TEDxVienna
Klaus Stadlmann: The world's smallest 3D printer
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What could you do with the world’s smallest 3D printer? Klaus Stadlmann demos his tiny, affordable printer that could someday make customized hearing aids -- or sculptures smaller than a human hair.
(Filmed at TEDxVienna.)
Klaus Stadlmann - Engineer
Klaus Stadlmann was pursuing his PhD at Vienna's Technical University when a broken laser system gave him some unexpected free time to think. Instead of working on his thesis, he decided to build the world's smallest 3D printer. Full bio
Klaus Stadlmann was pursuing his PhD at Vienna's Technical University when a broken laser system gave him some unexpected free time to think. Instead of working on his thesis, he decided to build the world's smallest 3D printer. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:47
Hello everybody,
thanks for having me today.
thanks for having me today.
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大家好，很高興今天能來這裡。
00:50
I'm a little bit injured,
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我有一點受傷，
00:51
but it takes more than a car
to stop me from talking to you.
to stop me from talking to you.
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但一臺車是無法阻止我
和各位說話的。
和各位說話的。
00:55
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
00:57
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
01:00
Maybe a tank?
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也許要一臺坦克？
01:04
So today, I want to talk
about the microprinter,
about the microprinter,
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今天我想要談的是微列印機、
01:08
about my work, how everything started,
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我的研究、一切如何開始的，
01:10
what was my motivation to build
the smallest 3-D printer in the world.
the smallest 3-D printer in the world.
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以及我打造世界上最小的
3D 列印機背後的動機是什麼。
3D 列印機背後的動機是什麼。
01:16
Let's start with my daily business.
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先從我的日常開始談起。
01:19
So, my normal working field is called
two-photon polymerization.
two-photon polymerization.
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我平常工作的領域叫做雙光子聚合。
01:25
It sounds very nerdy, it is very nerdy.
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它聽起來非常宅，它是非常宅。
01:28
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
01:30
What do you need for making this stuff?
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你需要什麼才能做這東西？
01:33
You need a complex laser system,
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你需要一個複雜的雷射系統，
01:36
a so-called femtosecond laser system,
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所謂的飛秒雷射系統，
01:38
which you focus onto a very tiny spot --
very, very, very tiny --
very, very, very tiny --
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你會聚焦在一個非常小的點上──
非常非常非常小──
非常非常非常小──
01:43
and this is a very expensive,
not very durable laser system. (Laughs)
not very durable laser system. (Laughs)
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這個雷射系統非常昂貴，
且不太耐用。（笑）
且不太耐用。（笑）
01:50
And on the other hand, you need
a very complex positioning system.
a very complex positioning system.
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另一方面，你需要一個
非常複雜的定位系統。
非常複雜的定位系統。
01:54
We call it "Agathe,"
because it's very heavy,
because it's very heavy,
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我們叫它「阿嘉莎」，因為它很重，
01:58
and we thought Agathe was a nice name.
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且我們覺得阿嘉莎是個好名字。
02:00
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
02:02
And, well, you need this system
to move the laser through,
to move the laser through,
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你需要這個系統來讓
雷射穿過時的精確率
雷射穿過時的精確率
02:06
for example, at the very accurate
level, about 200 nanometers,
level, about 200 nanometers,
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非常非常高，比如，大約 200 奈米。
02:10
so very accurate.
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非常精確。
02:11
And, well, what can you do with that?
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你能把它用來做什麼？
02:13
You can do things
that you cannot see with your eyes.
that you cannot see with your eyes.
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你可以做用眼睛看不到的事情。
02:17
So you can print out whatever you want,
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你可以列印出任何你想要的東西，
02:19
you can print out a tower bridge,
you can print out Agathe's husband ...
you can print out Agathe's husband ...
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你可以列印出倫敦塔橋，
你可以列印出阿嘉莎的老公……
你可以列印出阿嘉莎的老公……
02:24
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
02:27
OK, but, what makes it so mind-blowing?
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但，它有什麼值得讓人興奮的呢？
02:33
You maybe notice this scale bar,
and it's 100 microns for the tower bridge
and it's 100 microns for the tower bridge
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你可能有注意到這個比例尺，
倫敦塔橋是 100 微米，
倫敦塔橋是 100 微米，
02:39
and 20 microns for the fat man.
