VOA慢速英语--水下机器人捕捉狮子鱼以保护珊瑚礁

Underwater Robot to Hunt Lionfish to Help Protect Coral Reefs

Lionfish are known for their beauty and unusual look, a common choice for people showing off the colorful creatures in fish tanks.

But lionfish are also poisonous, with extremely long and separated spines² to carry and shoot poison.

The native environment for lionfish includes the South Pacific and Indian Ocean. However, sea experts say lionfish were at some time released into the Atlantic Ocean, likely by people who had kept them in tanks.

Lionfish are currently considered a great threat to coral reefs and related sea life in coastal³ waters of the southeastern United States and Caribbean.

Scientists say the fish is a top predator⁴ that competes for food and space with native fish in the area. Lionfish kill off and eat many other kinds of fish that are important in helping⁵ coral reefs grow and stay healthy.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric⁶ Administration (NOAA) says lionfish reproduce very quickly and are continuing to expand. NOAA scientists predict further reef damage as lionfish keep attacking fish populations already threatened by the effects of climate change, pollution and overfishing.

Now there is a new solution for fighting back. University researchers are developing an underwater robot to hunt down, kill and collect lionfish.

A student-led team at Worcester Polytechnic⁷ Institute in Massachusetts developed the robot. The team recently demonstrated the device and is continuing to test and make changes to it.

The team says it used machine learning, advanced computer vision libraries and brain like networks to develop the robot’s vision. It is also equipped to operate underwater without human control.

The robot is designed to recognize the lionfish, chase it and shoot the animal with a spear. The spear then separates from the robot and floats the fish to the surface for collection.

Craig Putnam is a computer science professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and a director of the school’s Robotics Engineering Program. He says the robot was built to simplify the process of hunting down and collecting this aggressive fish.

“The goal is to be able to toss the robot over the side of a boat and have it go down to the reef, plot out a course, and begin its search,” he said.

Putnam notes the robot will be required to follow a complex path to avoid the reef, other sea creatures – and people - to reach and catch its target. But his team is hopeful the fishlike vehicle can “be a part of the environmental solution” to limit further damage.

Putnam said his team trained the robot system by showing it thousands of images of lionfish in different colors, from many directions and under different lighting⁸ conditions. The robot can correctly identify lionfish about 95 percent of the time, he added.

The head of the university’s Robotics Resource Center, Kenneth Stafford, said he is glad the development team was not afraid to take on such a serious environmental problem. “This is a real-world problem and the students attacked it,” he said.

The team said one of the hardest parts of the project was designing a container for the robot’s electronics system. It had to protect it from the harmful effects of saltwater.

In the coming months, the team will be working to perfect the robot’s satellite guidance system.

The researchers hope that in addition to helping reduce reef damage, the system can also provide economic help. They say that since lionfish are a popular food item, fisherman could use the robots to safely catch the fish and sell it to local restaurants.

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

spine¹ – n. line of bones going down the center of the back that provides support for the body and protects the spinal⁹ cord

predator – n. animal that hunts and kills other animals for food

coral reef – n. long line of coral that lies in warm, shallow water (coral: a hard material formed on the bottom of the sea by the skeletons of small creatures)

spear – n. pole with a sharp point at one end that is used as a weapon

toss – v. throw

plot – v. map out plans for direction

1 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

2 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

4 predator   

n.捕食其它动物的动物；捕食者

参考例句：

• The final part of this chapter was devoted to a brief summary of predator species.本章最后部分简要总结了食肉动物。
• Komodo dragon is the largest living lizard and a fearsome predator.科摩多龙是目前存在的最大蜥蜴，它是一种令人恐惧的捕食性动物。

5 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

6 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

7 polytechnic   

adj.各种工艺的，综合技术的；n.工艺(专科)学校；理工(专科)学校

参考例句：

• She was trained as a teacher at Manchester Polytechnic.她在曼彻斯特工艺专科学校就读，准备毕业后做老师。
• When he was 17,Einstein entered the Polytechnic Zurich,Switzerland,where he studied mathematics and physics.17岁时，爱因斯坦进入了瑞士苏黎士的专科学院，学习数学和物理学。

8 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

9 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。