经济学人外刊精读：元宇宙和未来小设备的触感世界
今天的文章选自经济学人202302 The touchy-feely world of the metaverse and future gadgets 外刊精读只分享英语学习不谈政治（评论区各位小伙伴可以学习交流）
Soon, game players will able to pick things up-and feel the bullets, when they are hit.
很快，游戏玩家就能拿起物品，并体验被子弹击中的感觉
THE BRAVE NEW WORLD Aldous Huxley describes in his novel of that title features the “feelies” In 1932, its year of publication, movies were turning into talkies. Feelies must have seemed a logical, if creepy, extension of that. The book alludes to a film at a local theatre with a love scene on a bearskin rug, in which the sensation of every hair of the bear is reproduced.
feature(to include a particular person or thing as a special feature or to have an important part in sth)以…为特色；起重要作用 例：The hour-long programme will be updated each week and feature highlights from recent games.这个一小时的节目将每周更新，重点介绍近期比赛精彩的部分。Olive oil and garlic feature prominently in his recipes.橄榄油和大蒜在他的食谱中显得很重要
talkies有声电影 silent film默片
creepy令人毛骨悚然的；让人不寒而栗的
if（置于形容词之前，引出对比）虽然；尽管 He's a good driver, if a little over confident.
allude暗指；提及
奥尔德斯赫胥黎(Aldous Huxley)笔下的美丽新世界(小说即以此为标题)中的- -大创想是“感官电影”(feelies) 。1932年，也就是它出版的那一年，电影开始从默片走向有声。尽管让人心里发毛，但有声电影进- 步发展为感官电影似乎是顺理成章的。书中提到当地剧院上映的一部电影中，有一场熊皮地毯.上的激情戏,其中每一根熊毛的触感都得以再现。
The feelies have still not arrived. But people are working on them. In computer games and virtual reality (VR), two heirs to cinema's role in light entertainment, practitioners of the discipline of haptics are attempting to add a sense of touch to those of vision and hearing, to increase the illusion of immersion in a virtual world. In future, they hope, if you reach out to pluck an apple from a tree in such a paradise, your hand will no longer go through it. You will, rather, be able to feel and grasp the fruit, if not actually eat it. Conversely, if it is a paradise lost you are in, and a baddy hiding behind the apple tree shoots you, you will feel the bullet's impact.
practitioner从业人员；执业者
discipline学科；科目(尤指大学)
immerse (immerse oneself in…) 使沉浸于…. immersion专心；投入；沉浸
pluck摘；拔；弹；解救；营救；抢夺 例：Survivors of the wreck were plucked to safety by a helicopter.沉船的幸存者被直升机营救脱险 pluck n.勇气；胆识；意志 pluck up the courage to do…鼓起勇气做某事
baddy坏人；恶棍
impact撞击；冲击力；巨大影响 例：Airbags are designed to soften the impact of a car crash.气囊用来减轻汽车碰撞的冲击力
感官电影至今还未问世，但人们正在为之努力。如今电脑游戏和虚拟现实(VR) 继承了电影在轻娱乐中的作用，这两个领域中的触觉研究人员正试图在视觉和听觉之外再加上触觉，以增强人们在虚拟世界中的沉浸式幻觉体验。他们希望，今后在这样的虛拟乐园中，如果你伸手去摘树上的苹果，你的手将不再会从中穿过，而是能感觉自己握住了苹果，即便不能真的吃它。反过来说，如果你身处失乐园，躲在苹果树后的坏人向你开枪，你也会感受到子弹的冲击力。
To experience all this a user will wear haptic clothing. The ambitious talk of whole-body haptic suits, but in the case of the apple, the tree and the gunman haptic gloves and a haptic vest would suffice. Moving a gloved hand creates corresponding movement of a user's virtual hand, with sensations appropriate to objects “touched” being fed back via devices called haptic actuators, incorporated into the glove. Haptic vests similarly stimulate parts of the upper body.
