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Auke Ijspeert: A robot that runs and swims like a salamander
奥克·利斯皮耶: 两栖蝾螈机器人
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机器人学家奥克·利斯皮耶根据动物的机器模型设计出仿生机器人，就像科幻小说描写的那样，这是一种可以应对复杂地形的机器人。在研究过程中，科学家们还设计可以用于野外、服务和搜救工作的机器人。但是这些机器人不仅仅是对现实世界的单纯模拟，通过它们，我们可以进一步地理解生物学，解开之前关于脊髓的未解之谜。
Auke Ijspeert - Roboticist
Auke Ijspeert works at the intersection of robotics, biology and computational neuroscience. Full bio
Auke Ijspeert works at the intersection of robotics, biology and computational neuroscience. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
This is Pleurobot.
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这是一只蝾螈机器人
00:15
Pleurobot is a robot that we designed
to closely mimic a salamander species
to closely mimic a salamander species
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是一种我们根据蝾螈设计出的仿生机器人
00:19
called Pleurodeles waltl.
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我们把它称为蝾螈机器人
00:21
Pleurobot can walk, as you can see here,
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就想你看到的，它会爬行
00:23
and as you'll see later, it can also swim.
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一会儿你还会看到它游泳
00:26
So you might ask,
why did we design this robot?
why did we design this robot?
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你可能会问我们为什么设计这样一个机器人
00:28
And in fact, this robot has been designed
as a scientific tool for neuroscience.
as a scientific tool for neuroscience.
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其实，蝾螈机器人是一种用来研究神经科学的工具
我们和神经科学家一起设计出蝾螈机器人
00:33
Indeed, we designed it
together with neurobiologists
together with neurobiologists
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00:35
to understand how animals move,
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希望能更好理解动物的运动原理
00:37
and especially how the spinal cord
controls locomotion.
controls locomotion.
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尤其是脊髓控制运动的机理
00:41
But the more I work in biorobotics,
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但是，我们对仿生机器人的研究越深入
00:43
the more I'm really impressed
by animal locomotion.
by animal locomotion.
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就越被动物运动的复杂原理所震撼
00:45
If you think of a dolphin swimming
or a cat running or jumping around,
or a cat running or jumping around,
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试想一下在海里遨游的海豚、又跑又跳的小猫
00:50
or even us as humans,
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甚至还有我们人类
00:51
when you go jogging or play tennis,
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在进行慢跑或者打网球的时候
00:53
we do amazing things.
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我们的每一个动作都那么神奇
00:55
And in fact, our nervous system solves
a very, very complex control problem.
a very, very complex control problem.
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实际上，在运动时，神经系统的控制过程十分复杂
01:00
It has to coordinate
more or less 200 muscles perfectly,
more or less 200 muscles perfectly,
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神经系统要协调200块左右的肌肉一起运作
01:03
because if the coordination is bad,
we fall over or we do bad locomotion.
we fall over or we do bad locomotion.
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一旦协调紊乱，我们就会摔跤或者肢体不协调
01:07
And my goal is to understand
how this works.
how this works.
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而我的目标就是要弄清楚这种协调机制的原理
01:11
There are four main components
behind animal locomotion.
behind animal locomotion.
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动物的运动需要四个部分
01:14
The first component is just the body,
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首先就是肢体
生物力学对于动物肢体运动的简化
01:16
and in fact we should never underestimate
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01:18
to what extent the biomechanics
already simplify locomotion in animals.
already simplify locomotion in animals.
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已经到了令人难以想象地步
第二个部分就是脊髓
01:22
Then you have the spinal cord,
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01:24
and in the spinal cord you find reflexes,
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脊髓中有很多反射神经
01:26
multiple reflexes that create
a sensorimotor coordination loop
a sensorimotor coordination loop
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这些反射神经在脊髓中的神经活动和机械活动之间
01:29
between neural activity in the spinal cord
and mechanical activity.
and mechanical activity.
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建立了感觉协调环
01:34
A third component
are central pattern generators.
are central pattern generators.
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第三个要素是中枢模式发生器
01:37
These are very interesting circuits
in the spinal cord of vertebrate animals
in the spinal cord of vertebrate animals
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脊椎动物的脊髓中有一些有趣的电路
01:40
that can generate, by themselves,
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这些电路在接收简单的信号时
01:42
very coordinated
rhythmic patterns of activity
rhythmic patterns of activity
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可以自发地产生非常协调的
01:45
while receiving
only very simple input signals.
only very simple input signals.
