Chapter 538: Science Knows No Borders (Supplementary Update)

Lin Sicheng stared intently at the card slot under the objective lens.

A row of four: one RS-232C, one HDMI, the two types commonly found on computer towers for connecting to monitors. There was also a USB port, and a circular aviation plug, which looked roughly like this:

The first three are easy to understand: at the current stage, and for a long time to come, they are essential image signal transmission connectors for computers and instruments. But the latter type is rarely used for visual information transmission in scientific research instruments; it is usually only used as an electrical connector.

If used in scientific research instruments, it usually has only one purpose: transmitting control commands.

That is, the sensor converts the physical displacement signal into an analog or digital electrical signal, which is then encoded by the controller into digital command data.

To put it in plain terms: you've all played Street Fighter arcade games, right? The kind with one joystick and five buttons. The function of this cable and interface is to transmit the joystick commands controlled by a person to the computer.

But what is this machine?

It is a fully touch-based, 3D intelligent Video Microscope; any of the first three ports could be used, but this one specifically is useless.

This is not some knock-off television set produced in a small workshop, where they just install everything regardless of whether it's useful or not.

This is a high-precision, cutting-edge instrument worth two million; why would it be equipped with an interface that is fundamentally useless and, because of exposed electrical components, could potentially cause errors in signal transmission?

Asking it the other way around, are there any Video Microscopes that use this type of interface?

The answer is yes: in 2002, the Keyence company launched its first-generation digital microscope: Keyence VHX-200. This series was controlled by a joystick.

That small panel in front of the keyboard is the joystick controller.

This was the world's first 3D microscope system capable of super-depth-of-field observation, supporting 3D shape measurement, achieving an integrated design, and supporting high-dynamic-range imaging.

However, it doesn't have a single thing to do with the word "intelligent"; building models, recording data, or even 3D generation—don't even think about it.

Afraid he had seen it wrong, Lin Sicheng turned back and looked again.

The more he looked, the angrier he got, and the angrier he got, the more he wanted to laugh.

He couldn't see the sensors, cameras, or capture cards inside, but he could see the basic external structure.

Lin Sicheng was absolutely certain that whether it was the objective lens, the stage, the converter, the diaphragm, or even the reflector, they were all parts from the Keyence VHX-200.

This meant that apart from the high-magnification display screen and the plastic shell wrapped around the machine, this was just a First Generation Machine.

The generational gap between the two is two generations, with a time interval of seven years, but the performance difference between them is at least a galaxy apart. Look at the price again: a First Generation Machine costs at most five or six thousand dollars, while a Third Generation Machine is nearly three hundred thousand; the price difference in between is fifty times.

Lin Sicheng was so angry he wanted to laugh, and he was even more unable to understand: what kind of consideration did Saishi Company have to dare to use such things to fool him? Did they really take him for a research novice, a student who had never seen the world, and knew nothing?

If this one is like this, what about the rest?

Subconsciously, Lin Sicheng looked at the X-ray diffraction instrument next to it.

Afterwards, he straightened his back and smiled at Fang Yin; Fang Yin was baffled by the smile.

She just felt that this kid had a rather cold face and didn't like to talk much. But suddenly, he smiled at her?

And it was the really enthusiastic kind.

Suspicious, Lin Sicheng went around to the back of the XRD, first took a look at the rear cover plate, and then took out the Flashlight he carried with him to shine through the cooling vents. Looking from the outside, it was just an iron box; Lin Sicheng could not see the specific internal structure, what type of transformer was used, what type of controller, or which kind of electrical pulse.

But in his previous life, he had used everything from the first generation to the eighth generation, for a full seventeen years.

Not only did he use them, but he would sometimes assist the Maintenance Engineer; as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. He at least knew what the layout was inside different types of XRDs when you lifted this cooling plate.

Where the transformer was installed, where the controller was, and exactly how big they were.

Even if he didn't understand all of that, Lin Sicheng could at least tell that this machine used an air-cooling system. But the Third Generation Machine he ordered used a liquid nitrogen cooling system.

