Dean Kamen: Rolling along, helping students and the third world

翻译人员: Amy Zerotus 校对人员: Tony Yet

As you pointed out, every time you come here, you learn something.

就像你们所说的，每一次来到这里都会学习到一些东西。

This morning, the world's experts

今天早上，来自几家座椅公司的

from I guess three or four different companies on building seats,

世界级专家们

I think concluded that ultimately, the solution is, people shouldn't sit down.

得到的最终结论是：人们不应坐下来，要继续前进。

I could have told them that.

我早应该告诉他们的。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

Yesterday, the automotive guys gave us some new insights.

昨天几个汽车行业的人提出来新观点，

They pointed out that, I believe it was between 30 and 50 years from today,

他们相信，三十到五十年后，

they will be steering cars by wire,

就可以用电线来驾车，

without all that mechanical stuff.

而不需要那些机械装置了。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

That's reassuring.

这真让人放心。

(Applause)

（掌声）

They then pointed out that there'd be, sort of, the other controls by wire,

他们接着又说一些其他装置都可用电线操作，

to get rid of all that mechanical stuff.

就不需要机械部分了。

That's pretty good, but why not get rid of the wires?

这很好，那为什么不除掉电线呢？

Then you don't need anything to control the car, except thinking about it.

那么就只需意念就可以开车了。

I would love to talk about the technology,

我想谈一下科技，

and sometime, in what's past the 15 minutes,

十五分钟后，

I'll be happy to talk to all the techno-geeks around here

和在座的科技发烧友们谈一下

about what's in here.

这个领域未来会发生什么。

But if I had one thing to say about this, before we get to first,

可在此之前，我要说，

it would be that from the time we started building this,

从技术发展开始，

the big idea wasn't the technology.

重要的不是技术本身，

It really was a big idea in technology when we started applying it

当然，当我们把科技应用到iBOT上去为残障社团服务时，

in the iBOT for the disabled community.

这是很重要的。

The big idea here is, I think, a new piece of a solution

但我觉得现在的问题是，

to a fairly big problem in transportation.

用一个简单的方案来解决交通系统里的一个重大问题。

And maybe to put that in perspective: there's so much data on this,

从一方面来看：有很多的数据

I'll be happy to give it to you in different forms.

我很乐意以不同的形式向你展示。

You never know what strikes the fancy of whom,

都不知道为什么，

but everybody is perfectly willing to believe the car changed the world.

大家都那么相信汽车改变了世界。

And Henry Ford, just about 100 years ago, started cranking out Model Ts.

大概一百年前，福特开始生产T型车

What I don't think most people think about

我觉得人们不会想的是

is the context of how technology is applied.

科技被应用的背景

For instance, in that time, 91 percent of America

比如说当时百分之九十一的美国人

lived either on farms or in small towns.

住在农村和小镇

So, the car --

所以汽车

the horseless carriage that replaced the horse and carriage -- was a big deal;

也就是替代马车的无马车，是十分重要

it went twice as fast as a horse and carriage.

它的速度比马车多一倍

It was half as long.

车身比马车短一半

And it was an environmental improvement, because, for instance,

它还改善了环境卫生，因为

in 1903 they outlawed horses and buggies in downtown Manhattan,

在1903年曼哈顿的城区已经禁行马车了，

because you can imagine what the roads look like

你可以想像那些马路的模样

when you have a million horses,

当路上有很多马

and a million of them urinating and doing other things,

而且他们都在撒尿或干别的

and the typhoid and other problems created were almost unimaginable.

会酿成无数伤寒症，还有别的问题

So the car was the clean environmental alternative to a horse and buggy.

所以汽车是令环境更卫生的交通工具

It also was a way for people to get from their farm to a farm,

汽车也是让人可以来往农庄之间

or their farm to a town, or from a town to a city.

走进市镇的工具

It all made sense, with 91 percent of the people living there.

这给百分之九十一的人口带来了方便。

By the 1950s, we started connecting all the towns together

到了20世纪50年代，我们修建高速公路系统把所有的城镇连接起来，

with what a lot of people claim is the eighth wonder of the world, the highway system.

