Difference between revisions of "Regina Dugan- From mach-20 glider to humming bird drone eng.srt"
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Latest revision as of 21:40, 13 April 2012
1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,000 Regina Dugan: You should be nice 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,000 to nerds. 3 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,000 In fact, I'd go so far as to say, 4 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:08,000 if you don't already have a nerd in your life, 5 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:11,000 you should get one. 6 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:13,000 I'm just saying. 7 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:15,000 Scientists and engineers 8 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000 change the world. 9 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,000 I'd like to tell you 10 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,000 about a magical place called DARPA 11 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:25,000 where scientists and engineers 12 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,000 defy the impossible 13 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,000 and refuse to fear failure. 14 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Now these two ideas 15 00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:35,000 are connected more than you may realize, 16 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,000 because when you remove the fear of failure, 17 00:00:39,000 --> 00:00:41,000 impossible things 18 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:45,000 suddenly become possible. 19 00:00:45,000 --> 00:00:47,000 If you want to know how, 20 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,000 ask yourself this question: 21 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:52,000 What would you attempt to do 22 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:55,000 if you knew you could not fail? 23 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,000 If you really ask yourself 24 00:00:57,000 --> 00:00:59,000 this question, 25 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:02,000 you can't help but feel uncomfortable. 26 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,000 I feel a little uncomfortable. 27 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Because when you ask it, 28 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,000 you begin to understand 29 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,000 how the fear of failure constrains you, 30 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,000 how it keeps us 31 00:01:14,000 --> 00:01:17,000 from attempting great things, 32 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,000 and life gets dull, 33 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,000 amazing things stop happening. 34 00:01:23,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Sure, good things happen, 35 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,000 but amazing things 36 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:29,000 stop happening. 37 00:01:29,000 --> 00:01:32,000 Now I should be clear, 38 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:35,000 I'm not encouraging failure, 39 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,000 I'm discouraging 40 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:40,000 fear of failure. 41 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,000 Because it's not failure itself 42 00:01:42,000 --> 00:01:44,000 that constrains us. 43 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:46,000 The path to truly new, 44 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:48,000 never-been-done-before things 45 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:51,000 always has failure along the way. 46 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:53,000 We're tested. 47 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:57,000 And in part, that testing feels an appropriate part 48 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,000 of achieving something great. 49 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,000 Clemenceau said, 50 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,000 "Life gets interesting when we fail, 51 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,000 because it's a sign 52 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 that we've surpassed ourselves." 53 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,000 In 1895, 54 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:14,000 Lord Kelvin declared 55 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,000 that heavier-than-air flying machines 56 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,000 were impossible. 57 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:20,000 In October of 1903, 58 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:22,000 the prevailing opinion 59 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,000 of expert aerodynamicists 60 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:27,000 was that maybe in 10 million years 61 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:30,000 we could build an aircraft that would fly. 62 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,000 And two months later on December 17th, 63 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:36,000 Orville Wright powered the first airplane 64 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:39,000 across a beach in North Carolina. 65 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,000 The flight lasted 12 seconds 66 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,000 and covered 120 feet. 67 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:47,000 That was 1903. 68 00:02:47,000 --> 00:02:49,000 One year later, 69 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,000 the next declarations of impossibilities began. 70 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:55,000 Ferdinand Foch, a French army general 71 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,000 credited with having one of the most original and subtle minds 72 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,000 in the French army, 73 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:04,000 said, "Airplanes are interesting toys, 74 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:08,000 but of no military value." 75 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,000 40 years later, 76 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 aero experts coined the term transonic. 77 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:18,000 They debated, should it have one S or two? 78 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,000 You see, they were having trouble in this flight regime, 79 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,000 and it wasn't at all clear 80 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,000 that we could fly faster than the speed of sound. 81 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,000 In 1947, 82 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,000 there was no wind tunnel data 83 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:36,000 beyond Mach 0.85. 84 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:38,000 And yet, 85 00:03:38,000 --> 00:03:43,000 on Tuesday, October 14th, 1947, 86 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,000 Chuck Yeager climbed into the cockpit 87 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:48,000 of his Bell X-1 88 00:03:48,000 --> 00:03:50,000 and he flew 89 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:54,000 towards an unknown possibility, 90 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,000 and in so doing, 91 00:03:56,000 --> 00:03:58,000 he became the first pilot 92 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:02,000 to fly faster than the speed of sound. 93 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:09,000 Six of eight Atlas rockets 94 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:11,000 blew up on the pad. 95 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:13,000 After 11 complete mission failures, 96 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:15,000 we got our first images from space. 