解密高科技蟑螂：最新救災神器

Scientists at North Carolina State University are using Microsoft’s Kinect camera for something very different than video games. The insects, which seem able to withstand anything, may one day soon be helping emergency first responders navigate disaster wreckage. Because the bugs are so small, they can get through nooks and crannies that neither rescue dogs nor people can navigate. Researchers have been using Kinect, the same camera technology in Xbox 360 and PCs, to create a remote control that will enable people to guide the insects like a remote-controlled car. The cockroaches can be equipped with miniature cameras and can be sent in before dogs and humans, which allows emergency personnel to get a first look at the situation.

北卡羅來納州立大學（North Carolina State University）的科學家正在使用微軟（Microsoft）的Kinect攝像頭，不過並不是用它來玩視頻遊戲，而是另有其他用途。昆蟲似乎能夠承受任何災難，或許很快就將成爲現場急救人員的得力助手，幫助他們在災後廢墟中展開搜救。由於昆蟲小巧的體形，它們可以穿過搜救犬或搜救人員無法進入的角落縫隙。研究人員一直在使用Xbox 360和電腦上使用的攝像頭技術Kinect，來研發一款遠程控制裝置，使人們可以像遙控汽車一樣控制昆蟲。配備微型攝像頭的蟑螂，可以在搜救犬和搜救人員抵達之前，被派往災難現場，幫助急救人員及時獲得現場情況的第一手資料。

“For years, roboticists have been trying to mimic insects when building centimeter-scale robots,” said Dr. AlperBozkurt, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the work. “We came up with the idea of building a partnership with insects rather than trying to mimic them, similar to riding horses before our motorcycles and cars took over the streets. Roaches were the most easily accessible insects and are very robust walkers.”

阿爾珀o博茲庫爾特博士是北卡羅來納州立大學電氣與計算機工程學副教授，曾參與發表了一篇與仿生機器人有關的論文。他表示：“多年以來，機器人專家們在設計釐米量級機器人時，一直在嘗試模仿昆蟲。而我們提出了一種新的理念，即與昆蟲合作而不是模仿它們，類似於我們在摩托車和汽車佔領大街之前騎馬一樣。蟑螂是最爲常見的昆蟲，也是非常強壯的爬行昆蟲。”

The interface that controls the roach is wired to the roach’s antennae and cerci. The cerci are sensory organs on the roach’s abdomen, which are normally used to detect movement in the air that could indicate a predator is approaching – causing the roach to scurry away. But the researchers use the wires attached to the cerci to spur the insect into motion. The wires attached to the antennae send small charges that trick the roach into thinking the antennae are in contact with a barrier and steering them in the opposite direction.

控制蟑螂的連接裝置通過線纜連接到蟑螂的觸鬚和尾須。尾須是蟑螂腹部的感覺器官，正常情況下被用於探測空氣中的運動，示意蟑螂有捕食者靠近，幫助它提前逃脫。而研究人員利用連接到尾須的線纜，刺激昆蟲移動。連接到觸鬚的線纜會發送少量電荷，使蟑螂誤以爲接觸到障礙物，引導它向相反的方向移動。

Bozkurt’s team wanted to build an automated test platform where they could objectively assess whether they could turn an insect into an insect biobot. One criterion was to run the experiments in the dark, so they started to use a Kinect camera’s depth sensor to find the insect without any ambient light.

博茲庫爾特的團隊希望建立一個自動化測試平臺，客觀評價能否將昆蟲轉變爲昆蟲生物機器人。其中一項標準是在黑暗中進行實驗，因此他們開始使用Kinect攝像頭的深度傳感器，在沒有環境光源的情況下找到昆蟲。

“The Kinect camera knows the path that needs to be followed by the insect,” said Bozkurt. “Then it divides this route into multiple waypoints and moves the insect from one waypoint to another. It detects the insect from its specific shape and it sends necessary waveforms to the backpack the insect is wearing. This backpack applies microvolts of impulses to the insect’s sensory organs, which helps us to steer the insect. It’s similar to riding a horse with reins.”