这被许多人称之为世界第八大奇迹。

And it is certainly a wonder.

这当然是个奇迹。

And by the way, as I take shots at old technologies,

同时，因为我对旧技术感兴趣

I want to assure everybody, and particularly the automotive industry --

我想向各位保证——尤其是

who's been very supportive of us --

十分支持我们的汽车业：

that I don't think this in any way competes with airplanes, or cars.

我不认为这个发明会与飞机或汽车竞争

But think about where the world is today.

但请想想目前的世界状况

50 percent of the global population now lives in cities.

世界上有一半人口正住在城市里

That's 3.2 billion people.

足足是三十二亿人

We've solved all the transportation problems

所有交通问题都已被解决

that have changed the world to get it to where we are today.

这些问题改变了这个世界，把它塑造成了现在的样子。

500 years ago, sailing ships started getting reliable enough;

五百年前，已发展成熟的航海技术

we found a new continent.

让我们发现新大陆

150 years ago, locomotives got efficient enough, steam power,

一百五十年前，蒸汽火车效率高得

that we turned the continent into a country.

让我们把一片大陆发展成一个国家

Over the last hundred years, we started building cars,

在上世纪，我们开始制造汽车

and then over the 50 years we've connected every city to every other city

让我们在以后的半个世纪以高速地

in an extraordinarily efficient way,

把所有城市都连接起来

and we have a very high standard of living as a consequence of that.

因此我们的生活质素也大大改善

But during that entire process, more and more people have been born,

但与此同时，越来越多婴儿出生

and more and more people are moving to cities.

越来越多人迁居城市

China alone is going to move four to six hundred million people

在未来十五年，单是中国就有

into cities in the next decade and a half.

四至六亿人会迁入城市

And so, nobody, I think, would argue that airplanes, in the last 50 years,

因此，没有人会否认在以往五十年间

have turned the continent and the country now into a neighborhood.

飞机把大陆和国家转化为一个社区

And if you just look at how technology has been applied,

如果观察科技如何被实践

we've solved all the long-range, high-speed, high-volume,

我们已经解决了运输过程中的

large-weight problems of moving things around.

长距离，高速度，大容量，超重量的问题。

Nobody would want to give them up.

没有人会想舍弃这些技术

And I certainly wouldn't want to give up my airplane,

当然，我也舍不得我的飞机

or my helicopter, or my Humvee, or my Porsche.

直升机、悍马或保时捷

I love them all. I don't keep any of them in my living room.

虽然我不把它们放在家中，我还是很喜欢它们

The fact is, the last mile is the problem,

事实是，问题是在最后路段

and half the world now lives in dense cities.

当一半人口现居于城中

And people spend, depending on who they are,

而且因人而异的

between 90 and 95 percent of their energy getting around on foot.

人们差不多耗费了花九成至九成半体用于步行

I think there's -- I don't know what data would impress you,

我不知道怎样的数据才能让你感到震撼

but how about, 43 percent of the refined fuel produced in the world

美国大城市里的汽车消耗掉了

is consumed by cars in metropolitan areas in the United States.

全球百分之四十三的精炼燃油

Three million people die every year in cities due to bad air,

每年有三百万市民死于空气污染

and almost all particulate pollution on this planet

几乎地球上所有粉尘污染

is produced by transportation devices, particularly sitting in cities.

都是源于交通工具，尤其市区里的

And again, I say that not to attack any industry,

还有，我不是要攻击任何行业

I think -- I really do -- I love my airplane,

我真的很喜欢我的飞机

and cars on highways moving 60 miles an hour

还有在高速公路上以每小时六十英里奔驰着的车子

are extraordinarily efficient,

效率是超然的

both from an engineering point of view,

以上两点都是从工程

an energy consumption point of view, and a utility point of view.

能源消耗和效益角度上出发

And we all love our cars, and I do.

我们都爱自己的车子，我也是

The problem is, you get into the city and you want to go four blocks,

问题是，如果你走进市里，想走四段街段

it's neither fun nor efficient nor productive.

