VOA慢速英语--特斯拉将在明年建造一个人形机器人原型

Tesla Plans to Build Human-like Robot by Next Year

The chief of American electric carmaker Tesla says the company aims to complete a humanoid robot by next year.

Elon Musk¹ said last week that the robot, called Tesla Bot, will be designed to perform jobs that people do not like to do.

He added that the human-like machine would be based on the same artificial intelligence (AI) technology that Tesla uses in its automobiles². This includes a complex system of cameras and other devices to help the robot operate in real-world situations.

Musk said the machine -- which will stand about 1.7 meters tall -- is "intended to be friendly, of course." It will be designed to "navigate³ through a world built for humans," he added.

The company chief described the plans during a public presentation about Tesla's latest AI systems. Musk said the Tesla Bot will use a lot of the same technology that goes into the company's electric vehicles. "It kind of makes sense to put that onto a humanoid form," he said.

However, he repeated that the main purpose of the humanoid robot would be to take over jobs that are "dangerous, repetitive and boring" to people. "In the future, physical work will be a choice. If you want to do it you can, but you won't need to do it," Musk said.

He added, for example, that the humanoid robot would be able to understand simple instructions and perform duties as directed. Such instructions could involve work related to manufacturing or picking up food for people at the store.

Musk did not provide specific details about how Tesla's current systems would fit in with the operating model of the humanoid robot.

The use of such robots in manufacturing settings has the possibility to change the world's economy, Musk said. This is because it could help deal with labor⁴ shortages⁵ that are currently⁶ a problem.

"What is the economy? At the foundation of it is labor," he told the crowd gathered for the company's presentation. "Is there any actual limit to the economy? Maybe not."

The event was held days after a U.S. government safety agency said it was investigating a series of crashes involving Tesla cars. The crashes involved the company's driver assistance systems.

Musk did not comment on that decision during the company event. He repeated, however, that Tesla is confident that its full self-driving system will perform at higher safety levels than human drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it had identified 11 crashes involving Tesla models that struck emergency vehicles that were parked on the road. The accidents resulted in one death and 17 injuries.

The agency said it had confirmed that the Tesla cars involved were using either the company's Autopilot or Traffic-Aware Cruise⁷ Control systems just before the crashes. Both systems use a series of cameras and other devices to assist drivers.

Some industry experts questioned whether the humanoid robot described by Musk would become a reality. The Tesla chief has a history of announcing product launches that face major delays or are canceled.

Raj Rajkumar is a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. Speaking to Reuters, he asked, "Is the 'Tesla Bot' the next dream shot to pump up the hype machine?"

Rajkumar added: "I can safely say that it will be much longer than 10 years before a humanoid bot from any company on the planet can go to the store and get groceries for you."

Words in This Story

intend – v. to want and plan to do something

navigate – v. to find the right direction for traveling by using maps or other equipment

repetitive – adj. doing the same thing over and over again

boring – adj. not interesting or exciting

foundation –n. an idea or fact that provides support for something

confident – adj. sure about your ability to do things well

park – v. to leave a vehicle in a particular place for a period of time

hype – n. a lot of attention given to something, especially in media, to make it seem more important or exciting than it really is

1 musk   

n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫

参考例句：

• Musk is used for perfume and stimulant.麝香可以用作香料和兴奋剂。
• She scented her clothes with musk.她用麝香使衣服充满了香味。

2 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 navigate   

v.航行，飞行；导航，领航

参考例句：

• He was the first man to navigate the Atlantic by air.他是第一个飞越大西洋的人。
• Such boats can navigate on the Nile.这种船可以在尼罗河上航行。

4 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

5 shortages   

n.不足( shortage的名词复数 )；缺少；缺少量；不足额

参考例句：

• Food shortages often occur in time of war. 在战争期间常常发生粮食短缺的情形。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• At the same time, worldwide food and fuel shortages eased. 同时，世界性粮食和石油短缺的现象终止了。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

6 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

7 cruise   

v.巡航，航游，缓慢巡行；n.海上航游

参考例句：

• They went on a cruise to Tenerife.他们乘船去特纳利夫岛。
• She wants to cruise the canals of France in a barge.她想乘驳船游览法国的运河。