The artificial muscles that will power robots of the future | Christoph Keplinger

Transcriber: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Joanna Pietrulewicz

翻译人员: Buyun Ping 校对人员: jacks peng

In 2015, 25 teams from around the world

2015年，全球25个团队

competed to build robots for disaster response

参加了建造灾难应对机器人的比赛，

that could perform a number of tasks,

这些机器人需要完成一系列的任务，

such as using a power tool,

包括使用电动工具，

working on uneven terrain

在崎岖的地形上工作

and driving a car.

以及驾驶汽车。

That all sounds impressive, and it is,

这些任务听上去让人佩服， 事实也是如此，

but look at the body of the winning robot, HUBO.

但让我们看一下冠军获得者 优博（HUBO）的样子。

Here, HUBO is trying to get out of a car,

这是优博试图下车的样子，

and keep in mind,

我希望你们知道，

the video is sped up three times.

这段视频是以3倍速播放的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

HUBO, from team KAIST out of Korea, is a state-of-the-art robot

优博来自韩国科学技术院（KAIST ）， 是目前最先进的机器人。

with impressive capabilities,

它的能力令人赞叹，

but this body doesn't look all that different

但它的样子

与几十年前的机器人并没什么两样。

from robots we've seen a few decades ago.

If you look at the other robots in the competition,

如果你见到比赛中其他机器人的样子，

their movements also still look, well, very robotic.

它们的动作看起来也非常机械呆板。

Their bodies are complex mechanical structures

它们的身体完全由机械材料构成，

using rigid materials

使用的都是坚硬的材料，

比如金属质地的 一如既往坚硬的电动马达。

such as metal and traditional rigid electric motors.

They certainly weren't designed

显然设计者并没有把他们打造成

to be low-cost, safe near people

低价、安全，可以在人类身边工作

and adaptable to unpredictable challenges.

并且能够适应突发危机的样子。

We've made good progress with the brains of robots,

我们在机器人大脑的研发上成果颇丰，

然而它们的外形却依然没有进步。

but their bodies are still primitive.

This is my daughter Nadia.

这是我的女儿纳蒂亚。

She's only five years old

她才5岁，

and she can get out of the car way faster than HUBO.

但她下车的速度都比优博快。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

She can also swing around on monkey bars with ease,

她也可以轻松地通过这些攀登架，

much better than any current human-like robot could do.

远比任何人形机器人做得都好。

In contrast to HUBO,

与机器人优博所不同的是，

the human body makes extensive use of soft and deformable materials

人体内有许多柔软、可以变形的组织，

such as muscle and skin.

比如肌肉和皮肤。

We need a new generation of robot bodies

我们需要创造一种新的机器人形态。

that is inspired by the elegance, efficiency and by the soft materials

这种形态应该优雅而高效，

并运用一些天然的柔软材料。

of the designs found in nature.

And indeed, this has become the key idea of a new field of research

事实上，这已经成为了 一个新的研究领域重点，

called soft robotics.

叫做柔性机器人。

My research group and collaborators around the world

受肌肉和皮肤的灵感启发， 我的研究小组

are using soft components inspired by muscle and skin

和全世界合作者使用柔性材料

to build robots with agility and dexterity

建造敏捷灵巧的机器人，

that comes closer and closer

让它们能够

to the astonishing capabilities of the organisms found in nature.

越来越接近自然的生物。

I've always been particularly inspired by biological muscle.

我一直深受生物肌肉的启发。

Now, that's not surprising.

这没有什么稀奇。

I'm also Austrian, and I know that I sound a bit like Arnie, the Terminator.

我也是澳大利亚人，我知道我的口音 听起来像《终结者》里施瓦辛格。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

生物肌肉是进化过程中的杰作。

Biological muscle is a true masterpiece of evolution.

它可以在受损之后自愈，

It can heal after damage

and it's tightly integrated with sensory neurons

并且与感觉神经元紧密联结，

for feedback on motion and the environment.

可以感受到运动以及外部环境。

It can contract fast enough to power the high-speed wings

它还能高速收缩，

让蜂鸟能够快速挥舞翅膀，

of a hummingbird;

it can grow strong enough to move an elephant;

甚至可以强壮到支撑大象移动；

同时它又是如此柔韧，

and it's adaptable enough to be used in the extremely versatile arms

可以让章鱼的触手变得非常灵活，

of an octopus,

an animal that can squeeze its entire body through tiny holes.