这既无聊又低效

It's not sustainable.

持续性也低

If -- in China, in the year 1998, 417 million people used bicycles;

如果，在1998年的中国，四亿一千七百万人骑自行车

1.7 million people used cars.

一百七十万人开车

If five percent of that population became, quote, middle class,

如果当中百分之五的人成为了所谓的中产人士

and wanted to go the way we've gone in the last hundred years

并希望走我们在过去百年我们走过的路

at the same time that 50 percent of their population are moving into cities

同时当中一半人口每隔六周

of the size and density of Manhattan, every six weeks --

迁入面积和密度跟曼哈顿一样城市

it isn't sustainable environmentally;

环境受不了

it isn't sustainable economically -- there just ain't enough oil --

经济受不了，因为没有足够的石油

and it's not sustainable politically.

政治上也不可承受

I mean, what are we fighting over right now?

我说的是，我们现在到底在争夺什么呢？

We can make it complicated, but what's the world fighting over right now?

我们可以把问题变得复杂，但世界现在到底在争夺什么呢？

So it seemed to me that somebody had to work on that last mile,

对我来说，有人要在最后路段上下工夫

and it was dumb luck. We were working on iBOTs,

幸运的是我们在研发iBOTs。

but once we made this, we instantly decided

可是我们认为一旦研发成功

it could be a great alternative to jet skis. You don't need the water.

它会马上取代汽艇，你不需要水也可以开。

Or snowmobiles. You don't need the snow.

或者可以替代雪上摩托，你不需要雪也可以开。

Or skiing. It's just fun, and people love to move around doing fun things.

或者滑雪，这是纯粹娱乐而己，大家还是喜爱四处玩耍的

And every one of those industries, by the way --

另外，当中所有行业之中

just golf carts alone is a multi-billion-dollar industry.

只有高尔夫车才是价值数以十亿美元计的行业

But rather than go license this off, which is what we normally do,

没有做我们常常做的取消其执照，

it seemed to me that if we put all our effort not into the technology,

我觉得如果我们不把所有的精力用在技术上

but into an understanding of a world that's solved all its other problems,

而是专注理解其他世界上的问题如何解决

but has somehow come to accept that cities -- which,

并开始接受城市，

right back from ancient Greece on, were meant to walk around,

回到古希腊时代，就是说人们要徒步走路

cities that were architected and built for people --

为人类而建的城市

now have a footprint that,

现在有足迹

while we've solved every other transportation problem --

当所有运输难题都已解决

and it's like Moore's law.

正如摩尔定律般

I mean, look at the time it took to cross a continent in a Conestoga wagon,

我是说，看看用科内斯托加旅行车穿过大陆需要多长时间，

then on a railroad, then an airplane.

对比用火车和飞机的时间

Every other form of transportation's been improved.

所有交通工具都进化了

In 5,000 years, we've gone backwards in getting around cities.

过了五千年，我们又回到了城市

They've gotten bigger; they're spread out.

城市变得更大更广

The most expensive real estate on this planet in every city --

各城市中最贵的房地产

Wilshire Boulevard, or Fifth Avenue, or Tokyo, or Paris --

威尔希尔大道，第五大道，东京，或巴黎——

the most expensive real estate is their downtowns.

最贵的房地产就位于市中心

65 percent of the landmass of our cities are parked cars.

市区内共有百分之65的地区是用作泊车的

The 20 largest cities in the world.

全球二十大城市

So you wonder, what if cities could give to their pedestrians

你或许会问，要是城市可以给行人

what we take for granted as we now go between cities?

我们现在来往城市时认为是理所当然的东西呢？

What if you could make them fun, attractive, clean,

要是我们可以使城市变得更有趣、更吸引、更整洁

environmentally friendly?

更环保？

What if it would make it a little bit more palatable

如果可以让可以通过大众运输的最后一环

to have access via this, as that last link to mass transit,

走出来，走向你的汽车变得更合意，

to get out to your cars so we can all live in the suburbs

因此我们可以都生活在郊区，

and use our cars the way we want,

随心所欲的使用汽车，

and then have our cities energized again?