97 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:17,000 And on that first flight 98 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,000 we got more data 99 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:24,000 than in all U-2 missions combined. 100 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,000 It took a lot of failures 101 00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:28,000 to get there. 102 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,000 Since we took to the sky, 103 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,000 we have wanted to fly 104 00:04:32,000 --> 00:04:35,000 faster and farther. 105 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:37,000 And to do so, 106 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,000 we've had to believe in impossible things. 107 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:42,000 And we've had to refuse 108 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,000 to fear failure. 109 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,000 That's still true today. 110 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,000 Today, we don't talk about flying transonically, 111 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,000 or even supersonically, 112 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,000 we talk about flying hypersonically -- 113 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,000 not Mach 2 or Mach 3, Mach 20. 114 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,000 At Mach 20, 115 00:05:04,000 --> 00:05:06,000 we can fly from New York to Long Beach 116 00:05:06,000 --> 00:05:09,000 in 11 minutes and 20 seconds. 117 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,000 At that speed, 118 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,000 the surface of the airfoil 119 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:15,000 is the temperature of molten steel -- 120 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,000 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit -- 121 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:20,000 like a blast furnace. 122 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:23,000 We are essentially burning the airfoil 123 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:25,000 as we fly it. 124 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,000 And we are flying it, 125 00:05:27,000 --> 00:05:29,000 or trying to. 126 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,000 DARPA's hypersonic test vehicle 127 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:34,000 is the fastest maneuvering aircraft 128 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,000 ever built. 129 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,000 It's boosted to near-space 130 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,000 atop a Minotaur IV rocket. 131 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,000 Now the Minotaur IV has too much impulse, 132 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:45,000 so we have to bleed it off 133 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:47,000 by flying the rocket 134 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:49,000 at an 89 degree angle of attack 135 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:52,000 for portions of the trajectory. 136 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,000 That's an unnatural act 137 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,000 for a rocket. 138 00:05:56,000 --> 00:05:59,000 The third stage has a camera. 139 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:01,000 We call it rocketcam. 140 00:06:01,000 --> 00:06:03,000 And it's pointed 141 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,000 at the hypersonic glider. 142 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,000 This is the actual rocketcam footage 143 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:11,000 from flight one. 144 00:06:11,000 --> 00:06:14,000 Now to conceal the shape, we changed the aspect ratio a little bit. 145 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,000 But this is what it looks like 146 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:19,000 from the third stage of the rocket 147 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:21,000 looking at the unmanned glider 148 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:24,000 as it heads into the atmosphere 149 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:26,000 back towards Earth. 150 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,000 We've flown twice. 151 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,000 In the first flight, 152 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,000 no aerodynamic control of the vehicle. 153 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:36,000 But we collected more hypersonic flight data 154 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,000 than in 30 years 155 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:41,000 of ground-based testing combined. 156 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:44,000 And in the second flight, 157 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,000 three minutes of fully-controlled, 158 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,000 aerodynamic flight 159 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,000 at Mach 20. 160 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:53,000 We must fly again, 161 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:57,000 because amazing, never-been-done-before things 162 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:00,000 require that you fly. 163 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,000 You can't learn to fly at Mach 20 164 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,000 unless you fly. 165 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,000 And while there's no substitute for speed, 166 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,000 maneuverability is a very close second. 167 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,000 If a Mach 20 glider takes 11 minutes and 20 seconds 168 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:18,000 to get from New York to Long Beach, 169 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,000 a hummingbird would take, 170 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:23,000 well, days. 171 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,000 You see, hummingbirds are not hypersonic, 172 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,000 but they are maneuverable. 173 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,000 In fact, the hummingbird is the only bird 174 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,000 that can fly backwards. 175 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,000 It can fly up, down, 176 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:37,000 forwards, backwards, 177 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:40,000 even upside-down. 178 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:43,000 And so if we wanted to fly in this room 179 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:45,000 or places where humans can't go, 180 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,000 we'd need an aircraft 181 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,000 small enough and maneuverable enough 182 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:52,000 to do so. 183 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,000 This is a hummingbird drone. 184 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,000 It can fly in all directions, 185 00:07:57,000 --> 00:07:59,000 even backwards. 186 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,000 It can hover and rotate. 187 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,000 This prototype aircraft 188 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,000 is equipped with a video camera. 189 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:11,000 It weighs less than one AA battery. 