机器人即将进军餐饮业

    For many years, machines have been doing work that people once did, including some difficult jobs. Search and rescue operations in dangerous environments are often seen as the first areas that will employ high technology robots. But there is another area that may soon take jobs traditionally held by human beings: the restaurant industry.
    多年来,机器人一直在做人们曾经做过的工作,包括一些困难的工作。在危险环境中搜救往往被视为将采用高科技机器人的第一个领域。但是还有一个传统由人类把持的领域可能很快会被机器人取代,这就是餐饮业。

    Teams from around the world competed in early June at the DARPA Robotic Challenge Finals in California. A team from South Korea and its robot, called DRC-Hubo, won first place in the competition. The second and third place finishers were from the United States.
    六月初,来自世界各地的团队在加州参加了DARPA机器人挑战赛总决赛。来自韩国的一支团队和他们的机器人DRC-Hubo赢得了比赛第一名。第二名和第三名选手都来自美国。

    The robots were required to drive a vehicle, climb up steps and do mechanical work. Such activities are easy for humans to perform, but more difficult for machines.
    这些机器人被要求驾驶车辆、攀爬楼梯以及从事机械工作。这类活动让人类来做很简单,但是对机器人来说要难得多。

    Not all of the competitors were successful. The failures showed how difficult it is to design effective walking machines.
    并非所有的参赛者都成功了。失败者表明设计出有效的机器人是多么困难。

    Recently, crowds gathered for the food machinery and technology show in Tokyo, Japan. They witnessed a robotic chef preparing food. Other machines cooked, baked tasty pastries and even made sushi.
    近日,人们聚集到日本东京参观食品机械和技术展。他们亲眼目睹了一位机器人厨师做饭。其它机械人会烹调,烘培美味的蛋糕,甚至是做寿司。

    Akihiro Suzuki works at Yaskawa Electric, a company that develops robots. He says robots cannot do everything a human can, but they are able to work without becoming tired.
    Akihiro Suzuki就职于安川电机公司,这是一家开发机器人的公司。他说,机器人无法做到人类可以做到的所有事情,但是他们能够不知疲倦地工作。

    He says robots cannot taste food, change heating levels or seasonings to get the best flavor. But he says if a food can be easily prepared, a robot can repeat the same movement to reproduce the same meal.
    他说,机器人不能品尝美食,改变加热温度或调味品让味道更好。但他表示,如果一种食物很容易制作,机器人就能不断重复同样的动作,做出相同的食物。

    One Japanese woman who saw the robots working wanted to bring them home.
    一位看到这些机器人工作的日本女性想要把它买回家。

    Masayo Mori says she would like to have a husband who could work like a robot.
    Masayo Mori表示,她希望找到一个像机器人一样工作的丈夫。

    Suzumo Machinery demonstrated its sushi maker robot. It performs the often difficult work of wrapping the popular Japanese food. Hiroshi Monden is an official with the company.
    铃茂器工展示了该公司的寿司机器人。该机器人所做的是卷寿司这种通常很困难的工作。Hiroshi Monden是该公司的一位官员。

    He says people all over the world now eat sushi, but there are not enough skilled workers to prepare it. He says his machine can help anyone make sushi.
    他说,世界各地的人们现在都吃寿司,但是没有足够的熟练工人来做寿司。他说,该公司的机器人可以帮助任何人做寿司。

    Other robots have been created to help decorate cakes and cut and peel apples.
    现在已经创造出可以帮助人们装饰蛋糕或削苹果的其它机器人。

    I'm Bob Doughty.
    我是鲍勃·道蒂(Bob Doughty)。(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!)