让城市再次充满活力呢？

We thought it would be really neat to do that,

能够这么做也真不错

and one of the problems we really were worried about

我们关注的问题之一

is: how do we get legal on the sidewalk?

是如何合法地在人行道上行走

Because technically I've got motors; I've got wheels -- I'm a motor vehicle.

因为技术上我有马达和车轮，我就是一辆机动车

I don't look like a motor vehicle.

但我看上去不像机动车

I have the same footprint as a pedestrian;

我跟行人一样会留下足迹

I have the same unique capability

也有同样的独特能力

to deal with other pedestrians in a crowded space.

在拥挤的地方处理同其他行人之间的问题。

I took this down to Ground Zero,

我从零开始做起，

and knocked my way through crowds for an hour.

在人群中走了一个小时。

I'm a pedestrian. But the law typically lags technology by a generation or two,

我是行人。但法律通常比科技落后一至两代

and if we get told we don't belong on the sidewalk, we have two choices.

如果我们不能走人行道，我们有两个选择

We're a recreational vehicle that doesn't really matter,

我们可以成为无关紧要的娱乐设施，

and I don't spend my time doing that kind of stuff.

但我不会把时间花在这上

Or maybe we should be out in the street

或者我们应该走上街道

in front of a Greyhound bus or a vehicle.

同灰狗巴士或机车一道。

We've been so concerned about that,

我们向来十分关注这问题

we went to the Postmaster General of the United States,

我们曾走到邮政署长面前

as the first person we ever showed on the outside,

第一个展示给了他看

and said, "Put your people on it. Everybody trusts their postman.

并说，“给你们的人装备这个吧，大家都信任邮递员。

And they belong on the sidewalks, and they'll use it seriously."

他们应该在人行道上使用，他们会认真使用它的。”

He agreed. We went to a number of police departments

他同意了，我们去了数个警察部门

that want their police officers back in the neighborhood

他们想让警员们及时深入邻里社区

on the beat, carrying 70 pounds of stuff. They love it.

并携带这70多磅的物品。他们爱死了这个。

And I can't believe a policeman is going to give themselves a ticket.

我就不相信警察会给自己发罚单

(Laughter)

(笑声)

So we've been working really, really hard,

所以我们真的下了很多工夫

but we knew that the technology would not be as hard to develop

但我们知道技术的发展，

as an attitude about what's important, and how to apply the technology.

不会像培养权衡轻重和应用科技的心态那样困难

We went out and we found some visionary people

我们遇过一些有远见的人

with enough money to let us design and build these things,

提供足够资金，让我们研发这东西

and in hopefully enough time to get them accepted.

希望给了我们足够的时间让他们满意。

So, I'm happy, really, I am happy to talk about this technology as much as you want.

我很乐意谈论这项技术

And yes, it's really fun, and yes, you should all go out and try it.

这真的很有趣，你该出去试一试

But if I could ask you to do one thing,

如果我能要求你做一件事，

it's not to think about it as a piece of technology,

不是要把它当成是一种技术

but just imagine that, although we all understand somehow

而是想像，虽然我们都理解

that it's reasonable that we use our 4,000-pound machine,

我们用这台四千磅的机器

which can go 60 miles an hour,

以每小时六十英里的速度行驶

that can bring you everywhere you want to go,

把我们带到任何我们想去的地方的合理性

and somehow it's also what we used for the last mile,

也是我们在最后一英里使用的工具，

and it's broken, and it doesn't work.

它坏了，不能开动了

One of the more exciting things that occurred to us

我们遇过最兴奋的事情之一

about why it might get accepted, happened out here in California.