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胖男子是 20 微米。
02:42
For comparison, the diameter
of a human hair is around 50 microns.
of a human hair is around 50 microns.
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給各位一項比較用的資訊：
一根人類頭髮的直徑約為 50 微米。
一根人類頭髮的直徑約為 50 微米。
02:46
So these objects are like
a dust particle or even smaller,
a dust particle or even smaller,
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所以這些物件就像是
塵粒或甚至更小。
塵粒或甚至更小。
02:51
so you can hardly see them.
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你幾乎看不見它們。
02:55
What you can also do
and what we are also working on
and what we are also working on
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你還可以做一件事，我們也正在努力
02:59
is improving the system,
improving the resins,
improving the resins,
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改善這個系統，改善樹脂，
03:03
the material we use for catching
a worm or something else.
a worm or something else.
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也就是我們用來抓蟲
或其他東西的材料。
或其他東西的材料。
03:09
Inside the resin, we move the laser
through the resin, it gets polymerized,
through the resin, it gets polymerized,
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在樹脂內，我們讓雷射
穿過樹脂，它會被聚合，
穿過樹脂，它會被聚合，
03:14
and we catch a living animal,
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我們就能抓到活的動物，
03:17
here, a special worm.
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這裡，是一隻特別的蟲。
03:19
What we're trying to do,
or what the next step would be,
or what the next step would be,
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我們正在嘗試的，或是說下一步，
03:23
is to make biocompatible polymers
and maybe to write some things
and maybe to write some things
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是要做生物適合的聚合物，
也許可以在你的身體內
也許可以在你的身體內
03:29
inside your body
or inside the body of a worm,
or inside the body of a worm,
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或是一隻蟲的身體內寫些東西，
03:33
or to attach cells
to our structures, and so on.
to our structures, and so on.
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或是把細胞附到我們的
結構上，諸如此類。
結構上，諸如此類。
03:38
But, OK, that's my normal working field.
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但，好，那就是我平常工作的領域。
03:41
Today I want to tell the story
behind the microprinter.
behind the microprinter.
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今天，我想要說個故事，
微列印機背後的故事。
微列印機背後的故事。
03:45
What was my motivation?
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我的動機是什麼？
03:47
Well, everything started
on Monday morning, 6:30.
on Monday morning, 6:30.
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一切始於星期一早上 6:30。
03:52
OK, that's a lie. Maybe it was 10 o'clock.
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好吧，我說謊，也許是 10:00。
03:55
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
03:56
I went to my laser lab, which is located
near Karlsplatz, in Freihaus,
near Karlsplatz, in Freihaus,
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我去我的雷射實驗室，
靠近卡爾斯普拉茲，在佛萊豪斯，
靠近卡爾斯普拉茲，在佛萊豪斯，
04:01
at the Vienna University of Technology.
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在維也納科技大學裡。
04:03
I went in, and I saw
that this laser system was broken,
that this laser system was broken,
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我進入後，看到雷射系統壞了。
04:07
and I tried to fix it.
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我試著修理它。
04:09
It took me half a day, several hours.
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花了我半天的時間，好幾個小時。
04:12
Then I noticed, OK, there is a major
issue with the pump source.
issue with the pump source.
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接著我注意到，
激發來源有重大的問題。
激發來源有重大的問題。
04:16
I cannot fix that myself; we have to call
the service technician.
the service technician.
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我沒辦法自己修好；
我們得要找服務技師。
我們得要找服務技師。
04:20
And from that point on,
I noticed I had time to think.
I noticed I had time to think.
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從那個時點開始，
我發現我有時間可以思考。
我發現我有時間可以思考。
04:23
So I thought, "What to do now?
Maybe start to write my PhD thesis."
Maybe start to write my PhD thesis."
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所以，我想：「現在要做什麼？
也許開始寫我的博士論文。」
也許開始寫我的博士論文。」
04:28
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
04:30
No, no, not a good idea at all.
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不，不，完全不是個好主意。
04:32
So I started thinking, maybe
write a scientific paper.
write a scientific paper.
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所以我開始想，
也許可以寫篇科學論文。
也許可以寫篇科學論文。
04:37
Not a good idea at all.
