Chapter 102 Four People
The next afternoon, the four of us—me, Lin Yan, Fang Qing, and Senior Brother Gu—finally sat down in the discussion area next to the laboratory for the competition project.
The atmosphere...how should I put it, it's very strange.
Fang Qing sat about eight feet away from Senior Brother Gu, her eyes wandering as she pretended to be very interested in the safety rules on the wall.
Senior Brother Gu looked normal, but he occasionally glanced at Fang Qing with a look that was barely perceptible, filled with inquiry and... helplessness?
Lin Yan sat next to me with a relaxed posture, but when his eyes swept over Senior Brother Gu, there was always a hint of "I'll protect my baby" in his eyes.
And I, stuck in the middle, felt like I had accidentally walked into the set of a large-scale emotional suspense film, and felt uncomfortable all over.
It's outrageous enough that four people with such a delicate relationship form a competition team!
Finally, it was Lin Yan who broke the strange silence. He looked at Senior Brother Gu and said in a calm and professional tone, "Senior Brother Gu, could you please explain in detail the concept of this competition and our preliminary ideas for the entries?"
Senior Brother Gu nodded and immediately got into the state.
In a steady and clear voice, he introduced the theme of the competition as "Intelligent Robot Innovation and Application", with the focus on solving practical problems or demonstrating novel interactions.
Then he clicked on the sketch on the tablet: "This is our preliminary concept for the competition entry - a small multi-functional service robot."
A sketch of a squat robot with a somewhat... well... compact structure appeared on the screen.
"Puff..." I almost spit out the water I just drank. I forced myself to swallow it and choked and coughed.
"Gu Jizhong," Fang Qing frowned, pointed at the screen, and commented bluntly, "I almost understand, but I don't quite understand why your robot is so... creepy? Like a goblin!"
Goblin?! I coughed even harder, my face turning red.
Fang Qing, ah Fang Qing, your adjective... is too accurate (and deadly)!
Fang Qing didn't notice my annoyance and continued her aesthetic critique: "It's just not relaxed at all, it's timid and unassuming. How can it look like a service robot?"
I quickly covered my forehead with my hands to hide my emotion. What shocked me was not the robot's appearance, but the word "Goblin"!
God knows how many of my past "Goblin-like" black history operations flashed through my mind in an instant!
I secretly glanced at Fang Qing, thinking to myself:
If she knew that the "male god" she once pursued passionately (partly because of his face) had similar private behavior patterns to this "goblin" robot, would her filter be shattered?
Forget it, for the sake of world peace and friendship, let’s just keep this secret to ourselves!
Lin Yan obviously didn't expect Fang Qing to be so direct. He chuckled and reached out to ruffle my hair (probably to comfort me because I choked), then continued with a somewhat helpless explanation: "Fang Qing, this size and shape are mainly based on cost and function considerations. In order to save space and mechanical components and ensure the stable operation of core functions, the robot can only be made this big. If it is larger, it will require a more complex mechanical structure, a larger drive unit and higher costs, which is not realistic at this stage."
He pointed to several key parts on the sketch and said, "Compactness is for higher integration."
Senior Brother Gu also nodded and added solemnly, "Lin Yan is right. This form is the optimal solution based on the existing laboratory resources and our time and energy. The appearance... can be optimized later."
Fang Qing crossed her arms, her expression akin to, "You straight science guys don't understand beauty!" "Alright, alright, I'll have nothing to say to you smart people. Although my aesthetic taste really prevents me from admitting this thing as our group's representative entry...it's ugly in a unique way!"
I couldn't help but complain: "Actually... after looking at it for a long time... it's quite unique? It has a kind of cute feeling? So what kind do you want?" I tried to ease the atmosphere.
Fang Qing perked up immediately upon hearing this. She pulled out her phone, swiped a few times, and then handed it to me like a treasure. "Look, look! This is what we call design! This bionic butterfly robot is so agile and beautiful! Its wings can even adjust their posture according to changes in airflow!"
I leaned over to take a look and was truly amazed: "Wow! This idea and implementation are both fantastic! The materials used are... shape memory alloys and flexible sensors? Amazing!"
We both marveled at the butterfly robot, talking about everything from design concepts to material applications. We were completely immersed in the appreciation of "beauty" and for a moment forgot that there were two big Buddhas next to it.
Until I felt the air around me seemed... to be getting colder?
