倒立洗頭機風靡海外,外媒大讚中國創新精神大綱
Last week, the former welder presented to the world his latest creation — an upside down hair-washing machine.
上週，曾是焊接工的手工耿向世界展現了他的最新發明：倒立式洗頭機。The bizarre machine resembles somewhat of an inversion table used to cure joint and back pain, with a transparent tank fitted near the bottom.
這個奇特的機器像是個倒立起來的治療關節背部疼痛的桌子，在末端安裝了一個透明的水箱。Proceeding to give his viewers a personal demo, Geng clipped his nose and placed a plastic tube in his mouth to allow him to breathe underwater.
爲了給觀衆們親自示範，耿夾住鼻子，嘴裏放了一根塑料管，以便他在水下呼吸。
After flicking on a switch, the table slowly tilted backwards until his head was fitted into the tank.
打開開關後，桌子緩緩向後方傾斜，最後頭部進入水箱。After turning on a valve, water began to fill in the tank as a panel installed at the bottom started spinning, creating a current that ensured each strand was given a good wash.
擰開閥門後，清水注入水箱，隨後水箱底部的轉盤開始旋轉，翻滾的水流保證每根髮絲得到徹底的清洗。The pamper routine is completed with a hair-drying system as well. After the water is drained from the tank, hot air would be emitted to give the user the perfect blow dry.
一頓捯飭後還有頭髮烘乾系統進行風乾。待水箱排水完畢，釋放的熱風會給使用者一個完美的吹乾定型。Geng Shuai, a 31-year-old DIY tinkerer from Baoding, Hebei province, has shot to fame for his "utterly useless" yet hilarious contraptions, including a meat cleaver smartphone case, a barbecue football table and an earthquake-proof noodle bowl.
31歲的發明工匠耿帥來自河北保定，他完全無用卻令人捧腹的發明裝置使他一舉成名，他曾發明過菜刀手機殼、桌上足球燒烤桌和地震吃麪神器。Every country has its toolshed inventors. But China — which gave the world movable type printing, gunpowder and the compass — has spawned a population of tinkerers who display the kind of outsize ambition that has helped the country become a global economic giant.
每個國家都有自己的發明家，但在爲世界發明了活字印刷、火藥和指南針的中國，有一大批喜歡搗鼓小發明的人，他們展現出了能幫助這個國家成爲全球經濟巨頭的非凡抱負。Geng may now be the best-known among them — a new kind of social media star whose calling card is his quirkiness.
耿可能是他們（發明家）中最著名的，他屬於一種新型網紅，他的特色就是怪異。
Geng is most proud of his hammer bag. It's a hollow steel mallet with a compartment that slides out of the head. Perfect, he says, for storing your phone, keys and wallet. It has a strap so it can hang over the wearer's shoulder.
耿帥最自豪的是他的雷神錘挎包，它是一箇中空的鋼槌，裏面的隔層可以由上端滑出。他說，用來放手機、鑰匙和錢包非常完美。它有一條帶子，能掛在肩上。His other inventions include a 66-cm long comb made out of iron, a metal contraption that makes flicking someone on the forehead more painful, and a toilet built into a scooter that flushes when you pull a lever on the handlebar.
他其他的發明還有66釐米長的鐵梳子，把別人腦門彈得更疼的鐵玩意兒，和內嵌在摩托車裏的馬桶，打開車座，按下手柄就能沖水。"Most days I don't go to sleep until after midnight, I'm so busy thinking, OK, what should I make next?" said Geng, 31, who sports a ponytail and trademark blue dungarees.
“大多數時間我都是後半夜才睡，我總是在思考，我下一條視頻該做什麼。”31歲的耿帥說，他梳着馬尾，穿一身標誌性的藍色粗布工裝褲。Geng is part of an industry that generates as much as $4.7bn in revenue, and one that has few parallels outside of the country. In China, the most popular live streams are not of live events or the feeds of friends, but performances or shows held by strangers.
耿所在的行業能創收47億美元，很少國外相應行業能與之抗衡。在中國，最火爆的直播不是來自賽事直播或是朋友圈實時視頻，而是來自陌生人的表演。Geng tries to come up with a new invention every week and to make videos two or three times a week. He makes about $150 every time he does a live-streamed broadcast — decent money in a town where five people can have a lavish lunch for a total of $25. He makes enough to support his family — he and his wife have two children — and his brother, who shoots the videos.
耿帥試圖每週想出一種新發明，每週製作兩三次視頻。他每次直播的收入約爲150美元（約1035元），在一個五人總共花25美元就能吃一頓豐盛午餐的小鎮，這算是不錯的收入，他賺的錢足以養活妻子、兩個孩子和幫他拍攝這些視頻的弟弟。Geng attributes his fame to China's rapid industrialization, which has seen millions of people migrate from rural regions to small apartments in the big cities, where they work long days.
耿把他的成名歸功於中國迅速發展的工業化進程，上百萬人搬離農村進入大城市的公寓生活，每天工作很長時間。"Chinese people love inventions and inventing stuff, but because of economic development, most people don't have the time to do it," he said. "That's why I am popular — they watch me making things because they can't make things themselves."
“中國人熱愛發明和研究新東西，但由於經濟迅速發展，大部分人根本沒時間做這些了，”他說，“所以我才能這麼紅，大家都愛看我搞發明因爲他們自己不能這麼做。”
