With eight bloodshot eyes fixed on a flying object, the toils of a two-year project were about to bear fruit.
四雙布滿血絲的眼睛注視著這架飛行器,兩年的艱辛和汗水終于要結(jié)出碩果了。
It was Wang Hongyi’s first test flight of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed and assembled with his teammates from the Aero-Sport Club at Shanghai Jiaotong University.
這架無(wú)人機(jī)由上海交大航模隊(duì)的幾名成員設(shè)計(jì)組裝而成。作為成員之一,這是王弘毅首次對(duì)該無(wú)人機(jī)進(jìn)行“試航”。
They had been working on the 16-propellered multicopter for countless nights and they couldn’t have been more nervous about the results.
為了這架“十六旋翼無(wú)人機(jī)”,他們辛勤工作,度過(guò)了無(wú)數(shù)個(gè)不眠夜;面對(duì)這一成果,沒人比他們更緊張了。
Wang is a senior mechanical engineering and automation major. The 23-year-old never expected that after a successful lift off, their UAV would need another 200 test flights before coming even close to perfection.
王弘毅是就讀于機(jī)械工程與自動(dòng)化專業(yè)的大四學(xué)生。23歲的他從沒料到,在“首飛”成功后,他們所研制的無(wú)人機(jī)還需要200次試飛才能達(dá)到近乎完美。
Despite the hard work, Wang says they are fuelled by their passion for technological perfection.
盡管這項(xiàng)工作著實(shí)不易,但王弘毅說(shuō)對(duì)于精益求精的追求鼓舞著他們每一個(gè)人。
Accidental spot
純屬偶然
Wang has been a plane model maniac since he can remember. As a freshman, he spent two nights building a model aircraft and took it to the sports field just for fun. Wu Junqi, a lecturer at the school ofaviation and astronautics and the coach of Shanghai Jiaotong University’s Aero-Sport Club, spotted Wang on his way to the canteen. Wu told Wang that the plane he had built was a “pre-Industrial Revolution one” – in other words, it was outdated.
自打記事以來(lái),王弘毅就是個(gè)不折不扣的航模發(fā)燒友。上大一時(shí),他用兩個(gè)晚上制作了一架飛機(jī)模型并帶著它去操場(chǎng)玩。在王弘毅拿著飛機(jī)模型去食堂的路上,上海交通大學(xué)航天航空學(xué)院講師、該校航模隊(duì)教練吳俊琦注意到了他。吳俊琦告訴王弘毅,他做的這個(gè)飛機(jī)模型屬于“工業(yè)革命前的產(chǎn)物”,換句話說(shuō),它已經(jīng)過(guò)時(shí)了。
“I was a little offended, so he took me to the Aero-Sport Club’s laboratory,” says Wang. He was immediately drawn to the cutting-edge equipment and decided to join the club.
王弘毅說(shuō):“我當(dāng)時(shí)有點(diǎn)兒生氣,所以他帶我去了航模隊(duì)的實(shí)驗(yàn)室。”到那兒以后,他立刻就被眼前的尖端設(shè)備所吸引,立馬決定加入該社團(tuán)。
The Aero-Sport Club gave full play to Wang’s strengths - information technology and physics, which are the pillars of making model aircrafts.
航模隊(duì)為王弘毅提供了一個(gè)充分施展其才華的舞臺(tái)。他所擅長(zhǎng)的信息技術(shù)和物理知識(shí)是制作航模的支柱。
“I love IT and physics, and my way of loving them is constantly broadening my knowledge in these areas and using it to make a difference,” Wang says.
王弘毅說(shuō):“我熱愛信息技術(shù)和物理。正是出于這份熱愛,我不斷擴(kuò)充著這些方面的知識(shí),并利用這些知識(shí)來(lái)創(chuàng)造革新。”
Lab geeks
實(shí)驗(yàn)室狂人
As a technology “geek”, Wang routinely spends most of his spare time in the laboratory.
作為一個(gè)科技“怪咖”,王弘毅經(jīng)常將大部分業(yè)余時(shí)間花在實(shí)驗(yàn)室里。
“During vacations, I live in the laboratory and follow the same routine every day,” he says.