190 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,000 It does not eat nectar. 191 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:16,000 In 2008, 192 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,000 it flew for a whopping 20 seconds, 193 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,000 a year later, two minutes, 194 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,000 then six, 195 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000 eventually 11. 196 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:29,000 Many prototypes crashed -- many. 197 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,000 But there's no way 198 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,000 to learn to fly like a hummingbird 199 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:36,000 unless you fly. 200 00:08:41,000 --> 00:08:49,000 (Applause) 201 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:53,000 It's beautiful, isn't it. 202 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:55,000 Wow. 203 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,000 It's great. 204 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:03,000 Matt is the first ever hummingbird pilot. 205 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:10,000 (Applause) 206 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:13,000 Failure is part of creating 207 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,000 new and amazing things. 208 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,000 We cannot both fear failure 209 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:22,000 and make amazing new things -- 210 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,000 like a robot 211 00:09:24,000 --> 00:09:27,000 with the stability of a dog on rough terrain, 212 00:09:27,000 --> 00:09:29,000 or maybe even ice; 213 00:09:29,000 --> 00:09:31,000 a robot that can run like a cheetah, 214 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,000 or climb stairs like a human 215 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:39,000 with the occasional clumsiness of a human. 216 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:42,000 Or perhaps, Spider Man 217 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:45,000 will one day be Gecko Man. 218 00:09:45,000 --> 00:09:47,000 A gecko can support 219 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:49,000 its entire body weight 220 00:09:49,000 --> 00:09:51,000 with one toe. 221 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:54,000 One square millimeter of a gecko's footpad 222 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:57,000 has 14,000 hair-like structures 223 00:09:57,000 --> 00:09:59,000 called setae. 224 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:02,000 They are used to help it grip to surfaces 225 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:05,000 using intermolecular forces. 226 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:08,000 Today we can manufacture structures 227 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:11,000 that mimic the hairs of a gecko's foot. 228 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:13,000 The result, 229 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,000 a four-by-four-inch 230 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:19,000 artificial nano-gecko adhesive. 231 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,000 can support a static load 232 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,000 of 660 pounds. 233 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,000 That's enough to stick 234 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,000 six 42-inch plasma TV's to your wall, 235 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,000 no nails. 236 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:33,000 So much for Velcro, right? 237 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:36,000 And it's not just passive structures, 238 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,000 it's entire machines. 239 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,000 This is a spider mite. 240 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,000 It's one millimeter long, 241 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:45,000 but it looks like Godzilla 242 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,000 next to these micromachines. 243 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,000 In the world of Godzilla spider mites, 244 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,000 we can make millions of mirrors, 245 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,000 each one-fifth the diameter 246 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,000 of a human hair, 247 00:10:58,000 --> 00:11:01,000 moving at hundreds of thousands of times per second 248 00:11:01,000 --> 00:11:04,000 to make large screen displays, 249 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:06,000 so that we can watch movies like "Godzilla" 250 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,000 in high-def. 251 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,000 And if we can build machines 252 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:13,000 at that scale, 253 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,000 what about Eiffel Tower-like trusses 254 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:18,000 at the microscale? 255 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Today we are making metals 256 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:23,000 that are lighter than Styrofoam, 257 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:25,000 so light 258 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:27,000 they can sit atop a dandelion puff 259 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,000 and be blown away 260 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,000 with a wisp of air -- 261 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:33,000 so light 262 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,000 that you can make a car that two people can lift, 263 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:38,000 but so strong 264 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,000 that it has the crash-worthiness of an SUV. 265 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:44,000 From the smallest wisp of air 266 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,000 to the powerful forces of nature's storms. 267 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:50,000 There are 44 lightning strikes per second 268 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:52,000 around the globe. 269 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:55,000 Each lightning bolt heats the air 270 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,000 to 44,000 degrees Fahrenheit -- 271 00:11:57,000 --> 00:12:00,000 hotter than the surface of the Sun. 272 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,000 What if we could use 273 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:04,000 these electromagnetic pulses 274 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:06,000 as beacons, 275 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,000 beacons in a moving network 276 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:12,000 of powerful transmitters? 277 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Experiments suggest 278 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:19,000 that lightning could be the next GPS. 279 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,000 Electrical pulses form the thoughts in our brains. 280 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,000 Using a grid the size of your thumb, 281 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,000 with 32 electrodes 282 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:29,000 on the surface of his brain, 283 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,000 Tim uses his thoughts 284 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:37,000 to control an advanced prosthetic arm. 285 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,000 And his thoughts 286 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:41,000 made him reach for Katie. 