A new way to "grow" islands and coastlines | Skylar Tibbits

譯者: Amanda Chu 審譯者: Marssi Draw

For nearly a decade,

近十年來，

my collaborators and I at the Self-Assembly Lab

我的合作夥伴和我 一直在自組裝實驗室

研究會自主變形、

have been working on material systems that transform themselves,

assemble themselves

自組裝、

and adapt to their environment.

適應環境的材料系統。

From our early work on 4D printing,

我們早期從事 4D 列印的研究，

where we printed objects, dipped them underwater,

將物體列印出來，浸泡到水裡，

and they transform,

然後他們自己會變形。

to our active auxetics that respond to temperature and sunlight,

後來我們做出會因溫度和陽光 做出反應的活性拉脹材料。

to our more recent work on active textiles

接著到我們更近期所做的活性布料，

that respond to body temperature and change porosity,

會根據體溫調節布料的孔隙率。

to our rapid liquid printing work

我們還以快速液態列印，

where we print inflatable structures

製作出隨氣壓

that morph based on air pressure

變出各種形狀的可膨脹結構，

and go from one shape to another,

並且自行改變形狀。

or our self-assembly work

還有材料自行組裝的研究，

where we dip objects underwater,

我們將物體浸泡在水裡，

they respond to wave energy and assemble themselves

它們會對波能做出反應

into precise objects like furniture.

而精準地自行組裝成 各種東西，像是家具。

Or, at larger scales,

還有規模更大的，

using wind energy,

像是利用風力，

we have meter-diameter weather balloons

我們做出米徑氣象氣球，

that assemble in the airspace above a construction site.

它是在一個建築工地上方的空中 自行組裝起來的。

For dangerous environments or harsh, extreme places

在危險的環境 或條件嚴峻、極端的地方，

where it's hard to get people or equipment,

人或是設備很難到得了。

they can assemble in the airspace, and as the helium dies,

它們能在空中組裝，

等到氦氣消散時，就會降到地面，

they then come back to the ground,

and you're left with a big space frame structure.

留下一個空的大型框架結構。

All of this research is about taking simple materials,

這些研究都是拿簡單的材料，

activating them with forces in their environment --

利用環境中的力來活化它們

gravity, wind, waves, temperature, sunlight --

──像是重力、風力、波力、 溫度、陽光等外力──

and getting them to perform,

設法讓它們執行工作， 或讓它們變形、組裝等等。

getting them to transform, assemble, etc.

How do we build smart things

要怎麼製造智慧的東西，

without complex electromechanical devices?

卻不需要用到複雜的電子機械設備？

But more recently we were approached by a group in the Maldives,

但最近，馬爾地夫 有個團體跟我們聯繫，

and they were interested in taking some of this research and ways of thinking

他們很有興趣將這個研究和思考模式

and applying it to some of the challenges that they've faced

應用到他們在氣候變遷方面 所面臨的挑戰上。

in terms of climate change.

And the first thing you do

有馬爾地夫的人跟你聯繫時，

when you're approached by someone in the Maldives

你要做的第一件事，

就是告訴他，你要現場勘查。

is say you want to go on a site visit.

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

太棒了。

It is amazing.

我們到了那裏，

So we went there

and I actually walked away with a really different perspective

而在離開時帶走的，

是一種對氣候變遷的未來 完全不同的看法，

on the future of climate change.

Because you would imagine, you know, the Maldives are sinking.

因為你會感覺到馬爾地夫在下沉中。

他們慘了。他們要怎麼辦呢？

They're screwed. What are they going to do?

我離開時有個想法：

But I walked away thinking, they might be the model,

我們可以將馬爾地夫 當作未來人工環境的範本，

the future model of the built environment, where they can adapt and be resilient

讓他們能夠因應 氣候變遷，屹立不搖，

rather than our fixed, man-made infrastructure.

而不受到傳統硬體建設的侷限。

But there's typically three main approaches

因應海平面上升和氣候變遷，

to sea level rise and climate change.

主要有三種典型的做法。

第一種就是甚麼也不做， 逃走就好了。

One of them is that we can do nothing and we can run away.

這個主意太差了。

And that's a pretty bad idea.

