Today's smartphones are blank canvases1）： manufacturers provide the hardware， and we turn them into magical machines with apps that transform them into musical instruments or game consoles2）， business machines or cat video players.

But it turns out we're only scratching the surface. Who knew that smartphones make pretty good satellites？ Here are nine uses for smartphones the makers probably didn't imagine.

如今的智能手機(jī)宛如空白的畫(huà)布：手機(jī)制造商提供硬件，我們通過(guò)加載不同的應(yīng)用程序?qū)⑺鼈冏兂筛髀飞衿?，使它們既可化身為?lè)器或游戲操縱機(jī)，也可用于商務(wù)辦公，還能播放貓咪視頻。

但事實(shí)證明我們對(duì)智能手機(jī)的認(rèn)識(shí)還停留在表面。有誰(shuí)知道智能手機(jī)還可以成為相當(dāng)不錯(cuò)的衛(wèi)星呢？下面這九種智能手機(jī)的用途恐怕手機(jī)制造商們當(dāng)初也沒(méi)想到。

Smartphones forecasting the weather

智能手機(jī)預(yù)報(bào)天氣

Networking expert OpenSignal has discovered something interesting： the sensors in Android phones designed to measure battery temperature， light， pressure and so on can be used to generate surprisingly accurate weather reports.

Get enough phones involved and you've got a weather sensing network. Today the data just reports， but prediction is the logical next step.

專業(yè)的網(wǎng)絡(luò)公司OpenSignal有個(gè)有趣的發(fā)現(xiàn)：安卓手機(jī)上內(nèi)置的為測(cè)量電池溫度、光照強(qiáng)度、氣壓和其他參數(shù)而設(shè)計(jì)的傳感器可以用來(lái)生成準(zhǔn)確得驚人的天氣報(bào)告。

使足夠數(shù)量的手機(jī)參與其中，你就有了一個(gè)天氣感應(yīng)網(wǎng)絡(luò)。今日還只是播報(bào)數(shù)據(jù)，但預(yù)報(bào)是合乎邏輯的下一步。

Smartphones powering satellites

智能手機(jī)驅(qū)動(dòng)衛(wèi)星

In February 2013， a Google Nexus One went into orbit—not in an astronaut's pocket， but as the brains of the STRaND-1 satellite.

A joint project between the University of Surrey's Space Centre and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited， the smartphone-powered \"Nano satellite\" will run experimental apps to collect data from space.

2013年2月，谷歌的一部Nexus One手機(jī)進(jìn)入了太空軌道——可不是在航天員的口袋里，而是作為STRaND-1衛(wèi)星的計(jì)算中樞。

作為薩里大學(xué)航天中心和薩里衛(wèi)星科技有限公司的合作項(xiàng)目，這個(gè)由智能手機(jī)驅(qū)動(dòng)的“納米衛(wèi)星”將會(huì)運(yùn)行一些實(shí)驗(yàn)性的應(yīng)用程序來(lái)收集太空數(shù)據(jù)。

Detecting chainsaws3） may sound like a novelty app， but it's a serious business： in Indonesia， the non-profit organisation Rainforest Connection wants to use donated Android phones to detect illegal logging4）.

As New Scientist reports： \"The phones are outfitted with solar panels5） specifically designed to take advantage of the brief periods when light reaches the forest floor. Their microphones stay on at all times， and software listens for the telltale6） growl of a chainsaw， which triggers an alert.\"

“電鋸偵探”也許聽(tīng)上去像是個(gè)新奇的應(yīng)用程序，但這是件嚴(yán)肅的事情：在印度尼西亞，一個(gè)名為“雨林家族”的非營(yíng)利組織想要使用人們捐贈(zèng)的安卓手機(jī)來(lái)監(jiān)測(cè)非法采伐。

據(jù)《新科學(xué)家》雜志報(bào)道：“這些手機(jī)都裝有特別設(shè)計(jì)的太陽(yáng)能電池板，能夠利用陽(yáng)光照射雨林地表的短暫時(shí)間充電。所有手機(jī)的麥克風(fēng)一直保持開(kāi)啟狀態(tài)，軟件在監(jiān)聽(tīng)到泄露電鋸形跡的轟鳴聲后，就會(huì)發(fā)出警報(bào)?！?/p>

Smartphones saving the rainforests

智能手機(jī)拯救雨林

1.canvas [?k?nv?s] n. 帆布；油畫(huà)布

2.console [k?n?s??l] n. 控制臺(tái)

3.chainsaw [?t?e?ns??] n. 電鋸

4.log [l?ɡ] vi. 伐木；伐樹(shù)

5.solar panel： 太陽(yáng)能電池板

6.telltale [?telte?l] adj. 泄露內(nèi)情的

7.cradle [?kre?dl] n. 搖籃型的裝置；支架，托架

8.toxin [?t?ks?n] n. 毒素；毒質(zhì)

9.bacteria [b?k?t??ri?] n. 細(xì)菌

Smartphones as mobile medical labs

智能手機(jī)做醫(yī)學(xué)化驗(yàn)

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed an iPhone cradle7） and app that turns the device into a fully featured mobile medical lab that uses the phone's camera to detect toxins8）， proteins， bacteria9）， viruses， and other organisms.