这种生物甚至能够钻进一个小洞。

Actuators are for robots what muscles are for animals:

驱动器之于机器人 就如同肌肉之于动物：

key components of the body

它们都是身体构造的关键，

有了它们，机器人和动物 才能动起来，与世界互动。

that enable movement and interaction with the world.

So if we could build soft actuators,

所以，如果我们能做出柔性驱动器，

or artificial muscles,

或者说人工肌肉，

that are as versatile, adaptable

多功能的、适应能力强的，

and could have the same performance as the real thing,

可以与真正的肌肉想媲美的那种，

we could build almost any type of robot

我们就能做出用于任何场合的

for almost any type of use.

任何类型的机器人。

Not surprisingly, people have tried for many decades

人们已经努力了数十年

to replicate the astonishing capabilities of muscle,

尝试复制肌肉那惊艳的能力，

but it's been really hard.

但不出所料，这非常困难。

About 10 years ago,

大约在10年前，

when I did my PhD back in Austria,

我还在澳大利亚攻读博士学位时，

my colleagues and I rediscovered

我和我的同事重新发现了

what is likely one of the very first publications on artificial muscle,

可能是最早研究人工肌肉的论文之一，

published in 1880.

它发表于1880年。

“电流对介质形状和体积

"On the shape and volume changes of dielectric bodies

变化的影响。”

caused by electricity,"

published by German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen.

作者是德国物理学家威廉·伦琴。

Most of you know him as the discoverer of the X-ray.

他因发现X射线而被大众熟知。

Following his instructions, we used a pair of needles.

根据他的指引，我们用了一对金属针，

We connected it to a high-voltage source,

通上高压电，

and we placed it near a transparent piece of rubber

然后把它们靠近在塑料支架上的

that was prestretched onto a plastic frame.

一块已经被拉伸的透明橡胶。

When we switched on the voltage,

当我们改变电压时，

橡胶的形状就改变了，

the rubber deformed,

and just like our biceps flexes our arm,

就如同我们手臂的肱二头肌屈伸那样，

the rubber flexed the plastic frame.

橡胶拉动了塑料支架。

It looks like magic.

就如同魔法一般。

The needles don't even touch the rubber.

金属针甚至没有碰到橡胶。

Now, having two such needles is not a practical way

实际上，使用两根针

并非操纵人工肌肉的最佳方法，

of operating artificial muscles,

but this amazing experiment got me hooked on the topic.

但这次神奇的实验 让我迷上了这个课题。

I wanted to create new ways to build artificial muscles

我想创造出一种 新的方式来建造人工肌肉，

that would work well for real-world applications.

可以把它运用在现实生活中。

For the next years, I worked on a number of different technologies

在接下来的几年中， 我研究了许多都很有潜力的

that all showed promise,

高科技设备，

but they all had remaining challenges that are hard to overcome.

但同时又有许多障碍，难以攻克。

In 2015,

在2015年，

when I started my own lab at CU Boulder,

当我开始在科罗拉多大学博尔德分校 建立自己的实验室时，

I wanted to try an entirely new idea.

我想试验一个全新的思路。

I wanted to combine the high speed and efficiency

我想把高速而高效的

电动驱动器

of electrically driven actuators

与多功能的柔性驱动器相结合。

with the versatility of soft, fluidic actuators.

Therefore, I thought,

通过这种方式，

maybe I can try using really old science in a new way.

或许我可以让科学老树发新芽。

The diagram you see here

现在你所看到的这张示意图

shows an effect called Maxwell stress.

介绍的是麦克斯韦应力张量。

When you take two metal plates

当你拿两个金属板

and place them in a container filled with oil,

把它们放在一个充满油的容器中，

and then switch on a voltage,

然后通上电，

the Maxwell stress forces the oil up in between the two plates,

麦克斯韦应力就会迫使油 聚集上升到两个板之间，

and that's what you see here.

这张图所表现的就是这个意思。

So the key idea was,

所以最重要的问题在于，

can we use this effect to push around oil

我们是否能够运用这个原理

让在柔性弹性组织中的油活动起来呢？

contained in soft stretchy structures?

And indeed, this worked surprisingly well,

结果，这个想法非常成功，

quite honestly, much better than I expected.

说实话，远超我的预期。

Together with my outstanding team of students,

我和我出色的学生团队一起，

we used this idea as a starting point

从这个想法出发，

to develop a new technology called HASEL artificial muscles.

