Some attribute this golden world knowledge to Plato, others to Pythagoras.

「認識自己」這句箴言

But the truth is it doesn't really matter which sage said it first,

自古希臘時代就存在

because it's still sage advice, even today.

有人認為這句箴言出自於柏拉圖

"Know thyself."

其他人覺得它出自畢達哥拉斯

It's pithy almost to the point of being meaningless,

但事實上，哪一位先知最早說這句話根本不重要

but it rings familiar and true, doesn't it?

因為這句話到現在都還是個睿智的建言

"Know thyself."

「認識自己」

I understand this timeless dictum as a statement about the problems,

真是精簡

or more exactly, the confusions, of consciousness.

精簡到近乎沒有意義

I've always been fascinated with knowing the self.

但它又是那麼讓人熟悉又真實，不是嗎？

This fascination led me to submerge myself in art,

「認識自己」

study neuroscience, and later, to become a psychotherapist.

我對這句永恆格言的解讀是

Today I combine all my passions as the CEO of InteraXon,

它闡述著我們對意識的疑惑

a thought-controlled computing company.

或者更精確地說，困惑

My goal, quite simply, is to help people become more in tune with themselves.

我一直以來都被「認識自己」所強烈吸引

I take it from this little dictum, "Know thyself."

這樣的迷戀引導我去沉浸在藝術中

If you think about it,

去研究神經科學

this imperative is kind of the defining characteristic of our species, isn't it?

而且後來成為一位精神治療醫師

I mean, it's self-awareness

今時今日，我集結所有的熱情

that separates Homo sapiens from earlier instances of our mankind.

去做好InteraXon的執行長

Today we're often too busy

（InteraXon是）一家發展由思想所操控的電腦的公司

tending to our iPhones and iPods to really stop and get to know ourselves.

我的目標，簡單來講

Under the deluge of minute-to-minute text conversations,

就是幫助他人變得

e-mails, relentless exchange of media channels

跟自己本身更協調

and passwords and apps and reminders and Tweets and tags,

我的靈感就是來自於這句格言

we lose sight of what all this fuss is supposed to be about in the first place:

「認識自己」

Ourselves.

你想想看

Much of the time we're transfixed

這個祈使句正是我們人類物種的關鍵特質

by all of the ways we can reflect ourselves out into the world.

不是嗎？

And we can barely find the time to reflect deeply back in on our own selves.

我的意思是，它代表著「自我意識」

We've cluttered ourselves up with all this.

它將現代人種跟

And we feel like we have to get far, far away to a secluded retreat,

過去的人類型態區隔開來

leaving it all behind.

當代的我們經常太忙於

So we go far away to the top of a mountain,

查看我們的iPhone以及iPod

assuming that perching ourselves on a piece

無法停下來好好了解自己

is bound to give us the respite we need to sort the clutter, the chaotic everyday,

在如潮水般湧來的文字訊息

and find ourselves again.

電子郵件、媒體頻道不停地播送

But on that mountain where we gain that beautiful peace of mind,

以及密碼、小程式以及提醒訊息以及推特訊息以及標籤

what are we really achieving?

我們忽略了這些忙碌與混亂的根源

It's really only a successful escape.

我們自己

Think of the term we use, "Retreat."

大部分的時間裡，我們都被那些向全世界展現自我的管道

This is the term that armies use when they've lost a battle.

給釘住了

It means we've got to get out of here.

而我們幾乎找不到任何時間來

Is this how we feel about the pressures of our world,

向內心深處反省自我

that in order to get inside ourselves,

我們給自己招來這些雜亂

you have to run for the hills?

而且我們感覺我們必須

And the problem with escaping your day-to-day life

退隱到無人之處，才能擺脫這一切

is that you have to come home, eventually.

然後當我們去一個遙遠的地方時

So when you think about it,

到一個山頂

we're almost like a tourist visiting ourselves over there.

我們以為只要佇立在一個孤獨之處

And eventually, that vacation's got to come to an end.

就能夠提供我們需要的歇息

So my question to you is,

來整理雜亂，每天的混亂

can we find ways to know ourselves without the escape?