How could he not recognize what the fans, gas cylinders, and liquid supply lines looked like?

After watching for about five or six minutes, he sighed: Well, is it another case of using a First Generation Machine to fool people as a Third Generation Machine?

Just like the microscope before, they put the skin of a Third Generation Machine on the outside of a First Generation Machine.

The price difference between these two was slightly lower, not as exaggerated as the microscope just now; at least it wasn't as ridiculous as a fifty-fold difference.

But when it came to the specific amount, it wasn't much less: a First Generation Machine was sixty thousand dollars, and a Third Generation Machine was two hundred and twenty thousand.

Continuing to look down, Lin Sicheng couldn't stop himself from wanting to laugh.

It wasn't that he hadn't seen purchasing agents pass off inferior goods as superior, using older generation machines to fool R&D companies into thinking they were the latest models.

But he had truly never seen that out of nearly thirty high-end instruments, worth a total of over ten million, more than half of them had problems? The two just now were fine; although there was a generational gap, they were at least brand new. The rest were either second-hand machines or Refurbished Machines.

Lin Sicheng looked down one by one:

Metallographic Microscope, Polarizing microscope, Scanning electron microscope, X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, Raman Spectrometer, Fiber optic reflection spectrometer.

After that were the chromatography and mass spectrometry combined instrument, CT, Ultrasound, as well as Laser Cleaner, Ultrasonic cleaning machine, and Microparticle jetting machine.

Core instruments plus general and auxiliary equipment, big and small, totaling about thirty, Lin Sicheng looked through them all.

At the beginning, his expression was quite serious, but the more he looked, the more relaxed he seemed. By the end, he was even full of smiles. Fang Yin felt something wasn't right: "Professor Wang, what's wrong with Teacher Lin?"

Wang Qi Zhi glanced over, nonchalant: "He should be happy!"

Once the machines are installed, they can open for business; as soon as they open, the academic achievements that had been suppressed and not announced to the public before could all be published. For example, BTA, for example, Palace Porcelain, as well as Hejin Kiln and Huo Prefecture Kiln.

Every time one is released, Lin Sicheng's reputation will take a step up. His fame will grow day by day, his influence will become higher and higher, and business will naturally get better and better. Not to mention anything else, money is always real, right?

Investing so much at once, recovering some capital as soon as possible, the pressure can also be a little less.

At least that's what Wang Qi Zhi thought.

But Fang Yin was still a little worried.

She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she always felt: Lin Sicheng was like a different person than before.

Although he was smiling, his attention was extremely focused, his nerves were extremely tense, just like he was looking for something.

It couldn't be that he discovered something, could it?

Suddenly, Fang Yin's heart rose, and she could no longer care about fishing for information from Wang Qi Zhi, her eyes fixed tightly on Lin Sicheng.

But fortunately, as he looked at more and more things, Lin Sicheng's demeanor gradually relaxed, and the smile that made people nervous was no longer on his face. In the end, he simply found a chair and sat down, not saying a word, just quietly watching the workers assemble them.

Fang Yin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

According to what Engineer Qin and Engineer Xu said, if this batch of machines wanted to pass the test, assembly was the first hurdle, debugging was the second, and performance verification was the third.

The key was in the first hurdle: many instruments were shipped separately and needed on-site installation. They were just afraid that a professional maintenance technician would see something wrong among the parts.

Because many of them were refurbished, if one was a little careful, one could see the wear and tear from use, as well as the traces of polishing and refurbishing.

As for the subsequent debugging and performance verification, there is actually no need to worry: firstly, the types of tests are much the same; whether it is the latest model or a First Generation Machine, they all undergo these same tests. The difference lies only in the testing speed and data accuracy.

And since machines are operated by people, with the professionalism of Engineer Qin and Engineer Xu, secretly altering some data is nothing more than a simple task.

The most critical point is that no one on the client side understands it. Isn't it just a matter of fooling them however one wants?

Seeing the machines being assembled one after another, Fang Yin gradually felt at ease: she could already imagine the scene of her superiors handing her the one-million-dollar check.