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节律运动模式
在我们运动的时候
01:47
And these input signals
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01:48
coming from descending modulation
from higher parts of the brain,
from higher parts of the brain,
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大脑的高级中枢
例如运动皮层、小脑和基地神经节
01:52
like the motor cortex,
the cerebellum, the basal ganglia,
the cerebellum, the basal ganglia,
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进行下行调节并产生上述信号
01:54
will all modulate activity
of the spinal cord
of the spinal cord
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并对脊髓中的活动起到调控作用
01:56
while we do locomotion.
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01:58
But what's interesting is to what extent
just a low-level component,
just a low-level component,
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但是有趣的是，脊髓和肢体这类低级中枢
02:01
the spinal cord, together with the body,
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在完成运动过程中
02:03
already solve a big part
of the locomotion problem.
of the locomotion problem.
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到底扮演了何种角色
大家应该都知道，即使鸡的头被砍掉了
02:06
You probably know it by the fact
that you can cut the head off a chicken,
that you can cut the head off a chicken,
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它也不会立即死亡
02:09
it can still run for a while,
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这个事实表明低级的脊髓和躯干
02:10
showing that just the lower part,
spinal cord and body,
spinal cord and body,
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在完成运动过程中扮演了重要的角色
02:13
already solve a big part of locomotion.
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但是想要弄清楚它的工作原理还是很困难
02:15
Now, understanding how this works
is very complex,
is very complex,
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因为，第一点就是
02:17
because first of all,
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02:19
recording activity in the spinal cord
is very difficult.
is very difficult.
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想要记录脊髓中的活动十分复杂
02:21
It's much easier to implant electrodes
in the motor cortex
in the motor cortex
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由于脊椎的保护作用，把电极植入到脊髓中
02:24
than in the spinal cord,
because it's protected by the vertebrae.
because it's protected by the vertebrae.
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要比植入到运动皮层中难得多
对于人类来说更是难上加难
02:27
Especially in humans, very hard to do.
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02:29
A second difficulty is that locomotion
is really due to a very complex
is really due to a very complex
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另外一个难题就是，运动基于这四个要素的相互作用
02:33
and very dynamic interaction
between these four components.
between these four components.
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是一个复杂的动态过程
因此，很难区分各要素所发挥的作用
02:36
So it's very hard to find out
what's the role of each over time.
what's the role of each over time.
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所以，像蝾螈机器人这样的仿生机器人和数学模型
02:40
This is where biorobots like Pleurobot
and mathematical models
and mathematical models
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02:44
can really help.
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就派上用场了
那么到底什么是仿生机器人学呢
02:47
So what's biorobotics?
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这是机器人研究中一个热门的领域
02:48
Biorobotics is a very active field
of research in robotics
of research in robotics
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人们试图从动物身上获取灵感
02:51
where people want to
take inspiration from animals
take inspiration from animals
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并运用到机器人身上，使它们可以运用于户外
02:54
to make robots to go outdoors,
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例如服务用机器人、搜救机器人
02:56
like service robots
or search and rescue robots
or search and rescue robots
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02:59
or field robots.
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以及农业机器人
现在最大的目标就是从动物身上获得灵感
03:00
And the big goal here
is to take inspiration from animals
is to take inspiration from animals
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使机器人能够应对一些复杂的地形
03:03
to make robots that can handle
complex terrain --
complex terrain --
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例如楼梯、山区、树林
03:05
stairs, mountains, forests,
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这些地形对于机器人来说还是个挑战
03:07
places where robots
still have difficulties
still have difficulties
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03:09
and where animals
can do a much better job.
can do a much better job.
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它们并不能像动物那样灵活应对
03:11
The robot can be a wonderful
scientific tool as well.
scientific tool as well.
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机器人也是一项极好的科学研究工具
03:14
There are some very nice projects
where robots are used,
where robots are used,
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在一些优秀研究项目中得以应用
03:16
like a scientific tool for neuroscience,
for biomechanics or for hydrodynamics.
for biomechanics or for hydrodynamics.
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例如神经科学、仿生学和流体动力学
03:20
And this is exactly
the purpose of Pleurobot.
the purpose of Pleurobot.
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这也正是蝾螈机器人存在的意义
03:23
So what we do in my lab
is to collaborate with neurobiologists
is to collaborate with neurobiologists
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所以，我们在实验室里与神经生物学家合作
03:26
like Jean-Marie Cabelguen,
a neurobiologist in Bordeaux in France,
a neurobiologist in Bordeaux in France,
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法国波尔多大学的神经生物学家
让·玛丽 卡贝肯就是其中之一
让·玛丽 卡贝肯就是其中之一
03:29
and we want to make spinal cord models
and validate them on robots.
and validate them on robots.
