民用无人机给非洲带来希望和质疑

    From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语科技报道。

    African militaries want drones to help them guard their borders and large open spaces, but makers of these drones, which are also call unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, say they could do much more than military work. They could deliver medicines, protect endangered species, and move goods quickly and cheaply. But some experts warn that letting drones operate even for "good" uses could create problems.
    非洲军方想用无人机帮助他们保卫边境及大片空地,但无人机制造商表示,无人机能做的远不止军事工作。他们可以投递药品,保护濒危物种,快速又廉价的转运货物。但一些专家表示,即使让无人机用于“好”的方面,也会产生一些问题。

    Kenyan engineer James Munyoki has built several drones. One of them can carry a load of upto 6 kilograms. He is trying to increase that to 10 kilograms.
    肯尼亚工程师James Munyoki已经建成数架无人机。其中一架无人机可以携带高达6公斤的负重。他正试图将其提高到10公斤。

    "When I started building them, I was thinking the payload would be something like a camera for surveillance purposes. We need that in Kenya. That would enhance security. Apart from that, it can also monitor traffic. These are drones that can be used for journalism or photography, so the application is not just going to be for military purpose or security purpose," said Munyoki.
    他说,“当我开始建造它们时我在想装备可能是用于监控的摄像头之类的。肯尼亚需要这。这会增加安全性。除此之外,它还能用于监控交通。有些无人机能用于新闻或摄影。所以它的用途不仅仅是军事用途或安全用途。”

    Park rangers in South Africa are flying small drones to watch over endangered rhinos. Some experts say drones could also be use to document the flow of refugees trying to escape conflict from their country, or to record governmental abuses of human rights. They could help in search and rescue operations, and transport aid to hard-to-reach or dangerous areas.
    南非的公园护林员利用小型无人机监视濒临灭绝的犀牛。一些专家说,无人机还可以用于记录试图逃离本国冲突的难民的流动,或记录政府侵犯人权的行为。它们还能帮助搜救行动,以及向难以到达的或危险的地区运送援助。

    Africa's strong economic growth and bad road conditions are seeing as a great business opportunity for drone makers. They believe battery-powered drones could move from one charging center to another, carry items to villages far from cities.
    非洲强劲的经济增长和恶劣的路况被视为是无人机制造商一个巨大的商业机会。他们认为,电池驱动的无人机可以从一个充电站飞到另一个充电站,向远离城市的农村运送物品。

    Kristin Sandvik is the director of the Norwegian Centre for Humanitarian Studies. She says drones may solve some problems but create others.
    克里斯汀·山特维克(Kristin Sandvik)是挪威人道主义研究中心的负责人。她表示,无人机可能会解决一些问题,但也会产生一些问题。

    "Across Africa, very few countries have comprehensive domestic legislation on privacy and data protection and information storage....A drone cannot only see or listen. It can also sense and hear and read. So in a couple of years time when you have the smaller drones also outfitted with facial recognition technology. A smaller drones that could potentially hack into wireless systems," said Sandvik.
    山特维克说,“整个非洲只有极少数国家针对隐私、数据保护以及信息储存有全面的国内立法。无人机不仅能看或听,还能感知、听到和读取。所以几年时间后当你有了无人机还配备了面部识别技术。小型无人机还可能攻入无线系统。”

    Ms Sandvik says drones carrying cameras maybe use to deliver aid to a refugee camp, but she asks, what happens to the information it may gather.
    山特维克女士表示,携带摄像头的无人机也许能用于向难民营运送援助,但她质疑,它可能收集到的信息会怎么处理?

    "Is the drone going to then give [over] all of this humanitarian crisis mapping information? Is that going to be handed over the International Criminal Court for example?" Sandvik questioned.
    山特维克女士质疑道:“举例来说,无人机会清除所有这些人道主义危机的图谱信息?还是会移交给国际刑事法院?”

    Drones are not get ready for widespread use. The sensor technology needed to prevent drones from crashing into things needs to be improved. They are also costly, and in most countries, drones or other aircraft can not be flown without special laws governing their use.
    无人机尚未做好广泛应用的准备。用于防止无人机撞机的传感技术尚有待提高。它们也非常昂贵,而且在很多国家,无人机或其它航空器未获得专门法律监管其使用就不能飞行。

    Opponents and supporters of drones do not agree on much, but they do agree that the technology is coming likely within the next 10 years. And they say Africa needs to be ready.
    无人机的反对者和支持者在很多问题上意见不一致,但他们一致认为,该技术可能在未来10年内得到应用。他们说,非洲必须做好准备。

    And that is the Technology Report from VOA Learning English.
    以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语科技报道的全部内容。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)