Looking at Wang Qi Zhi and Lin Sicheng, then looking at those three maintenance technicians who looked curious, peering here and there, Fang Yin even wanted to laugh—they really were just researchers, simple to the point of being naive: did they really think that just because Saishi Company was a big company with a big brand, they could rest easy?

Foreign companies and international giants can also be deceptive.

Since your skills are inferior to others, don't blame me for tricking you.

The sky gradually darkened, and by about seven o'clock, all the machines had been assembled.

Wang Qi Zhi clapped his hands and greeted them enthusiastically: "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. I have ordered a working meal at a nearby hotel; let's make do with that for now. After the debugging is finished, we will hold a celebration for everyone..."

As he spoke, he looked at Fang Yin again: "General Manager Fang, how should we arrange things for the night? Do we need to leave anyone behind? If so, I will prepare some fruit and a midnight snack for the teachers!"

These things had all been agreed upon: the debugging and performance verification were to take place tomorrow, and some preparatory work had to be done tonight.

For example, environmental condition control: temperature, humidity, electromagnetic shielding, and so on. Therefore, Saishi Company needed to leave people behind to work overtime, and the Center also needed to leave people behind to assist.

Logically speaking, people should be left behind, but Fang Yin was afraid that a long delay would lead to more trouble: if you leave people, the client must also leave people. If they were suddenly curious, or just bored and wanted to tinker with things, what would happen if they tinkered until they found a problem?

Although the possibility was very small, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Fang Yin smiled: "Professor Wang, the Center's fresh air system is very comprehensive, and there are temperature and humidity control devices. We can just set the data; there is no need to specifically leave anyone behind."

"That works too!"

After all, they were the most professional ones, so Wang Qi Zhi didn't mind, "Then thank you for your hard work, everyone!"

"You are too polite, Professor Wang!"

The other party's attitude was so good, which meant the plan was going very smoothly; Fang Yin was secretly delighted.

A group of people went downstairs, chatting and laughing.

Although it was called a working meal, the standard was not low at all—a four-star hotel, twelve hundred per table.

Although no alcohol was served, the atmosphere during the meal was very pleasant, including for Lin Sicheng.

He specifically asked a few questions that seemed difficult but were actually very simple, and Engineer Qin and Engineer Xu answered everything they knew.

He felt increasingly at ease: they were indeed laymen.

By about ten o'clock, the banquet ended, and Fang Yin and the two engineers said they needed to return to the company to prepare.

Lin Sicheng said he would send a car to take them, but was refused by Fang Yin.

It wasn't far, and they had driven there themselves.

As the car drove out of the hotel, the group stood on the steps waving their hands, and Engineer Qin glanced through the rearview mirror: "General Manager Fang, it's in the bag!"

It was indeed in the bag; if one were to draw a progress bar for this matter, it was just a tiny bit away from the one-million-dollar kickback landing in her pocket.

She nodded: "Be careful tomorrow!"

The two engineers said in unison: "Don't worry!"

It was all pre-programmed, and the specimen materials were also deliberately prepared; fooling a group of laymen was a piece of cake.

The Santana drove over, and Wang Qi Zhi patted Lin Sicheng on the shoulder: "Let's go!"

Lin Sicheng sat in the passenger seat, while Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng sat in the back.

It was just the final step: at most by the Qingming Festival, the Center could seal the deal. Then, they could pick a date and send out invitations.

Both of them were a bit excited, discussing who they should invite.

Zhao Xiuneng was even thinking about whether it would be possible to invite two national-treasure-level experts to make an appearance.

For example, those from the Forbidden City.

Wang Qi Zhi told him he was daydreaming.

Just as he was speaking, he suddenly froze and leaned against the window to take a look.

"Lin Sicheng, this doesn't seem to be the way back to the hotel?"

"Teacher, let's go back to the Center and take a look."

"Right, let's go back and take a look!" Zhao Xiuneng leaned back, "I wouldn't be able to sleep if I went back this early anyway!"