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我们制作出脊髓的模型并用机器人加以验证
我们希望先从简单的动物入手
03:34
And here we want to start simple.
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03:36
So it's good to start with simple animals
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例如七鳃鳗
03:38
like lampreys, which are
very primitive fish,
very primitive fish,
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这种原始的鱼类
然后慢慢过渡到运动更复杂的动物
03:40
and then gradually
go toward more complex locomotion,
go toward more complex locomotion,
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03:42
like in salamanders,
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例如蝾螈
然后还有猫、人类
03:44
but also in cats and in humans,
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等哺乳动物
03:45
in mammals.
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这样一来
03:47
And here, a robot becomes
an interesting tool
an interesting tool
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机器人成为一种验证模型的有趣工具
03:50
to validate our models.
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03:52
And in fact, for me, Pleurobot
is a kind of dream becoming true.
is a kind of dream becoming true.
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实际上，蝾螈机器人的出现使得我的梦想成真
03:55
Like, more or less 20 years ago
I was already working on a computer
I was already working on a computer
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因为，大约在20年前
我在读博士期间就通过计算机
03:58
making simulations of lamprey
and salamander locomotion
and salamander locomotion
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模拟七鳃鳗和蝾螈的运动
04:01
during my PhD.
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04:02
But I always knew that my simulations
were just approximations.
were just approximations.
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但是，我一直很清楚我的模拟非常粗糙
04:06
Like, simulating the physics in water
or with mud or with complex ground,
or with mud or with complex ground,
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因为在水中和在泥泞等地形复杂的陆地上的运动
04:10
it's very hard to simulate that
properly on a computer.
properly on a computer.
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很难在电脑上精确地模拟出来
04:12
Why not have a real robot
and real physics?
and real physics?
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那么为什么不用机器人真正地模拟这些动作呢
04:15
So among all these animals,
one of my favorites is the salamander.
one of my favorites is the salamander.
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所以在众多的动物中，蝾螈成为我最喜欢的动物之一
你可能会问为什么,因为从进化的角度来看
04:18
You might ask why,
and it's because as an amphibian,
and it's because as an amphibian,
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04:22
it's a really key animal
from an evolutionary point of view.
from an evolutionary point of view.
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蝾螈作为两栖动物,发挥着至关重要的作用
04:25
It makes a wonderful link
between swimming,
between swimming,
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它在两种运动方式间建立起美妙的联系
04:27
as you find it in eels or fish,
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一个是鳗和鱼类在水中的游泳方式
04:29
and quadruped locomotion,
as you see in mammals, in cats and humans.
as you see in mammals, in cats and humans.
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一个是猫、人类等哺乳动物在陆上的运动方式
事实上，现代的蝾螈
04:34
And in fact, the modern salamander
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04:35
is very close to the first
terrestrial vertebrate,
terrestrial vertebrate,
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和最早出现的陆生脊椎动物十分相近
所以说，蝾螈就像是活化石一样
04:38
so it's almost a living fossil,
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04:39
which gives us access to our ancestor,
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通过它，我们有机会了解我们的祖先
04:41
the ancestor to all terrestrial tetrapods.
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即四足动物的祖先
04:45
So the salamander swims
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蝾螈以所谓的鳗形游泳的步态
04:46
by doing what's called
an anguilliform swimming gait,
an anguilliform swimming gait,
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在水中游动
因此肌肉活动产生的优美行波从头部传到尾部
04:49
so they propagate a nice traveling wave
of muscle activity from head to tail.
of muscle activity from head to tail.
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如果把它放在地上
04:53
And if you place
the salamander on the ground,
the salamander on the ground,
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它的动作转变为快速爬行的步态
04:55
it switches to what's called
a walking trot gait.
a walking trot gait.
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在这种情况下，蝾螈的四肢被定期地激活
04:58
In this case, you have nice
periodic activation of the limbs
periodic activation of the limbs
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十分协调地
05:00
which are very nicely coordinated
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随着身体驻波的起伏而运动
05:02
with this standing wave
undulation of the body,
undulation of the body,
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05:05
and that's exactly the gait
that you are seeing here on Pleurobot.
that you are seeing here on Pleurobot.
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这就是蝾螈机器人行走的步态的原型
05:08
Now, one thing which is very surprising
and fascinating in fact
and fascinating in fact
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现在令人惊叹的是
05:11
is the fact that all this can be generated
just by the spinal cord and the body.
just by the spinal cord and the body.
