世界上最具創意的機器人問世了

浙江杭州市富陽區新登中學 胡君祥

機器人手臂適合各種水平的生產員工使用，這有助于提高生產效率，減少傷害，鼓舞士氣。現在，世界上最具創意的機器人手臂——UR5問世了。

題材科技文章詞數 難度 建議用時新聞報道體裁465 ★★★ 8 分鐘

難詞探意

1. debut /?debju?/ n. 初次登臺

2. cumbersome /?k?mb?s?m/ adj. 大而笨重的

3. integrate /??nt?ɡre?t/ v. 使合并

4. shield /?i?ld/ v. 給……加防護罩

5. attendee /??ten?di?/ n. 出席者.

After record growth in over 40 countries, Universal Robots' lightweight robotic arms are now making their US debut at this year's International Manufacturing Technology Show(IMTS)in Chicago.

The UR5 robotic arm manufactured by Universal Robots has been announced “the world's most innovative robot” by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR). The US audience will now see the award-winning robot—along with its big brother UR10—for the first time.

The UR5 and UR10 robotic arms are aimed at companies that thought robots were too expensive,cumbersome and hard to program and integrate in existing production. The lightweight, flexible UR5 and UR10 can work alongside personnel and generally require no safety shielding. The robotic arms are easily moved around the production area and present a plug-and-play solution; a simple user interface lets employees with no previous programming experience quickly set up and operate them

Universal Robots' chief customer officer,Thomas Visti, looks forward to introducing IMTS attendees to UR5 and UR10.

“Many companies worldwide have invested in UR robots to save manpower,whereas others have used them to boost product quality or productivity.Sometimes they are used in repetitive tasks to improve working conditions for employees.We see potential in all these applications in the US market.”

Instead of expensive sensor technology, the UR5 robotic arm uses a unique patented technology to measure electrical current in its joints to determine force and movement. This innovation has made robots less expensive than other automation solutions. This enables even small and mediumsized enterprises to automate production previously unthinkable.

“Small and medium-sized enterprises demand a fast return on investment. Besides the robot's low initial cost, it operates very cost-efficiently and is profitable in only six to eight months,” says Thomas Visti.

UR5 is a result of many years of intensive research in robotics. The six-axis robot arms can be used in many industries.

The CTO of Universal Robots explains how the robots were designed to be as user-friendly as possible. “We decided to make programming intuitive by developing a graphical user interface combined with a ‘teaching function’ allowing the user to simply grab the robot arm and show how a movement should be performed. The robot can be integrated into any production process very quickly. Our experience shows this is generally done in a few hours.”

The robots weigh as little as 40 lbs enabling them to be moved around the production area to perform different tasks. The UR5 can handle a load of up to five kilos, the UR10, 10 kilos respectively.A significant benefit is the robot's capability to operate with no safety shielding. As soon as an employee comes into contact with the robot arm and a force of at least 150 newton is exerted, the robot arm will automatically stop operating.

Reading Check

1. What can we know about the UR5 robotic arm?

A. It was produced by Universal Robots.

B. It is aimed at small companies.

C. It has won a number of awards.

D. It made its appearance in 40 countries.

2. What can we know from the last two paragraphs?

A. The UR10 is heavier than the UR5.

B. The robots perform one task at a time.

C. The robots can finish a task in a few minutes.

D. The UR10 can handle twice as much weight as the UR5.

3. What's the text mainly about?

A. An introduction to Universal Robots' new robots.

B. The difference between the UR5 and the UR10.

C. Why the UR5 and the UR10 were invented.

D. How to operate the UR5 and the UR10.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

Many companies worldwide have invested in UR robots to save manpower, whereas others have used them to boost product quality or productivity.

【翻譯】_________________________________

【點石成金】本句中的whereas意為“然而”。

主題應用·語庫構建

Ⅰ. 熱詞積累

機器人robot/android/automaton

機器人編程語言robot programming language

機器人工廠robot factory

機器人視覺robot vision

機器人系統robot system

機器人工程學robotics engineering

Ⅱ. 美句背誦

1. 大多數移動機器人仍處在設計階段。

Most mobile robots are still in the design stage.

2. 科幻小說常提到會說話的機器人。

Science fiction often mentions robots that can talk.

3. 機器人是現代工程技術的奇跡。

The robot is a marvel of modern engineering.

4. 機器人逐漸替代了裝配線上的工人。

Robots are replacing people on assembly lines.

5. 玩具機器人以急促的步伐向前移動。

The toy robot moved forward with quick jerky steps.

6. 在汽車制造廠里，生產線上的許多工作現在是由機器人來完成的。

In car factories, much of the work on the production line is now done by robots.

7. 工業機器人肯定與醫務機器人不同。

An industrial robot must be different from a medical robot.

8. 機器人視覺伺服控制是機器人領域的一個研究熱點。

Visual servo control of robots is a research hot spot in the field of robots.

9. 我喜歡和我的機器人朋友出去玩。

I love hanging out with my robot friends.

Ⅲ. 讀后創寫

假定你是李華， 正在英國某市接受英語培訓。你了解到該市的科學博物館將舉辦智能機器人展覽。 請你根據所給提示，用英語給該博物館工作人員寫一封電子郵件咨詢。 內容包括：

1. 參展的機器人的數量和主要功能；2. 有無機器人的表演或人機互動的比賽；3. 參觀該展覽是否需要預約。

注意：

1. 詞數100左右（開頭和結尾已給出，不計入總詞數）；

2. 可以適當增加細節，以使行文連貫。

Dear Sir or Madam,

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua