VOA慢速英语2019 什么是货运机器人？（在线收听）

With Christmas a few weeks away, many Americans are busy preparing lists of what to give friends or loved ones for the holiday.

离圣诞节只有几个星期了，很多美国人正忙于准备这个节日赠送给亲朋好友的礼物清单。

This holiday season, people will be able to buy a cargo-carrying robot that follows them around like a dog. But it is unclear if the device will be a popular gift.

在这个节日里，人们将能够买到一款像狗一样跟随他们行走的货运机器人。但是尚不清楚该设备是否会成为一种流行的礼品。

Large companies like Amazon, FedEx and Ford have already been experimenting with sending delivery robots to homes across the United States.

亚马逊、联邦快递和福特等大型公司已经在尝试将送货机器人派往到美国各地的家庭。

Now an Italian company is offering robots directly to consumers. The company, Piaggio, is best known as the manufacturer of the Vespa scooter.

现在，一家意大利公司开始直接面向消费者出售机器人。这家名为比亚乔的公司最著名的身份是韦士柏踏板车的制造商。

The new robot, called the Gita, weighs about 23 kilograms and costs $3,250. The name Gita comes from the Italian word for a short, pleasurable trip.

这款名为吉塔的新款机器人重约23公斤，售价为3250美元。吉塔这个名字来自于意大利语，意思是短暂而又愉快的旅程。

The robot's creators had short trips in mind when they designed it. The Gita is a "hands-free carrier" that can hold fruits, vegetables and other objects as it follows its owner down the street.

这款机器人的创造者在设计时想到了短途旅行。吉塔是一种“解放双手的运输工具，”它可以装着水果、蔬菜和其它物品，跟随主人在街上走动。

The Gita does not require use of a telephone or wireless device; it also does not use GPS technology or facial recognition.

吉塔不需要使用电话或无线设备，也无需使用GPS技术或面部识别。

"It basically just locks onto you and tracks you," said Jeffrey Schnapp. He is a co-founder of Piaggio Fast Forward.

杰弗里·施纳普表示：“它纯碎是自动跟随着你走。”施纳普是比亚乔 Fast Forward 公司的共同创始人。

How much should a robot cost?

一款机器人要花多少钱？

Whether the device will be a success is not yet clear. Tech industry experts are already saying the Gita will fail unless the company finds a more useful purpose. Examples include carrying tools around hospitals, factory floors or places where products are stored.

该设备是否能取得成功尚不得而知。科技行业专家已经表示，除非能找到更有用的用途，否则吉塔注定要失败。例如用于医院、工厂车间或是仓库运送工具。

J.P. Gownder follows technology for the market research company Forrester. He says the Gita could be priced too high.

J·P·葛文德在福雷斯特市场研究公司跟踪科技动态。他说吉塔可能定价过高。

"That's a lot of money for what is in effect just a cargo-carrying robot that's going to carry your groceries," he said.

他说：“作为一款实际上只是搬运杂货的货运机器人，这价格太贵了。”

Startup companies like Starship Technologies have a different business plan for their own delivery robots. Starship charges users as little as $1.99 if they order one of its rovers to bring coffee or a meal.

像星舰科技这样的新兴公司对他们的送货机器人有着不同的商业计划。如果用户下单让星舰公司的送货机器人送咖啡或餐食，该公司只收取用户低至1.99美元的费用。

So far, the best places to find the company's six wheelers are U.S. colleges: The University of Houston and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, for example. The robots can carry up to 9 kilograms.

到目前为止，能找到该公司这种六轮送货机器人的最佳地点是美国的大学，例如休斯顿大学和威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校。这款机器人最大可承重9公斤。

Sadie Garcia is a student at the University of Houston. "I love them. I think they're so cute," she said, as one of the machines arrived carrying a sandwich for her. Garcia said she was so cold she did not want to leave her room.

塞迪·加西亚是休斯顿大学的一名学生。当一台星舰公司的送货机器人为她送来三明治时，她说：“我喜欢它们，我觉得它们太可爱了。”加西亚表示，她太冷了不想出门。

Starship co-founder Ahti Heinla said his company once thought about selling the machines directly to consumers. But the business dropped the idea after discovering it would have to sell them for more than $3,000 each.

星舰公司的联合创始人阿哈迪·赫恩拉表示，他的公司曾考虑将这款机器直接卖给消费者。但是该公司发现每台送货机器人必须要卖到3千美元以上后放弃了这个想法。

Amazon is experimenting with a similar-looking machine that transports retail goods to a few U.S. neighborhoods. FedEx is testing its own delivery rover vehicle in partnership with other businesses, such as Pizza Hut, Walmart, Target and Walgreens.

亚马逊公司正在试验一款外观类似的机器人，它可以将零售商品送到美国少数社区。联邦快递正在跟必胜客、沃尔玛、塔吉特和沃尔格林等企业合作测试自己的送货机器人。

So far, none are as far along as Starship, which has hundreds of its machines already in service.

到目前为止还没有哪家公司像星舰公司一样已经有数百台送货机器人已经投入使用。

Ground-based or Aerial Deliveries?

地面还是空中交付？

While Forrester's Gownder expressed concerns about the Gita, he is more hopeful about delivery robots such as the Starship. He thinks their autonomy will help save labor costs.

尽管福雷斯特市场研究公司的葛文德对吉塔表示了担忧，但他对诸如星舰公司之类的送货机器人抱有更大希望。他认为它们的自主运行将有助于节省人工成本。

Gownder said the important question is whether ground-based rovers or aerial delivery drones will be more successful.

葛文德表示，最重要的问题在于，地面送货机器人或空中送货无人机是否会更加成功。

The wheeled cargo robots currently in use have limitations.

当前使用的轮式送货机器人具有局限性。

And anyone who is simply looking to pull home products without heavy lifting can find durable wagons for less than $100.

而且任何只是想要拉动家居用品而无需搬动重物的人士都可以找到价格不到100美元的耐用手推车。