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所有这些活动仅靠脊髓和肢体就可以完成
如果拿一只去脑的蝾螈
05:16
So if you take
a decerebrated salamander --
a decerebrated salamander --
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虽然这听起来有些残忍，但是你把它的头部切除
05:18
it's not so nice
but you remove the head --
but you remove the head --
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如果以低强度的刺激电激它的脊髓
05:20
and if you electrically
stimulate the spinal cord,
stimulate the spinal cord,
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它会表现出类似爬行的步态
05:22
at low level of stimulation
this will induce a walking-like gait.
this will induce a walking-like gait.
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但如果你加大刺激的强度，步态就会发生变化
05:26
If you stimulate a bit more,
the gait accelerates.
the gait accelerates.
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05:28
And at some point, there's a threshold,
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这里存在一个临界值，如果强度达到临界点
05:30
and automatically,
the animal switches to swimming.
the animal switches to swimming.
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它会自己变成游泳的步态
这简直太神奇了
05:33
This is amazing.
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05:34
Just changing the global drive,
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仅仅改变了刺激的强度
05:35
as if you are pressing the gas pedal
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就像是踩下了
下行调节脊髓的油门一样
05:37
of descending modulation
to your spinal cord,
to your spinal cord,
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实现了两种完全不同的步态之间的转变
05:39
makes a complete switch
between two very different gaits.
between two very different gaits.
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05:44
And in fact, the same
has been observed in cats.
has been observed in cats.
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而且我们在猫身上发现了同样的规律
05:47
If you stimulate the spinal cord of a cat,
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刺激猫的脊髓
就可以使它在行走、慢跑和快跑之间进行转换
05:49
you can switch between
walk, trot and gallop.
walk, trot and gallop.
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还可以实现鸟从行走到拍动翅膀之间的转换
05:51
Or in birds, you can make a bird
switch between walking,
switch between walking,
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相应地，需要从低强度的刺激
05:54
at a low level of stimulation,
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05:55
and flapping its wings
at high-level stimulation.
at high-level stimulation.
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转变为高强度的刺激
05:58
And this really shows that the spinal cord
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这恰好证明了
脊髓是一处智能的运动控制中心
06:00
is a very sophisticated
locomotion controller.
locomotion controller.
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06:02
So we studied salamander locomotion
in more detail,
in more detail,
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因此我们对于蝾螈的运动展开更仔细的研究
我们从德国耶拿大学的马丁·费希尔教授的手中
06:05
and we had in fact access
to a very nice X-ray video machine
to a very nice X-ray video machine
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06:08
from Professor Martin Fischer
in Jena University in Germany.
in Jena University in Germany.
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得到了一台非常精妙的X射线成像仪
多亏了这台精妙的仪器
06:12
And thanks to that,
you really have an amazing machine
you really have an amazing machine
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我们可以记录更多关于骨骼运动的细节
06:14
to record all the bone motion
in great detail.
in great detail.
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06:17
That's what we did.
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这就是我们得到的成像
06:18
So we basically figured out
which bones are important for us
which bones are important for us
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然后我们大致选出关键的骨骼
06:21
and collected their motion in 3D.
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并且搜集他们三维运动数据
06:24
And what we did is collect
a whole database of motions,
a whole database of motions,
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我们所做的就是搜集运动过程的全数据
06:27
both on ground and in water,
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既有在陆地爬行的，也有在水中游行的
06:29
to really collect a whole database
of motor behaviors
of motor behaviors
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真的是动物
在运动过程中的全部数据
06:31
that a real animal can do.
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然后我们这些机器人学家的任务就是
把数据复制到机器人身上
把数据复制到机器人身上
06:32
And then our job as roboticists
was to replicate that in our robot.
was to replicate that in our robot.
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因此我们为了找到正确的结构，进行了全套的优化方案
06:36
So we did a whole optimization process
to find out the right structure,
to find out the right structure,
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例如在哪里放置这些运动，如何让它们连贯起来
06:39
where to place the motors,
how to connect them together,
how to connect them together,
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06:42
to be able to replay
these motions as well as possible.
these motions as well as possible.
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才能尽可能地重现这些动作
06:45
And this is how Pleurobot came to life.
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这就是蝾螈机器人诞生的过程
06:49
So let's look at how close
it is to the real animal.
it is to the real animal.
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接下来我们就来欣赏一下
它和活生生的动物多么相似吧
它和活生生的动物多么相似吧
你现在看到的就是非常直观的对比
06:52
So what you see here
is almost a direct comparison
is almost a direct comparison
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06:55
between the walking
of the real animal and the Pleurobot.
of the real animal and the Pleurobot.