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完全不是個好主意。
04:39
And then, on Saturday,
after a week of thinking,
after a week of thinking,
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接著，星期六，想了一個星期之後，
04:43
I came up with the idea
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我想出了一個點子，
04:44
to build the smallest
3-D microprinter in the world.
3-D microprinter in the world.
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打造世上最小的 3D 微列印機。
04:47
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
04:49
Or, the smallest 3-D printer in the world.
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或世上最小的 3D 列印機。
04:51
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
04:56
So I called my professor
and told him about it.
and told him about it.
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所以，我打電話給我的教授，
告訴他這件事。
告訴他這件事。
「嘿，咱們來把它做出來吧！
我有時間。可以嗎？」
我有時間。可以嗎？」
05:00
"Hey, let's build the thing!
I have time. Is it OK?"
I have time. Is it OK?"
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05:03
"Go ahead, build it."
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「去做吧。」
05:04
And so I went to the university,
and from that point on,
and from that point on,
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所以，我到大學去，從那時開始，
05:07
I just put everything out of my brain
inside the computer
inside the computer
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我就把我大腦中所有的
東西都投入電腦中，
東西都投入電腦中，
05:11
to make this CAD construction
of the whole thing.
of the whole thing.
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來做出它的整個 CAD 建構。
05:14
And after a few months,
we had the first test run with the system.
we had the first test run with the system.
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幾個月之後，我們對
這系統做了第一次測試。
這系統做了第一次測試。
05:19
It worked brilliantly
from the first test on,
from the first test on,
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從第一次測試開始，它就表現良好，
05:24
and it had the same resolution
as systems which cost 60,000 euros,
as systems which cost 60,000 euros,
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它的解析度和造價
六萬歐元的系統一樣，
六萬歐元的系統一樣，
05:29
and we only spent 1,500 euros
for the system,
for the system,
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我們這個系統只花了一千五百歐元，
05:33
not including my salary,
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這數字不含我的薪水，
05:37
but that wouldn't add so much on its own.
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但那不會對數字有多大的影響。
05:40
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
05:41
OK, how does this work?
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好，所以它如何運作？
05:43
I brought you a video
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我帶來了一支影片，
05:45
where you can see how you can put
in your three-dimensional file.
in your three-dimensional file.
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影片中可以看到要如何
把你的三維檔案放進去。
把你的三維檔案放進去。
05:50
This video was produced
by a friend of mine, Junior Veloso.
by a friend of mine, Junior Veloso.
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這支影片是我的朋友，
小維羅索，所做的。
小維羅索，所做的。
05:55
And you can see, you have
a set stage which moves up.
a set stage which moves up.
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可以看到，有個舞臺佈景在向上移，
05:58
And under the set stage,
there is a liquid,
there is a liquid,
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在舞臺佈景下方，有液體，
06:01
which gets solidified by the light.
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照到光之後就會變成固體。
06:04
And slice by slice, you create the model,
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一片接一片，你就能把模型建出來，
06:09
so you really pull it out of the liquid.
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所以你其實是把它從液體做出來的。
06:16
And it just depends
on how big your model is.
on how big your model is.
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要看你的模型有多大。
06:19
Maybe you have 100 slices,
1,000 or 10,000 slices.
1,000 or 10,000 slices.
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也許你會要用到一百片、
一千片，或一萬片。
一千片，或一萬片。
06:23
So that's how it works.
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那就是它的運作方式。
06:26
Of course, this is a much bigger machine
than the microprinter,
than the microprinter,
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當然，這臺機器比微列印機大很多，
06:29
but it uses more or less
the same principles,
the same principles,
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但它用的原則差不多，
06:32
so that's what I want to show you.
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這是我想要給各位看的。
06:34
At the end, this head, this alien head,
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最後，這個頭，這個外星人頭，
06:37
is attached to the building platform,
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被固定到建築平臺上，
06:39
and when the process is done,
you just simply have to break the head
you just simply have to break the head
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當過程完成之後，你就只需要把頭
06:46
from the support structure you need,
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從這個支撐結構分離，
06:48
and then everything is ready.
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就大工告成。
06:51
So.
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所以……
06:54
OK, but what does
the microprinter look like?
the microprinter look like?
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好，但微列印機看起來是什麼樣子？
06:57
Well, maybe some of you
have already seen this picture.
have already seen this picture.