As more than 40 percent of the world's population

超過 40% 的世界人口住在海邊，

is living in coastal areas,

as sea levels rise and as storms get worse and worse,

海平面上升，加上風暴越來越激烈，

we're going to be more and more underwater.

越來越多地方會沉到海裡。

So it's imperative that we solve this pretty demanding problem.

解決這個嚴重的問題事不宜遲。

The second is that we can build barriers.

第二種做法就是建造屏障物。

We can build walls.

我們可以築牆，

The problem here is that we take a static solution

但問題是，用靜態方法

trying to fight against a superdynamic, high-energy problem,

來解決超動態、超不穩定的問題，

and nature is almost always going to win.

大自然總會戰勝我們，

So that's likely not going to work either.

所以這可能也行不通。

The third approach is using dredging.

第三種做法是疏濬。

So dredging is where you suck up a bunch of sand from the deep ocean

疏濬就是將深海 海床的沙子大量吸上來，

放回海灘上。

and you pump it back onto the beaches.

If you go to any beach around the Northeast or Western Coast,

美國東北岸或西海岸年復一年，

you'll see that they use dredging year after year after year

靠著疏濬勉強維持沿岸的生存。

just to survive.

這也不是很好的辦法。

It's really not a good solution.

In the Maldives, they do the same thing, and they can build an island in a month,

馬爾地夫也這麼做，

一個月內就可用疏濬的沙子 造一個新的島嶼。

a brand new island they build from dredging.

But it's really, really bad for the marine ecosystem,

對於海洋生態系來說，這很糟糕。

and then they become addicted to dredging.

到頭來，不疏濬都不行，

They need to do that year after year.

他們必須年復一年，持續這樣做。

But in the time that it took them to build that one island,

但在他們建造好一個島嶼的同時，

three sandbars built themselves,

三個沙洲也自動形成。

and these are massive amounts of sand

沙子的量多到 足以讓一艘船擱在上面，

so big you can park your boat on it,

and this is what's called a site visit.

這就是我們說的現場勘查，

It's really hard work.

真的很辛苦。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

In Boston winters.

波士頓那頭正值冬天。

This is massive amounts of sand that naturally accumulates

這是大量沙子

藉著波浪的力量和海洋地形 自然堆積起來的。

just based on the forces of the waves

and the ocean topography.

So we started to study that. Why do sandbars form?

所以我們就開始研究 沙洲是怎麼形成的。

If we could tap into that,

如果能深入探究，

we could understand it and we could utilize it.

我們就能了解它和利用它。

It's based on the amount of energy in the ocean

它是藉由海洋的波能

and the topography in the landscape that promotes sand accumulation.

加上地形的因素，將沙堆積起來的。

So what we're proposing is to work with the forces of nature

所以我們建議運用大自然的力量

to build rather than destroy,

來建造而不是摧毀。

and in my lab at MIT, we set up a wave tank,

在我麻省理工的實驗室， 我們裝設了一個波浪槽。

a big tank that's pumping waves,

一個會製造波浪的大水槽。

and we placed geometries underwater.

然後我們將幾何構造放到水中。

We tried all sorts of different geometries.

我們試了各種不同的幾何構造。

The waves interact with the geometry,

波浪和這些幾何構造交互作用，

and then create turbulence and start to accumulate the sand

造成亂流，並開始堆積起沙子，

so the sand starts to form these sandbars on their own.

這些沙子就開始自己堆積起沙洲。

Here's an aerial view.

這是個空拍的視角。

On the left-hand side, you'll see the beach that's growing.

在左手邊，你們會看到 海岸往外推進。

中間，你們會看到形成的沙洲。

In the middle you'll see the sandbar that formed.

So these are geometries that collaborate with the force of the wave to build.

這些是幾何結構和波浪的力量 合力造出來的。

然後我們就開始如法泡製， 建造一個沙洲。

We then started to fabricate one. This was in February in Boston.

這是二月的時候在波士頓的事。

We have large rolls of canvas.

我們有大捲的帆布，

It's a biodegradable material,

用可生物分解的材料做的，

it's super cheap, easy to work with.

超便宜，又好用。

We then sew it into these large bladders,

我們將帆布縫製成這些大囊袋，

and then we flew over there.

然後我們就飛到那兒。

And I know what you're thinking. This is not the Fyre Festival.