他說(shuō):“假期,我會(huì)住在實(shí)驗(yàn)室里,每天過(guò)著一成不變的生活。”
After getting up at 6 am, Wang starts his day by taking his aircraft for a test flight. Around 8 am he makes some adjustments to the plane and recharges its batteries. He takes the aircraft for another two-hour flight before lunch and then spends the whole afternoon in the laboratory making further adjustments and recharging the batteries. The last test flight is at 5 pm, after which Wang compares all the day’s test flight results.
每天早晨6點(diǎn)半起床后,王弘毅會(huì)試飛航模,以此開始自己的一天。8點(diǎn)左右,他會(huì)調(diào)整航模并為它充電。午飯前,他還會(huì)做兩個(gè)小時(shí)的航模試飛;然后整個(gè)下午他都會(huì)待在實(shí)驗(yàn)室進(jìn)一步調(diào)整模型,再給它充一次電。下午5點(diǎn)進(jìn)行最后一次試飛后,王弘毅會(huì)對(duì)全天的試飛結(jié)果進(jìn)行比較。
He usually goes to bed at 11:30 pm after reflecting on his day’s work and thinking about what adjustments need to be made the following day. But if Wang has a good idea, he postpones his bedtime to 2 or 3 am.
他通常晚上11點(diǎn)半才睡覺,之前,他會(huì)總結(jié)自己一天的工作并思考第二天需要做出哪些調(diào)整。但是如果王弘毅想到一個(gè)好點(diǎn)子,他會(huì)工作到凌晨?jī)扇c(diǎn)才去睡。
“The longest time I’ve spent continuously going to the laboratory is one and a half months,” he says.
他說(shuō):“最長(zhǎng)的一次,我曾經(jīng)連續(xù)在實(shí)驗(yàn)室里待了一個(gè)半月。”
“He loves what he’s doing, so he can bare the monotony and loneliness of doing research that others seldom have the persistence to carry out,” says coach Wu. “Sometimes he calls me at 10 or even 11 pm just to discuss technical problems,” he says.
吳俊琦教練說(shuō):“王弘毅熱愛自己的工作,所以他可以忍受實(shí)驗(yàn)的孤獨(dú)與單調(diào),很少有人能做到持之以恒。有時(shí),他晚上10點(diǎn),甚至11點(diǎn)會(huì)給我打電話,只為了探討一些技術(shù)難題。”
Never satisfied
永不滿足
When Wang and his teammates were building the 16-propellered UAV, they lived together in the laboratory. “We tried to spend as much time together as possible because there were thousands of problems that needed to be tackled,” Wang says. They didn’t even have time to celebrate when the first test flight of the multicopter went well. “We needed to list the problems that occurred during the flight and analyze them to find solutions,” he says.
當(dāng)王弘毅和組員們制作“十六旋翼無(wú)人機(jī)”時(shí),他們一起住在實(shí)驗(yàn)室里。王弘毅說(shuō):“我們盡可能多地待在一起,因?yàn)槲覀冇谐汕先f(wàn)的問題需要解決。”他們甚至沒時(shí)間去慶祝飛機(jī)“首航”成功。“我們需要記下飛行過(guò)程中出現(xiàn)的問題,加以分析,最終找到解決方法。”他說(shuō)。
The team stuck to their routine even after their work caught much attention at the Challenge Cup, which is considered an Olympic event among science and technology students.
即便是他們的發(fā)明在被譽(yù)為“理工科生奧林比克”的“挑戰(zhàn)杯”比賽中獲得極大的關(guān)注,這支團(tuán)隊(duì)仍然按部就班地從事著日常工作。
“Our multicopter isn’t finished yet, but there are many design projects and people with similar interests waiting for me,” Wang says. “A 16-propellered UAV is just the beginning, not the end of my aircraft journey.”
“雖然我們的無(wú)人機(jī)尚未完工,而很多的設(shè)計(jì)項(xiàng)目和一些志同道合的朋友在等著我,”王弘毅說(shuō),“十六旋翼無(wú)人機(jī)只是一個(gè)開始,而不是我航模之旅的終點(diǎn)。”