Wang Qi Zhi was indifferent: "Fine then!"

He was indeed a bit excited and needed to calm down.

It wasn't far, and within a few words, the Santana arrived at the bottom of the building.

Just as it came to a stop, a car on the side of the road flashed its lights, and subsequently, several people got out of the car.

Wang Qi Zhi squinted: the streetlights weren't very bright, and the visibility wasn't great, but looking at the silhouette, why did it look a bit like Director Tian?

While he was suspicious, Lin Sicheng got out of the car.

Then came a series of "bang, bang, bang" sounds—all car doors opening.

Looking at the lit-up headlights, there were at least six or seven cars.

Wang Qi Zhi was stunned: not only was Director Tian there, but there were many others behind him, all familiar faces.

Laboratory Technicians, testing experts, material experts, analysts, instrument operators, and research assistants.

There were even recorders carrying cameras and file managers.

Had they moved the entire Porcelain Research Institute here?

Wang Qi Zhi hurriedly got out of the car and walked over to greet them: "Director Tian, what is the situation here?"

Tian Rulong looked at him, then looked at Lin Sicheng: "Professor Wang doesn't know yet?"

"The people from Saishi Company were always there, so there was no opportunity to say anything!"

"I thought so." After replying, Tian Rulong gave a strange smile, "Old Wang, today I'll let you see the world."

Wang Qi Zhi was completely confused.

Looking at the people behind Director Tian, as well as the large and small boxes and bags in their hands, they were clearly reagents and specimen materials.

It couldn't be that they wanted to research something overnight, could it?

But the problem was, the machines had only just been assembled and hadn't even been calibrated yet; how were they going to use them?

While surprised, the group walked inside. Lin Sicheng sighed: "Teacher, this batch of machines from Saishi Company all have problems!" Wang Qi Zhi was stunned, his face wearing an expression of having "seen a ghost."

"Lin Sicheng, what did you say?"

"Teacher, to put it simply, the machines assembled today are either generation-gap machines or refurbished machines!"

Lin Sicheng paused for a moment, "I made a rough calculation; the price difference should be around eight or nine million!"

Eight or nine million... Heh?

The total price of this batch of machines was only a little over twelve million. If what Lin Sicheng said was true, it meant these bastards had taken an eighty percent kickback. But the problem was, this was Saishi Company, a World Top 500 enterprise?

"That is why I said I would let you broaden your horizons!" Director Tian looked emotional, "To be honest, I am also quite shocked!"

It is not as if domestic enterprises haven't been deceived by foreigners before, whether they are state-owned enterprises, central enterprises, or private enterprises.

News about passing off inferior goods as superior, or using refurbished machines to impersonate the latest models, would pop up every now and then in the past.

But that was in the past, in the eighties and nineties, when the country had just opened up.

Ever since China joined the WTO in 2001, such things have become increasingly rare. In recent years, they have basically disappeared. Because joining the WTO meant that China became a signatory to the World Trade Organization and could formulate and supervise the implementation of international economic and trade rules. It has completely independent sanctioning power over the illegal acts of some foreign trade institutions.

More importantly, China's economy is getting better and better, and investment in the field of scientific research is getting higher and higher. Service-oriented technology companies like Saishi have already treated China as their largest product dumping ground, bar none.

Let alone the issue of sanctions or how much the fine would be. If such a scandal were exposed, would you believe Saishi's stock could fall to a circuit breaker? Wang Qi Zhi was both shocked and suspicious: "How did they dare?"

Lin Sicheng remained silent: if he put himself in their shoes, he would dare too.

Because the batch of instruments he ordered was truly, truly advanced. Advanced to the point where most of them could break domestic scientific research records. For example, that digital display—if you don't believe me, ask Director Tian; he is definitely thinking right now: "Two million for a microscope, Lin Sicheng, was your brain kicked by a donkey?" And that XRD: "Lin Sicheng, you are doing Artifact Research, not nuclear atomic physics research."

Are you trying to build a missile with this thing?