我知道你們在想甚麼。 這不是騙人的音樂節。

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

This is real life. It's real.

這是真實生活。是真的。

And we flew there with these canvas bladders in our suitcases,

我們飛到那裡， 行李裝的是這些帆布囊袋。

we got sunburned because it was Boston winter,

我們曬傷了，因為波士頓還是冬天。

and then we filled them with sand and we placed them underwater.

我們將這些帆布袋 裝滿沙子，放到水裡。

These are exactly the same geometries that you saw in the tank,

這些跟在模擬水槽中的 是一樣的幾何結構，

they're just human scale.

只是這些是實際的比例大小。

Large objects filled with sand,

裝滿沙子，

we'd place them underwater, they're just really simple geometries.

放到水中，這些都只是 很簡單的幾何結構。

In the front of them, you'll see it's clear water.

在這些帆布袋前， 你們可以看到清澈的水。

The waves are crashing over.

波浪打過來，

It's quite clear.

水很清澈。

And then on the backside, there's turbulence.

但它們的後方有亂流。

The water and the sand is mixing up.

水和沙子混和在一起，

It's causing sediment transport, and then the sand is accumulating.

把原本沉澱的沙子移動並堆積，

You'll see some friendly stingrays here that visited us.

你們可以看到 友善的魟魚群來造訪我們。

On the left is day one, the right is day three.

左邊的是第一天，右邊是第三天。

You'll see the sand ripples in the light areas

可以看到沙子 在淺色的區域呈波浪狀，

where the sand is accumulating

這就是沙子正在堆積當中，

just after two days.

而且只花了兩天的時間。

So this was last February, and it's very much ongoing work.

這是去年二月的事， 而且還在持續進行當中。

This is just in the beginning of this research.

這只是這項研究的起始階段。

Over the next year and longer,

明年和接下來的幾年當中，

we're going to be studying this through satellite imagery

我們打算透過衛星影像 和回聲深度量測學來做研究，

and bathymetry data

to understand what the short-term and long-term impacts are

以便了解環境中

天然的沙子堆積的 短程和長程衝擊情況。

of natural sand accumulation in the environment.

And the bigger vision, though,

我們還有更大的遠景，

也就是建造可潛水的幾何構造，

is that we want to build submersible geometries,

almost like submarines that we can sink and float.

就像潛水艇一樣可浮可沉。

Like adaptable artificial reefs,

像是可適應變化的人工礁石，

you could deploy them

某個方向有風暴來臨時， 可以讓它們就位。

if there's a storm coming from one direction or another

or if the seasons are changing,

季節改變時，

you can use these adaptable reef structures

就以這些結構利用波力來堆積沙子。

to use the force of the waves to accumulate sand.

And we think this could be used in many coastal regions

我們認為這適用於許多海岸區域，

and many island nations around the world.

以及全球的許多島國。

But when we think about building smarter environments,

但我們在思考如何建造智慧環境時，

think of smarter buildings or smarter cars or smarter clothing,

像是建造智慧建築、 智慧汽車、智慧服裝，

that typically means adding more power,

通常都是要耗用更多能量——

more batteries, more devices, more cost, more complexity

更多電池、更多設備、 更多成本、更複雜，

and ultimately more failure.

到頭來也更多的失敗。

So we're always trying to think about how do we build smarter things with less?

所以我們現在不斷努力 設法用更少的資源建造智慧的東西，

How do we build smarter things that are simple?

簡單又智慧的東西。

And so what we're proposing at the lab and with this project specifically

所以我們在實驗室 和在這個特定的計畫中的提案，

is to use simple materials like sand

是利用簡單的材料，像是沙子，

that collaborates with forces in the environment like waves

借助環境中的力量，像是波浪，

to accumulate and adapt.

來堆積和適應。

And we'd like to work with you, collaborate with us, to develop this,

我想邀請各位跟我們同心協力， 來發展這項技術，

to scale it and apply this way of thinking.

來推廣並運用這樣的思考模式。

We think it's a different model for climate change,

我認為這是一個 對抗氣候變遷的新模型，

one that's about adaptation and resilience

提高我們的適應力和韌性，

rather than resistance and fear.

而不再抵抗和恐懼。

So help us turn natural destruction into natural construction.

請幫助我們將大自然的破壞力 轉化成建設力。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）