As RedOrbit reports： \"The cradle contains a series of smaller versions of the optical10） components found in much larger and more expensive lab devices ... although the cradle only holds $200 worth of optical components， it is just as accurate as $50，000 models in the lab.\"

伊利諾伊大學(xué)的研究人員研發(fā)出一套iPhone支架和應(yīng)用程序，該程序可以利用手機(jī)的攝像頭檢測(cè)毒素、蛋白質(zhì)、細(xì)菌、病毒及其他微生物，將iPhone變成了功能齊全的移動(dòng)醫(yī)學(xué)化驗(yàn)室。

據(jù)RedOrbit網(wǎng)站報(bào)道：“該支架包含了一系列的光學(xué)元件，它們和那些昂貴的大型實(shí)驗(yàn)儀器中所使用的光學(xué)元件一模一樣，只是尺寸小了些。雖然該支架上僅安裝了價(jià)值200美元的光學(xué)元件，但它和實(shí)驗(yàn)室里價(jià)值五萬(wàn)美元的儀器一樣精確。”

Google's self-driving cars carry around $30，000 of high-tech hardware and sensors， but students at Australia's Griffith University reckon they can get the job done with a single smartphone.

The students have built a prototype11） that relies mainly on the phone's camera and built-in GPS， rather than lidar12） sensors and stacks of cameras.

谷歌推出的無(wú)人駕駛汽車上配備有價(jià)值約三萬(wàn)美元的高科技硬件及傳感器，而澳大利亞格里菲斯大學(xué)的學(xué)生們卻認(rèn)為，他們只用一部智能手機(jī)就能搞定此事。

學(xué)生們已經(jīng)制造好了一部樣機(jī)，這部樣機(jī)主要依靠手機(jī)攝像頭和內(nèi)置的GPS定位系統(tǒng)完成操作，而無(wú)需使用一大堆激光定位傳感器和攝像頭。

Smartphones driving cars

智能手機(jī)駕駛汽車

Smartphones detecting chemical warfare attacks

智能手機(jī)偵測(cè)化武襲擊

Never mind anti-virus software： if the US Department of Homeland Security （DHS） gets its wish， smartphones will soon run anti-chemical warfare software.

The Cell-All project aims to persuade manufacturers to equip smartphones with cheap chemical sensors—\"a buck13） a sensor，\" the DHS says—that can detect anything from chlorine14） leaks to sarin15） gas attacks. The technology is currently moving to the proof-of-principle stage to see if the idea is really practical.

不要在意防病毒軟件了：如果美國(guó)國(guó)土安全部（DHS）能夠如愿以償，不久之后，智能手機(jī)上將會(huì)運(yùn)行防化學(xué)戰(zhàn)軟件。

這個(gè)名為Cell-All的項(xiàng)目旨在說(shuō)服手機(jī)制造商在智能手機(jī)上安裝廉價(jià)的化學(xué)傳感器—美國(guó)國(guó)土安全部說(shuō)：“這種傳感器一個(gè)才一美元?！痹搨鞲衅髂芴綔y(cè)從氯氣泄漏到沙林毒氣襲擊的任何一種情況。目前，這一技術(shù)正在進(jìn)入原理論證階段，以檢驗(yàn)該設(shè)想是否真正可行。

Smartphone health screening

智能手機(jī)做健康檢查

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology （KAIST） has found a way to turn smartphone screens into digital doctors： the same mechanism that detects your taps and swipes could also detect proteins and DNA molecules16）， which also carry electric charges.

According to study co-lead Hyun-gyu Park， the screens \"are able to recognize DNA molecules with nearly 100 percent accuracy just as large， conventional medical equipment can and we believe equal results are possible for proteins\". For now it's a promising development rather than an imminent17） product， but the potential is enormous.