A familiar creepy feeling of being stared at by a big cat came over me.
I looked up suddenly, and sure enough!
The "male ghost" in my house was looking at me quietly and seriously, with a half-smile on his face.
That look clearly said: Enjoyed the chat? Huh?
What made my scalp tingle even more was that Senior Brother Gu's eyes kept moving between Fang Qing and me. Especially when he saw Fang Qing and I getting so close and chatting so animatedly, his brows furrowed slightly, and the temperature in his eyes dropped several degrees.
Holy crap! Damn it! Two jars of century-old vinegar exploded at the same time!
I shuddered instantly, as if I'd been pricked by a needle in the butt. I abruptly moved closer to Lin Yan, keeping at least half a meter of safe distance between me and Fang Qing, and then coughed tactically: "Ahem! Fang Qing, that... butterfly is indeed beautiful! But... how about letting Senior Brother Gu take a look too? He's very experienced, maybe he can give me some ideas?"
I quickly passed the blame to Brother Gu.
Fang Qing was stunned for a moment, a hint of unnaturalness flashing across her face, but she still obediently pushed the phone towards Senior Brother Gu, not daring to look at him: "Here... take a look at this..."
Senior Brother Gu didn't say anything, but just reached out to take the phone.
Just as his finger was about to touch the edge of the phone, Fang Qing suddenly retracted his hand as if he was electrocuted!
"Ah——!" With a short scream, the phone fell on the table with a "click".
I:"……"
Fang Qing, ah Fang Qing, your reaction is too much of a cover-up!
"Fang Qing," I held my forehead weakly, "Are you just going to throw away your new phone? Don't cry if the screen breaks."
Fang Qing's face instantly turned red like a boiled shrimp, her eyes darting wildly, her voice stammering: "Ah, ah hehe... It's, it's okay! Just now... my hand slipped! Yes! My hand slipped!"
Senior Brother Gu, expressionless (though I sensed a flicker of a smile in his eyes?), picked up his phone, clicked on the picture, and examined it carefully. Then, looking up, he spoke calmly, "This design concept and implementation are indeed excellent, and the visual impact is very strong. However, a bionic aircraft with a similar concept was already developed by an MIT team last year, and received high praise. There's little point in us copying it completely."
Lin Yan also leaned over to take a look, rubbing his chin with his fingers as he pondered, "Brother Gu is right, the core concept has been realized. However... is it possible to absorb the essence of its structure or materials and integrate it into our own project? For example, its lightweight skeleton design or flexible sensor feedback?"
I imagined the scene in my mind and blurted out, "You can't let our 'goblin' grow wings on its back, right? Wouldn't that make it a flying goblin? Even weirder!" It's terrifying just thinking about it.
Lin Yan was amused by me, his shoulders trembling slightly: "Rui Rui is right, it is indeed... too challenging."
Fang Qing also quickly waved her hands, as if she was afraid they would actually do that: "Forget it! Let's just stick with the original method! I'm afraid we can't figure out anything more complicated, and we don't have enough time!"
She finally succumbed to reality temporarily (or rather, succumbed to the "tyranny" of the two technical giants).
I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly took advantage of the situation: "That's right! What are you afraid of? We have your Senior Brother Gu here, a technical expert!"
As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a tightening around my waist, and a warm big hand pinched me lightly.
Hiss! Lin Yan is such a jealous person!
I immediately added wisely, "Well...of course, there's also our boss Lin, a master of brains! With this powerful combination, we're invincible!"
I rubbed against Lin Yan in a flattering manner.
Senior Brother Gu didn't seem to notice our little trick (or was too lazy to care) and nodded. "Then proceed as planned. Let's get started this afternoon. Come directly to the XX lab. The equipment is ready."
"Ah? It starts this afternoon?" Fang Qing was a little confused.
Senior Brother Gu looked at her with a calm expression: "Is there a problem?"
"Who, who has a problem!"
Fang Qing straightened up immediately like a cat whose tail was stepped on. "It just feels... very sudden!" she muttered softly.
Senior Brother Gu looked at her, his eyes seemed to have some deep meaning, and he said lightly: "You have to get used to it."
This sounds like it's talking about project progress, but also like it's talking about something else.
Lin Yan and I exchanged a "you know" look and shook our heads helplessly.
One is extremely awkward, the other is patient and doesn't say anything. When will these two people finally break through that layer of window paper?
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