运动员的福音：可以用来监测肌肉疲劳的智能牙托（双语）

　　During intense exercise—sprinting, for example—your body breaks down glucose and produces what’s called lactate. That substance can build up faster than it can be further processed. If your idea of a workout is running to the refrigerator during commercials, you probably associate the lactate buildup with a burning in your muscles.

　　在紧张的锻炼活动中，例如，短跑冲刺，你的身体里面会有葡萄糖得到分解并产生乳酸。这种物质产生的速度要远快于其被机体处理掉的速度。当它在大量的产生时，如果你的肌肉群趋向于赶紧得到冷却，那么大有可能的情况是，你的肌肉里面累计增多的乳酸在剧烈燃烧。

　　But for well-conditioned athletes, excessive lactate means muscle fatigue and diminished performance. So athletes would like to know their actual lactate levels during training and competition. Blood tests are one way to measure lactate levels, but are not practical in the middle of a game or race. So a goal has been to find a way to measure lactate in saliva to monitor muscle endurance. Which researchers at Palo Alto Research Center, known as PARC, and the University of California, San Diego, say they’ve achieved.

　　然而，对于身体素质优秀的运动原来说，过多的乳酸意味着肌肉疲劳从而状态下滑。因此，在训练和竞技比赛中，运动员都会注重他们身体里面乳酸水平的高低。验血是测试乳酸水平的一种方法，但这种方法在竞赛中是不适用的。有一种通过测试唾液中乳酸来监测肌肉耐力的方法可以解决这样的问题。圣地亚哥施乐帕克研究中心(PARC)、加利福尼亚大学的研究人员称，他们已获悉此法。

　　Working with flexible hybrid electronics group NextFlex, the team developed a flexible, plastic mouthguard laden with sensors that can continuously monitor lactate concentrations in saliva. The mouth guard’s batteries are rechargeable wirelessly, and the device can use low-power Bluetooth to send information to smartphones, watches and other electronic devices. PARC scientists presented their work at the recent SEMI conference on electronics manufacturing in Monterey.

　　该研究小组与美国柔性混合电子(FHE)生态系统NextFlex合作，共同开发了一款带有传感器的塑制牙托，可以持续监测唾液里的乳酸浓度。该装置的电池可以进行无线充电，并可以利用低功耗蓝牙技术将数据发送至手机、智能手环和其他的电子设备上。在蒙特雷，施乐帕克研究中心的科学家们在最近的国际半导体产业协会(SEMI)电子设备制造区展示了该装置的工作过程。

　　PARC—which is part of Xerox and best known for its pioneering work in PCs, printing and computer networking in the 1970s—has demonstrated a fully-functional prototype mouthguard. Assuming they can get additional funding, they plan to make different types of mouthguards that can be worn during high-intensity sports like football, lacrosse and boxing to measure hydration levels as well as glucose and cortisol concentrations.

　　施乐帕克研究中心，隶属美国施乐公司，因在全集成自动化(PCs)、打印和计算机网络技术方面独树一帜而享有盛誉。早在20世纪七十年代，公司已经展示了全功能型牙托。假如能够得到额外筹资，他们打算制造不同形式的牙托，这中装置即使在高强度的运动项目中也可以穿戴，例如足球、曲棍球、拳击等，用来测试水化程度以及葡萄糖和肾上腺皮质素浓度。

　　With all this bodily information at hand, athletes and their coaches should be able to monitor fatigue and improve training regimens. Without breaking stride.

　　有了这些身体上反映的即时数据，运动员和他们的教练应该能够监测到身体何时出现疲劳从而改善训练规则。无需打乱进展情况。