Thanks to this cool new two-piece bathing suit, cleaning up the world’s oceans might actually become the ‘in’ thing to do during the hot summer months!
真的要感謝這件兩件套的泳衣，讓我們在炎炎夏日里，游個泳還能清潔海水。

The 3D-printed Sponge Suit bikini is made of flexible, carbon-based filler materials that function like a sponge, absorbing all sorts of pollutants from water. So you put it on, wade into the water, and end up cleaning the seas “one stroke at a time”. It’s supposed to be absolutely safe for the wearer.
這個3D打印的海綿比基尼套裝由有彈性的碳填充材料制成，質地就像海綿，能夠吸收水中的污漬。所以，穿上它涉水，你就相當于清理了一次海水。而且對穿戴者也是絕對安全的。

The sponge filler was invented by a group of engineers led by electrical engineering professor Mihri Ozkan. But instead of just dumping it into water, they wanted to find a fun way of getting people involved in the cleaning process and add an eco-friendly element to the leisure activity of swimming. So they enlisted the help of design firm Eray Carbajo to convert the material into a functional, wearable swimsuit that’s economically sustainable and environmentally friendly.
海綿填充材料是由電氣工程教授米赫利·厄茲坎帶領的團隊發明的。他們希望人們能夠通過有趣的方式參與凈水過程，同時也希望游泳這項娛樂中能加入環保的元素，而不是把這些材料直接投入水中。所以他們在設計公司阿雷卡爾瓦霍（ErayCarbajo）的幫助下，將該材料轉變成一個實用并且可以穿戴的泳裝，這樣有利于經濟可持續發展和環境保護。

“We believe wearable technology can be the next big thing to undo the overseen or remain-to-be-seen harms of mankind’s technological advancements,” the creators said.
泳衣的發明者說：“我們相信，對于科技發展過程中產生的已知和未知的危害，可穿戴技術將成為其最重要的解決方式之一。”

The sponge-like filler can absorb pollutants up to 25 times its own weight, which will not be released until it is heated to over 1000?C. At such temperatures, the material will return to its original liquid form and once melted down, the pollutants and contaminants can be separated. The sponge material can be recycled to make another swimsuit.
該海綿狀填料能吸收的污染物重量可達自重的25倍，而且在1000度以下都不會釋放。如果在這個溫度下，材料會恢復原始液體形式，一旦熔化，污染物和雜質將會分散開來，海綿原料可以被回收，并且制成新的泳衣。

“This is a super material that is not harmful to the environment and very cost effective to produce,” Ozkan said.
厄茲坎說：“這是一種有益于環境并且成本效益很高的超級材料。”

“The form of the Sponge Suit is inspired by the super-porous, mesh-like structure of the Sponge material,” an Eray Carbajo spokesperson added. “The final form of the 3D print shell was obtained through the various iterations of the same undulating form. The filler amount and the allocation were identified by creating several design alternatives, considering the form and the ergonomics of the human body, while pushing the limits in translucent swimwear design.”
阿雷卡爾瓦霍發言人補充道：“海綿套裝泳衣的形式是受海綿材料超多孔介質，網狀結構的啟發。3D打印塑模的最終形式是通過各種相同的起伏迭代形式獲得。在創建多個設計方案，通過人體工程學分析形狀后決定材料的數量和分布。這種設計超越了半透明泳衣的極限。”

The innovative Sponge Suit won first prize at the 2015 Reshape Wearable Technology Competition. It is a prototype for now, but the makers are ready for mass production and it should hit retail markets in the near future. They’re also planning to apply the same technology to other types of swimsuits and swimming caps.
在2015年重塑可穿戴技術比賽中，創新的海綿比基尼獲得了一等獎。現在它還只是一個雛形，但生產商準備好大量生產，在不久的將來就能進軍零售市場。他們還計劃將此技術應用到其他類型的泳衣和泳帽上。

Having to recycle your bathing suit after a few swims doesn’t really sound very practical, but you have to admit that this idea may be the start of something groundbreaking.
也許讓你在游幾次泳之后就回收泳衣的做法不那么實際，但必須承認這確實是一個開創性的好點子。

Vocabulary

cost effective: 有成本效益的；劃算的
iteration: 迭代，反復
undulating: 波狀的，起伏的
ergonomics: 人體工程學
translucent: 透明的；半透明的
prototype: 原型；樣品

英文來源：odditycentral.com
譯者：黃心喻
審校&編輯：丹妮