To put it bluntly: many of the machines had never been imported into the country before, which meant that absolutely no one understood them.

If they didn't fool you, who would they fool?

Saishi Company could never have imagined that there was someone in this world who could cheat?

He sighed: "Let's test them first."

Wang Qi Zhi woke up as if from a dream: "The problem is, how do we test them?"

Since they were advanced enough to fill a domestic void, that meant neither Director Tian nor the engineers at the Ceramics Research Institute understood them either. "Teacher, it's actually not that difficult, because whether it's a generation-gap machine or a refurbished machine, the principles are the same! It's nothing more than verifying the differences in repeatability, stability, energy resolution, peak position wavenumber calibration..."

Lin Sicheng looked calm, "The process is more or less the same, the methods are much the same, the key lies in the data."

Wang Qi Zhi was half-believing and half-doubting: if it were as simple as you say, could Director Tian be this shocked?

If these problems were so easy to discover, where would Saishi Company get the guts to replace all thirty instruments with defective ones? The more Wang Qi Zhi thought about it, the more wrong it felt, and he followed behind in a daze.

Not until they stepped out of the elevator did he stop abruptly.

Zhao Xiuneng, who was following behind, almost bumped into his back.

Wang Qi Zhi looked suspicious: "General Manager Zhao, how did Lin Sicheng see it?"

Zhao Xiuneng also wanted to ask: at the time, the three maintenance engineers from the Cultural Relics Research Institute had been watching the whole process.

By comparison, they were no less professional than Lin Sicheng, so why didn't they discover any problems?

He thought for a moment: "Could it be that Lin Sicheng saw it wrong?"

Wang Qi Zhi really wanted to nod, but his chin, which had been raised, stopped in mid-air.

Having known him for so long, has Lin Sicheng ever made a mistake?

Of course he has, but at most, it was just some trivial matters. When the nature of a matter was serious enough, and the consequences were good enough or bad enough, Lin Sicheng's judgment had never been wrong.

Even if it was a field you thought he likely didn't understand, or one he had never even stepped into.

Wang Qi Zhi didn't speak, just pointed forward: the meaning was not to worry; whether it was true or not would be revealed immediately.

It wasn't just the two of them who were suspicious; Director Tian was even more suspicious.

A two-million-yuan digital display microscope, a 1.5-million-yuan XRD—the Forbidden City didn't have them, the National Museum of China didn't have them, and the Cultural Relics Research Institute didn't have them either.

One could even say this: at the current stage, the only fields that could use high-end instruments of this level were a few countable ones: such as military industry, materials, and biomedicine.

But no matter which one it was, it had nothing to do with archaeology or Cultural Relics Protection. Lin Sicheng couldn't have come into contact with them, nor did he have the opportunity or time to do so. Since he had never even seen them, how did he know which one had a generation gap and which one was a second-hand refurbished machine?

With these thoughts, the group entered the Center.

It was a bit messy; wires were piled on the floor, and some of the instruments' outer protective foam hadn't been removed yet. Toolboxes were thrown everywhere, and hydraulic and air-cushion shifting devices were all over the ground.

Several large instruments that had already been assembled with bases, waiting only for power, were particularly conspicuous. Director Tian walked over and circled them, feeling even more suspicious. They were just big iron shells; he felt he couldn't see anything at all.

While suspicious, he looked at the equipment engineers from the Ceramics Research Institute; the few of them looked as if they had agreed on it, frowning with thoughtful expressions. Having collaborated for so many years, there was no need to ask; Director Tian knew very well: let alone generation-gap machines or refurbished machines, these few didn't even know what models these machines were.

Seeing what they were thinking, Lin Sicheng didn't waste words and picked up a screwdriver.

Director Tian hurriedly waved his hand, and two technicians ran over: "Teacher Lin, just tell us what needs to be done."

Lin Sicheng didn't stand on ceremony: "All these machines need to be dismantled: for the XRD, remove the heat sink; for the Scanning Electron Microscopy, remove the sample chamber; for the Raman Spectrometer, remove the casing; for the XRF (X-ray fluorescence spectrometer), remove the top cover of the high-voltage transformer; for the Laser Cleaning Machine, remove the back cover..."