287 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:45,000 This is the first time 288 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:47,000 a human has controlled a robot 289 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:50,000 with thought alone. 290 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,000 And it is the first time 291 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,000 that Tim has held Katie's hand 292 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:56,000 in seven years. 293 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,000 That moment mattered 294 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:00,000 to Tim and Katie, 295 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,000 and this green goo 296 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,000 may someday matter to you. 297 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,000 This green goo 298 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,000 is perhaps the vaccine that could save your life. 299 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,000 It was made in tobacco plants. 300 00:13:13,000 --> 00:13:15,000 Tobacco plants 301 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:18,000 can make millions of doses of vaccine 302 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:21,000 in weeks instead of months, 303 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,000 and it might just be 304 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:27,000 the first healthy use of tobacco ever. 305 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,000 And if it seems far-fetched 306 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:32,000 that tobacco plants could make people healthy, 307 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000 what about gamers that could solve problems 308 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:37,000 that experts can't solve? 309 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,000 Last September, 310 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,000 the gamers of Foldit 311 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,000 solved the three-dimensional structure 312 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,000 of the retroviral protease 313 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:48,000 that contributes to AIDS in rhesus monkeys. 314 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:50,000 Now understanding this structure 315 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,000 is very important for developing treatments. 316 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,000 For 15 years, 317 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,000 it was unsolved 318 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:00,000 in the scientific community. 319 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:02,000 The gamers of Foldit 320 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:05,000 solved it in 15 days. 321 00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:07,000 Now they were able to do so 322 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:09,000 by working together. 323 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:11,000 They were able to work together 324 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:13,000 because they're connected by the Internet. 325 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:16,000 And others, also connected to the Internet, 326 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:20,000 used it as an instrument of democracy. 327 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:22,000 And together 328 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,000 they changed the fate of their nation. 329 00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:28,000 The Internet is home to two billion people, 330 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,000 or 30 percent of the world's population. 331 00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,000 It allows us to contribute 332 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,000 and to be heard 333 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:38,000 as individuals. 334 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:41,000 It allows us to amplify 335 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,000 our voices and our power 336 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:46,000 as a group. 337 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,000 But it too had humble beginnings. 338 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:52,000 In 1969, the internet was but a dream, 339 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,000 a few sketches on a piece of paper. 340 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:57,000 And then on October 29th, 341 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000 the first packet-switched message was sent 342 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,000 from UCLA to SRI. 343 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,000 The first two letters of the word "Login," 344 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,000 that's all that made it through -- 345 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,000 an L and an O -- 346 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:11,000 and then a buffer overflow crashed the system. 347 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,000 (Laughter) 348 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,000 Two letters, 349 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:19,000 an L and an O, 350 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:23,000 now a worldwide force. 351 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:26,000 So who are these scientists and engineers 352 00:15:26,000 --> 00:15:29,000 at a magical place called DARPA? 353 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:32,000 They are nerds, 354 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,000 and they are heroes among us. 355 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,000 They challenge existing perspectives 356 00:15:37,000 --> 00:15:39,000 at the edges of science 357 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:43,000 and under the most demanding of conditions. 358 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,000 They remind us 359 00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:47,000 that we can change the world 360 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,000 if we defy the impossible 361 00:15:49,000 --> 00:15:53,000 and we refuse to fear failure. 362 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:55,000 They remind us 363 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:58,000 that we all have nerd power. 364 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:02,000 Sometimes we just forget. 365 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,000 You see, there was a time 366 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,000 when you weren't afraid of failure, 367 00:16:06,000 --> 00:16:09,000 when you were a great artist or a great dancer 368 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:11,000 and you could sing, you were good at math, 369 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,000 you could build things, you were an astronaut, 370 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,000 an adventurer, Jacques Cousteau, 371 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:18,000 you could jump higher, run faster, 372 00:16:18,000 --> 00:16:21,000 kick harder than anyone. 373 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,000 You believed in impossible things 374 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,000 and you were fearless. 375 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:29,000 You were totally and completely in touch 376 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:33,000 with your inner superhero. 377 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:36,000 Scientists and engineers 378 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:39,000 can indeed change the world. 