suffice足够 例：One example will suffice to illustrate the point.举一个例子就足以说明这一点
corresponding相应的
actuator制动器
incorporate sth. into/in将…包括在内；吸收；使并入
为体验到这一切，用户需要穿上触觉服装。人雄心勃勃地大谈全身触觉套装，但如果只是苹果、树和枪手这些场景，有触觉手套和触觉背心就足够了。当用户戴着触觉手套的手移动时，虚拟手也会随之做出相应的动作，与“被触碰”物体相对应的触感会通过集成在手套中的触觉致动器反馈回来。触觉背心也以类似的原理触发上半身一些部位的知觉。
Hand in glove
Actuators themselves come in a variety of forms. Those most widely used at the moment are ERMs (eccentric rotating masses) and LRAS (linear resonant actuators). An ERM is a tiny motor that drives a shaft fitted with an off-centre weight which causes the whole thing to vibrate when the shaft spins. An LRA uses an electromagnetic coil to shake a surface. Nowadays, these devices are employed for jobs like alerting smartphone users to incoming messages and reacting when a touchscreen is tapped. But adapting such well-understood technologies for use in VR and gaming should be fairly easy.
致动器本身有很多种。目前使用最广;泛的是ERM (偏心旋转质量致动器)和LRA (线性谐振致动器)。ERM是一种微型电机，用来驱动装有偏心块的轴，当轴旋转时，整个致动器都会振动。LRA则是使用电磁线圈来震动表面。如今，这些装置被用于智能手机的新消息提醒，以及对点击触摸屏做出反应等。而要把这些成熟的技术应用于VR和游戏应该是相当容易的事情。
ERMs and LRASs are not, however, the only possible approaches to immersive haptics. For instance, OWO Game, a Spanish firm, is about to put on sale a haptic vest, worn next to the skin, that relies on electrical stimulation rather than vibrating actuators. It delivers tuneable levels of current to different parts of the torso. Besides creating tingling sensations, these can also cause muscles to contract. Effects replicable using this approach apparently include being shot, stabbed and blown up.
immersive沉浸式的；身临其境的
tuneable可调节的
tingle感到刺痛 tingling sensations刺痛感
contract v.收缩；缩小；患病；染病；与…签订合同 例：The exercise consists of stretching and contracting the leg muscles.此项训练包括伸展和收缩腿部肌肉 contract AIDS/a virus感染艾滋/病毒
replicable能复现的；可复制的 stab戳；刺；捅
不过，并不是只有ERM和LRA才能实现沉浸式触觉。例如，西班牙公司0wo Game即将发售的一款可以贴身穿着的触觉背心就使用了电刺激，而不是依靠致动器的振动。它向躯干的不同部位发送强度可调节的电流。除了产生刺痛感，这些电流还能导致肌肉收缩。看起来使用这种方法可以再现被枪击、刀刺以及炸飞等效果。
In Redmond, Washington, meanwhile, a firm called HaptX has reached for pneumatics, a technology many might think had seen its heyday. Bob Crockett, one of the company's founders, explains that the firm needs compressed air to produce a big enough displacement of the skin to effect a realistic sensation of touch. Other haptic devices, he says, cannot do that.
heyday鼎盛时期；最为强大或繁荣的时期 例：Classic music was in its American heyday, centrally embedded in the culture at large.古典音乐在美国处于全盛时期，深深植根于整个文化之中
compress压紧；压缩；精简；浓缩
effect(to make sth happen)使发生；实现；引起
与此同时，华盛顿州雷德蒙德(Redmond)家名为HaptX的公司已经在研究气动技术许多人可能认为这项技术已经过时了。公司创始人之一鲍勃克罗克特(Bob Crockett)解释说，HaptX需要通过压缩空气来让皮肤产生足够大的位移，以实现逼真的触感。他表示，其他触觉设备无法做到这一点。
HaptX's gloves, branded G1, have their air pumped in and out through a network of tubes which inflate or deflate 135 tiny balloons incorporated into each glove. The most sensitive of these balloons-those in the fingertips-are less than 1mm in diameter. The gloves' fingers also include pneumatic “exotendons", which brake the fingers' movement, thereby simulating the feeling of touching a solid object. The compressor and electronics powering the system are held in a backpack, so a user can move around freely.
