机器人厨师诞生了！

 　　Picture the scene: You come home after work feeling too exhausted¹ to cook – only to find a delicious meal worthy² of a Michelin-starred restaurant waiting for you.

　　想象一下这个画面：下班回家倍感疲倦不想做饭——却发现可以和米其林星级餐厅的食物媲美的美味饭菜在等你食用。

　　It sounds like a fantasy, but it could be about to come true thanks to a robot chef developed by British scientists.

　　听起来像做白日梦，但很快就能实现了，这得归功于英国科学家发明的机器人厨师。

　　They have come up with a set of robotic arms so sophisticated that they are capable of cooking meals from scratch.

　　他们发明了一套精细灵活的机器手臂，能够烹饪饭菜。

　　The device will be sold from as early as 2017 as part of a purpose-built high-tech³ kitchen, priced at around ?10,000, which includes an oven, hob, dishwasher and sink.

　　这套设备作为高科技厨房用具的一部分，最早2017年上市，市价约1万英镑，包括烤箱、滚刀、洗碗机和洗涤槽。

　　机器人厨师诞生了！

　　Scientists at Moley Robotics spent almost 18 years developing the hands, which are each governed by 24 motors, 26 micro-controllers and 129 sensors⁴.

　　Moley Robotics的科学家用了近18年研发这双手臂，每个手臂由24个马达、26个微型控制器和129个感应器支配。

　　According to its creators, the arms can chop, stir, whisk and baste⁵ well enough to recreate almost anything you would care to eat, whether it is a simple home-cooked supper, or an elaborate concoction⁶ designed by a world-class chef.

　　据其创造者说，这双手臂能熟练地切剁、搅拌、浇汁，几乎能做你喜欢吃的一切东西，不管是一顿简单的家常便饭，还是一顿世界级厨师水平的精美调制品。

　　The hands move a little slowly, hovering⁷ strangely above the work surface whenever they are not busy, but they imitate human movements closely enough that they can do things such as wipe a spoon on the edge of a pan to prevent drips.

　　机器手的动作有点慢，闲暇时，怪异地悬在料理台上空。他们能逼真地模仿人类动作，所以能做一些精细活儿，如用勺子刮一下平底锅边缘以防汤汁滴下来。

　　But last year, after Russian engineer Mark Oleynik approached the team with the notion of turning the hands into an everyday household gadget⁸, the concept of the robot chef was born.

　　去年，俄罗斯工程师Mark Oleynik带着把这双手臂变成日常家用这一理念来到团队后，机器人厨师这一观念诞生了。

　　Even if there are a few splatters, it shouldn’t matter – the gadget will load the dishwasher and wipe down the work surfaces afterwards.

　　即使做饭过程中有东西溅撒出来，也没关系——这套厨具会出动洗碗机，在做完饭后将料理台擦洗干净。

　　The arms will tuck up out of the way when not in use, making space for their owners to get their own hands dirty.

　　这双手臂在不用时能收缩起来，毫不碍事，为主人自己做饭留出空间。

　　Mr Oleynik, who is spearheading the project, said: ‘All the things which are possible with the hand are possible here. There is no limitation.

　　带头研发该项目的Oleynik先生说：“这双手做什么都有可能，没什么限制。”

　　‘A lot of people want to go to Michelin-starred restaurants, but they are quite expensive and may be quite far from the home. This is an opportunity for people to enjoy very good food, and for a reasonable price.'

　　“许多人想去米其林星级餐厅，但那里饭菜特贵，可能离家又远。这项发明为人们提供了一个享受合理价格的超级美味食物的机会。”

　　The only cuisine⁹ that is off the robot’s menu at the moment is sushi, which requires exceedingly steady pressure and nimble fingers to make, but the team plan to conquer that as well by the time it goes on sale.

　　目前机器手臂的菜单上唯一没有的菜系是寿司，因为寿司的制作需要非常稳定的压力和灵活的手指，但团队打算在其上市时克服这一缺点。

　　By that point, they claim, users will be able to order meals from an iTunes-style library of recipes devised by professional chefs, making it possible to tuck into Michelin-standard food on a daily basis.

　　他们称，到那时，用户能通过iTunes软件从专业厨师设计的菜谱上预定饭菜，这样每天都能吃到米其林星级餐厅水平的食物。

　　People will also be able to train the robotic arms to cook their own favourite family recipes, by demonstrating them a few times while wearing high-tech gloves and wrist-bands.

　　人们还能训练机器手臂来烹调自己最喜欢的家庭菜谱，不过，这需要人们自己带着高科技手套和手链演示几次才能做到。

　　Users will be able to ‘order’ dinner on their way home, or breakfast for when they wake up, using an app on their smartphone, picking recipes depending on the ingredients they have in stock. They will also be able to choose dishes based on their nutritional¹⁰ content.

　　用户通过智能手机上的一个应用程序就可以在回家途中“订”晚餐，早上醒来时“订”早餐。菜谱的选择则要靠自家储备的做菜材料而定，还能依自身营养需求而定。

　　And just in case, the unit has emergency equipment if there’s a fire.

　　为了以防万一，这个厨师机器人还安装了能灭火的应急设备。

　　Vocabulary

　　from scratch: 从头做起

　　hob: 滚刀

　　baste: （烤炙时为防止烤焦）在（烤肉、烤鸡上）涂（或抹、浇、滴）油（或汁）

　　concoction: 调制品

1 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

2 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

3 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

4 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

5 baste   

v.殴打，公开责骂

参考例句：

• The paper baste the candidate for irresponsible statement.该报公开指责候选人作不负责任的声明。
• If he's rude to me again,I'll baste his coat.如果他再对我无礼的话，我就要揍他了。

6 concoction   

n.调配(物)；谎言

参考例句：

• She enjoyed the concoction of foreign dishes.她喜欢调制外国菜。
• His story was a sheer concoction.他的故事实在是一纯属捏造之事。

7 hovering   

鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫

参考例句：

• The helicopter was hovering about 100 metres above the pad. 直升机在离发射台一百米的上空盘旋。
• I'm hovering between the concert and the play tonight. 我犹豫不决今晚是听音乐会还是看戏。

8 gadget   

n.小巧的机械，精巧的装置，小玩意儿

参考例句：

• This gadget isn't much good.这小机械没什么用处。
• She has invented a nifty little gadget for undoing stubborn nuts and bolts.她发明了一种灵巧的小工具用来松开紧固的螺母和螺栓。

9 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

10 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。