美国国家公共电台 NPR--This Massachusetts startup wants to track your sweat

This Massachusetts startup wants to track your sweat

Transcript¹

We've got any number of devices we can strap² to our bodies to track our footsteps, heart rate, and sleep patterns. Next up, possibly — sweat monitoring for precision rehydration and worker safety.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

An old commercial for deodorant³ says, never let them see you sweat. NPR's Science Desk begs to differ. They've been studying sweat this summer, and Ari Daniel has the latest in sweat-sensing technology.

ARI DANIEL, BYLINE⁴: To learn about all that our individualized sweat has to tell us, I headed over to Epicore Biosystems, a startup based in Cambridge, Mass.

(SOUNDBITE OF FOOTSTEPS ON TREADMILL⁵)

DANIEL: I'm escorted into a small room where AJ Aranyosi, the 50-something chief scientific officer, is booking it on a treadmill. And he's just dripping.

AJ ARANYOSI: I've been the heaviest sweater since we founded the company.

DANIEL: Aranyosi shows me his left forearm, where he's got a hexagonal patch the size of a stout⁶ Band-Aid. His sweat wicks through narrow channels that snake across its face. The company developed the patch in partnership⁷ with Gatorade. It's a one-time use, and a two-pack retails⁸ for 25 bucks⁹. Roozbeh Ghaffari, the CEO, says we tend to underappreciate the value of sweat.

ROOZBEH GHAFFARI: We just take it for granted, wipe it off, throw it into a laundry basket. But turns out there's this treasure chest of information that's just there. And it varies from person to person.

DANIEL: And from day to day, based on weather and workout. The patch changes color according to how much you sweat and how salty it is.

GHAFFARI: We can determine your total fluid loss, and that tells us immediately what we need to put back into your body. How do we rehydrate?

DANIEL: In other words, what optimal¹⁰ mix of fluid and electrolytes do you need in the moment? Aranyosi uses an app on his phone to snap a picture of the patch, which translates its orange and purple colors.

ARANYOSI: Gives me my sweat rate. So I filled almost three-quarters of a big bottle of Coke. And then my sodium¹¹ loss was fairly high, meaning my sweat was pretty salty today.

DANIEL: The team sees benefits for elite¹² athletes to avoid cramping¹³ and heatstroke. But sweat monitoring could be useful for workers in high-heat environments, too. On each of Aranyosi's biceps is another sensor¹⁴ currently under development. It's like the patch, but it's got a little packet of electronics that continuously monitors fluid loss and salt content. If the wearer starts to become dehydrated, the device vibrates - a signal to drink fluids quickly. Aranyosi says the device will help those working in construction, oil fields, farm fields.

ARANYOSI: Being able to tailor recommendations about how to stay hydrated is going to help improve worker safety overall, especially as summers get hotter and hotter.

DANIEL: Looking ahead, the company plans to track stress hormones¹⁵ and other components¹⁶ in sweat - a fluid, in their eyes, flowing with all sorts of health data if you're willing to soak it up.

Ari Daniel, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF MNDSGN AND REJOICER'S "PURPLE T SHIRTS")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 strap   

n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎

参考例句：

• She held onto a strap to steady herself.她抓住拉手吊带以便站稳。
• The nurse will strap up your wound.护士会绑扎你的伤口。

3 deodorant   

adj.除臭的；n.除臭剂

参考例句：

• She applies deodorant to her armpits after she showers.沐浴后，她在腋下涂上除臭剂。
• Spray deodorant and keep the silk garments dry before dressing.在穿衣之前，洒涂防臭剂并保持干燥。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 treadmill   

n.踏车；单调的工作

参考例句：

• The treadmill has a heart rate monitor.跑步机上有个脉搏监视器。
• Drugs remove man from the treadmill of routine.药物可以使人摆脱日常单调的工作带来的疲劳。

6 stout   

adj.强壮的，粗大的，结实的，勇猛的，矮胖的

参考例句：

• He cut a stout stick to help him walk.他砍了一根结实的枝条用来拄着走路。
• The stout old man waddled across the road.那肥胖的老人一跩一跩地穿过马路。

7 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

8 retails   

n.零售( retail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This book retails at 10 dollars overseas. 这本书的海外零售价是十美元。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This radio retails for ＄ 14.95. 这种收音机的零售价是14美元95美分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

9 bucks   

n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃

参考例句：

• They cost ten bucks. 这些值十元钱。
• They are hunting for bucks. 他们正在猎雄兔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。

11 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

12 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

13 cramping   

图像压缩

参考例句：

• The bleeding may keep my left hand from cramping. 淌血会叫我的左手不抽筋。
• This loss of sodium can cause dehydration and cramping. 钠流失会造成脱水和抽筋。

14 sensor   

n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官）

参考例句：

• The temperature sensor is enclosed in a protective well.温度传感器密封在保护套管中。
• He plugged the sensor into a outlet.他把传感器插进电源插座。

15 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

16 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。