发明了一个新的科技： 哈塞尔（HASEL）人工肌肉。

HASELs are gentle enough to pick up a raspberry

哈塞尔足够柔软，能拿起一颗草莓

without damaging it.

而不损坏它。

They can expand and contract like real muscle.

它也能像真的肌肉那样延展和收缩。

And they can be operated faster than the real thing.

而且它的活动速度比真肌肉还快。

They can also be scaled up to deliver large forces.

它可以变大，提供更大的力量。

Here you see them lifting a gallon filled with water.

现在你看到的是它在举起一加仑的水。

They can be used to drive a robotic arm,

它可以用来驱动机器人手臂，

and they can even self-sense their position.

可以感知自己的状态。

HASELs can be used for very precise movement,

哈塞尔不仅可以进行精准移动，

but they can also deliver very fluidic, muscle-like movement

也可以做出流畅， 如同真肌肉一般的行动，

and bursts of power to shoot up a ball into the air.

还可以突然爆发力，把球仍到空中。

When submerged in oil,

当哈塞尔浸在油里的时候，

HASEL artificial muscles can be made invisible.

它甚至可以隐形。

So how do HASEL artificial muscles work?

那么，哈塞尔人工肌肉 究竟是如何工作的呢？

You might be surprised.

你可能会好奇。

They're based on very inexpensive, easily available materials.

它是由非常廉价、常见的材料做成的。

You can even try, and I recommend it,

我建议，你甚至可以

the main principle at home.

在家尝试这个原理。

Take a few Ziploc bags and fill them with olive oil.

拿几个保鲜袋，装满橄榄油。

Try to push out air bubbles as much as you can.

试着把所有的空气炮挤出袋子。

Now take a glass plate and place it on one side of the bag.

现在拿一个玻璃板， 把它放在袋子的一边。

When you press down, you see the bag contract.

当你开始挤压的时候， 你会发现袋子开始收缩。

Now the amount of contraction is easy to control.

收缩的量很容易控制。

When you take a small weight, you get a small contraction.

如果施加的力较小，收缩就较小。

如果施加的力中等，收缩就中等。

With a medium weight, we get a medium contraction.

And with a large weight, you get a large contraction.

如果施加的较大，收缩就较大。

对于哈塞尔而言，变量就是你施加的力

Now for HASELs, the only change is to replace the force of your hand

or the weight with an electrical force.

或者是电流施加的力。

HASEL stands for "hydraulically amplified self-healing electrostatic actuators."

哈塞尔的意思是 “液体增强自愈式静电驱动器”。

Here you see a geometry called Peano-HASEL actuators,

现在你看到的是一个叫做 皮亚诺·哈塞尔的驱动器，

one of many possible designs.

是我的设计之一。

Again, you take a flexible polymer such as our Ziploc bag,

现在你再拿一个柔韧的 有机聚合物，比如说保鲜袋，

you fill it with an insulating liquid, such as olive oil,

在里面倒满绝缘液体，比如说橄榄油，

and now, instead of the glass plate,

然后把导电体而不是玻璃板，

you place an electrical conductor on one side of the pouch.

放在袋子的一边。

To create something that looks more like a muscle fiber,

为了让它看起来更像肌肉纤维，

you can connect a few pouches together

你可以把几个袋子放在一起

and attached a weight on one side.

然后在一边施加一个力。

Next, we apply voltage.

然后我们通上电流。

Now, the electric field starts acting on the liquid.

现在电场开始作用于流体。

It displaces the liquid,

它迫使流体移动，

and it forces the muscle to contract.

也意味着它迫使肌肉收缩。

Here you see a completed Peano-HASEL actuator

现在你看到的是一个完整的 皮亚诺·哈塞尔驱动器

and how it expands and contracts when voltage is applied.

是如何在电流下延展和收缩的。

Viewed from the side,

从边上看，

you can really see those pouches take a more cylindrical shape,

你可以看到这些袋子是圆柱形的，

such as we saw with the Ziploc bags.

就像是保鲜袋。

We can also place a few such muscle fibers next to each other

我们也可以把几个这样的 肌肉组织联系在一起

to create something that looks even more like a muscle

让它们看起来更像真肌肉，

that also contracts and expands in cross section.