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一个是活生生的动物，一个是蝾螈机器人
06:58
You can see that we have
almost a one-to-one exact replay
almost a one-to-one exact replay
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你可以看到我们几乎实现了两者在步态上
07:00
of the walking gait.
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一对一的重现
07:02
If you go backwards and slowly,
you see it even better.
you see it even better.
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如果进行慢速回放，你会看得更清楚
但是更神奇的是，我们成功重现了游行
07:07
But even better, we can do swimming.
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07:09
So for that we have a dry suit
that we put all over the robot --
that we put all over the robot --
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但我们必须给机器人穿上外套
07:12
(Laughter)
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（笑声）
07:14
and then we can go in water
and start replaying the swimming gaits.
and start replaying the swimming gaits.
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然后就可以入水重现游行的步态
07:17
And here, we were very happy,
because this is difficult to do.
because this is difficult to do.
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看到这里我们很是欣慰，因为这个过程真得很艰辛
07:20
The physics of interaction are complex.
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物理交互作用十分复杂
因为蝾螈机器人比真正的蝾螈大得多
07:22
Our robot is much bigger
than a small animal,
than a small animal,
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07:25
so we had to do what's called
dynamic scaling of the frequencies
dynamic scaling of the frequencies
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所以我们必须进行所谓的动态频率缩放
确保蝾螈机器人能实现一样的物理协调
07:28
to make sure we had
the same interaction physics.
the same interaction physics.
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但是你看，最后两者已经十分相近
07:30
But you see at the end,
we have a very close match,
we have a very close match,
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对此我们非常高兴
07:33
and we were very, very happy with this.
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07:35
So let's go to the spinal cord.
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让我们再回到脊髓的研究
我们和Jean-Marie Cabelguen教授所做的工作就是
07:37
So here what we did
with Jean-Marie Cabelguen
with Jean-Marie Cabelguen
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07:40
is model the spinal cord circuits.
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模拟脊髓中的电路
但是非常有趣的是，我们发现蝾螈
07:43
And what's interesting
is that the salamander
is that the salamander
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07:45
has kept a very primitive circuit,
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始终保持一种非常原始的电路
07:46
which is very similar
to the one we find in the lamprey,
to the one we find in the lamprey,
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这和我们在七鳃鳗身上发现的很相似
就是那个原始的鳗形鱼类
07:49
this primitive eel-like fish,
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似乎在进化过程中
07:51
and it looks like during evolution,
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07:53
new neural oscillators
have been added to control the limbs,
have been added to control the limbs,
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产生了一种新的神经振荡器来控制肢干
并完成腿部的运动
07:56
to do the leg locomotion.
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07:57
And we know where
these neural oscillators are
these neural oscillators are
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现在我们知道了这些神经振荡器的位置
但是我们还需要建立数学模型
07:59
but what we did was to make
a mathematical model
a mathematical model
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来研究它们是如何连接起来
08:02
to see how they should be coupled
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实现两种完全不同的步态的转换
08:03
to allow this transition
between the two very different gaits.
between the two very different gaits.
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08:06
And we tested that on board of a robot.
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我们在机器人的背部进行测试
08:09
And this is how it looks.
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就像这个样子
08:18
So what you see here
is a previous version of Pleurobot
is a previous version of Pleurobot
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你现在看到的就是蝾螈机器人的原始版本
它完全由背部的脊髓模型
08:21
that's completely controlled
by our spinal cord model
by our spinal cord model
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进行控制
08:25
programmed on board of the robot.
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然后我们只需要
08:27
And the only thing we do
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08:28
is send to the robot
through a remote control
through a remote control
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通过远程控制，向机器人发送
08:30
the two descending signals
it normally should receive
it normally should receive
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它在正常情况下从大脑高级部位接受的到的
08:33
from the upper part of the brain.
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两种下行调节信号
08:35
And what's interesting is,
by playing with these signals,
by playing with these signals,
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有趣的是，通过这些信号
我们可以完全控制步态的速度，方向和类型
08:38
we can completely control
speed, heading and type of gait.
speed, heading and type of gait.
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08:41
For instance,
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举例来说
08:42
when we stimulate at a low level,
we have the walking gait,
we have the walking gait,
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当我们的刺激强度较低时，表现为行走的步态
当我们加大刺激的强度到某个极限
08:46
and at some point, if we stimulate a lot,
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08:48
very rapidly it switches
to the swimming gait.
to the swimming gait.