Fearing they wouldn't dare to act, Lin Sicheng emphasized: "Don't worry, these all belong to the dust covers; it doesn't matter if they are removed..."

"Understood, Teacher Lin!"

The few technicians answered in unison and picked up their tools.

Lin Sicheng looked at the recorder and the archivist: "Teachers, please work hard and record the whole process!"

"Teacher Lin, understood!"

This was what Lin Sicheng had specifically instructed: to bring more cameras.

Director Tian also knew how important this matter was if it were truly as Lin Sicheng said. He not only brought cameras but also brought the recorder. Four cameras, one at each corner, filmed without blind spots. The other two held DVs and filmed while moving.

The technicians moved quickly, and the first thing removed was the XRD's heat sink.

Lin Sicheng opened the manual and handed it to Tian Rulong: "Director Tian, look!"

Tian Rulong took a look: the page opened was a structural diagram, breaking down all the components of the XRD and annotating them one by one.

There is also an assembly diagram on the side, clearly listing which part has what function below.

The manual is entirely in English; after glancing at it a few times, Tian Rulong felt dizzy and turned to look at the diagrams instead.

As he looked, he compared it with the internal structure of the XRD. Perhaps because he does not understand it well, no matter how Director Tian looked at it, he felt the structure in the exploded view was not much different from the machine in front of him.

Whether it was the position of the parts or their shapes, they all seemed the same?

But this cannot be blamed on Director Tian; he researches Cultural Relics, not machines. As long as he can operate it and knows how to use it, that is enough. How much energy and free time would one have to have to care about what the internal structure of a machine is?

It is also mainly because the external shapes and outlines of the main components indeed do not have much difference.

The difference lies in the power: for example, the intensity of the ray source, the precision of the goniometer, the accuracy of the detection and sample system, and the processing and calculation speed of the data system.

What Lin Sicheng wanted them to look at was not this, but the heat dissipation unit blocked inside by the Collimator, the detector, and the high-voltage transformer. He turned on his Flashlight and shone it inside: "Director Tian, look, behind the high-voltage transformer and behind the three module devices, what is that?"

Director Tian squinted his eyes: "It looks like... a fan!"

Wang Qi Zhi and Zhao Xiuneng also leaned in: "Yes, it is a fan."

It is not large, with each piece having a diameter of about ten centimeters, arranged in three rows top to bottom, with three in each row, combined together.

Lin Sicheng pointed at the manual again: "Director Tian, look at the diagram again!"

Director Tian lowered his head and took a peek in the direction Lin Sicheng was pointing. Suddenly, his pupils shrank to the size of a needle:

On the diagram, there were gas canisters like medium-sized fire extinguishers, six in total.

Looking at the exploded view again, there was a line of English next to the gas canisters: Low temperature thermostat system. This is a required course in Cultural Relics protection, and it is frequently used in Cultural Relics protection cases. No matter how unprofessional Director Tian is, he knows what this line of English means: Low temperature thermostat system.

The principle is very simple: using the heat absorption of liquid nitrogen vaporization, it is most frequently used in metal, silk, wooden, and lacquerware Cultural Relics.

So, where are the gas canisters in the diagram?

Looking at the machine again, where are there any gas canisters?

There is only a set of fans hidden behind the components, which you cannot even see without shining a Flashlight.

A group of people stared with wide eyes, looking at the machine, then at the blueprints, and then fixed their gaze directly on Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng did not keep them in suspense and said straight out: "This is an air-cooling system with aluminum radiators + low-speed fans, also known as X-ray tube cooling. It hasn't been used since after 2000..."

"Let me put it simply: this is the first generation XDRD500 produced by Siemens after the German Bruker Corporation acquired the French Siemens subsidiary in 1997..."

"And what we ordered is the Bruker D8 series, which was successfully developed in 2007, put into use last autumn, officially mass-produced at the beginning of this year, and is currently the most advanced and cutting-edge in the world."

