VOA常速英语2015--能做饭的机器人即将进入厨房

能做饭的机器人即将进入厨房

Search-and-rescue operations in dangerous environments are often seen as the first areas that will employ advanced robots. But there is another segment of everyday life that may soon see many robots taking over jobs usually reserved for humans: the restaurant industry.

At the DARPA Robotic Challenge competition held in California, robots were required to complete tasks quite simple for humans — drive a vehicle, climb up steps, cross some rough terrain 1, shut a valve. Some spectacular failures illustrated 2 how hard it is to design efficient walking machines.

在加州举行的DARPA机器人挑战赛上，机器人杯要求完成对人类来说很简单的任务，比如开车、爬梯子、穿过不平的地面、关闭阀门。有些华丽丽的失败说明了很难设计出高效的行走机器人。

Only a few days later, at an annual food machinery 3 and technology exhibition in Tokyo, a stationary 4 robotic chef prepared food with remarkable 5 versatility 6, while other machines cooked, baked pastries 7 and even wrapped perfect sushi.

就在几天后，在东京举行的年度食品机械和技术展览上，一个静止的机器人厨师以令人惊叹的多功能性准备着食物，同时有其他机器人在烹饪、烘焙面点，甚至包着完美的寿司。

Akihiro Suzuki, assistant manager at Yaskawa Electric, said his company's robot, MOTOMAN-SDA5, could be an excellent kitchen assistant because it never gets tired.

安川电机公司副经理铃木明弘称本公司的机器人MOTOMAN-SDA5永远不会疲倦，可以做一名出色的厨房助理。

“Obviously, it's difficult for him to taste or adjust heat or seasonings 9 properly to get the best flavor," Suzuki said. "But if it's simple cooking with a specific proportion of seasoning 8, he can repeat the same movement to reproduce the same dish.”

“显然，让他来品尝、调整热量或佐料来达到最佳口味是很难的，但如果是简单的烹饪，只需佐料的具体比例，他就能重复同样的动作来做出同样的饭菜。”

Visitors were impressed. Masayo Mori, watching the robot at work, said, "I wouldn't mind getting a husband like this for myself.”

参观者对此印象深刻，Masayo Mori观看了正在工作的机器人，她说，“我不介意有这样的丈夫。”

Suzumo Machinery displayed its sushi maker 10, which takes over the strenuous 11 and repetitive task of wrapping the increasingly popular Japanese delicacy 12.

Suzumo机械公司展出了寿司机器人，它能进行费力的重复性任务，制作这种越发流行的日本美食。

Hiroshi Monden, one of the company managers, said sushi "has been spread to the world, but sushi chefs are not as much. With this machine, anybody can make sushi so easily and repeatedly.”

该公司经理Hiroshi Monden说，“寿司已经遍及全世界，但寿司厨师还没有，有了这种机器，任何人都能轻易地进行重复的寿司制作。”

Another new technology that impressed onlookers 13 was a machine designed by the Furukawa Kikou company for scooping 15 and moving soft ingredients without leaving any residue 16. Development division manager Takuya Furukawa said the machine, SWITL, was perfect for the fast-food industry.

另一项给参观者留下深刻印象的新技术是由Furukawa Kikou公司开发的一款机器人，它能舀取和移动柔软的原料而不留痕迹。开发部经理Takuya Furukawa说这台名叫SWITL的机器人非常适合快餐业。

“This machine is devised to scoop 14 up soft material like hamburger patties or dough 17 to put them into ovens or freezers without spoiling their shapes,” he said.

“我们开发这款机器人来舀取汉堡包肉饼或面团等柔软材料，让它们放在烤箱或冰箱里，同时又不毁坏其外形。”

The company would not say what kind of technological 18 breakthrough their innovation was based upon. Experts suspect the surfaces may be covered with some kind of hydrophobic material that repels 19 water molecules 20.

这家公司没有透露其发明的机器人是基于哪种技术突破，专家揣测其表面可能覆盖有排斥水分子的疏水材料。

Other robots, such as those that frost cakes or peel and slice apples, may also find their way into today’s kitchens.

其他的机器人，比如那些能冷冻蛋糕、给苹果削皮并切片的机器人可能也会进入今天的厨房中。