inflate充气；膨胀；上涨；涨价 例：The principal effect of the demand for new houses was to inflate prices.对新住宅需求的主要结果是价格的上涨
deflate放气；使瘪下来；使泄气；挫败…的锐气 例：All the criticism had left her feeling totally deflated.所有这些批评使她彻底失去信心
brake n.刹车；阻力；阻碍
Haptx的手套G1通过一个管道网络来充气和抽气，让每只手套内的135个微小气囊胀大或收缩。最敏感的气囊位于指尖处，直径不到1毫米。手套的手指部位还包括气动的‘外骨骼肌腱”，可以抑制手指的运动，从而模拟触摸固体的感觉。压缩机和为系统供电的电子设备都装在背包里，这样用户就可以自由移动。
None of this will be cheap. A pair of G1 gloves will set you back at least $4, 500. The initial market, though, is corporate, rather than retail. Early customers are expected to include organizations that already use VR for training and want to improve the experience: medical schools teaching operating techniques to surgeons, for example, or workshops that repair jet engines. Another use might be to permit collaboration between engineers living in different parts of the world. People working on a new car, say, could meet in a virtual laboratory, tinker with virtual components, and pass around virtual copies of their designs.
collaborate合作；协作 collaboration n.
这些小玩意都价格不菲。一副G1手套至少 要花你4500美元。不过，它最初的销售对象是企业用户，而不是个人。预计其早期客户将包括一些已经在使用VR进行培训并希望改善培训效果的机构，比如向外科医生教授手术技术的医学院，或者喷气式发动机的维修工厂等。另一个用途也许是让在世界不同地方的工程师可以相互合作。比如说，新车型的研制人员可以在虚拟实验室里碰面，对虛拟组件进行修改调整,以及传阅虚拟的设计图稿。
There is, though, a further reason why HaptX has chosen pneumatics: it does not intend to stop at making gloves. It has plans for a whole-body haptic suit and thinks pneumatic actuation will be easier to scale up than something based on electric motors. It is cagey about details, but users would don an over the body- including forces that pull a user's hands downward, so he or she would feel the weight of virtual objects.
scale up增大；扩大(规模或数量)
cagey守口如瓶的；讳莫如深的 be cagey about…
不过，HaptX之所以选择气动技术还有一一个更深层次的原因:它不打算仅仅制造手套。它计划开发全身触觉套装，并且认为气动致动比电动致动更容易量产。Haptx对细节讳莫如深，只是说如果用户穿戴上一套外骨骼，全身都能产生知觉--包括将用户双手向下拉的力，这样用户就能感受到虚拟物体的重量。
Unvested interest 非穿戴式应用
VR and gaming are the high end of haptics. But ways of improving haptic feedback in the non-virtual world are important, too. Smartphones, computers and the touch screens now proliferating in vehicles, fast- food venues and so on could all benefit from a bit of haptic feedback.
proliferate(to increase rapidly in number or amount)迅速增殖；猛增
VR和游戏属于触觉技术的高端市场。但设法改善非虚拟世界中的触觉反馈也很重要。智能手机、电脑和触摸屏如今在汽车、快餐店等场所被大量使用，它们都可以从增加一些触觉中受益
Aito, a firm based in Amsterdam, hopes to provide just that. It produces haptic systems for laptops and other digital devices. These employ actuators based on piezoelectric materials, which shrink or expand in response to a voltage, producing a slight movement. And the process works in reverse, as well. When squeezed, a piezoelectric crystal generates a current. This means piezo materials can be employed both as actuators and as sensors.
piezoelectric压电的
shrink收缩；缩小；退缩；畏缩
voltage电压
in reverse相反 reverse v.颠倒；彻底转变；使相反；废除；撤销 adj.相反的；反面的
阿姆斯特丹的Aito公司希望能够提供这样的产品。Aito为笔记本电脑和其他数字设备生产触觉系统。这些系统采用基于压电材料的致动器，这种材料会随着电压的变化而收缩或膨胀，从而产生轻微的运动。这个过程也可以逆转。当受到挤压时，压电晶体会产生电流。也就是说，压电材料既可以用作致动器，也可以用作传感器。
Aito's actu-sensors have three layers. Their covers are plastic, glass or even wood. Below lies a capacitance grid, which determines, from the change created in the grid's electric field, the position of a finger touching the device. The third layer is a matrix of piezo activators. All three combine into something barely 1.8mm thick that can be incorporated into touch screens and touch pads.
