VOA慢速英语2021 波音公司希望在元宇宙开发下一代飞机（在线收听）

In the Boeing company's aircraft factory of the future, 3-D engineering designs work with robots that talk to each other. At the same time, mechanics around the world will be linked in through Microsoft headsets that provide a mixed reality experience.

在波音公司未来的飞机工厂中，3D工程设计与可交流机器人协同工作。与此同时，世界各地的机械师将通过提供混合现实体验的微软头戴式设备连接起来。

The Boeing plan aims to unite design, production and airline services operations under a single, digital manufacturing system. The company says it will put in place in the next two years.

波音公司的方案旨在将设计、生产和航空运营整合到一个单一的数字化制造系统之下。该公司表示将在未来两年内实施该方案。

Boeing has repeatedly expressed its goal of a digital revolution, but critics say the company's efforts toward the goal have had mixed results. Industry observers say the goals of improving quality and safety have grown more important as the company faces several threats.

波音公司一再向外界传达其数字革命的目标，但是批评人士表示，该公司为实现此目标所作努力的结果喜忧参半。行业观察人士表示，随着该公司面临多种威胁，提高质量和安全性的目标变得愈发重要。

The airplane maker is trying to regain the trust of fliers after the 737 MAX crisis. That plane that was grounded for more than two years after two crashes blamed on electrical problems.

在737MAX危机之后，这家飞机制造商正试图重新获得飞行员的信任。在发生两起归咎于电气问题的坠机事故之后，该机型被停飞两年多时间。

The company says is starting a future aircraft program over the next 10 years that will cost $15 billion.

该公司表示将在未来10年内启动一项将耗资150亿美元的未来飞机计划。

It also aims to prevent future manufacturing problems like the structural problems that affected the 787 Dreamliner over the past year.

它还旨在防止未来发生制造问题，例如过去一年影响787梦想飞机的结构问题。

"It's about strengthening engineering," Boeing's chief engineer, Greg Hyslop, told Reuters.

波音公司总工程师格雷格·希斯洛普对路透社表示：“这是为了加强工程技术。”

"We are talking about changing the way we work across the entire company," he added.

他还表示：“我们正在讨论改变整个公司的工作方式。”

After years of wild changes in the industry's market, the demand for new airplanes has heightened the competition between Boeing and Europe's Airbus. Now, their battle moves into factory operations.

行业市场经过多年的剧烈变化，对新飞机的需求加剧了波音和欧洲空客之间的竞争。现在，他们的战场转入了工厂运营。

Airbus Chief Executive Guillaume Faury is a former automobile research executive. He has promised to "invent new production systems and leverage the power of data" to move its industrial system into the 21st century.

空客公司首席执行官纪尧姆·福里曾任汽车研究主管。他承诺“发明新的生产系统并利用数据的力量”，将其工业系统推向21世纪。

Boeing's digital improvement to date has been marked by progress within certain airplane programs or tools. It has not undergone a total, digital remodel like the kind Hyslop is proposing.

到目前为止，波音公司数字化改进的标志是在特定飞机项目或工具上的进步。它没有像希斯洛普所提议的那样进行全面的数字化改造。

A new way

新方式

The airplane manufacturers are not alone in their goal to enter the so-called metaverse, a shared digital space that employs virtual reality technology. Automakers like Ford, social media companies like Facebook owner Meta Platforms and other businesses are making similar moves.

飞机制造商的目标并不单单是进入所谓的元宇宙，这是一个采用虚拟现实技术的共享数字空间。福特等汽车制造商、Facebook母公司Meta Platforms等社交媒体公司以及其它企业也都采取类似举措。

Boeing wants development of its next aircraft to include a link to a three-dimensional digital model of the new plane. It also wants the production system to be able to run simulations.

波音公司希望在下一架飞机的研发中加入新飞机的三维数字模型的链接。它还希望生产系统能够运行模拟。

The digital models are backed by a "digital thread" that collects every piece of information about the aircraft starting on its first day of development. This includes airline requirements records, millions of equipment parts, thousands of pages of official approvals, and beyond.

数字模型由一条“数字线”支撑，这条数字线从开发的第一天开始收集有关飞机的每条信息。这包括航空公司的需求清单、数百万个设备部件以及数千页官方批文等等。

Go with the new

与时俱进

Ending outdated methods, like designing on paper, could bring powerful change.

停止类似纸上设计的过时方法可能会带来强大变革。

More than 70 percent of quality issues at Boeing have something to do with design, Hyslop said. Boeing believes digital tools will be important to bringing a new aircraft to market in as little as four or five years.

希斯洛普表示，波音公司70%以上的质量问题都与设计有关。波音公司认为，数字工具对于在短短四五年内将新飞机推向市场非常重要。

"You will get speed, you will get improved quality, better communication," Hyslop said.

希斯洛普说：“你会得到速度、改善的质量以及更好的沟通。”

Enormous challenge

巨大的挑战

Yet the plan faces major difficulty in execution.

然而该方案在执行上面临重大困难。

Automotive experts point to technical problems on two of Boeing's military training aircraft. Both were developed using digital systems.

汽车专家指出了波音公司两架军用训练飞机的技术问题。两者都是使用数字系统开发。

Boeing has been too concerned about shareholder returns, says Richard Aboulafia an expert with the Teal Group. He said the company's engineering expertise has been hurt as a result. The company continues to cut spending on research, he added.

蒂尔集团的专家理查德·阿布拉菲亚表示，波音一直过于关注股东回报。他说该公司的工程技术因此受到了损害。他还表示，该公司继续削减研发支出。

Large companies like aircraft parts maker Spirit AeroSystems have already invested in digital technology. But hundreds of smaller suppliers around the world do not have the money or skilled labor to make important, digital changes to their manufacturing systems.

飞机零部件制造商势必锐航空系统公司等大公司已经在数字技术上进行了投资。但是全球数百家小型供应商缺乏资金或是熟练劳动力来对其制造系统进行重要的数字化变革。

Industry experts say Boeing has come to realize that digital technology alone will not be enough. They say the company also must make organizational and cultural changes.

行业专家表示，波音公司已经意识到光凭数字技术是不够的。他们说该公司还必须进行组织和文化变革。