当然它们在横截面 同样会延展和收缩。

These HASELs here are lifting a weight that's about 200 times heavier

这些哈塞尔肌肉可以举起

相当于它们自身重量200倍的重量。

than their own weight.

Here you see one of our newest designs, called quadrant donut HASELs

现在你看到的是我们最新的 发明：象限圈式哈塞尔

and how they expand and contract.

以及它们延展和收缩的动作。

They can be operated incredibly fast, reaching superhuman speeds.

它们行动的速度非常快，远超人类。

They are even powerful enough to jump off the ground.

它们力量之大，甚至可以从地上跳起来。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Overall, HASELs show promise to become the first technology

总而言之，哈塞尔让我们看到了未来，

that matches or exceeds the performance of biological muscle

它能和生物肌肉媲美， 甚至可以超过生物肌肉，

同时又可以运用于大型机械操作中。

while being compatible with large-scale manufacturing.

This is also a very young technology. We are just getting started.

这项科技还非常年轻， 我们才刚刚开始研究。

We have many ideas how to drastically improve performance,

我们在改进这项技术上还有很多想法，

using new materials and new designs to reach a level of performance

运比如用新材料和新设计， 让它表现更好，

超越生物肌肉，当然也超越 传统硬性的电动马达。

beyond biological muscle and also beyond traditional rigid electric motors.

Moving towards more complex designs of HASEL for bio-inspired robotics,

在仿生机器人中运用更加 复杂的哈塞尔设计，

here you see our artificial scorpion

现在你看到的是一只人工蝎子，

that can use its tail to hunt prey,

它可以操纵自己的尾巴来刺杀猎物，

in this case, a rubber balloon.

在这里，是橡胶气球。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Going back to our initial inspiration,

回到我们最初的灵感中，

the versatility of octopus arms and elephant trunks,

章鱼灵活的触手以及象鼻，

we are now able to build soft continuum actuators

我们现在可以建造柔性连续驱动器，

that come closer and closer to the capabilities of the real thing.

它们越来越接近真的肌肉了。

I am most excited about the practical applications

我对哈塞尔人工肌肉的实际应用

of HASEL artificial muscles.

充满期待。

They'll enable soft robotic devices

它们能够让柔性机械设备成为现实，

同时提升你的生活质量。

that can improve the quality of life.

Soft robotics will enable a new generation of more lifelike prosthetics

柔性机械将为更加逼真的 义肢开创一个新时代，

for people who have lost parts of their bodies.

造福那些失去一部分躯干的残疾人。

Here you see some HASELs in my lab,

现在你看到的是我实验室中的 一些哈塞尔样品，

early testing, driving a prosthetic finger.

这是早期实验，它们正在驱动手指假体。

One day, we may even merge our bodies with robotic parts.

某天，我们或许就会在身体的 某些部位运用机械设备。

I know that sounds very scary at first.

我知道一开始这听起来非常吓人。

But when I think about my grandparents

但我想到了我的祖父母，

and the way they become more dependent on others

他们有时不得不依靠他人的帮助，

to perform simple everyday tasks such as using the restroom alone,

才能完成简单的日常任务， 例如独自上厕所。

they often feel like they're becoming a burden.

他们经常会觉得自己已经 变成了他人的负担。

With soft robotics, we will be able to enhance and restore

有了柔性机器人，我们就能加强和恢复

agility and dexterity,

敏捷性和灵巧性，

and thereby help older people maintain autonomy

因此能帮助老年人

延长他们在生活中自主活动的时间。

for longer parts of their lives.

Maybe we can call that "robotics for antiaging"

也许我们可以把这个项目 叫做“延缓衰老的机器人”

or even a next stage of human evolution.

或者人类进化的新阶段。

Unlike their traditional rigid counterparts,

和传统硬性的机器人不同的是，

soft life-like robots will safely operate near people and help us at home.

柔性仿生机器人在人旁或 家中工作时更加安全。

Soft robotics is a very young field. We're just getting started.

柔性机器人还是个非常年轻的 领域，我们才刚刚开始。

I hope that many young people from many different backgrounds

我希望更多来自不同背景的年轻人

join us on this exciting journey

能够加入我们，

and help shape the future of robotics

通过引入更多的仿生技术

by introducing new concepts inspired by nature.

帮助我们描绘机器人的未来。

If we do this right,

如果我们表现出色，

we can improve the quality of life

就能提高我们所有人的

for all of us.

生活质量。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）