379 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,000 So can you. 380 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:43,000 You were born to. 381 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:45,000 So go ahead, 382 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,000 ask yourself, 383 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,000 what would you attempt to do 384 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,000 if you knew you could not fail? 385 00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:54,000 Now I want to say, 386 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:57,000 this is not easy. 387 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,000 It's hard to hold onto this feeling, 388 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:01,000 really hard. 389 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:03,000 I guess in some way, 390 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,000 I sort of believe it's supposed to be hard. 391 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 Doubt and fear always creep in. 392 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:11,000 We think someone else, someone smarter than us, 393 00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:13,000 someone more capable, 394 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:16,000 someone with more resources will solve that problem. 395 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:18,000 But there isn't anyone else; 396 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:21,000 there's just you. 397 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:23,000 And if we're lucky, 398 00:17:23,000 --> 00:17:25,000 in that moment, 399 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,000 someone steps into that doubt and fear, 400 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,000 takes a hand and says, 401 00:17:31,000 --> 00:17:34,000 "Let me help you believe." 402 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,000 Jason Harley did that for me. 403 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:40,000 Jason started at DARPA 404 00:17:40,000 --> 00:17:42,000 on March 18th, 2010. 405 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:46,000 He was with our transportation team. 406 00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:48,000 I saw Jason nearly every day, 407 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,000 sometimes twice a day. 408 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:52,000 And more so than most, 409 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:55,000 he saw the highs and the lows, 410 00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:59,000 the celebrations and the disappointments. 411 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:03,000 And on one particularly dark day for me, 412 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:05,000 Jason sat down 413 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,000 and he wrote an email. 414 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,000 He was encouraging, 415 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,000 but firm. 416 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:14,000 And when he hit send, 417 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:17,000 he probably didn't realize what a difference it would make. 418 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,000 It mattered to me. 419 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,000 In that moment 420 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:24,000 and still today 421 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:26,000 when I doubt, 422 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,000 when I feel afraid, 423 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:31,000 when I need to reconnect 424 00:18:31,000 --> 00:18:33,000 with that feeling, 425 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:36,000 I remember his words, 426 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:38,000 they were so powerful. 427 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:41,000 Text: "There is only time enough to iron your cape 428 00:18:41,000 --> 00:18:44,000 and back to the skies with you." 429 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:47,000 ♫ Superhero, superhero. ♫ 430 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:50,000 ♫ Superhero, superhero. ♫ 431 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,000 ♫ Superhero, superhero. ♫ 432 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:57,000 ♫ Superhero, superhero. ♫ 433 00:18:57,000 --> 00:18:59,000 ♫ Superhero, superhero. ♫ 434 00:19:03,000 --> 00:19:07,000 Voice: Because that's what being a superhero is all about. 435 00:19:09,000 --> 00:19:11,000 RD: "There is only time enough 436 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,000 to iron your cape 437 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:18,000 and back to the skies for you." 438 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:20,000 And remember, 439 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:22,000 be nice to nerds. 440 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:37,000 (Applause) 441 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,000 Thank you. Thank you. 442 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,000 (Applause) 443 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,000 Chris Anderson: Regina, thank you. 444 00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:45,000 I have a couple of questions. 445 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,000 So that glider of yours, 446 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:49,000 the Mach 20 glider, 447 00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,000 the first one, no control, it ended up in the Pacific I think somewhere. 448 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,000 RD: Yeah, yeah. It did. (CA: What happened on that second flight?) 449 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:59,000 Yeah, it also went into the Pacific. (CA: But this time under control?) 450 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:02,000 We didn't fly it into the Pacific. 451 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,000 No, there are multiple portions of the trajectory 452 00:20:05,000 --> 00:20:07,000 that are demanding 453 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,000 in terms of really flying at that speed. 454 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:13,000 And so in the second flight, 455 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,000 we were able to get three minutes 456 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:19,000 of fully aerodynamic control of the vehicle before we lost it. 457 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:22,000 CA: I imagine you're not planning to open up to passenger service 458 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:24,000 from New York to Long Beach anytime soon. 459 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,000 RD: It might be a little warm. 460 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:30,000 CA: What do you picture that glider being used for? 461 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,000 RD: Well our responsibility 462 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,000 is to develop the technology for this. 463 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:36,000 How it's ultimately used 464 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,000 will be determined by the military. 465 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:41,000 Now the purpose of the vehicle though, 466 00:20:41,000 --> 00:20:43,000 the purpose of the technology, 467 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:45,000 is to be able to reach anywhere in the world 468 00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:47,000 in less than 60 minutes. 469 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,000 CA: And to carry a payload 470 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,000 of more than a few pounds? (RD: Yeah.) 471 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:55,000 Like what's the payload it could carry? 