Human-like robot can be used to do work that is dangerous for human beings

歌曲 Human-like robot can be used to do work that is dangerous for human beings
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[00:00.10] From VOA Learning English,
[00:02.50] this is the Technology Report.
[00:06.53] Researches at Johns Hopkins University's
[00:09.76]Applied Physics Laboratory [APL] in Laurel, Maryland
[00:13.59] have designed a new humanoid or human-like robot.
[00:17.87] Its name is Robo Sally.
[00:20.61] The machine can be controlled from a distance
[00:23.75] and can be used to do work
[00:25.94] that is dangerous for human beings.
[00:29.18] Robo Sally has two long arms with human-like hands.
[00:34.16] She can use her fingers to pick up small objects,
[00:38.93] examine them in detail
[00:41.52] and do most things that human hands can do.
[00:45.70] Each finger contains a tiny motor, capable of
[00:51.68] squeezing 20 pounds of pinch force
[00:55.23] enough to defuse a bomb under the direction of an operator.
[01:01.11] She sits on a metal base with wheels
[01:04.24] that let her move around,
[01:06.49] turn in tight spaces and climb over small objects.
[01:12.27] Mike McLoughlin is the main investigator
[01:16.40] for the Applied Physics Laboratory's Prosthetics Program.
[01:21.28] "The purpose of that program is to develop prosthetic arms
[01:25.02] that have all the capability of your natural arms,
[01:27.55] and you do all the complex motions
[01:30.09] that we can do with the natural arm - with the robot.
[01:33.32] So we had this idea if we did this for prosthetics for humans,
[01:37.41] we could also put these on robotic platforms
[01:40.05] and enable the robots to go out into dangerous situations."
[01:44.63] It was a difficult job.
[01:47.27] Mr McLoughlin says the device had to have many small motors
[01:53.60] to have the ability to do what a human hand does.
[01:58.38] It also need to have human-like strength.
[02:03.01] The thumb was especially difficult
[02:06.14] because it permits the hand to hold objects.
[02:10.67] And everything had to fit into a space
[02:14.80] about the size of a human hand.
[02:18.49] The next problem, he says,
[02:21.23] was to figure out how to control the artificial hand.
[02:26.75] "So we had to figure out how to make the connection
[02:29.55] between the brain and this arm.
[02:31.54] We've done that for spinal injury patients,
[02:35.26] where we can actually interface with the brain
[02:37.92] and use the patient's thoughts to control the arm."
[02:40.51] For search-and-rescue duties,
[02:43.09] Robo Sally will be operated by a human being
[02:47.53] using a wireless machine that is far from the robot.
[02:53.25] The operator will also wear special gloves and glasses.
[02:58.79] The glasses were permitted the operator
[03:01.67] to see the robot's hands, even though they are far away.
[03:07.25] Mr McLoughlin says this kind of robots could be used
[03:12.72] in what he calls "dull, dirty or dangerous" situations
[03:18.21] where fine human finger movements are required.
[03:22.29] "Opening a door, or turning the valve of, you know,
[03:25.82] a factory or a power plant like Fukushima,
[03:28.38] that was all designed for humans.
[03:29.99] You need to be able to go in
[03:32.48] and have the human-like capabilities
[03:34.57] in order to be able to work in that environment."
[03:37.85] Mr McLoughlin says the technology
[03:40.30] is not ready for everyday application,
[03:43.98] but he predicts that within five years
[03:47.57] we will see some wonderful improvements.
[03:51.70] And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English.