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它迅速转换成游行的步态
最后，我们也可以很轻松地再变回来
08:51
And finally, we can also
do turning very nicely
do turning very nicely
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只需要刺激脊髓的另一端
08:53
by just stimulating more one side
of the spinal cord than the other.
of the spinal cord than the other.
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我觉得这真的很美妙
08:58
And I think it's really beautiful
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大自然竟然赋予了脊髓
08:59
how nature has distributed control
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09:02
to really give a lot of responsibility
to the spinal cord
to the spinal cord
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这么重大的责任
以至于脑部高级中枢部分根本不需要担心每一块肌肉
09:05
so that the upper part of the brain
doesn't need to worry about every muscle.
doesn't need to worry about every muscle.
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09:08
It just has to worry
about this high-level modulation,
about this high-level modulation,
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它只需要进行高层调节
09:11
and it's really the job of the spinal cord
to coordinate all the muscles.
to coordinate all the muscles.
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而协调所有的肌肉就是脊髓的任务了
09:14
So now let's go to cat locomotion
and the importance of biomechanics.
and the importance of biomechanics.
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我们再回到猫的运动，进一步认识仿生学的的重要性
这就是另一个项目了
09:19
So this is another project
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我们对猫进行了仿生学研究
09:20
where we studied cat biomechanics,
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想弄清楚形态学对于肢体动作的影响
09:22
and we wanted to see how much
the morphology helps locomotion.
the morphology helps locomotion.
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09:26
And we found three important
criteria in the properties,
criteria in the properties,
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我们发现，从根本上讲
躯干具有三个重要的属性
09:30
basically, of the limbs.
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09:32
The first one is that a cat limb
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首先就是猫的四肢，
09:34
more or less looks
like a pantograph-like structure.
like a pantograph-like structure.
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或多或少地类似于受电弓的结构
09:37
So a pantograph is a mechanical structure
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受电弓是一种机械结构
它使得上框架和下框架始终保持平行
09:39
which keeps the upper segment
and the lower segments always parallel.
and the lower segments always parallel.
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09:43
So a simple geometrical system
that kind of coordinates a bit
that kind of coordinates a bit
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如此简单的几何学系统
09:46
the internal movement of the segments.
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竟能协调上下框架的内部移动
09:48
A second property of cat limbs
is that they are very lightweight.
is that they are very lightweight.
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猫的四肢的第二个属性就是轻盈性
09:51
Most of the muscles are in the trunk,
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大部分的肌肉都集中在身体
09:53
which is a good idea,
because then the limbs have low inertia
because then the limbs have low inertia
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这真是个好点子，这样一来四肢的惯性就很小
猫就可以灵活地运动
09:56
and can be moved very rapidly.
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09:58
The last final important property is this
very elastic behavior of the cat limb,
very elastic behavior of the cat limb,
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最后一个重要的属性是四肢的弹性
10:02
so to handle impacts and forces.
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可以应对各种冲击和压力
我们就是根据这些属性设计出猎豹机器人
10:04
And this is how we designed Cheetah-Cub.
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接下来有请猎豹机器人登场
10:07
So let's invite Cheetah-Cub onstage.
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10:14
So this is Peter Eckert,
who does his PhD on this robot,
who does his PhD on this robot,
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这是由彼得埃克特在博士期间研制的机器人
10:17
and as you see, it's a cute little robot.
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你可以看到，它是一个非常可爱的小型机器人
10:19
It looks a bit like a toy,
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看起来就像玩具一样
10:21
but it was really used
as a scientific tool
as a scientific tool
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但它的的确确是一项科研工具
用来研究猫的四肢的属性
10:23
to investigate these properties
of the legs of the cat.
of the legs of the cat.
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10:26
So you see, it's very compliant,
very lightweight,
very lightweight,
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你看，它的四肢十分协调、轻盈
10:29
and also very elastic,
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并且富有弹性
10:30
so you can easily press it down
and it will not break.
and it will not break.
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你可以轻而易举地把它压下去，但它一点事都没有
10:33
It will just jump, in fact.
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实际上，它只会跳起来
10:34
And this very elastic property
is also very important.
is also very important.
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所以说四肢的弹跳性非常重要
10:39
And you also see a bit these properties
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你也可以把四肢的三个节段
10:41
of these three segments
of the leg as pantograph.
of the leg as pantograph.
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看作一个受电弓
10:44
Now, what's interesting
is that this quite dynamic gait
is that this quite dynamic gait
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现在，有趣的是这个动态的装置
10:47
is obtained purely in open loop,
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实现了完全的开环回路
10:49
meaning no sensors,
no complex feedback loops.
no complex feedback loops.
