Fabian Hemmert: The shape-shifting future of the mobile phone

翻译人员: Chaoran Yu 校对人员: Zhu Jie

I am a PhD student.

我正在读博，

And that means I have a question:

这就意味着我有一项研究课题，

How can we make digital content graspable?

那就是如何使数码内容实体可触化。

Because you see, on the one hand, there is the digital world

正如你们所见，

数码世界

and no question, many things are happening there right now.

恰逢多变之季。

And for us humans, it's not quite material, it's not really there --

对于人类来说，它们并未变

它们正向虚拟化进发。

it's virtual.

而另一方面，人类

On the other hand,

we're humans, we live in a physical world.

是活在物质世界中，

It's rich, it tastes good, it feels good, it smells good.

可谓是酸甜苦辣，百味齐全啊。

So the question is:

因此我的问题就是如何使虚拟的事物

How do we get the stuff over from the digital into the physical?

实体化。

That's my question.

这就是我的疑问。

If you look at the iPhone with its touch

假若我们看看iPhone的触摸屏，

and the Wii with its bodily activity,

以及Wii的实感操作，

you can see the tendency; it's getting physical.

我们就可从中窥得潮流的趋向。它们正趋于实体化。

The question is: What's next?

下一个问题则是，接下来又会是什么？

Now, I have three options that I would like to show you.

现在，我想展示三种可能性。

The first one is mass.

第一种则是质量。

As humans, we are sensitive to where an object in our hand is heavy.

作为一名活人，我们绝对可以

感受到手中的物体重不重。

So could we use that in mobile phones?

因此，我们能不能将此特点应用在手机上？

Let me show you the weight-shifting mobile.

让我展现一部可移重的手机给你们看看。

It is a mobile phone-shaped box

这是一个手机状盒子，

that has an iron weight inside, which we can move around,

里面有一块可动铁块。

and you can feel where it's heavy.

因此你就可以感觉到那一部分会比较重。

We shift the gravitational center of it.

我们可以转移它的重心。

For example, we can augment digital content with physical mass.

例如，我们将数字内容与

物理质量糅合在一起。

So you move around the content on the display,

当你移动数字地图的时候，

but you can also feel where it is just from the weight of the device.

重心也将随之转移。

Another thing it's good for is navigation.

数字导航技术会因此受益。

It can guide you around in a city.

作为一名城市导游，

It can tell you by its weight,

它仅仅需要改变重心的所在，

"OK, move right. Walk ahead. Make a left here."

如：“好，向右转。直走。这里左转。”

And the good thing about that is,

它所带来的好处就是你可以悠闲观看市景市容，

you don't have to look at the device all the time;

而再也不用专注于屏幕之上了。

you have your eyes free to see the city.

好，质量是第一种可能性。

Now, mass is the first thing --

the second thing, that's shape.

第二种可能性就是形状。

We're also sensitive to the shape of objects we have in our hands.

我们对手中的物体形状也会是具体可感。

假如我下载了一本电子书，只有二十页厚，

So if I download an e-book and it has 20 pages --

well, they could be thin, right?

但手机或电纸书是很薄的，是吧。

But if it has 500 pages, I want to feel that "Harry Potter" --

假若那本书有五百页厚，我希望能感受到

it's thick.

如《哈里波特》一般的厚度。

(Laughter)

So let me show you the shape-changing mobile.

所以我再来展示一部可变形手机。

Again, it's a mobile phone-shaped box,

好吧，又是一个手机状盒子。

and this one can change its shape.

这个呢，是可以改变形状的。

We can play with the shape itself.

我们可以弄出各种形状。

For example, it can be thin in your pocket,

例如，在口袋里，它会非常薄，

which we of course want it to be.

太厚的手机会让你感到个疙瘩在那。

But then if you hold it in your hand, it can lean towards you, be thick.

拿到手上时，你则希望它的界面会对着你，厚点手感好。

It's like tapered to the downside.

这不就变成了梯形么。

If you change the grasp, it can adjust to that.

假如你变换掌握姿势，它也会随变随换。

It's also useful if you want to put it down on your nightstand

这就变成了可立稳的形状，这既有利于看电影，

to watch a movie or use as an alarm clock.

又可作闹钟之用。

It stands.

It's fairly simple.

操作很简单。

Another thing is,

另外一个特点就是

sometimes we watch things on a mobile phone

当你阅览一些逾手机屏幕

that are bigger than the phone itself.

大小的数字内容时，

In that case -- like here, there's an app

譬如此程序所需要的屏幕非手机可满足，

that's bigger than the phone's screen --

因此手机的形状就

the shape of the phone could tell you,

"OK, off the screen, right here, there is more content.

告知你：“好吧，那边还有东西。

虽然你看不见，可就是在那边。”

You can't see it, but it's there."

因为你感到那一角比较厚。

And you can feel it, because it's thicker at that edge.

形状就是第二种可能性。

The shape is the second thing.

The third thing operates on a different level.

第三种则更抽象。

As humans, we are social, we are empathic,

作为一名人类，我们是社会的一份子，我们是有感情的，

and that's great.

人类因此而成人类。

Wouldn't that be a way to make mobile phones more intuitive?

我们能否使手机亦具有感情呢？

Think of a hamster in the pocket.

假若将一只仓鼠放在口袋中，

Well, I can feel it, it's doing all right. I don't have to check it.

我们什么都不用做，就可以感觉到它是否安好。

(Laughter)

最后让我展示一部活手机。

Let me show you the living mobile phone.

好吧，还是个手机状盒子。

So, once again, a mobile phone-shaped box.

But this one, it has a breath and a heartbeat,

但这部手机却拥有呼吸和心跳，

and it feels very organic.

是有生命的。

(Laughter)

(笑声)

你可以感觉到，它正在休息中。

And you can tell, it's relaxed right now.

哦，糟糕，未接来电，是新的来电，

Oh, now -- missed call, a new call,

或许是一名新女朋友。

new girlfriend, maybe -- very exciting.

非常亢奋。

(Laughter)

How do we calm it down?

如何使它安静？

You give it a pat behind the ears,

轻抚它的耳背，

一切就会归于平静之中。

and everything is all right again.

That's very intuitive, and that's what we want.

这是非常确实可感的，这就是我们所追求的目标。

So what we have seen are three ways to make the digital graspable for us.

现在，我们已知三种使数字内容

实体可触化的方法。

这是将手机实体化的

And I think making it physical is a good way to do that.

几种办法。

What's behind that is a postulation,

在这背后则隐含着一种假设，

namely, not that humans should get much more technical in the future;

那就是，

与其让人们变得越来越科技化

rather than that, technology, a bit more human.

不如让

科技变得更人性化。

(Applause)

(掌声)