Technology Report - Brain-Computer Interfaces Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled
This is the VOA Special English Technology Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。
Since the nineteen seventies, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface, or BCI, technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
自上世纪70年代开始，科学家们一直在致力于寻找一种将人脑与计算机连接的办法。“脑机接口”技术可以帮助残疾人向机器发送指令。
Recently, scientists demonstrated a small robotic vehicle directed by a person's thoughts. The demonstration took place at the Swiss embassy in Washington. Jose Millan and Michele Tavella developed the system. Mr. Tavella can even talk as he watches the vehicle and guides it with his thoughts.
最近，科学家展示了一台由意念控制的小型机器人装置，这次活动在瑞士驻华盛顿大使馆举行。何塞·文澜（Jose Millan）和米歇尔·特维拉（Michele Tavella）开发了这一系统。特维拉在用意念控制这台机器人装置的同时，甚至还可以一边交谈。
MICHELE TAVELLA: "That's very, very easy. That's the simplest part we could say because moving one hand or the other is a very, very common task. There is no workload. It's very, very simple."
特维拉：“这非常的简单。我们可以说，这是最简单的部分。因为动动手是非常非常普通的任务。这没什么工作量，非常简单。”
Mr. Tavella is a researcher at the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the laboratory, he can operate a wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand.
特维拉是瑞士洛桑联邦理工学院的一名研究员。在实验室里，他可以通过移动左手或右手的意念控制轮椅。
Professor Millan is the team leader. He says systems like those being developed in Lausanne and other places may be available in less than ten years.
文澜教授是这个团队的领导者。他表示，洛桑或其他地方开发的类似系统可能会在十年内投入使用。
JOSE MILLAN: "The brain-machine interface is a system that allows disabled people, people suffering from physical disabilities to communicate with external world and also to control devices."
文澜：“脑机接口是一种允许身体残障人士与外部世界沟通并控制相关设备的系统。”
Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.
人脑具有数十亿神经细胞。这些神经细胞通过脊髓向肌肉发送信号，使我们具备运动的能力。但脊髓损伤或其他疾病会阻断这些微电信号传输到肌肉。
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover captures the signals from the scalp and redirects them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
研究人员为用户设计了一个特殊头罩，这个头罩从大脑皮层捕获信号，并重定向到计算机。计算机对信号进行转换，并以此控制电动轮椅。该轮椅还装了2个识别行进途中物体的摄像头，帮助计算机对大脑发出的指令做出反应。
Professor Millan says scientists keep improving the computer software that identifies brain signals and turns them into simple commands.
文澜教授表示，科学家们在不断改进用于识别大脑信号并将其转换为简单指令的计算件软件系统。
JOSE MILLAN: "The practical possibilities that brain-machine interfaces offer to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: Communication, and controlling physical devices and virtual devices. One example is this wheelchair."
文澜：“脑机接口对残疾人的实用性可以分为两大类：交流，控制物理设备或虚拟设备。这个轮椅就是一个很好的例子。”
He says his team has set two goals.
他表示其团队已设立两个目标。
JOSE MILLAN: "What we want is to bring this technology out of the lab and this has two components. First is testing with real patients, so as to demonstrate that this is a feasible technology they can benefit from. And the second aspect of that is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time."
文澜：“我们希望将这项科技能走出实验室（投入实用）。这包括两个部分。第一部分是让残疾人亲自测试，以证明这是一项他们可以从中受益的可行性技术。而第两部分则是保证他们可以长期使用这项技术。” |