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也許有些人已經看過這張圖。
07:01
I also brought it to you in person,
so I want to kindly introduce you
so I want to kindly introduce you
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我也親自把它帶來，
我很高興能向各位介紹
我很高興能向各位介紹
07:06
to the 3-D microprinter,
which looks like this.
which looks like this.
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3D 微列印機，它就是這個樣子的。
07:09
So it's very small,
it's really a desktop version.
it's really a desktop version.
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它非常小，這是桌面版本。
07:13
It's a really affordable system.
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它是可以負擔得起的系統。
07:15
And we are really proud of it,
actually, and --
actually, and --
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我們對它感到驕傲，真的，且……
07:19
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
07:23
And you have this tiny little system;
there are bigger ones.
there are bigger ones.
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你們看到了這個小系統；
還有比較大的。
還有比較大的。
07:28
What can you do
with a cheap, affordable system?
with a cheap, affordable system?
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用這個便宜、可負擔的系統能做什麼？
07:31
For example, you all know
these hearing aids?
these hearing aids?
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比如，各位都知道助聽器吧？
07:36
They have to be produced
individually for each person,
individually for each person,
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助聽器要根據每個人個別製作，
07:40
so this is a perfect example
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這就是個完美的例子，
07:42
for using this technology
to create the shell for a hearing aid.
to create the shell for a hearing aid.
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用這項技術就能做出助聽器的外殼。
07:47
Normally, you go to the store,
they scan your ear,
they scan your ear,
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通常，你要到店裡，
他們會掃瞄你的耳朵，
他們會掃瞄你的耳朵，
07:50
they send the data
to Germany via email, and --
to Germany via email, and --
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他們把資料用電子郵件
送到德國，接著──
送到德國，接著──
07:55
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
07:56
and then they print it out with a --
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接著他們把它列印出來……
07:59
(Applause)
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（笑聲）
08:00
Thank you.
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謝謝。
08:01
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
08:06
Then they print it out with a big machine,
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他們用一臺大機器把它列印出來，
08:09
and then, when it's ready
to send back to Vienna
to send back to Vienna
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準備好之後，再把它寄回維也納，
08:12
or wherever you are --
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或是你所在的地方──
08:15
via post --
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用郵寄──
08:17
then they put in the electronics.
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接著他們會把電子裝置放入。
08:19
When you have a microprinter
in your store,
in your store,
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若你在店裡就有一臺微列印機，
08:21
you can go to the store,
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你就可以到店裡，
08:23
they scan your ear,
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他們掃瞄你的耳朵，
08:25
they just press "Print,"
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他們只要按下「列印」，
08:28
the 3-D model gets sliced,
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3D 模型就會開始被切割，
08:31
and you can go for a coffee,
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你可以去喝杯咖啡，
08:33
you can go to the university,
whatever you want,
whatever you want,
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你可以去大學走走，做你想做的事，
08:36
and instead of five days, you can have
your ear shell or your hearing aid
your ear shell or your hearing aid
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不用等五天，只需要一天，
你就可以拿到你的
你就可以拿到你的
08:42
in just one day.
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耳朵外殼或是助聽器。
08:45
And that is an example
of how these tiny little machines
of how these tiny little machines
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這個例子說明了這些小小的機器
08:49
or other cheap 3-D printers
could change our everyday lives.
could change our everyday lives.
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或是其他便宜的 3D 列印機
能夠如何改變我們的日常生活。
能夠如何改變我們的日常生活。
08:54
So thank you very much,
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非常謝謝，
08:55
and start printing whatever
you want, whatever you need.
you want, whatever you need.
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開始把任何你想要、
你需要的東西列印出來吧。
你需要的東西列印出來吧。
08:59
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Klaus Stadlmann - EngineerKlaus Stadlmann was pursuing his PhD at Vienna's Technical University when a broken laser system gave him some unexpected free time to think. Instead of working on his thesis, he decided to build the world's smallest 3D printer.
Why you should listen
Klaus Stadlmann graduated from the Technical University of Vienna with a degree in Industrial Engineering. While pursuing his PhD at the Institute of Material Sciences and Technologies at Vienna's Technical University, Klaus led the project to develop the world's smallest 3D printer.
Klaus Stadlmann | Speaker | TED.com