2015日本国际机器人展现场
The biannual International Robot Exhibition kicked off Wednesday in Tokyo, showcasing the latest advances in robotics — including technology for use in disaster scenarios and in the nursing-care field.
本周三(也就是昨天),每两年举办一次的国际机器人展在东京开幕,本次机器人展展示最新的机器人——包括用于灾难救援和护理领域的机器人。
With a record 446 firms attending the event at Tokyo Big Sight in Koto Ward, numerous robots are on display through Saturday, when the event wraps up. These include the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization’s (NEDO) disaster prevention robots, which were drawing huge crowds at their demonstrations.
来自全球各地的446家机器人公司在东京国际展览中心参加活动,刷新国际机器人展的参展纪录。本次机器人展将进行到本周六,其中的新能源和工业技术发展组织(NEDO)展出的防灾机器人,在本次展会上非常吸引眼球。
During the demonstrations by NEDO, one of the country’s largest public research organizations, visitors were awed as the HRP-2 Kai life-size humanoid robot walked along on a narrow path and opened a door to check for a fire while another life-size robot, Jaxon, walked and turned a sprinkler valve to extinguish the blaze.
NEDO是日本最大的研究组织之一,其展示的真人大小的人形机器人HRP-2 Kai,引起了现场观众的赞叹。这台机器人可以沿着一条狭窄小道步行,然后打开一扇门检查火灾,而另一个真人大小的机器人Jaxon,则打开喷水阀将大火扑灭。
Using robots to probe disaster sites is a challenge the global robot industry is currently working to tackle, said Ryosuke Aya, project coordinator with the robot and machinery system technology department at NEDO, a Kawasaki-based semi-public body in charge of developing new technologies and energy.
NEDO机器人和机械系统技术部门项目协调员Ryosuke Aya说,如何使用机器人进行灾难救援,正是全球机器人行业都在努力解决的一个难题。
Robots would have been indispensable in the aftermath of disasters like the devastating 3/11 earthquake and tsunami — especially in quake-prone Japan — as well as in more recent accidents like tunnel collapses.
像破坏性极大的3·11大地震和海啸——尤其是在地震多发的日本——以及最近像隧道坍塌事故,这类的灾难救援,机器人现在是必不可少的。
When such disasters occur, “there are places where humans can’t physically go,” said Aya. “That’s where robots come in to reduce the risks of disasters.”
Ryosuke Aya还说,当此类灾难发生时,“有很多地方人是到达不了的,“这时候就需要机器人来降低灾难救援的风险。”
The event also highlighted robot tech for nursing care, including remote monitoring systems and exoskeleton suits that aid those with limited mobility.
展会还重点展示了护理机器人,包括远程监控系统和帮助行动障碍患者的骨骼机甲。
But while the nursing care tech sector is likely to grow as Japan grays, Hiroshi Kobayashi, director of Innophys Co., a Tokyo-based venture affiliated with Tokyo University of Science, believes the industry remains quite conservative.
东京理科大学创立的机器人创业公司Innophys总监小林弘说,尽管随着日本的老龄化,护理机器人产业有发展的可能,但是护理行业是非常保守的。
Because of this attitude, employing these new technologies will take time at many nursing-care facilities, said Kobayashi, whose firm sells a robotics product called the Muscle Suit that enables wearers to more easily lift heavy objects.
小林说:正是由于这种保守的态度,在护理行业采用新的技术要花很长时间。他的公司正在出售一款机器人产品叫肌肉套装,使穿戴者更容易携带重物。
Meanwhile, robots like SoftBank’s emotion-reading Pepper and Sharp’s robot-designed phone RoBoHon, have also been a hit at the venue, with some attendees pointing out that these robots are likely to be a boon for makers. “The market for smart robots will be getting bigger and bigger,” said Taki Sakai, president of Unirbot, the Tokyo-based firm behind Unibo, a small white robot with a liquid-crystal display screen on its head.
与此同时,像软银公司的情感机器人Pepper和夏普的机器人电话RoBoHon,也在现场引起关注。一些与会者指出,这些机器人可能会给制造商带来巨大利润。Unirobot总经理Taki Sakai说:”智能机器人的市场变得越来越大。“这家公司推出的机器人Unibo是一款白色的小机器人,脑袋上有一面液晶显示屏。
The robot can recognize individuals’ faces, chat with them and act as a personal assistant.
机器人可以识别个人的面孔,和人聊天,就像私人助理。
The firm is set to go on sale next July for ¥98,000 with a monthly ¥4,500 fee for cloud-based services.
这款机器人将于明年7月上市,每台售价¥98000日元,另外还要每月付¥4500日元的云计算服务费用。