《回到未來(lái)》預(yù)言成真：德國(guó)發(fā)明自動(dòng)鞋帶

A team of scientists from University of Freiburg in Germany are developing a shoe with a sensor to automatically tie its laces that could be taken off when users click their heels together.

德國(guó)弗萊堡大學(xué)(University of Freiburg)的一個(gè)科學(xué)團(tuán)隊(duì)正在研究一種可利用傳感器自動(dòng)系鞋帶的鞋，當(dāng)使用者碰撞鞋跟時(shí)，鞋帶就能自動(dòng)解開(kāi)。

It’s been 26 years since we saw them magically tightening Marty McFly’s Nike boots in Back to The Future.

在電影《回到未來(lái)》(Back to The Future)里，我們看到馬丁·麥克弗萊(Marty McFly)耐克鞋自動(dòng)系鞋帶的神奇情景，已經(jīng)有26年了。

Now, self-tying shoelaces could actually become a reality this year, proving right one of the film’s fantastical predictions for what 2015 would be like.

如今，假如電影中對(duì)2015年的虛構(gòu)預(yù)言有一個(gè)能成真的話，自動(dòng)鞋帶今年可能真會(huì)成為現(xiàn)實(shí)。

Engineers have designed a shoe that can automatically lace up, adjusting itself to the shape of your foot.

工程師們?cè)O(shè)計(jì)出一款鞋可以自動(dòng)系鞋帶，并可根據(jù)腳型自動(dòng)調(diào)節(jié)。

Simply slip the trainer on and pressure sensors will tell the ‘smart shoe’ when your foot is in position, triggering a tiny motor in the heel that pulls the laces tight.

只要穿上鞋，腳就位時(shí)，壓力傳感器就會(huì)告知“智能鞋”，觸發(fā)鞋跟的小發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)，將鞋帶系緊。

When you want to take off the shoes, you click your heels together twice and the motor will release a spring in the shoe’s tongue, which loosens the laces enough for you to slip them off.

當(dāng)你想要脫鞋時(shí)，碰撞鞋跟兩次，發(fā)動(dòng)機(jī)就會(huì)釋放鞋舌部位的彈簧，松開(kāi)鞋帶讓你脫鞋。

And the ingenious invention doesn’t even need to be plugged in to charge or have its battery replaced because it runs on power generated by the swing of your foot as you walk.

這項(xiàng)獨(dú)創(chuàng)性的發(fā)明甚至無(wú)需充電或更換電池，因?yàn)樗鼉H靠你走路時(shí)雙腳的擺動(dòng)來(lái)發(fā)電。

Engineer Klevis Ylli, of the Institute for Micromachining and Information Technology in southern Germany, said the shoes could help a variety of different people.

德國(guó)南部微加工和信息技術(shù)研究所(The Institute for Micromachining and Information Technology)工程師克賴(lài)維斯·伊利(Klevis Ylli)表示，這種鞋可以幫助不同的人。

"One focus is that it could be used in shoes for elderly people who have mobility problems," he said. "But it could also work for children, or as a lifestyle product."

他說(shuō)：“值得注意的是，這種鞋帶可供行動(dòng)不便的老年人使用，也可以供孩子使用，或者作為一種生活產(chǎn)品。”

The design, which is still in a prototype phase, cleverly captures the energy of the foot's swing when opposing magnets in each shoe move past each other.

目前，這項(xiàng)設(shè)計(jì)還是雛形。當(dāng)兩只鞋中極性相反的磁鐵互相移動(dòng)時(shí)，設(shè)計(jì)師能巧妙地獲得能量。

It then uses that power to charge a battery. An hour of walking is enough to tighten the laces once, and it requires no energy to undo the shoes because that relies on the spring alone.

然后將這些能量給電池充電，走一個(gè)小時(shí)的路，產(chǎn)生的電量足以系緊一次鞋帶，而解鞋帶時(shí)只需依靠彈簧，因此無(wú)需能量。

Vocabulary

magically: 如魔法般的

lace: 系帶子

ingenious: 有獨(dú)創(chuàng)性的

mobility: 移動(dòng)性

magnet: 磁鐵

spring: 彈簧