Almost Human/ 赶超人类？

Almost Human?

赶超人类？

                                                                 ○龙 江 译注

 

    Robots become more and more like people.

       机器人越来越像人类。

   

At Aizo Chuo Hospital in Japan, employees greet newcomers, guide patients to and from the surgery area, and print out maps of the hospital for confused visitors. They don’t take lunch breaks or even get paid. Why? They’re robots!

A robot is a machine that can complete complex tasks without human control. The child-sized machines at the hospital are just a few of the thousands of robots that help people around the world.

Robots have long worked in factories, helping to build cars and electronic appliances[1]. But today’s robots are a far cry from the clunky machines of the past. They don’t just do the jobs of people—they actually look and act a lot like people.

 

Robo-People

    Kansei, a robot from Japan, has a silicon[2] face covering 19 movable parts. The robot can form up to 36 facial expressions in response to different words. Kansei quivers[3] in fear at the word war and breaks into a smile when it hears the word sushi.

Researchers in Europe are going one step further with iCub, a “baby” robot. They are teaching it to speak and hold conversations.

The ability to interact is crucial[4], or necessary, for robots that will one day work closely with humans, says Chris Atkeson, a professor at the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania. “It is important for robots and all machines that interact with people to understand what you say and how you are feeling and respond with appropriate emotions,” he told WR News.

    Japanese scientist Minoru Asada agrees. He is building a robot called CB2 that acts like a real toddler[5]. “Right now, it only goes, ‘Ah, ah.’ But as we develop its learning function, we hope it can start saying more complex sentences and moving on its own will,” Asada says. “Next-generation robots need to be able to learn and develop themselves.”

 

Helping Humans

    Robot communication will allow the machines to help people more in the future, as the number of human workers declines in some countries. “We are going to have so many more old people and not enough young people to take care of them,” Matthew Mason, director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, told WR News. “Technology can help the old people live at home longer, instead of going to nursing homes[6].”

That would be a big help in Japan, which has an aging population. Already, more than 370,000 robots work in Japanese factories. Other robots perform tasks such as planting rice and tending the country’s rice paddies[7]. Japanese officials estimate that one robot can do the work of 10 human employees.

Aizo Chuo Hospital patient Hiroshi Asami, 81, isn’t thrilled[8] about the prospect, or possibility, of robot workers. “The robot just told us to get out of the way!” he exclaims[9] after almost running into[10] one of the hospital’s robot workers. “It’s a robot. It’s the one that should get out of my way. I prefer dealing with real people.”

 

Robots That Rock[11]

    People have been trying to rev up[12] robots for hundreds of years. Here’s a look at some of the most notable creations.

1737 Quacky[13] Invention

    In 1737, French inventor Jacques de Vaucanson built a robotic duck that could flap its wings, paddle[14] in water, and even eat grain.

1810 Early Robot

Toot, toot! One of the first robots was a mechanical trumpet[15] player. It is now in a museum in Germany.

1961 Strong Arm

    The 4,000-pound robotic arm Unimate got its start welding car parts. Today, the robots are among the most widely used industrial robots in the world.

1999 Robo Pup

    Forget fetching your own slippers[16]—that’s what AIBO is for! Sony created the $2,000 robot dog in 1999 as a companion for people.

2002 Cleaning Machine

    One of the world’s most popular robots is Roomba, a robotic vacuum[17]. Introduced in 2002, Roomba can clean a room all by itself, gliding over floors to pick up dirt.

2004 Space Pioneers

    NASA has robots that are out of this world! Spirit and Opportunity are twin rovers[18] that have been exploring Mars since 2004. They send valuable data back to Earth.

 

(Special permission granted by WRC Media, Inc. All rights reserved by WRC Media, Inc. www.wrcmedia.com)

 

在日本的Aizo Chuo医院，雇员问候新来者，把患者引领至门诊处或离开那里，为困惑的来访者打印医院的地图。他们没有午间休息，甚至没有报酬。何故？他们是机器人！

机器人是一种能够在无人操控的情况下完成复杂任务的机器。医院里这些与孩子一般大小的机器只是世界各地成千上万帮助人类的机器人中的少许几个。

机器人长久以来在工厂工作，帮助制造汽车和电子设备。但如今的机器人同过去笨重的机器相比已有天壤之别。它们不仅能做人的工作——实际上它们在容貌和行为上也与人类相似。

 

机器人类

来自日本的机器人Kansei有一张硅制成的脸，下面覆盖着19个可移动部件。它能做出多达36种面部表情来回应不同的词语。当听到“战争”这个词语时Kansei会恐惧得发抖，而当它听到“寿司”这个词时则会发出微笑。

欧洲的研究人员走得更远，他们正在教一个名为iCub的“婴儿”机器人说话和与人交谈。

宾夕法尼亚州卡耐基·梅隆大学的机器人学研究所的克里斯·阿特克森教授说，对那些未来将要与人密切合作的机器人来说，沟通能力至关重要。“使那些与人沟通的机器人和所有机器明白你说的话和你的感受并做出适当的情感反应，这点很重要，”他对《每周文摘》新闻栏目说。

日本科学家麻田实对此表示赞同。他正在制作一个叫CB2的机器人，其行为有如一个真实的蹒跚学步的幼童。“眼下它只会说，‘啊，啊’。但随着我们开发它的学习功能，我们希望它能开始说更复杂的句子，并按自己的意志行走，”麻田实说，“下一代的机器人需要有学习和自我发展的能力。”

 

帮助人类

机器人的沟通能力使它们能够在将来对人类有更大的帮助，因为在一些国家人类工人的数量在下降。“我们的老年人口将大量增加，而照顾他们的年轻人却不够了，” 卡耐基·梅隆大学的机器人学研究所主任马修·梅森对《每周文摘》新闻栏目说，“科技能帮助老年人在家里生活更长的时间，而不是去养老院。”

对人口老龄化的日本来说，这是一个巨大的帮助。已经有超过370,000个机器人在日本的工厂工作。其他一些机器人执行着诸如种植水稻和照看该国稻田的任务。日本官员估计一个机器人可以完成10个人类雇员的工作。

Aizo Chuo医院的81岁患者麻美博对机器工人的前景或可能性并不感到兴奋。“机器人只是命令我们走开！”他在差点撞上医院的一个机器工人后惊呼，“那是个机器人。应该走开的是它。我更喜欢与真人打交道。”

 

明星机器人

数百年来，人们一直在努力开发机器人。下面是其中一些最引人注目的发明创造。

1737嗄嗄问世

1737年，法国发明家雅克·德·沃刚松制造了一只机器鸭，它能拍打翅膀，划水，甚至还能吃谷物。

1810早期机器人

嘟嘟——最早的机器人之一，是一个机械小号吹奏手。它现收藏于德国的一家博物馆。

1961大力手臂

重达4,000磅的机器人手臂“通用机械手”是从焊接汽车零部件起步的。今天，这类机器人成为世界上应用最广泛的工业机器人之一。

1999机器狗

忘了取自己的拖鞋——这正是AIBO的用途所在！索尼于1999年发明了价值2,000美元的机器狗，成为人们的好伙伴。

2002机器清洁工

Roomba是世界上最受欢迎的机器人吸尘器。2002年问世的Roomba能够独自打扫房间，它在地板上滑行并吸附灰尘。

2004太空先驱

美国宇航局的机器人飞出了这个星球！“精神与机遇”是一对孪生探测器，自2004年以来一直在勘探火星。它们把宝贵的数据传回地球。