让我们觉得它可能会被接受，就在加州这里发生了

A few weeks ago, after we launched it,

几个星期以前，我们发布之后，

we were here with a news crew on Venice Beach, zipping up and back,

在威尼斯滩，我们带着一个新闻工作者来

and he's marveling at the technology,

惊叹着这技术

and meanwhile bicycles are zipping by,

期间骑自行车的走过来

and skateboarders are zipping by,

踏滑板的走过来

and a little old lady -- I mean, if you looked in the dictionary,

一个矮小的老太太，去查字典吧，

a little old lady -- came by me --

她来我这边

and now that I'm on this, I'm the height of a normal adult now --

当时我这上面，跟一般成年人一样高

and she just stops, and the camera is there, and she looks up at me

她停下来，镜头就在那边，她抬头看着我

and says, "Can I try that?"

说：“我可以试吗？”

And what was I -- you know, how are you going to say anything?

我们怎么会说什么呢？

And so I said, "Sure."

所以我说：“当然可以”

So I get off, and she gets on, and with a little bit of the usual, ah,

我下来，她上去，有点像习以为常的

then she turns around, and she goes about 20 feet,

然后她转着，大概走了二十尺

and she turns back around, and she's all smiles.

再往后走，她全程都笑着

And she comes back to me and she stops, and she says,

她回来停下来，说：

"Finally, they made something for us."

”终于有人给我们制造了些什么。“

And the camera is looking down at her.

镜头往下对着她

I'm thinking, "Wow, that was great --

我心想：“太好了

(Laughter)

(笑声)

-- please lady, don't say another word."

——女士，请不要说别的。”

(Laughter)

(笑声)

And the camera is down at her,

镜头仍然对着她

and this guy has to put the microphone in her face,

那位采访员把麦克风对着她

said, "What do you mean by that?"

问：“你这么说是什么意思？”

And I figured, "It's all over now,"

我当时想，“都完了。”

and she looks up and she says, "Well,"

她抬头说：“嗯”

she's still watching these guys go; she says, "I can't ride a bike," no,

她仍然看着那些人，说着，“我不会骑单车，” 不，

she says, "I can't use a skateboard, and I've never used roller blades,"

“我不会滑板，也不会滑旱冰，”

she knew them by name;

她知道它们的名字

she says, "And it's been 50 years since I rode a bicycle."

“我五十年没有骑过自行车了。”

Then she looks up, she's looking up, and she says,

然后她抬头说：

"And I'm 81 years old, and I don't drive a car anymore.

“我现在81岁了，不能开车了，

I still have to get to the store, and I can't carry a lot of things."

我还是要去商店，我不能提很多东西，”

And it suddenly occurred to me, that among my many fears,

突然我意识到，在我的许多恐惧之中，

were not just that the bureaucracy and the regulators

并不仅仅是官僚，监管当局

and the legislators might not get it --

或立法人员不能明白

it was that, fundamentally, you believe there's pressure among the people

而基本上，有种来自群众的压力

not to invade the most precious little bit of space left,

叫你不要侵占这些城市中仅余的一点

the sidewalks in these cities.

珍贵的人行道上的空间

When you look at the 36 inches of legal requirement for sidewalk,

看着法律规定的36英寸宽的人行道时，

then the eight foot for the parked car, then the three lanes,

停车位的八英尺，加上三个车道

and then the other eight feet -- it's --

然后又八尺

that little piece is all that's there.

这就是所剩下的空间了。

But she looks up and says this,

可是她抬头这么说

and it occurs to me, well, kids aren't going to mind these things,

让我意识到，孩子们不会在意这些东西，

and they don't vote, and business people and then young adults

他们也不投票，商人和青少年

aren't going to mind these things -- they're pretty cool --

都不会介意，他们很通达，

so I guess subliminally I was worried

所以我猜我是潜意识地担心

that it's the older population that's going to worry.

老人们会在意。

So, having seen this, and having worried about it for eight years,

所以，看到这件事后，担心了八年后

the first thing I do is pick up my phone and ask our marketing and regulatory guys,

首先我拨电话问我们市场部门和规范部门的朋友

call AARP, get an appointment right away.

他们叫AARP，并立刻约时间见面

We've got to show them this thing.

