Walking Robot Carries a Person
The first walking robot capable of carrying a person unveiled on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. Its creators at Waseda University in Tokyo and the Japanese robotics company
Tmsuk hope their two-legged creation will one day enable wheel-chair users to climb up and down the stairs and assist the movement of heavy goods over uneven ground.
The battery-powered robot, code-named WL-16, is essentially an aluminium chair mounted on two sets of telescopic poles. The poles are bolted to flat plates which act as feet. WL-16 uses 12 actuators (传动装置) to move forwards, backwards and sideways while carrying an adult weighing up to 60 kilograms (130 pounds). The robot can adjust its body and walk smoothly even if the person it is carrying shifts in the chair. At present it can only step up or down a few millimeters, but the team plans to make it capable of dealing with a normal flight of stairs.
"I believe this bipedal (两足的) robot, which I prefer to call a two-legged walking chair rather than a wheel-chair, will eventually enable people to go up and down the stairs, "said Atsuo Takanishi, from Waseda University.
"We have had strong robots for some time but usually they have been manipulators, they have not been geared to carrying people around," says Ron Arkin, at the Georgia Institute of Technology and robotics consultant for Sony. "But I don't know how safe and how user-friendly WL-16 is."
Tmsuk chief executive Yoichi Takamoto argues that bipedal or multi-legged robots will be more useful than so-called "caterpillar (毛毛虫) models" for moving over uneven ground.
WL-16's normal walking step measures 30 centimetres, but it can stretch its legs to 136 cm apart. The prototype (原型) is currently radio-controlled, but the research team plans to equip it with a stick-like controller for the user in future. Takanishi said it will take "at least two years" to develop the WL-16 prototype into a working model.
Smaller, ground-hugging (紧贴地面行走的) robots have been developed to pass across tricky ground. One maggot-like (像蛆一样的) device uses a magnetic fluid to pulse its way along, while another snake-like robot uses smart software to devise new movement strategies if the landscape affects any one part. One ball-shaped robot even uses a leap-and-bounce approach to travel over rough territory. But none of these are big or strong enough to carry a person too.
第 36 题 The robot presented to the public on Friday in Tokyo, Japan
A. surprised visitors from Waseda University.
B. can move up to 60 kilometres per hour.
C. has two legs and is able to carry a person.
D. can transport heavy goods over uneven ground.
A. these B. much C. those D. that
A. these
B. much
C. those
D. that
Happy Therapy (诊疗)
Norman Cousins was a businessman from the United States who often traveled around the world on business. He enjoyed his work and traveling.
Then, after returning to the United States from a busy and tiring trip to Russia, Mr. Cousins got sick. Because he had pushed his body to the limit of its strength on the trip, a chemical change began to take place inside him. The material between his bones became weak.
In less than one week after his return, he could not stand. Every move that he made was painful. He was not able to sleep at night.
The doctors told Mr. Cousins that they did not know how to cure his problems and he might never get over the illness. Mr. Cousins, however, refused to give up hope.
Mr. Cousins thought that unhappy thoughts were causing bad chemical changes in his body. He did not want to take medicine to cure himself. Instead, he felt that happy thoughts or laughter might cure his illness.
He began to experiment on himself while still in the hospital by watching funny shows on television. Mr. Cousins quickly found that ten minutes of real laughter during the day gave him two hours of pain-free sleep at night.
Deciding that the doctors could not help him, Mr. Cousins left the hospital and checked into a hotel room where he could continue his experiments with laughter. For eight days, Mr. Cousins rested in the hotel room watching funny shows on television, reading funny books, and sleeping whenever he felt tired. Within three weeks, he felt well enough to take a vacation to Puerto Rico where he began running on the beach for exercise.
After a few months, Mr. Cousins returned to work. He had laughed himself back to health.
第 41 题 Mr. Cousins got sick after returning from
A. a busy trip to the US.
B. a tiring trip to Russia.
C. a trip around the world.
D. a trip to Puerto Rico.
Which is NOT affected by the number of years we have to live?
A. Our education.
B. Our savings.
C. The way we handle our health care.
D. The number of years we have lived.