Aito的致动传感器有三层。最外层由塑料、玻璃，甚至木头制成。中间层是电容栅极,它根据栅极电场中产生的变化来确定手指触碰设备的位置。第三层是压电激活器的矩阵。这三层合在一起只有1.8毫米厚，可以集成到触摸屏或触控板上。
When an actu-sensor detects a finger it responds appropriately, according to the position and pressure of the digit in question. It might create clicks. Or rumbles. Or form the screen's upper layer into a stable but scratchy surface that would cause a finger or a plastic stylus to feel like a fountain pen gliding over paper, or like a brush painting on canvas.
digit数字；脚趾；手指
scratchy扎人的；粗糙刺激皮肤的；潦草的
stylus触控笔；指示笔
当致动传感器检测到手指时，它会根据手指所处的位置和施加的压力做出适当的反应。它可能发出咔哒声，或者咕噜声。或者让屏幕的上层保持稳定，但呈现粗糙的质感，用手指或塑料触控笔时就像钢笔在纸张上书写，或者像画笔在画布上作画。
With the introduction of portable devices that have foldable screens, the lower half might thereby be used as a haptic keyboard. It could be programmed to provide a tactile response like that of a mechanical keyboard, but with additional features, says Nedko Ivanov, Aito's boss. For instance, pressing down harder would capitalise a letter, doing away with the need fora shift key.
portable便携式的；轻便的
tactile触觉的 tactile fabric手感好的织物
随着带折叠屏的便携设备的应用，设备的下半部分或许可以被用作触觉键盘。Aito的老板内德科.伊万诺夫(Nedko Ivanov)表示，通过编程，它可以提供类似机械键盘的触觉反应，不过还带有额外功能。比如，加大按压力度就能让字母变成大写，而不用按shift键。
This would also allow devices to be slimmer and lighter. And the same machine could be sold in different places without having to modifyits hardware, for a screen-based haptic keyboard could be programmed to use whatever character set was appropriate to the local language.
这也会让设备变得更薄更轻。而且同样的机器不用修改硬件就能在不同的地方销售，这是因为基于屏幕的触觉键盘通过编程可以使用任何适合当地语言的字符集。
Some of these new features will work their way into cars, too-especially as conventional dashboard switches are replaced more and more by icons on a screen. Without a satisfying mechanical click, it can be hard to tell, without taking your eyes off the road, whether such icons have been activated or deactivated.
activate激活；启动 例：The burglar alarm is activated by movement.这防盗警报器一动就会响
其中一些新功能也将被用到汽车上一一尤其是当传统的仪表盘开关越来越多地被屏幕上的图标取代。没有了机械开关那种令人心安的咔哒声，驾驶员在视线不离开路面的情况下很难判断这些图标有没有被开启或关闭。
And there is also one other potentially big use for haptics. Pornographers were early pioneers of the internet (and, indeed, of film and photography before that). So it is hardly surprising a number of them are now working on virtual sex encounters- known in the trade as "teledildonics' '. Some companies producing sex toys, for example, have already begun adding Bluetooth-enabled items to their range, allowing couples to link up remotely, as it were. Perhaps Huxley wasn't so far off the money after all.
触觉技术可能还有另一大用途。色情内容制作者曾经是互联网的早期先行者(事实上，在互联网问世之前，他们也是电影和摄影的先行者)。因此，也就不奇怪他们中的一些人正在研究虛拟的性接触(业内称之为“远程性爱")。例如，一些情趣用品公司已经开始在它们的产品线中添加有蓝牙功能的产品，让情侣们可以远程互动。或许赫胥黎的想象终究不是太离谱。