韓國(guó)高級(jí)科學(xué)技術(shù)學(xué)院（KAIST）業(yè)已發(fā)現(xiàn)了一種可以令智能手機(jī)屏幕變身為數(shù)碼醫(yī)生的方法：識(shí)別手指點(diǎn)擊和滑動(dòng)的機(jī)械裝置（編注：利用手指觸屏?xí)r產(chǎn)生的電荷來(lái)識(shí)別）同樣可以用來(lái)檢測(cè)蛋白質(zhì)和DNA分子，因?yàn)楹髢烧咄瑯訑y帶電荷。

這項(xiàng)研究的主導(dǎo)人之一樸玄圭表示，手機(jī)屏幕“和傳統(tǒng)的大型醫(yī)學(xué)儀器一樣，也能以接近100%的準(zhǔn)確率識(shí)別DNA分子。我們相信，其對(duì)蛋白質(zhì)分子也有可能達(dá)到同樣的檢測(cè)準(zhǔn)確率”。目前，這一有良好前景的技術(shù)尚處于開(kāi)發(fā)階段，還不能立即投入使用，但其潛力巨大。

Smartphone rifle sights18）

智能手機(jī)當(dāng)步槍瞄準(zhǔn)器

Fancy something a bit more realistic than shooting games？ How about a real gun with an iPhone for sights？

That's what Intelliscope delivers. The $99 device is a heads-up display19） for hunting rifles， air guns， and paintball guns20） that provides key data including wind speed and direction， compass details and ammunition21） levels， and it also offers digital zooming22） and video recording.

喜歡比射擊游戲更逼真一點(diǎn)的東西嗎？用iPhone手機(jī)做瞄準(zhǔn)器的真槍怎么樣？

這正是Intelliscope智能瞄準(zhǔn)器所能做到的。這款99美元的裝置是一種適用于獵槍、氣槍和彩彈槍的平視顯示器，可以顯示包括風(fēng)速、風(fēng)向、指南針詳圖和彈藥量在內(nèi)的重要數(shù)據(jù)，還能進(jìn)行數(shù)字變焦和視頻錄制。

The magnetometers23） built into many Android smartphones have surprisingly beneficial applications： as Medgadget explains， \"Imagine having a metal detector handy when you， as an emergency physician， have an unconscious patient come in and you need to know whether he has an implant.\"

The sensors aren't strong enough for distance work—don't expect to find buried treasure on a beach—but it's an interesting example of useful unintended consequences of smartphone tech.

Smartphone metal detectors

智能手機(jī)當(dāng)金屬探測(cè)器

許多安卓手機(jī)上內(nèi)置的磁力儀有令人意想不到的有益用途：正如Medgadget網(wǎng)站介紹的那樣，“設(shè)想一下自己是一名急診醫(yī)生，當(dāng)你面對(duì)一位失去知覺(jué)的病人時(shí)，你需要知道他體內(nèi)是否有植入物，而你手邊正好有一個(gè)金屬探測(cè)器?！?/p>

這種傳感器在遠(yuǎn)距離作業(yè)時(shí)就不夠強(qiáng)大了——?jiǎng)e指望在沙灘上用它發(fā)現(xiàn)埋藏的寶藏——但這是智能手機(jī)技術(shù)令人意外的有用之處的一個(gè)有趣例證。

10.optical [??pt?kl] adj. 光學(xué)的

11.prototype [?pr??t?ta?p] n. 原型；樣機(jī)

12.lidar ['la?dɑ?] n. 激光雷達(dá)；激光定位器

13.buck [b?k] n. 美元

14.chlorine [?kl??ri?n] n. 氯氣，一種常溫下呈淡黃綠色、具有刺激性氣味的劇毒氣體

15.sarin [?sɑ?r?n] n. 沙林毒氣，一種劇毒神經(jīng)毒劑，通過(guò)過(guò)度刺激肌肉和重要器官影響神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)產(chǎn)生致命效果。

16.molecule [?m?l?kju?l] n. 分子

17.imminent [??m?n?nt] adj. 即將來(lái)臨的

18.rifle sight： 步槍瞄準(zhǔn)器

19.heads-up display： 平視顯示器，可將儀表數(shù)據(jù)投射到座艙正前方組合玻璃上的光電顯示裝置上，使飛行員或汽車司機(jī)無(wú)須低頭即可看到。

20.paintball gun： 彩彈槍，一種依靠壓縮氣體發(fā)射彩色顏料彈藥的槍，常用于游戲和模擬戰(zhàn)斗。

21.ammunition [??mju?n??n] n. 彈藥

22.digital zooming： 數(shù)字變焦

23.magnetometer

[?m?ɡn??t?m?t?] n. 磁力計(jì)；磁強(qiáng)儀