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也就是说没有传感器，也没有复杂的反馈回路
10:52
And that's interesting, because it means
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这真的很有趣，因为这意味着
10:54
that just the mechanics
already stabilized this quite rapid gait,
already stabilized this quite rapid gait,
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仅仅靠机器就可以维持这个敏捷的装置的平衡
10:58
and that really good mechanics
already basically simplify locomotion.
already basically simplify locomotion.
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并且这个精巧的机器对运动进行了基本的简化
11:02
To the extent that we can even
disturb a bit locomotion,
disturb a bit locomotion,
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在某种程度上，我们甚至可以在运动过程中制造一些障碍
11:06
as you will see in the next video,
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在接下来的视频是你会看到
11:07
where we can for instance do some exercise
where we have the robot go down a step,
where we have the robot go down a step,
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例如我们做一些实验让机器人下台阶
11:11
and the robot will not fall over,
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机器人并不会摔倒
11:13
which was a surprise for us.
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这确实出乎我们的意料
11:15
This is a small perturbation.
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对于这个细微的干扰
11:16
I was expecting the robot
to immediately fall over,
to immediately fall over,
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我预期机器人会立刻摔倒
因为它没有传感器，也没有快速反馈回路
11:18
because there are no sensors,
no fast feedback loop.
no fast feedback loop.
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但是出乎我们的意料，仅仅靠这个机器维持了装着的平衡
11:21
But no, just the mechanics
stabilized the gait,
stabilized the gait,
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11:23
and the robot doesn't fall over.
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机器人并没有摔倒
11:25
Obviously, if you make the step bigger,
and if you have obstacles,
and if you have obstacles,
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显然，如果增大跨度，再设置一些障碍
11:28
you need the full control loops
and reflexes and everything.
and reflexes and everything.
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就需要全控制回路和反射弧等一系列东西
11:32
But what's important here
is that just for small perturbation,
is that just for small perturbation,
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但是眼下最重要的是，对于一些细微的干扰
11:34
the mechanics are right.
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仅仅靠机器就可以完成
11:36
And I think this is
a very important message
a very important message
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我想这对仿生学家、机器人学家和神经学家来说
11:38
from biomechanics and robotics
to neuroscience,
to neuroscience,
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是一个非常重要的信息，那就是：
11:40
saying don't underestimate to what extent
the body already helps locomotion.
the body already helps locomotion.
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不要低估躯干对于运动所发挥的作用
11:47
Now, how does this relate
to human locomotion?
to human locomotion?
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那么这是如何联系到人类的运动上的呢
11:49
Clearly, human locomotion is more complex
than cat and salamander locomotion,
than cat and salamander locomotion,
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显然，人类的运动比猫和蝾螈的运动更为复杂
但是另一方面，人类的神经系统
11:54
but at the same time, the nervous system
of humans is very similar
of humans is very similar
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和其他脊椎动物的十分相似
11:57
to that of other vertebrates.
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尤其是脊髓
11:59
And especially the spinal cord
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它同样是人类运动的重要处理中心
12:00
is also the key controller
for locomotion in humans.
for locomotion in humans.
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12:03
That's why, if there's a lesion
of the spinal cord,
of the spinal cord,
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这就是为什么一旦脊髓受损
将会导致严重的后果
12:06
this has dramatic effects.
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例如瘫痪或者四肢麻痹
12:07
The person can become
paraplegic or tetraplegic.
paraplegic or tetraplegic.
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12:10
This is because the brain
loses this communication
loses this communication
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这是由于大脑与脊髓
之间的信息传递受损
12:12
with the spinal cord.
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尤其是用于引发和调节运动的
12:14
Especially, it loses
this descending modulation
this descending modulation
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12:16
to initiate and modulate locomotion.
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下行调节机制
12:19
So a big goal of neuroprosthetics
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所以神经学家的一大目标
就是通过电刺激或者化学刺激
12:21
is to be able to reactivate
that communication
that communication
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12:23
using electrical or chemical stimulations.
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激活两者之间的信息传递
12:26
And there are several teams
in the world that do exactly that,
in the world that do exactly that,
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世界上有些团队就在研究这一领域
12:29
especially at EPFL.
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在洛桑联邦理工学院更是如此
12:31
My colleagues Grégoire Courtine
and Silvestro Micera,
and Silvestro Micera,
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例如我的同事格雷瓜尔·库尔蒂纳
12:33
with whom I collaborate.