472 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:58,000 RD: Well I don't think we ultimately know what it will be, right. 473 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,000 We've got to fly it first. 474 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:02,000 CA: But not necessarily just a camera? 475 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:06,000 RD: No, not necessarily just a camera. 476 00:21:06,000 --> 00:21:09,000 CA: It's amazing. 477 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,000 The hummingbird? 478 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:13,000 RD: Yeah? 479 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:17,000 CA: I'm curious, you started your beautiful sequence on flight 480 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,000 with a plane kind of trying to flap its wings 481 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,000 and failing horribly, 482 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:24,000 and there haven't been that many planes built since 483 00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,000 that flap wings. 484 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:29,000 Why did we think that this was the time to go biomimicry 485 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:31,000 and copy a hummingbird? 486 00:21:31,000 --> 00:21:33,000 Isn't that a very expensive solution 487 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:37,000 for a small maneuverable flying object? 488 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:39,000 RD: So I mean, in part, 489 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,000 we wondered if it was possible to do it. 490 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:43,000 And you have to revisit these questions 491 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:45,000 over time. 492 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:47,000 The folks at AeroVironment 493 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:50,000 tried 300 or more different wing designs, 494 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:53,000 12 different forms of the avionics. 495 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000 It took them 10 full prototypes 496 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,000 to get something that would actually fly. 497 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,000 But there's something really interesting 498 00:22:00,000 --> 00:22:02,000 about a flying machine 499 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:05,000 that looks like something you'd recognize. 500 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:07,000 So we often talk about stealth 501 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,000 as a means for avoiding any type of sensing, 502 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:13,000 but when things looks just natural, 503 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:15,000 you also don't see them. 504 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000 CA: Ah. So it's not necessarily just the performance. 505 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:20,000 It's partly the look. (RD: Sure.) 506 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,000 It's actually, "Look at that cute hummingbird 507 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,000 flying into my headquarters." 508 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,000 (Laughter) 509 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:30,000 Because I think, as well as the awe of looking at that, 510 00:22:30,000 --> 00:22:32,000 I'm sure some people here are thinking, 511 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,000 technology catches up so quick, 512 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,000 how long is it 513 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,000 before some crazed geek with a little remote control 514 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,000 flies one through a window of the White House? 515 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:44,000 I mean, do you worry about the Pandora's box issue here? 516 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:48,000 RD: Well look, our singular mission 517 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:51,000 is the creation and prevention of strategic surprise. 518 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,000 That's what we do. 519 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:55,000 It would be inconceivable 520 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:58,000 for us to do that work 521 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,000 if we didn't make people excited and uncomfortable with the things that we do 522 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,000 at the same time. 523 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:06,000 It's just the nature of what we do. 524 00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:08,000 Now our responsibility 525 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:10,000 is to push that edge. 526 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:14,000 And we have to be, of course, mindful and responsible 527 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:16,000 of how the technology is developed 528 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:18,000 and ultimately used, 529 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,000 but we can't simply close our eyes 530 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,000 and pretend that it isn't advancing; it's advancing. 531 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,000 CA: I mean, you're clearly a really inspiring leader. 532 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,000 And you persuade people 533 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,000 to go to these great feats of invention, 534 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,000 but at a personal level, 535 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:35,000 in a way I can't imagine doing your job. 536 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,000 Do you wake up in the night sometimes, 537 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:39,000 just asking questions 538 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,000 about the possibly unintended consequences 539 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:43,000 of your team's brilliance? 540 00:23:43,000 --> 00:23:45,000 RD: Sure. 541 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:48,000 I think you couldn't be human 542 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:50,000 if you didn't ask those questions. 543 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:52,000 CA: How do you answer them? 544 00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:56,000 RD: Well I don't always have answers for them, right. 545 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,000 I think that we learn 546 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:01,000 as time goes on. 547 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:07,000 My job is one of the most exhilarating jobs you could have. 548 00:24:07,000 --> 00:24:11,000 I work with some of the most amazing people. 549 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,000 And with that exhilaration, 550 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:15,000 comes a really deep sense 551 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,000 of responsibility. 552 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:19,000 And so you have on the one hand 553 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:22,000 this tremendous lift 554 00:24:22,000 --> 00:24:25,000 of what's possible 555 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:28,000 and this tremendous seriousness 556 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:30,000 of what it means. 557 00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:33,000 CA: Regina, that was jaw-dropping, as they say. 558 00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,000 Thank you so much for coming to TED. (RD: Thank you.) 559 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:40,000 (Applause)