浙江杭州市富阳区新登中学 胡君祥

在由机器向“人”演变的过程中，机器人将广泛服务百姓生活。例如，外出的你不需要担心家里的老人无人照顾，看护机器人也将破解养老困局，不过目前机器人看护还有不少难题需要解决。

题材科技文章词数 难度 建议用时说明文体裁397 ★★★ 7 分钟

难词探意

1. collaborative /kə΄læbərətɪv/ adj. 协作的；合作的

2. interactive /ˌɪntər΄æktɪv/ adj. 互动的

3. mount /maʊnt/ v. 增强；安装

Carer robots are a relatively recent phenomenon. With people living longer there is a growing population of elderly people who will require assistance with their daily lives. However, a lack of available carers will be a big problem in the near future.

While the current assistive technologies are still a far cry from a future where our meals are cooked for us and all housework is completed for us, they offer a look of a possible future.

Current collaborative robots, or robots as they are otherwise known, are made with rigid joints and links. However, the next generation of collaborative robots will be made from softer materials. “These types of soft robots are promising to achieve the accuracy and repeatability of current collaborative robots,” says Helge, a roboticist at University College London.

One of the greatest challenges is that the navigation systems for human-interactive robots are still not yet fully developed. In simple laboratory conditions, robots can determine the best route to take, but a reallife environment is very different.

Many modern-day robots are function-specific, such as robotic vacuum cleaners, rather than being multi-functional. Designing a robotic system to have multiple functions can be challenging. In the near future at least, we are most likely to have multiple robot carers, all designed for different functions. However, this raises the problem of where we would store them all when they are not being used. There have also been recent developments in integrating smart home technology with robotic systems. One such example is Chiron, a research project to develop a ceiling mounted rail system that would allow an assistive robot to travel from room to room. However, this system also presents its own challenges.

To enable a ceiling mounted rail-network, significant changes to the home would be required before the robot could operate there. Of course, care homes could be built with the rail system already mounted.However, the significant costs that will come with rail-based installations would be a great challenge to overcome.

Ultimately, carer robots will never replace human carers. “Robots do not necessarily replace people's jobs, but they can improve the way they work,” says Helen Dickinson, an expert in public services at the University of New South Wales. “It isn't just passing on the most physical jobs, although there certainly is interest in having robots do tasks that require patience and repetition, where people get run down.”

Reading Check

1. Which aspect of robots did Helge's words focus on?

A. Types. B. Materials.

C. The poor design. D. The navigational challenge.

2. What problem would multiple robot carers bring?

A. They move slowly. B. They depend on each other.

C. They take up too much space. D. They fail to travel from room to room.

3. What's the disadvantage of the rail-mounted system?

A. It's unsafe. B. It's too expensive.

C. It's time-consuming. D. It's harmful to care homes.

4. What does Helen Dickinson think of the future of robot carers?

A. They will replace human carers.

B. They will take all the physical jobs.

C. They will be more popular than human carers.

D. They will help human carers efficiently.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

With people living longer there is a growing population of elderly people who will require assistance with their daily lives.

【信息提取】with+ 复合宾语结构可在句中作状语和定语，该句里的With people living longer作状语。

【句式仿写】随着考试的临近，复习一下你的课堂笔记是一个好主意。