並且重新找回自我

Can we redefine our relationship with the technologized world

但是，在那讓我們找回心靈平靜

in order to have the heightened sense of self-awareness that we seek?

的山上

Can we live here and now in our wired web

我們真的得到了什麼？

and still follow those ancient instructions, "Know thyself?"

我們只是成功地逃避了現實

I say the answer is yes.

想想我們用的字眼「退隱」

And I'm here today to share a new way

這個字眼是當軍隊打敗仗時使用

that we're working with technology to this end,

它的意思是「我們必須離開這裡」

to get familiar with our inner self like never before --

這就是我們對這個世界上壓力的感覺嗎？

humanizing technology and furthering that age-old quest of ours

所以為了要探索自我

to more fully know the self.

你就必須逃離現實嗎？

It's called thought-controlled computing.

況且，從你每日生活中逃離的問題是

You may or may not have noticed

你最終還是必須要回來

that I'm wearing a tiny electrode on my forehead.

因此，你想想看

This is actually a brainwave sensor

我們就像是觀光客

that's reading the electrical activity of my brain

去那邊參觀自己

as I give this talk.

然爾最後旅遊以回家告終

These brainwaves are being analyzed and we can see them as a graph.

所以，我給你們的問題是：

Let me show you what it looks like.

我們能不能不靠「逃避」

That blue line there is my brainwave.

也能找到「認識自我」的方法？

It's the direct signal being recorded from my head, rendered in real time.

我們能不能重新定義

The green and red bars show that same signal displayed by frequency,

我們跟這個科技化世界之間的關係

with lower frequencies here

來獲得我們所探索的

and higher frequencies up here.

更高的自我意識？

You're actually looking inside my head as I speak.

我們能不能住在這個互連的網絡裡

These graphs are compelling, they're undulating,

但同時也遵循那些古老的教誨

but from a human's perspective, they're actually not very useful.

「認識自己」？

That's why we've spent a lot of time

我認為答案是「可以」

thinking about how to make this data meaningful to the people who use it.

我今天在這裡要分享一個新方法

For instance,

我們正嘗試以科技來實現建構這個方法

what if I could use this data to find out how relaxed I am at any moment?

讓我們對自己的內心深處

Or what if I can take that information

比以前都更加了解

and put it into an organic shape up on the screen?

將科技「人性化」

The shape on the right over here

然後去繼續人類千古的探索

has become an indicator of what's going on in my head.

來更了解自己

The more relaxed I am,

這項技術稱之為「由思想操控的電腦運算」

the more the energy's going to fall through it.

你可能已經注意到了

I may also be interested in knowing how focused I am,

我額頭上有一個微小的電極

so I can put my level of attention into the circuit board on the other side.

這其實是一個腦波感應器

And the more focused my brain is,

當我在這裡演講時

the more the circuit board is going to surge with energy.

它就在讀取我大腦的電波活動

Ordinarily, I would have no way of knowing how focused or relaxed I was

這些腦波就正在被分析，而我們可以透過一個圖表來看

in any tangible way.

讓我秀一下它長什麼樣

As we know, our feelings about how we're feeling

那條藍線，就是我的腦波

are notoriously unreliable.

那是我從我頭上直接記錄下來的訊號

We've all had stress creep up on us without even noticing it

同步處理

until we lost it on someone who didn't deserve it,

綠色和紅色的線呈現那個相同訊號的頻率

and then we realize that we probably should have checked in with ourselves

這邊是低頻率

a little earlier.

那邊是高頻率

This new awareness opens up vast possibilities

在我說話的同時，你也在觀察我的大腦內部

for applications that help improve our lives and ourselves.

這些圖表很驚人的，是起伏變化的

We're trying to create technology that uses the insights

但從一個人類的觀點來看

to make our work more efficient, our breaks more relaxing

它其實沒有太大用處

and our connections deeper and more fulfilling than ever.

這也是為什麼我們花很多時間

I'm going to share some of these visions with you in a bit,

去思考如何讓這些資料對使用者

but first I want to take a look at how we got here.

變得有意義

By the way, feel free to check in on my head at any time.