我们得给他们看看这东西

And they took it to Washington; they showed them;

然后他们把它带到华盛顿，展示了

and they're going to be involved now,

他们也要参与计划了

watching how these things get absorbed in a number of cities,

看着这些东西怎样在几个城市被人们接受，

like Atlanta, where we're doing trials to see if it really can, in fact,

比如亚特兰大，我们在当地试行它们会否

help re-energize their downtown.

有助给这些城市重新注入活力

(Applause)

(欢呼)

The bottom line is, whether you believe the United Nations,

底线是，无论你相信联合国与否，

or any of the other think tanks --

或其他智库组织

in the next 20 years, all human population growth on this planet

在未来二十年间，所有人口增长都会

will be in cities.

集中于城市

In Asia alone, it will be over a billion people.

单是亚洲就会有十亿人口

They learned to start with cell phones.

他们一开始就学会用手机。

They didn't have to take the 100-year trip we took.

他们无需像我们一样走过一百年的进步历程。

They start at the top of the technology food chain.

他们从技术食物链顶端开始

We've got to start building cities and human environments

我们得开始建设城市和人类环境

where a 150-pound person can go a couple of miles

让一百五十磅重的人也可以在密集、富庶、绿化的环境中

in a dense, rich, green-space environment,

也可以走数英里

without being in a 4,000-pound machine to do it.

而毋须使用这台四千磅重的机器

Cars were not meant for parallel parking;

汽车不适合平行停泊

they're wonderful machines to go between cities, but just think about it:

在城市之间移动他们是得力机器，但想想看：

we've solved all the long-range, high-speed problems.

我们解决了长距和高速的间题

The Greeks went from the theater of Dionysus to the Parthenon in their sandals.

希腊人穿着凉鞋从狄俄尼索斯的剧院走到了帕台农神庙。

You do it in your sneakers.

而你现在就穿着运动鞋

Not much has changed.

变化不大

If this thing goes only three times as fast as walking -- three times --

如果移动速度比走路快三倍──三倍──

a 30-minute walk becomes 10 minutes.

三十分钟的路程缩为十分钟

Your choice, when living in a city, if it's now 10 minutes --

如果你住在市区，你的选择是十分钟──

because at 30 minutes you want an alternative, whether it's a bus, a train --

如果要半个小时的话，你需要别的方法，公车或火车也好

we've got to build an infrastructure -- a light rail --

我们得建设施 ── 轻轨 ──

or you're going to keep parking those cars.

你或者会选择继续泊车

But if you could put a pin in most cities,

但是如果你在大多城市里能行动自如，

and imagine how far you could, if you had the time, walk in one half-hour, it's the city.

想象如果你有时间，你在城市里半个小时可以走多远。

If you could make it fun, and make it eight or 10 minutes,

如果你可以把路程变得有趣，把它缩为八至十分钟

you can't find your car, un-park your car, move your car,

你找不到车子，取回车子，开车

re-park your car and go somewhere;

再泊车，然后去别的地方

you can't get to a cab or a subway.

你不能打的或坐地铁

We could change the way people allocate their resources,

你可以改变人类调配资源的方法

the way this planet uses its energy,

世界消耗能源的方法

make it more fun.

让它变得有趣

And we're hoping to some extent history will say we were right.

我们希望历史将证明我们是对的。

That's Segway. This is a Stirling cycle engine;

它叫赛格威，这是循环发动机

this had been confused by a lot of things we're doing.

我们很多工作把这个混淆了

This little beast, right now, is producing a few hundred watts of electricity.

这小怪正产生数百瓦的电力

Yes, it could be attached to this,

对，它能够做到

and yes, on a kilogram of propane,

也对，利用一公斤丙烷

you could drive from New York to Boston if you so choose.

你愿意的话，可以从纽约走到波士顿

Perhaps more interesting about this little engine is it'll burn any fuel,

也许这台小机器更有趣之处是，它会燃烧任何燃料

because some of you might be skeptical

因为你们有部分也许质疑

about the capability of this to have an impact,

这种性能的影响

where most of the world you can't simply plug into your 120-volt outlet.