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还有西尔维斯特·米切拉
12:35
But to do this properly,
it's very important to understand
it's very important to understand
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但是为了做好这一点，理解以下几点非常重要
12:39
how the spinal cord works,
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脊髓是如何工作的
12:40
how it interacts with the body,
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它是如何与躯干相互作用的
12:42
and how the brain
communicates with the spinal cord.
communicates with the spinal cord.
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以及大脑是如何与脊髓进行信息传递的
12:45
This is where the robots
and models that I've presented today
and models that I've presented today
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我今天所呈现的机器人和模型
12:48
will hopefully play a key role
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就将针对上述重要问题
12:50
towards these very important goals.
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发挥关键的作用
12:53
Thank you.
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感谢大家
12:54
(Applause)
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（掌声）
13:04
Bruno Giussani: Auke, I've seen
in your lab other robots
in your lab other robots
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布鲁诺·朱萨尼：奥克，我在你的实验室
看到一些其他的机器人
看到一些其他的机器人
13:06
that do things like swim in pollution
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例如在污水中游泳
13:09
and measure the pollution while they swim.
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并检测污染程度的机器人
13:11
But for this one,
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但是你在演讲中提到的蝾螈机器人
13:12
you mentioned in your talk,
like a side project,
like a side project,
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它更像是一个小项目
13:17
search and rescue,
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它的鼻子上有一个照相机
13:18
and it does have a camera on its nose.
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可以进行搜救工作
13:21
Auke Ijspeert: Absolutely. So the robot --
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奥克：确实是这样，关于机器人
13:23
We have some spin-off projects
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我们有很多派生项目
13:25
where we would like to use the robots
to do search and rescue inspection,
to do search and rescue inspection,
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我们希望用这些机器人进行搜救和视察工作
13:28
so this robot is now seeing you.
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所以蝾螈机器人诞生了
13:30
And the big dream is to,
if you have a difficult situation
if you have a difficult situation
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我们设想的是，如果有人陷入困境
13:33
like a collapsed building
or a building that is flooded,
or a building that is flooded,
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例如建筑坍塌或者遭遇洪水
13:36
and this is very dangerous
for a rescue team or even rescue dogs,
for a rescue team or even rescue dogs,
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这对救援团队和搜救犬来说都是危险的
13:40
why not send in a robot
that can crawl around, swim, walk,
that can crawl around, swim, walk,
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那么为什么不派一个个既会爬行
又会游行的机器人呢
又会游行的机器人呢
13:43
with a camera onboard
to do inspection and identify survivors
to do inspection and identify survivors
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它的背部还装有照相机，可以用来
进行侦查、识别幸存者
进行侦查、识别幸存者
13:46
and possibly create
a communication link with the survivor.
a communication link with the survivor.
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甚至可能实现与幸存者的联系
13:49
BG: Of course, assuming the survivors
don't get scared by the shape of this.
don't get scared by the shape of this.
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布鲁诺:当然，前提是幸存者没有被机器人的样子吓到
13:52
AI: Yeah, we should probably
change the appearance quite a bit,
change the appearance quite a bit,
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奥克:是的，我们将对机器人的外形进行改善
13:56
because here I guess a survivor
might die of a heart attack
might die of a heart attack
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否则，我猜幸存者可能会被吓出心脏病
13:59
just of being worried
that this would feed on you.
that this would feed on you.
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害怕机器人会吃了他们
14:01
But by changing the appearance
and it making it more robust,
and it making it more robust,
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但是我相信，通过改变它的外形，让它更强健一些
14:04
I'm sure we can make
a good tool out of it.
a good tool out of it.
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它将会发挥很重要的作用
布鲁诺:非常感谢你和你的团队
14:06
BG: Thank you very much.
Thank you and your team.
Thank you and your team.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Auke Ijspeert - RoboticistAuke Ijspeert works at the intersection of robotics, biology and computational neuroscience.
Why you should listen
Auke Ijspeert is a professor at the EPFL (the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne), and head of the Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob). He has a BSc/MSc in Physics from the EPFL and a PhD in artificial intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, with John Hallam and David Willshaw as advisors. He carried out postdocs at IDSIA and EPFL with Jean-Daniel Nicoud and Luca Gambardella, and at the University of Southern California, with Michael Arbib and Stefan Schaal.
Ijspeert is interested in using numerical simulations and robots to get a better understanding of animal locomotion and movement control, and in using inspiration from biology to design novel types of robots and locomotion controllers.
Auke Ijspeert | Speaker | TED.com