譬如，假如我能夠用這些資料

(Laughter)

去了解在任何時刻我的心情有多放鬆？

My team at InteraXon and I

或者，假如我們可以用那些資訊

have been developing thought-controlled application for almost a decade now.

然後把它們用有機形狀在螢幕上呈現？

In the first phase of development,

右邊這裡的形狀

we were really enthused by all the things we could control with our mind.

成為我大腦狀態的指標

We were making things activate, light up and work just by thinking.

我越放輕鬆

We were transcending the space between the mind and the device.

越多的能量會掉落

We brought to life a vast array of prototypes and products

我也可能想知道

that you could control with your mind,

我專注的程度

like thought-controlled home appliances

那麼我就可以將專注的程度呈現在電路板的另一側

or slot-car games or video games or a levitating chair.

我的大腦越專注

We created technology and applications that engaged people's imaginations,

電路板會越有能量

and it was really exciting.

一般來說，我無法以任何具體的方式

And then we were asked to do something really big for the Olympics.

知道我有多放輕鬆

We were invited to create a massive installation

正如我們所知，我們對於「自己感覺」的感覺

at the Vancouver 2010 winter Olympics,

是出了名得不可靠

were used in Vancouver,

我們在不知不覺中就壓力大了起來

got to control the lighting on the CN Tower,

直到我們把壓力宣洩在無辜的人身上

the Canadian Parliament buildings and Niagara Falls

然後我們才意識到，我們應該要及早

from all the way across the country using their minds.

自我察覺

Over 17 days at the Olympics, 7,000 visitors from all over the world

這種新的自我意識

actually got to individually control the light

為改善我們生活的科技應用

from the CN Tower, parliament and Niagara in real time

提供眾多新的機遇

with their minds from across the country, 3,000 km away.

我們正試著研發一種技術，可以捕捉這些頻率

So controlling stuff with your mind is pretty cool.

來讓我們工作更有效率，讓休息更加怡人

But we're always interested in multitiered levels of human interaction.

而且我們之間的連結會比以前更深刻、更有意義

And so we began looking into inventing thought-controlled applications

我要跟你們分享這些願景的一部分

in a more complex frame than just control.

但首先，我要回顧我們如何走到今天

And that was responsiveness.

順帶一提，你可以隨時都看一下我大腦的活動

We realized that we had a system

（笑聲）

that allowed technology to know something about you.

我以及InteraXon團隊

And it could join into the relationship with you.

已經花了大約十年在發展「透過思想操控」的應用方式

We created the responsive room

在發展的最初階段裡

where the lights, music and blinds adjusted to your state.

我們對於可以透過大腦操控的所有事物感到興奮

They followed these little shifts in your mental activity.

就只透過思考，我們就可以讓東西開啟

So as you settled into relaxation at the end of a hard day,

點亮，並且運作

on the couch in our office,

我們跨越大腦與裝置

the music would mellow with you.

之間的空間

When you read, the desk lamp would get brighter.

我們成功做出各式各樣可以用大腦操控

If you nod off, the system would know, dimming to darkness as you do.

的原型樣本以及成品

We then realized that if technology could know something about you

像是透過思考操控的家電用品

and use it to help you,

或者軌道賽車遊戲，或者電玩遊戲

there's an even more valuable application than that.

或者讓椅子騰空飛起來

That you could know something about yourself.

我們創造出能發揮人類想像力的

We could know sides of ourselves that were all but invisible

科技與應用產品

and come to see things that were previously hidden.

那真的很令人興奮

Let me show you an example of what I'm talking about here.

之後，我們受託製作一個非常大的東西

Here's an application that I created for the iPad.

給奧運會

So the goal of the original game Zen Bound is to wrap a rope around a wooden form.

我們受託來製作一個巨型裝置

So you use it with your headset.

在2010年的溫哥華冬季奧運

The headset connects wirelessly to an iPad or a smartphone.

位於溫哥華

In that headset, you have fabric sensors on your forehead and above the ear.

只靠思考

In the original Zen Bound game,

就能夠從國家的另一頭

you play it by scrolling your fingers over the pad.

點亮西恩塔（C.N. Tower）

In the game that we created, of course,

加拿大國會大樓以及尼加拉瓜大瀑布

you control the wooden form that's on the screen there with your mind.