在大部分地方你都不能轻易插入120伏特的插座

We've been working on this,

事实上我们正在研究这种

actually, as an alternative energy source,

替代能源

starting way back with Johnson & Johnson, to run an iBOT,

从强生公司开始，到使用iBOT,

because the best batteries you could get --

因为你能得到的最好电池是

10 watt-hours per kilogram in lead,

每公斤铅十瓦特小时

20 watt-hours per kilogram nickel-cadmium,

每公斤镍镉二十瓦特小时

40 watt-hours per kilogram in nickel-metal hydride,

每公斤镍金属水合物四十瓦特小时

60 watt-hours per kilogram in lithium,

每公斤锂六十瓦特小时

8,750 watt-hours of energy in every kilogram of propane or gasoline --

每公斤丙烷或汽油八千七百五十瓦特小时

which is why nobody drives electric cars.

因此根本没人会开电动车

But, in any event, if you can burn it with the same efficiency --

可是，在任何时候，它都会以同样速度燃烧

because it's external combustion -- as your kitchen stove,

因为它是在外部燃烧，跟你家的炉灶一样

if you can burn any fuel, it turns out to be pretty neat.

假如任何燃料都可使用，那么燃烧后都是干净的

It makes just enough electricity to, for instance, do this,

比如说，这使得仅仅足够的电力这样做

which at night is enough electricity, in the rest of the world,

在其他地方，晚上有足够电力

as Mr. Holly -- Dr. Holly -- pointed out,

正如霍利博士指出，

can run computers and a light bulb.

启动电脑和开灯。

But more interestingly, the thermodynamics of this say,

更有趣的是，这方面的热力学家说

you're never going to get more than 20 percent efficiency.

你绝不能达到超过两成的效能

It doesn't matter much -- it says if you get 200 watts of electricity,

也没多大关系，就是就如果有两百瓦特的电力

you'll get 700 or 800 watts of heat.

就会产生七百到八百的热能

If you wanted to boil water and re-condense it at a rate of 10 gallons an hour,

如果你想使水沸腾并以每小时10加仑的比率重新凝聚，

it takes about 25, a little over 25.3 kilowatt --

要花25，25.3多千瓦特——

25,000 watts of continuous power -- to do it.

2万5千瓦的持续能量来完成。

That's so much energy, you couldn't afford to desalinate

这么多能量，你没法在我国

or clean water in this country that way.

用这种方式淡化或净水。

Certainly, in the rest of the world, your choice is to devastate the place,

当然，在世界的其他地方，你的选择是毁掉这个地方，

turning everything that will burn into heat, or drink the water that's available.

把所有可燃的物质都转化为热能，或把所有可喝的水都喝光

The number one cause of death on this planet among humans is bad water.

世界首要致命原因就是恶水

Depending on whose numbers you believe,

视乎你相信那组数字

it's between 60 and 85,000 people per day.

每天有六十至八万五人因此死亡

We don't need sophisticated heart transplants around the world.

我们不需成熟的心脏移植手术

We need water.

我们需要水源

And women shouldn't have to spend four hours a day looking for it,

妇女们不该再每天花四小时寻找水源

or watching their kids die.

或看着孩子死亡

We figured out how to put a vapor-compression distiller on this thing,

我们研究到怎样把蒸汽压缩蒸馏器放在上面

with a counter-flow heat exchanger to take the waste heat,

再以反流式换热器采余温

then using a little bit of the electricity control that process,

用少量电力控制这过程

and for 450 watts, which is a little more than half of its waste heat,

用450瓦，是废热的一半多一点，

it will make 10 gallons an hour of distilled water

每小时就能造出十加仑蒸馏水

from anything that comes into it to cool it.

从任何使用的燃料那里得到的能量来给它降温。

So if we put this box on here in a few years,

如果把盒子放在这

could we have a solution to transportation, electricity,

这几年间我们能否在这个重60磅的盒子里

and communication, and maybe drinkable water

得到解决交通、电力、

in a sustainable package that weighs 60 pounds?

通讯，或许饮用水问题的方案？

I don't know, but we'll try it.

我不知道，但我们会试试看

I better shut up.

我得闭嘴了。

(Applause)

(鼓掌)