼中的自豪。

They have a skill,

他们有本领，

which makes them much less dependent

这使得他们更少得依靠

on foreign aid.

国外援助。

Moreover, this small team

进而，这个小团队

together with, of course, you need the heavy vehicles

当然也需要重型卡车

and the manual de-miners to follow-up.

和人工排雷人员一起进行后续工作。

But with this small investment in a rat capacity,

但是通过在鼠本领上的很小投资，

we have demonstrated in Mozambique

我们在莫桑比克证明

that we can reduce the cost-price per square meter

我们可以将每平方米的成本降低

up to 60 percent

百分之六十。

of what is currently normal --

相比现在一般的情况 -

two dollars per square meter, we do it at $1.18,

每平方米两美元，我们是每平方米1.18美元，

and we can still bring that price down.

而且我们还可以进一步降低。

Question of scale.

关于发展的问题。

If you can bring in more rats,

如果能够使用更多的鼠，

we can actually make the output even bigger.

我们就可以创造更大的产出。

We have a demonstration site in Mozambique.

我们在莫桑比克有演示地点。

Eleven African governments

11个非洲政府

have seen that they can become less dependent

看到他们通过使用这种手段就可以变得更少依赖

by using this technology.

外部援助。

They have signed the pact for peace

他们签订了和平的协定

and treaty in the Great Lakes region,

和在大湖区的公约。

and they endorse hero rats

然后他们支持英雄鼠

to clear their common borders of landmines.

去清除公共边界上的地雷。

But let me bring you to a very different problem.

但是让我告诉你们一个完全不同的问题。

And there's about 6,000 people last year

在去年大概有6000人

that walked on a landmine,

走到地雷上，

but worldwide last year,

但是去年，全球有

almost 1.9 million died from tuberculosis

近190万人死于结核病

as a first cause of infection.

这成为传染病的第一死因。

Especially in Africa

尤其在非洲

where T.B. and HIV are strongly linked,

结核病和艾滋病紧密地结合着，

there is a huge common problem.

这是一个巨大的共同的问题。

Microscopy, the standard WHO procedure,

根据标准的世界卫生组织程序，显微镜

reaches from 40 to 60 percent reliability.

达到百分之四十到六十的可靠度。

In Tanzania -- the numbers don't lie --

在坦桑尼亚 - 数字不会说谎 -

45 percent of people -- T.B. patients --

百分之四十五的人是结核病人 -

get diagnosed with T.B. before they die.

在死前被诊断出结核。

It means that, if you have T.B.,

这说明，如果你得了结核病，

you have more chance that you won't be detected,

你反而有更大的可能性不被检测出不适，

but will just die from T.B. secondary infections and so on.

但仍然通过结核第二期并发症等致死。

And if, however,

但是，如果

you are detected very early, diagnosed early,

你很早被检测出来，诊断出来，

treatment can start,

治疗可以开始。

and even in HIV-positives, it makes sense.

然后即使是艾滋病阳性，这也是可以治疗的。

You can actually cure T.B.,

事实上，你可以治愈结核病，

even in HIV-positives.

即便是艾滋病阳性病毒。

So in our common language, Dutch,

所以在我们共同的语言，荷兰语，

the name for T.B.

结核病的名称

is "tering,"

是tering，

which, etymologically,

语源上是

refers to the smell of tar.

焦油的味道。

Already the old Chinese

古代中国

and the Greek, Hippocrates,

和希腊希波克拉底，

have actually published,

实际上曾经发表了

documented, that T.B. can be diagnosed

也记载了结核病可以被诊断

based on the volatiles

通过

exuding from patients.

从病人身体排出的挥发物。

So what we did is we collected some samples --

所以我们做的是收集一些样本 -

just as a way of testing --

就像测试一样 -

from hospitals,

从医院里，

trained rats on them

通过它们训练鼠

and see if this works,

然后看是否有效，

and wonder, well,

并且惊奇发现，

we can reach 89 percent sensitivity,

我们的鼠可以达到百分之八十九的灵敏度，

86 percent specificity

百分之八十六的专一性

using multiple rats in a row.

通过使用多只鼠在一组测试。

This is how it works,

这是工作的方式。

and really, this is a generic technology.

并且实际上，这是一般的技术。

We're talking now explosives, tuberculosis,

我们现在讨论的是有关爆炸物，结核，

but can you imagine,

但是你能想象，

you can actually put anything under there.

你可以应用鼠于任何地方。

So how does it work?

所以怎么工作呢？

You have a cassette with 10 samples.

你在小盒里放10个样本。

You put these 10 samples at once in the cage.

你一次在笼子里放10个样本。

An animal only needs two hundredths of a second

一只鼠仅需要0.005秒

to discriminate the scent, so it goes extremely fast.

去分辨气味，所以是非常快的。

Here it's already at the third sample.

这里已经是第三个样本了。

This is a positive sample.