博茲庫爾特表示：“Kinect攝像頭獲取了需要昆蟲行走的路徑。然後攝像頭將路線劃分成多個路徑點，將昆蟲從一個路徑點移動到下一個。攝像頭會根據昆蟲的具體外形找到昆蟲，並向昆蟲佩戴的背部裝置發送必要的波形。該背部裝置會向昆蟲的感覺器官發送微伏脈衝，幫助我們操控昆蟲。原理類似於用繮繩騎馬。”

The program also uses Kinect to collect data on how the roaches respond to the electrical impulses from the remote-control interface. This data will help the researchers fine-tune steering to control the roaches more precisely. The team will employ Microsoft’s new Kinect 2.0, which debuted with Xbox One, to further push this experiment forward.

此外，該項目還使用Kinect來收集蟑螂對遠程控制接口發出的電脈衝如何響應的數據。這些數據將幫助研究人員調整操控方式，以更加精確地控制昆蟲。研究團隊將使用微軟的最新款Kinect 2.0來進一步推進實驗。Kinect 2.0隨Xbox One同步上市。

“The advanced audio processing on the sensor could also lead to some interesting scenarios when we try to make the insects move toward a sound source,” said Bozkurt.

博茲庫爾特說道：“當我們嘗試着促使昆蟲向聲源移動時，先進的傳感器音頻處理技術也會帶領我們進入一些有趣的場景。”

Having performed very successful demonstrations in the laboratory environment, the team (which includes NC State professors Edgar Lobaton and MihailSichitiu) has received funding from the National Science Foundation’s Cyber-Physical Systems program to bring this technology into real-life scenarios. The goal is to accomplish this within three to four years.

該項目在實驗室環境下的演示非常成功，研究團隊（包括北卡州立大學教授埃德加o洛巴頓和米哈伊爾o斯契提尤）已經獲得了美國國家科學基金會(National Science Foundation)信息物理系統(Cyber-Physical Systems)項目提供的資金，以儘快將該技術用於現實情境。團隊的目標是在三至四年內實現該技術的實際應用。

“We are hoping that the swarm of insect biobots will be able to sweep the rubble from one end to another in a very short amount of time, while letting first responders hear any calls for help coming from the victims buried under the rubble, or let them know about the potential hazards such as gas leakages,” said Bozkurt.

博茲庫爾特表示：“我們希望大羣昆蟲生物機器人可以在極短時間內橫掃廢墟，幫助現場急救人員搜尋廢墟中掩埋的受困人員的呼救，或使急救人員瞭解潛在的危險，如燃氣泄漏等情況。”

According to Bozkurt, one of the most efficient methods in engineering has been “biomimetics,” where researchers have looked at nature, learned from the existing biosystems and applied different engineering principles to mimic these when solving real-life problems. Despite several inventions and explorations, humans are still limited in their understanding and ability to mimic the relatively more complicated properties of biological machines.

據博茲庫爾特透露，工程學中最有效的方法之一是“仿生學”，即研究人員從大自然中尋找靈感，向現有的生物系統學習，應用不同的工程學原理模仿生物，解決實際問題。然而，儘管出現了一些發明和探索，對於生物機器相對更復雜的特性，人類的瞭解和模仿能力仍非常有限。

“As engineers performing research on biological organisms, we are often fascinated by the complexity and operational efficiency of these systems and demonstrate this appreciation through an amplified respectful attitude towards these organisms,” said Bozkurt.

博茲庫爾特表示：“作爲研究生物有機體的工程師，我們經常會被這些系統的複雜性和運行效率深深吸引。當我們利用技術重現它們的驚人技能時，心中滿懷尊重和感激之情。”

One day soon, the sight of cockroaches will be a relief to disaster victims thanks to video game technology. And we may think twice before trying to stomp out cockroaches the next time we cross paths. After all, they were deigned to live through just about anything that mankind can throw at them.

憑藉視頻遊戲技術，在不久的將來，蟑螂將出現在救災第一線，爲災民送去慰藉。以後，當我們與蟑螂狹路相逢時，踩一腳之前或許應該三思。畢竟，不論人類怎樣對付它們，它們總能堅強地生存下去。