9D電視將引領未來

Films and TV shows are already effective at tugging our heartstrings or putting us on the edge of our seats.
電影和電視節目已經很大程度上的扣動著我們的心弦，讓我們在座位上看得如癡如醉。

But new technology could be about to make the small screen a great deal more immersive.
但是新科技將會使看電視的人更加沉浸其中。

Researchers are developing ways of generating emotions through the sense of touch, smell and taste that could lead to what the designers are calling 9D TV.
研究者們正致力于研究通過觸感、嗅覺和味覺來產生情感的方法，也就是制造所謂的9D電視。

While current cutting-edge 3D TVs help turn flat images into an experience that has depth and distance, it is often not enough to create truly compelling viewing, explained the researchers.
研究者們解釋說道，現今先進的3D電視能夠使平面圖像具有深度和廣度，使其栩栩如生，但卻還不足以創造出真正激動人心的視覺體驗。

Instead, the team based at the University of Sussex in Brighton is developing a system that uses bursts of air to stimulate different parts of the hand.
相反，在英國布萊頓蘇塞克斯大學工作的一支團隊正在研究一種系統，通過陣風，刺激手掌不同位置的神經，令用戶產生各種情緒。

Separate regions of the hand have been linked with generating certain emotions - although the emotion triggered can depend on the location and force of the touch, for example.
比如，盡管所激發的情感取決于觸摸的位置和力度，但手不同的區域已經與產生特定的情感聯系起來。

The device being developed in Brighton, built by electronics firm Ultrahaptics, takes advantage of this research to touch hands in a way that conveys a range of emotions from happiness and sadness to excitement or fear.
超觸覺電子公司制造了一種設備，現正于布萊頓開發，這項設備能夠利用這個研究在一定程度上觸摸手部，使其傳達一系列的情感，從快樂和悲傷到激動或害怕。

It works by using ultrasound speakers to produce a flow of air that can be transmitted to a person's skin.
通過使用超聲波揚聲器，它能使空氣流動，從而流動的空氣能傳輸信號到人體的皮膚。

By using short sharp bursts of air to the area around the thumb, index finger and middle part of the palm to generate excitement, for example. To create sad feelings, the air is used to create a slow and moderate stimulation of the outer palm and the area around the 'pinky'.
例如用短促的風吹拇指、食指及掌心，令人產生興奮感覺，或用慢而柔和的風吹手掌邊及尾指，令人覺得傷心等。如果裝置配合電視使用，相信用戶看電視時會更投入。

The group is now starting to develop similar technology that exploits our sense of smell and taste.
這個團隊現在開始研究類似的技術，使其能夠開發我們的嗅覺和味覺。

The result would be a 9D TV that combines vision, sound, touch, smell and the five tastes - sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami.
而研究的結果將是9D電視，結合了視覺、聽覺、觸覺、嗅覺及甜、酸、苦、咸、鮮五種味覺。

Dr Marianna Obrist, who led the work at the department of informatics at the University of Sussex, said combined together they could bring all of our senses into the experience of watching television.
瑪瑞安那·奧布里斯特教授在蘇塞克斯大學信息系領導這項工作，她說道，9D電視將這些相結合起來，能夠讓我們在看電視時帶動所有感官。

Early research by her team has shown that taste can be used to convey certain experiences.
這個團隊早期的研究表明，味覺往往能夠傳達某種體驗。

Participants in a trial study experienced sweet tastes as being 'smooth' or 'round' while sour was more 'spikey'.
參與嘗試性研究的人們體驗到，甜味較為平穩或是圓潤，而酸味較為“尖銳”。

Similarly, her group found it could establish 'smell stories' for participants by finding smells they associated with particular experiences.
類似的，她的團隊發現，他們能夠為參與者建立“味道故事庫”，也就是那些能和參與者的特定經歷聯系在一起的味道。

There are already some technologies that attempt to manipulate the sense of taste and smell, such as electrically stimulating the tongue or releasing perfumes to replicate certain smells.
已經有一些技術嘗試去操控人的味覺和嗅覺，比如用電刺激舌頭或釋放香味來復制出特定的味道。

Dr Obrist and her colleagues presented details of their Ultrahaptics device to the annual Computer Human Interface conference in South Korea.
奧布里斯教授和她的同事在韓國年度計算機人機界面大會上展示了超觸覺設備的詳盡細節。

She said: 'Relatively soon, we may be able to realise truly compelling and multi-faceted media experiences, such as nine-dimensional TV, or computer games that evoke emotions through taste.
她表示，很快將能真正的實現引人注目的和多層面的媒體體驗，比如九維電視，或是通過味道引發情感的電腦游戲。

'While the first four senses are already well established or emerging, I am particularly intrigued by the potential of taste and exploiting the taste experiences in a media context.
"雖然前四種感官體驗已經得到很好的開發，我卻對味覺的潛力很感興趣，正試圖在媒介環境下去開發味覺體驗。

'Longer term, we will be exploring how multi-sensory experiences can benefit people with sensory impairments, including those that are widely neglected in Human-Computer Interaction research, such as a taste disorder.'
"今后，我們還會研究如何運用多感官體驗造福于有感官缺損的人們，包括那些人機互動研究普遍忽略的人群，比如味覺障礙者。"

She said the technology could even be used to send emotions via mobile devices like smartphones.
她說，這項技術甚至能被用來通過智能手機等移動設備發送情感。

Vocabulary
immersive: 沉浸其中的

（譯者：hounabistu 編輯：陳丹妮）