这是阳性样本。

It gets a click sound and comes for the food reward.

它听到响声并得到食品奖励。

And by doing so, very fast,

这样，非常快的，

we can have like a second-line opinion

我们可以得到附属的观点

to see which patients are positive,

去判断病人的检测是否呈阳性，

which are negative.

是否呈阴性。

Just as an indication,

就像研究显示，

whereas a microscopist can process

当一个显微镜工作者能够处理

40 samples in a day,

每天40个样本，

a rat can process

一只鼠能够处理

the same amount of samples

同等数量的样本

in seven minutes only.

仅在7分钟。

A cage like this --

一个这样的笼子 -

(Applause)

（掌声）

A cage like this -- provided that you have rats,

一个这样的笼子 - 并且你有鼠，

and we have now currently

现在我们有

25 tuberculosis rats --

25只结核探测鼠 -

a cage like this, operating throughout the day,

一个这样的笼子，每天运作，

can process 1,680 samples.

可以处理1680个样本。

Can you imagine the potential offspring applications --

你能想象可能的衍生应用 -

environmental detection

环境探测

of pollutants in soils,

土地中的污染物，

customs applications,

海关应用，

detection of illicit goods in containers and so on.

探测容器中的非法物品等等。

But let's stick first to tuberculosis.

但是首先用于结核病。

I just want to briefly highlight,

我想简单得强调，

the blue rods

蓝色的杆

are the scores of microscopy only

是只用显微镜的结果

at the five clinics in Dar es Salaam

在Dar es Salaam达累斯萨拉姆的五个诊所

on a population of 500,000 people,

对50万人，

where 15,000 reported to get a test done.

其中1万5千人做过测试。

Microscopy for 1,800 patients.

这是1800个病人的显微镜结果。

And by just presenting the samples once more to the rats

然后通过将这些样品多次交给鼠类

and looping those results back,

并将结果返回，

we were able to increase case detection rates

我们能够将探测率提高

by over 30 percent.

超过百分之三十。

Throughout last year,

去年一整年，

we've been -- depending on which intervals you take --

我们 - 通过不同间隔时间 -

we've been consistently

我们持续地

increasing case detection rates

提高鼠探测率

in five hospitals in Dar es Salaam

在达累斯萨拉姆的五个医院

between 30 and 40 percent.

并使鼠探测率提高到百分之三十到四十之间。

So this is really considerable.

所以这真的是很可观的。

Knowing that a missed patient by microscopy

要知道，一个被显微镜误诊的患者

infects up to 15 people,

会感染15个人 -

healthy people, per year,

每年15个健康的人，

you can be sure

你可以确定

that we have saved lots of lives.

我们拯救了很多生命。

At least our hero rats have saved lots of lives.

至少我们的英雄鼠拯救了很多生命。

The way forward for us

我们要做的是

is now to standardize this technology.

现在去标准化这种技术。

And there are simple things

然后简单的事情随之出现

like, for instance, we have a small laser in the sniffer hole

像，例如，我们在探测洞放小的激光

where the animal has to stick for five seconds.

使鼠呆五秒。

So, to standardize this.

所以，去标准化这个事情。

Also, to standardize the pellets,

而且，去标准化小球，

the food rewards,

食品奖励，

and to semi-automate this

去半自动化这个事

in order to replicate this on a much larger scale

为了能够在更大的范围内得到推广

and affect the lives of many more people.

并且挽救到更多人的生命。

To conclude, there are also other applications at the horizon.

作为结束，还有很多类似的其他应用。

Here is a first prototype

这是第一个模型

of our camera rat,

对我们的相机鼠，

which is a rat with a rat backpack

背着背包

with a camera that can go under rubble

内装有一个相机可以在地震后走到碎石底下

to detect for victims

去探测受害者

after earthquake and so on.

等等。

This is in a prototype stage.

这是在模型阶段。

We don't have a working system here yet.

我们还没有运作系统。

To conclude, I would actually like to say,

作为结尾，我实际想要说，

you may think this is about rats, these projects,

你可能想这都有关于鼠，这些活动都涉及鼠，

but in the end it is about people.

但是最后这都是关于人类。

It is about empowering vulnerable communities

这是关于给予弱小群体能力

to tackle difficult, expensive

去处理困难棘手的，昂贵的

and dangerous humanitarian detection tasks,

和危险的人类探测工作，

and doing that with a local resource,

并且应用当地的资源 -

plenty available.

很多现成的资源。

So something completely different

所以现在很不一样的是

is to keep on challenging your perception

不断地挑战大家

about the resources surrounding you,

对周围的资源认知，

whether they are environmental,

不管是环境的，

technological, animal, or human.

技术的，动物或人类的认知。

And to respectfully harmonize with them

然后我们要尊重并和它们和谐共处

in order to foster a sustainable world.

为了实现可持续的工作。

Thank you very much.

非常感谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）