​Do We Need Human-like Robots?

Do We Need Human-like Robots?

我们需要类似人类的机器人吗？

【原文听力】

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　　By Gregory Stachel

　　08 November 2023

　　Building a robot that is both human-like and useful has been a goal of engineers for many years.

　　Interest in the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) has created another wave of investment in robot technology to build a human-like robot. But most of the current robot models that aim to look like people are not too effective. They appear to work well in planned performances but not in real life. However, this has not stopped some startups from continuing to develop human-like, or humanoid, robots.

　　"The intention is not to start from the beginning,'" said Jonathan Hurst. He is co-founder and chief robot officer at Agility Robotics. "We're trying to make robots that can operate in human spaces."

　　Hurst said Agility's robot Digit is designed to do human things. It is not designed to look like a human.

　　What it does is pick up objects and move them. Amazon announced in October that the company will begin testing the Digit robot for use in some of its storage buildings. Agility opened a factory in the western state of Oregon in September to mass produce their robot.

　　Digit has a head containing cameras, other sensors, animated eyes, and an upper body that provides power. It has two arms and two legs, but its legs are not human-like. It looks similar to cats and dogs that walk on the very end of their feet, rather than on flat feet.

　　Competing robot-makers, like Figure AI, are designing robots differently. The company believes that only human-like robots can effectively work in places built for humans.

　　Figure AI also plans to start developing robots for simpler uses. But it aims to build robots that can perform more than one job to help take over work from humans.

　　"There's not enough people doing these jobs, so the market's massive," said Figure AI chief Brett Adcock. He said he believes his company can sell millions or even billions of humanoid robots if it can make a robot do a human's work.

　　At the moment, however, Adcock's company does not have a model that is ready. The company was founded just over a year ago after it raised tens of millions of dollars. Figure AI released a 38-second video of its robot, Figure, walking through its building in California.

　　Elon Musk, head of Tesla, is also trying to build a human-like robot, called Optimus, in the electric carmaker's robotics division. But a presentation of the robot's walking last year did not win over experts in the field.

　　Agility's Digit robot caught Amazon's attention because it can walk and move in a way that would work well with the robots the company already uses. Those robots look like vehicles and work in large buildings carrying heavy loads.

　　Tye Brady is Amazon's chief technologist for robotics. He said the way the robot moves "is more interesting" than the way it looks.

　　Agility Robotics co-founder and chief Damion Shelton said its Digit robot is "just the first use case" of a new generation of robots. He hopes people will embrace robots rather than fear them as they enter businesses and homes.

　　"So, in 10, 20 years, you're going to see these robots everywhere," Shelton said. He added: "...Human-centric robots like that are going to be part of human life."

　　I'm Gregory Stachel.

　　Matt O'Brien reported this story for The Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted the story for VOA Learning English.

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　　作者:格雷戈里·斯塔切尔

　　2023年11月8日

　　制造一个既像人又有用的机器人是工程师们多年来的目标。

　　对人工智能(AI)想法的兴趣创造了另一波对机器人技术的投资，以建造一个类似人类的机器人。但目前大多数旨在看起来像人的机器人模型并不太有效。他们似乎在计划的表演中工作得很好，但在现实生活中却不行。然而，这并没有阻止一些创业公司继续开发类人机器人。

　　“那个目的不是从头开始，’”乔纳森·赫斯特说。他是Agility Robotics的联合创始人兼首席机器人官。我们正试图制造能在人类空间工作的机器人。"

　　赫斯特表示，Agility的机器人Digit旨在做人类的事情。它的设计看起来不像人类。

　　它的作用是拿起物体并移动它们。亚马逊在10月份宣布，该公司将开始测试数字机器人，用于其一些仓储建筑。今年9月，Agility在西部的俄勒冈州开设了一家工厂，大规模生产他们的机器人。

　　Digit的头部有摄像头，其他传感器，愉快的眼睛和提供能量的上半身。它有两只胳膊和两条腿，但它的腿不像人类。它看起来类似于猫和狗用脚的末端行走，而不是平足。

　　像Figure AI这样相互竞争的机器人制造商正在以不同的方式设计机器人。该公司认为，只有类似人类的机器人才能在为人类建造的地方有效工作。

　　Figure AI还计划开始开发更简单用途的机器人。但是它的目标是制造可以执行多种工作的机器人，以帮助取代人类的工作。

　　“没有足够的人做这些工作，所以市场是巨大的，”数字人工智能首席布雷特·阿德科克说。他说，如果能让机器人做人类的工作，他相信他的公司能卖出数百万甚至数十亿台人形机器人。

　　然而，目前阿德考克的公司还没有现成的模型。该公司在筹集了数千万美元后于一年多前成立。Figure AI发布了一段38秒的视频，展示了它的机器人Figure走过它在加州的大楼。

　　特斯拉(Tesla)首席执行官埃隆马斯克(Elon Musk)也试图在这家电动汽车制造商的机器人部门制造一款类似人类的机器人，名为Optimus。但是去年机器人行走的展示并没有赢得该领域专家的支持。

　　Agility的数字机器人引起了亚马逊的注意，因为它可以行走和移动，可以与该公司已经使用的机器人很好地配合。这些机器人看起来像交通工具，在大型建筑中搬运重物。

　　Tye Brady是亚马逊的首席机器人技术专家。他说机器人移动的方式比它看起来的方式“更有趣”。

　　Agility Robotics联合创始人兼首席执行官Damion Shelton表示，其数字机器人“只是新一代机器人的第一个用例”。他希望人们会拥抱当机器人进入企业和家庭时，他们不会害怕。

　　谢尔顿说:“因此，在10年、20年后，你会在任何地方看到这些机器人。”他补充道...人中心的像那样的机器人将成为人类生活的一部分。"

　　我是格雷戈里·斯塔切尔。

　　马特·奥布莱恩为美联社报道了这个故事。Gregory Stachel为VOA英语学习改编了这个故事。

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　　这个故事中的词语

　　startup – n. (business jargon) 一个通用术语，指的是一个拥有新产品的新企业，它不提供法律规定的企业组织信息

　　intention – n. 你计划做或实现的事情:目标或目的

　　animated –adj. 能够移动或者改变

　　embrace – v.欣然或愉快地接受(某物或某人)

　　表示“有…中心的”:-centric – adj. 以(某事物)为中心兴趣、影响或主题的