在奧運的17天裡，7000位來自世界各地的訪客

As you focus on the wooden form,

每一位都實際用他們的大腦，從國家的另一頭

it rotates.

從3000公里遠的地方

The more you focus, the faster the rotation.

同步控制西恩塔、國會大樓

This is for real.

以及尼加拉瓜大瀑布的燈光

This is not a fake.

用大腦來操作東西

What's really interesting to me though

是蠻酷的

is at the end of the game, you get stats and feedback about how you did.

但我們總是對多層次的人類互動更感興趣

You have graphs and charts that tell you how your brain was doing --

因此，我們開始研究如何在一個比「控制」更複雜的框架中

not just how much rope you used or what your high score is,

去發明

but what was going on inside of your mind.

運用思想操作的應用產品

And this is valuable feedback

而那就是「回應能力」

that we can use to understand what's going on inside of ourselves.

我們發現我們有一個

I like to call this "intra-active."

讓科技了解你的系統

Normally, we think about technology as interactive.

它還可以跟你建立關係

This technology is intra-active.

我們創造了一間「互動房間」

It understands what's inside of you

裡面的燈光、音樂以及窗簾都依照你的狀態做調整

and builds a sort of responsive relationship

它們會依循著你心智狀態的小幅變化

between you and your technology

所以，當你在辛苦了一整天之後

so that you can use this information to move you forward.

坐在沙發上或辨公室裡，放輕鬆

So you can use this information to understand you in a responsive loop.

音樂會跟著變得柔和微醺

At InteraXon --

當你閱讀時，桌燈會變亮

intra-active technology is one of our really defining mandates.

你打瞌睡時，系統會知道

It's how we understand the world inside and reflect it outside

同時把燈光調暗

into this tight loop.

我們發現，假如科技知道關於你的事情

For example, thought-controlled computing

然後用之於幫助你

can teach children with ADD how to improve their focus.

那會有更具有價值的應用層面

With ADD, children have a low proportion of beta waves for focus states

你會更了解你自己

and a high proportion of theta states.

我們就能夠知道那些幾乎隱藏著

So you can create applications that reward focused brain states.

的不同面向

So you can imagine kids playing video games with their brain waves

並且看到之前被隱藏著的事物

and improving their ADD symptoms as they do it.

讓我用一個例子來解釋我的話

This can be as effective as Ritalin.

這是一個我為iPad

Perhaps even more importantly,

創造的一個應用程式

thought-controlled computing can give children with ADD

Zen Bound最初遊戲的目標是

insights into their own fluctuating mental states,

把一條繩子纏繞在一塊木頭上

so they can better understand themselves and their learning needs.

那麼你就用一個頭戴式感應器

The way these children will be able to use their new awareness to improve themselves

頭套會以無線方式跟iPad或智能手機連線

will upend many of the damaging and widespread social stigmas

你戴上那個頭套後

that people who are diagnosed as different are challenged with.

在你的額頭和耳朵上方都有組織感應器

We can peer inside our heads

在原來的Zen Bound遊戲中

and interact with what was once locked away from us,

你玩的方式是用手指滑過iPad

what once mystified and separated us.

在我們創造的遊戲裡，當然

Brainwave technology can understand us, anticipate our emotions

你用大腦控制螢幕上

and find the best solutions for our needs.

的這塊木頭

Imagine this collected awareness of the individual

當你專注在那塊木頭時

computed and reflected across an entire lifespan.

它會旋轉

Imagine the insights that you can gain from this kind of second sight.

你越專注，旋轉越快

It would be like plugging into your own personal Google.

這是真的

On the subject of Google,

無半點虛假

today you can search and tag images

但是對我而言，最有趣的是

based on the thoughts and feelings you had while you watched them.

在遊戲結束時，你會看到你表現如何

You can tag pictures of baby animals as happy,

的統計數據和回饋意見

or whatever baby animals are to you,

你會看到圖型和表格

and then you can search that database, navigating with your feelings,

說明你的大腦表現如何

rather than the keywords that just hint at them.

不是你用了多長的繩子或分數多高