科学家发明无动力助行走设备（在线收听）

科学家发明无动力助行走设备

Devices that help people walk were once thought to be impossible to design without some kind of auxiliary power. But U.S. scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of North Carolina have built a small, wearable addition to ordinary shoes that reduces the burden on the calf muscle and makes walking easier.

Burning less calories while walking seems like a bad idea, but making the walk easier may actually keep people on their feet longer, and that scientists say, has substantial health benefits.

走路时消耗较少的卡路里似乎不是个好主意，但让行走更加容易却能让人走得更久，科学家说这对健康还很有益。

Analyzing the human walk, biomedical engineers Steven Collins and Greg Sawicki concluded that our ankles and calves perform motions similar to a spring coupled with a clutch that intermittently stores and releases energy.

生物医学工程师斯蒂夫·柯林斯和格雷格·萨威基对人类行走进行分析，然后得出结论，我们的脚踝和小腿所进行的运动，和安装了离合器的弹簧很像，离合器能间歇地储存和释放能量。

Sawicki spoke to VOA via Skype.

萨威基通过Skype接受了美国之音的采访：

“We found in basic science experiments that that system, your calf and Achilles tendon, works a lot like a catapult. So, the muscle holds on to the tendon and your body actually stretches your Achilles tendon quite a bit and then stores the energy in the tissue and then it’s given back to propel you forward in the world,” he said.

“我们在基础科学实验中发现，人的小腿和跟腱这个系统的工作原理很像弹弓，肌肉会紧握跟腱，然后人体稍微放开跟腱，将能量储藏在组织中，然后将能量释放出来推动人行走。”

Sawicki said he and his colleague Steven Collins at Carnegie Mellon University designed a mechanical device, made of carbon fiber and metal, that performs the same sequence of energy give-and-take outside the body. The system takes over part of the work of walking, and reduces the amount of required energy by as much as seven percent.

萨威基说他和卡耐基梅隆大学的同事斯蒂夫·柯林斯设计了一个由碳化纤维和金属制成的机械装置，其运作和人体能量释放和储存的顺序一样。该系统能进行部分行走工作，并将所需能量减少7%。

Wearing the unpowered ankle exoskeleton can help people either walk farther with the same amount of energy, or restore the normal movement pattern for people who have trouble walking.

穿着这种无动力脚踝外骨骼能帮助人用同样的能量走得更远，也可以帮助那些行走不便的人恢复正常的行走模式。

Sawicki said it takes only a few minutes to get used to the exoskeleton but the wearer quickly learns to tone down the muscle energy as the device takes over part of the load.

萨威基说只需要几分钟就能习惯于这种外骨骼，因为该设备将承担部分负重，所以穿的人能很快学会降低肌肉能量。

“You really don’t notice it until when you take it off. And when you take it off you realize that it was there and giving you the boost,” he said.

“直到你脱下这套设备才意识到这一点，脱下来的时候你会意识到是这套设备在推动你行走。”

Sawicki added that the device is primarily intended for people recovering from surgery or a stroke. But all persons who spend a lot of time walking, such as police officers or hospital personnel, could benefit from it.

萨威基说该设备设计的最初目的是帮助人们从手术或中风中恢复，但所有那些花很长时间行走的人都能从中受益，比如警察和医院工作人员。

At the moment there are no plans to develop the ankle exoskeleton for the market, but the inventors say some manufacturers have expressed interest.

目前上没有开发这种脚踝外骨骼设备以供出售的计划，但发明者称有些制造商已经表示感兴趣。