2020年经济学人 和机器人同行(1)

They might appear cutesy, but a pair of robots that turned up recently

最近，在福特汽车公司位于底特律的范戴克变速器厂

at the Ford¹ Motor Company's Van Dyke² Transmission Plant, in Detroit, are practical working machines.

出现了一对机器人，它们看起来可能很可爱，但却是实用的工作机器。

They may, indeed, point to the future of automation. Putting robots into factories is hardly a new idea—

的确，它们可能预示着自动化的未来。将机器人投入工厂并不是什么新想法——

some 2.4m of them are already at work in plants around the world.

其中约240万台机器人已经在世界各地的工厂中投入使用。

But most of these are little more than giant arms, bolted firmly to the ground, that weld and paint things.

但其中大部分都不过是牢牢固定在地面上的巨大手臂，用于焊接和涂漆工作。

Those few that have the mobility³ to manage tasks like delivering components⁴ do so by scooting along on wheels.

那些能够移动管理递送组建等任务的少数机器人是通过在轮子上快速移动来完成任务的。

The new devices at Van Dyke are rather different sorts of beasts. They can walk.

范戴克变速器厂出现的新设备是相当不同的类型，它们可以行走。

This pair of bright-yellow quadrupeds look a bit like dogs, prompting one to be nicknamed Fluffy⁵ and the other Spot

这两个亮黄色的四脚机器看起来有点像狗，一只被戏称为Fluffy，另一只叫Spot

(which latter moniker is also the official name given to this model of robot by the firm that manufactures them, Boston Dynamics⁶, a subsidiary of SoftBank).

（后一个名字也是制造它们的公司Boston Dynamics（软银分公司）给这个机器人模型取得官方名字）。

The pair are not there to amuse the factory's human workers, though,

它们在工厂里可不是为了娱乐工厂的人类员工，

but rather to perform an important task that Ford hopes will save it a ton of money.

而是为了完成一项重要的任务，福特公司希望因此能节省一大笔钱。

With laser scanners mounted on their backs, Fluffy and Spot can scamper⁷ around the 200,000 square-metre plant collecting data.

它们的背部装有激光扫描仪，Fluffy和Spot可以在20万平方米的工厂快速奔跑着收集数据。

Those data will be employed to build a detailed⁸ computer model of the entire manufacturing operation.

那些数据将用于建造整个制造操作的详细计算机模型。

This sort of model is called a digital twin, and Ford's engineers will use it to work out how to rearrange the production line to produce a new gearbox.

这种模型被称为数字映射，并且福特的工程师将用它来研究如何重新安排生产线以生产一种新的变速箱。

Over the years, factory plans get out of date as things are moved around and new equipment is brought in.

多年来，随着物品的转移和新设备的引进，工厂计划已经过时。

Surveying the transmission plant by hand would take weeks and cost some $300,000.

人工勘测传输工厂将耗时数周，耗资约30万美元。

Ford reckons that Fluffy and Spot, which can both climb stairs and crawl into hard-to-reach areas,

Fluffy和Spotdo都可以爬楼梯，也能爬进难以到达的地方，

will cut the time required by half and complete the job for "a fraction of the cost".

福特认为它们能够将所需时间减半，并以“小部分成本”完成这项工作。

Although Ford is leasing the robots, Boston Dynamics has now put them on sale for $75,000 a pop.

虽然福特正在租用这些机器人，但Boston Dynamics现在以每台7.5万美元的价格出售它们。

At that price they would soon pay for themselves doing tasks like the one being undertaken in Van Dyke.

以这样的价格，他们很快就能为自己做的任务买单，比如在范戴克变速器厂中进行那项任务。

The Spot range is the first of Boston Dynamics's walking robots to be commercialised.

Spot系列是Boston Dynamics第一款商业化的行走机器人。

More such machines are starting to appear from other firms and research groups. Some are also quadrupeds. Others are bipedal.

越来越多的此类机器开始出现在其他公司和研究团体中。一些也是四脚的，一些是双脚的。

The two-legged sort can be more agile⁹ and, if equipped with arms as well, are better suited to tasks like picking things up or operating controls.

两腿类型可以更加敏捷，并且如果配上臂膀，就更适用于捡东西或操控等任务了。

What all of these machines have in common is that they represent—forgive the pun—a huge step forward in robot locomotion¹⁰.

这些机器的共同点时它们代表着——恕我直言——机器人移动上的巨大进步。

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 dyke   

n.堤，水坝，排水沟

参考例句：

• If one sheep leap over the dyke,all the rest will follow.一只羊跳过沟，其余的羊也跟着跳。
• One ant-hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke.千里长堤，溃于蚁穴。

3 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

4 components   

（机器、设备等的）构成要素，零件，成分； 成分( component的名词复数 )； [物理化学]组分； [数学]分量； （混合物的）组成部分

参考例句：

• the components of a machine 机器部件
• Our chemistry teacher often reduces a compound to its components in lab. 在实验室中化学老师常把化合物分解为各种成分。

5 fluffy   

adj.有绒毛的，空洞的

参考例句：

• Newly hatched chicks are like fluffy balls.刚孵出的小鸡像绒毛球。
• The steamed bread is very fluffy.馒头很暄。

6 dynamics   

n.力学，动力学，动力，原动力；动态

参考例句：

• In order to succeed,you must master complicated knowledge of dynamics.要取得胜利，你必须掌握很复杂的动力学知识。
• Dynamics is a discipline that cannot be mastered without extensive practice.动力学是一门不做大量习题就不能掌握的学科。

7 scamper   

v.奔跑，快跑

参考例句：

• She loves to scamper through the woods of the forest.她喜欢在森林里的树林中穿梭嬉戏。
• The flash sent the foxes scampering away.闪光惊得狐狸四处逃窜。

8 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

9 agile   

adj.敏捷的，灵活的

参考例句：

• She is such an agile dancer!她跳起舞来是那么灵巧！
• An acrobat has to be agile.杂技演员必须身手敏捷。

10 locomotion   

n.运动，移动

参考例句：

• By land,air or sea,birds are masters of locomotion.无论是通过陆地，飞越空中还是穿过海洋，鸟应算是运动能手了。
• Food sources also elicit oriented locomotion and recognition behavior patterns in most insects.食物源也引诱大多数昆虫定向迁移和识别行为。