VOA慢速英語:Human-like Robot Could Tackle Dangerous Situations

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語科技報道。

Researches at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory [APL] in Laurel, Maryland have designed a new humanoid or human-like robot. Its name is Robo Sally. The machine can be controlled from a distance and can be used to do work that is dangerous for human beings.

位于馬里蘭州勞雷爾市的約翰斯·霍普金斯大學應用物理實驗室的研究人員已經設計出一種仿人機器人，它的名字是薩莉(Robo Sally)。該機器能夠在遠處控制，用于從事對人類有危險的工作。

Robo Sally has two long arms with human-like hands. She can use her fingers to pick up small objects, examine them in detail and do most things that human hands can do. Each finger contains a tiny motor, capable of squeezing 20 pounds of pinch force, enough to defuse a bomb under the direction of an operator.

薩莉有兩條長長的仿人手臂。她能用手指拿起小東西仔細檢查，并做人手能做的大部分事情。她的每根手指都有一個小馬達，可以產生20磅的握力，在操作員的控制下，該力量足夠拆除炸彈。

She sits on a metal base with wheels that let her move around, turn in tight spaces and climb over small objects.

她坐(安裝)在一個帶輪子的金屬底座上，使她能夠四處活動，在狹小空間轉彎，翻越小障礙物。

Mike McLoughlin is the main investigator for the Applied Physics Laboratory's Prosthetics Program.

麥克·洛克林(Mike McLoughlin)是應用物理實驗室假肢項目的主要研究者。

"The purpose of that program is to develop prosthetic arms that have all the capability of your natural arms, and you do all the complex motions that we can do with the natural arm - with the robot. So we had this idea if we did this for prosthetics for humans, we could also put these on robotic platforms and enable the robots to go out into dangerous situations."

該項目旨在開發(fā)擁有所有人手能力的假肢，這樣就能通過機械手做人手可以做的所有復雜動作。所以我們有了這個想法，如果我們這樣做人類假肢，我們也可以把它們裝到機器人平臺上，使得機器人能夠進入危險局面(處理危機)。”

It was a difficult job. Mr McLoughlin says the device had to have many small motors to have the ability to do what a human hand does. It also need to have human-like strength. The thumb was especially difficult because it permits the hand to hold objects. And everything had to fit into a space about the size of a human hand.

這是一項艱難的任務。洛克林先生說，該設備必須有許多小馬達，才能具有人手的能力。它還需要近似人類的力量。拇指是尤其困難的，因為拇指讓手能抓住東西。同時它必須適合放入人手大小的空間里。”

The next problem, he says, was to figure out how to control the artificial hand. "So we had to figure out how to make the connection between the brain and this arm. We've done that for spinal injury patients, where we can actually interface with the brain and use the patient's thoughts to control the arm."

他說，另一個問題是弄清楚如何控制這個仿真手。“所以我們必須弄清楚如何使大腦和手臂聯系起來。我們已經為脊髓損傷患者實現了這點，我們可以通過與大腦配合，利用患者的思想控制假肢。”

For search-and-rescue duties, Robo Sally will be operated by a human being using a wireless machine that is far from the robot. The operator will also wear special gloves and glasses. The glasses were permitted the operator to see the robot's hands, even though they are far away.

在搜救任務上，薩莉能夠被遠處的操作人員使用無線設備控制。操作人員還將佩戴專用手套和眼鏡。該專用眼鏡能夠使操作人員看到機器人的手，即使他們離得很遠。

Mr McLoughlin says this kind of robots could be used in what he calls "dull, dirty or dangerous" situations where fine human finger movements are required.

洛克林先生說，這種機器人能夠用于他所說的需要用到人類靈活手指運動的“枯燥、骯臟或危險的”情況下。

"Opening a door, or turning the valve of, you know, a factory or a power plant like Fukushima, that was all designed for humans. You need to be able to go in and have the human-like capabilities in order to be able to work in that environment."

“開門，打開閥門，例如工廠或福島電站的閥門，這一切都是為人類設計的。所以它必須能夠進去且具有類似于人的能力，以便在這種環(huán)境下工作。”

Mr McLoughlin says the technology is not ready for everyday application, but he predicts that within five years we will see some wonderful improvements.

洛克林先生說，該技術尚無法用于日常應用，但他預計在五年之內，人們將看到一些偉大的進步。