科学美国人60秒 热传感器的灵敏度非常高

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One of the most exquisite¹ heat sensors³ in the world—it’s not in some government lab. It's in the head of a snake. The pit viper⁴, to be specific.

世界上有一种最精敏的热传感器，它不存在于某个政府实验室里，而存在于一种蛇的脑袋里。这种蛇就是：颊窝毒蛇。

"They're incredibly sensitive. They beat any of the synthetic⁵ counterparts, even the most expensive semiconducting systems used in infrared⁷ or thermal⁸ cameras today." Chiara Daraio, a materials scientist at Caltech. "They can effectively resolve a few millikelvin of temperature changes at a distance of up to a meter."

“它们非常敏感。它们击败了全部的人造传感器，甚至包括当今最贵的红外线或热像仪中使用的半导体系统。”加州理工学院的材料科学家基娅拉·达雷奥说，“它们能在一米远的距离外，有效分辨出几毫开氏的温度变化。”

Now Daraio and her colleagues have designed a heat-sensing material that competes with the sensitivity of the snake. Using pectin. Same stuff you used to thicken jam. “Pectin, a double-stranded molecule⁹ ubiquitously present in the outer cell wall of plant cells, acts effectively as a tiny molecular¹⁰ temperature sensor²." When temperatures go up, she says, the double-stranded molecule unzips, "like the zipper¹¹ of a jacket."

达雷奥和同事们目前设计出了一种能与蛇的敏感度相媲美的热感应材料。他们使用的材料正是大家平时用来增稠果酱的材料——果胶。“果胶是植物细胞外细胞壁中无处不在的一种双链分子，它可作为一个微小的分子温度传感器有效地发挥作用。” 她称，当温度上升时，这种双链分子就会“像夹克上的拉链一样”解开。

So they did what you usually do with pectin—they made jelly, using pectin, water and calcium¹² ions. They dried that out, and got a thin, transparent¹³ film. Then, they had to test it. Which they realized they could do using a microwave and her son’s teddy bear. "Which can be heated up to a temperature of 37 degrees, roughly the temperature of a mouse or a running prey¹⁴ for a snake."

因而他们做了你平时用果胶做的事——用果胶、水和钙离子做了果冻。他们将其晒干，从而获得一个薄薄的透明薄膜。然后，再对其进行测试——用一个微波炉和达雷奥儿子的玩具泰迪熊。“它可以被加热至37度，即大致是可以被蛇捕食的一只小鼠或其它移动的猎物的温度。”

And the pectin film was exquisitely¹⁵ sensitive to the warmed-up teddy bear—on par⁶ with the snake. The film could detect temperature changes as small as 10-thousandths of a degree celsius¹⁶. The study is in the journal Science Robotics.

结果，我们做的果胶薄膜对“泰迪熊”非常敏感，其敏感水平甚至等同于蛇的敏感度。这层薄膜能探测到小至万分之一摄氏度的温度变化。这项研究发表在《科学机器人》杂志上。

Daraio says the skin could give robots superior sensing abilities. "Allowing for example robots to determine whether they're moving around inanimate objects, other robots, or even humans or animals, which are evidently warmer bodies." Or, she says, it could be used in sensitive skin on prosthetic limbs for humans. If we can figure out how to connect this artificial skin up to something far more complicated. The brain.

达雷奥表示，这种皮肤能给机器人更灵敏的感知能力。“比如，它能帮机器人决定是否在无生命的物体、其他机器人、甚至是明显有体温的人类或动物的身边移动。” 或者，她说，它还可以被用到人类假肢上的敏感皮肤中。如果我们能找到办法将这种人造皮肤链接到更复杂的东西，比如大脑上。

1 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

2 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。

3 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

4 viper   

n.毒蛇；危险的人

参考例句：

• Envy lucks at the bottom of the human heart a viper in its hole.嫉妒潜伏在人心底，如同毒蛇潜伏在穴中。
• Be careful of that viper;he is dangerous.小心那个阴险的人，他很危险。

5 synthetic   

adj.合成的，人工的；综合的；n.人工制品

参考例句：

• We felt the salesman's synthetic friendliness.我们感觉到那位销售员的虚情假意。
• It's a synthetic diamond.这是人造钻石。

6 par   

n.标准，票面价值，平均数量；adj.票面的，平常的，标准的

参考例句：

• Sales of nylon have been below par in recent years.近年来尼龙织品的销售额一直不及以往。
• I don't think his ability is on a par with yours.我认为他的能力不能与你的能力相媲美。

7 infrared   

adj./n.红外线(的)

参考例句：

• Infrared is widely used in industry and medical science.红外线广泛应用于工业和医学科学。
• Infrared radiation has wavelengths longer than those of visible light.红外辐射的波长比可见光的波长长。

8 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

9 molecule   

n.分子，克分子

参考例句：

• A molecule of water is made up of two atoms of hygrogen and one atom of oxygen.一个水分子是由P妈̬f婘̬ 妈̬成的。
• This gives us the structural formula of the molecule.这种方式给出了分子的结构式。

10 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

11 zipper   

n.拉链；v.拉上拉链

参考例句：

• The zipper is red.这条拉链是红色的。
• The zipper is a wonderful invention.拉链是个了不起的发明。

12 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

13 transparent   

adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的

参考例句：

• The water is so transparent that we can see the fishes swimming.水清澈透明，可以看到鱼儿游来游去。
• The window glass is transparent.窗玻璃是透明的。

14 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

15 exquisitely   

adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地

参考例句：

• He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服，还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分

16 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。