"No matter how much the exterior is modified to look like it, the cooling system used for heat dissipation cannot be changed: it can only be stuffed into the very back."

"These two machines are separated by two full generations, and the price difference between them is a full one million!"

Staring at the liquid nitrogen gas canisters on the blueprint, the group of people was dumbfounded.

They had always thought that the equipment Lin Sicheng ordered was too advanced, so advanced that no one in the country could handle it.

But they never thought that the flaw would be so obvious and so simple?

So simple that it could be seen with the naked eye...

Director Tian had not studied the machines, but he at least knew how many XRDs the Forbidden City had.

A portion were First Generation Machines, all using air cooling; a portion were Second Generation Machines, all converted to water cooling.

How could an air-cooling system that had already been iterated and was so outdated that even Second Generation Machines did not use it appear on the most advanced Third Generation Machine?

For a moment, the large Research Center was eerily quiet. The group of people looked at each other, and the atmosphere was indescribably strange.

Lin Sicheng pointed at the digital microscope again: "Photography teacher, please get closer... Yes, shoot this, shoot the circuit board..."

"When I ordered this machine, Zhao Shixiong asked me: 'They are both microscopes, and they can both transmit images, so why do some cost tens of thousands, some over a hundred thousand, and this one I ordered costs two million?'"

"The answer is here: the chip... Let me put it simply: this instrument, in addition to including all the functions of a general Video Microscope, can also achieve depth-of-field expansion algorithms through the ISP processor. It can achieve 3D point cloud reconstruction and roughness analysis parallel computing through the CPU accelerator..." "To put it bluntly: as long as the Database is comprehensive enough, it can construct the complete initial form of a Cultural Relic from a tiny fragment, and can comprehensively analyze the composition of the Cultural Relic, the main craftsmanship, and even calculate the most original production era..."

Just this point alone, this thing is infinitely close to AI technology. And it is AI computing that is quite maturely trained and supported by a large model. If you were to hire people, it would take at least three to four senior researchers like Zhu Kaiping to achieve its comprehensive computing power.

Just for this point, two million is really not expensive.

But Lin Sicheng had not finished: "Besides this, this thing can also analyze metal rust layers and Cultural Relics soil secretion, and then achieve HDR (animation demonstration) synthesis through the approximate era. It can even analyze the process of crack generation and oxidative corrosion..."

This means this machine can not only be used as a CT or for flaw detection and quality inspection, but can also perform remote sensing monitoring, fluorescent marker detection, separation, and analysis. It can also simultaneously perform morphological, spatial distribution, and quantitative information analysis for multiple targets.

If these functions were combined together, it would form a new functional system: a multi-spectral imaging system.

But Lin Sicheng dared not say it, because he could not explain it: let alone comprehensive applications, this set of things did not even have a concept yet.

Actually, these functions existed a long time ago, but they were all scattered applications. So strictly speaking, the multi-spectral imaging system is a product of the evolution of scientific engineering. It was not uniquely created by any one enterprise, much less invented by any one individual.

But it was not until 2012 that the first practical comprehensive system was realized under the leadership of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration). It took another two years, until March 2014, for it to be officially put into use.

Five years ahead of time, for a functional system that did not even exist yet, he dared to say it, but no one would dare to believe it.

More importantly, Keyence had not yet realized that a functional system that would only be successfully developed three years later had already been accidentally assembled into a microscope by them.

If Lin Sicheng remembered correctly: it would not be until next year that Japan's Keyence would initially begin to develop a multi-spectral imaging system, and two years later they would go to court with the United States. Another year later, which is 2013, they would centrally register relevant patents.

Lin Sicheng is not a professional researcher in this, at most he knows a little bit. It is only because he has a good memory that he remembers it so clearly. But he at least knows that if given to professional people, this thing is absolutely useful.

And it can be of great use.

How does that saying go?

Science has no borders.

As for the Japanese stuff, he will not have any moral pressure.