VOA慢速：我们需要类人机器人吗

Do We Need Human-like Robots?

刘立军 供稿

TRANSCRIPT

Building a robot that is both human-like and useful has been a goal of engineers for many years.

Interest in the idea of artificial intelligence (AI) has created another wave of investment in robot technology to build a human-like robot. But most of the current robot models that aim to look like people are not too effective. They appear to work well in planned performances but not in real life. However, this has not stopped some startups from continuing to develop human-like, or humanoid, robots.

"The intention is not to start from the beginning,'" said Jonathan Hurst. He is co-founder and chief robot officer at Agility Robotics. "We're trying to make robots that can operate in human spaces."

Hurst said Agility's robot Digit is designed to do human things. It is not designed to look like a human.

What it does is pick up objects and move them. Amazon announced in October that the company will begin testing the Digit robot for use in some of its storage buildings. Agility opened a factory in the western state of Oregon in September to mass produce their robot.

Digit has a head containing cameras, other sensors, animated eyes, and an upper body that provides power. It has two arms and two legs, but its legs are not human-like. It looks similar to cats and dogs that walk on the very end of their feet, rather than on flat feet.

Competing robot-makers, like Figure AI, are designing robots differently. The company believes that only human-like robots can effectively work in places built for humans.

Figure AI also plans to start developing robots for simpler uses. But it aims to build robots that can perform more than one job to help take over work from humans.

"There's not enough people doing these jobs, so the market's massive," said Figure AI chief Brett Adcock. He said he believes his company can sell millions or even billions of humanoid robots if it can make a robot do a human's work.

At the moment, however, Adcock's company does not have a model that is ready. The company was founded just over a year ago after it raised tens of millions of dollars. Figure AI released a 38-second video of its robot, Figure, walking through its building in California.

Elon Musk, head of Tesla, is also trying to build a human-like robot, called Optimus, in the electric carmaker's robotics division. But a presentation of the robot's walking last year did not win over experts in the field.

Agility's Digit robot caught Amazon's attention because it can walk and move in a way that would work well with the robots the company already uses. Those robots look like vehicles and work in large buildings carrying heavy loads.

Tye Brady is Amazon's chief technologist for robotics. He said the way the robot moves "is more interesting" than the way it looks.

Agility Robotics co-founder and chief Damion Shelton said its Digit robot is "just the first use case" of a new generation of robots. He hopes people will embrace robots rather than fear them as they enter businesses and homes.

"So, in 10, 20 years, you're going to see these robots everywhere," Shelton said. He added: "Human-centric robots like that are going to be part of human life."

I'm Gregory Stachel.

VOCABULARY

1. sensor n. 传感器

2. presentation n. 展示；报告

3. embrace v. 拥抱；接受

QUESTIONS

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

1. According to the article, what is a significant challenge that Figure AI needs to overcome in order to succeed in the humanoid robot market?

A. Developing a robot that can perform a wide range of jobs.

B. Designing robots that look more human-like than their competitors.

C. Creating a ready-to-sell robot model that does human's work.

D. Raising enough funds to support extensive research and development.

2. What aspect of Agility Robotics' robot Digit did Amazon find particularly compatible with its existing warehouse robots?

A. Its ability to walk and move in versatile ways.

B. Its capacity for carrying heavy loads autonomously.

C. Its visual design and human-like appearance.

D. Its use of advanced AI to perform complex tasks.

3. Why might some startups continue to develop humanoid robots despite current models being largely ineffective in real-life applications?

A. They are mainly interested in performing planned performances.

B. There is a substantial market demand for humanoid robots.

C. They are mandated by government directives to pursue such technology.

D. They believe in long-term potential over short-term functionality.

4. How does Figure AI's perception of robotic utility differ from that of Agility Robotics based on the text?

A. Figure AI focuses on multi-functional robots while Agility prioritizes specialized robots.

B. Figure AI stresses the importance of human-like features for effective operation.

C. Figure AI values simplicity in robotics, whereas Agility aims for more complex designs.

D. Figure AI emphasizes performance in planned scenarios, unlike Agility's focus on real-life adaptability.

5. Based on Elon Musk's experience mentioned in the article, what can be inferred about the difficulty level of creating a human-like robot that satisfies industry experts?

A. It is relatively easy and can be accomplished with minor adjustments.

B. It requires significant investment but guarantees success.

C. It is challenging and may involve overcoming skepticism from experts.

D. It is entirely dependent on the aesthetic appeal of the robot.

KEY 

1. According to the article, what is a significant challenge that Figure AI needs to overcome in order to succeed in the humanoid robot market?

A. Developing a robot that can perform a wide range of jobs.

B. Designing robots that look more human-like than their competitors.

C. Creating a ready-to-sell robot model that does human's work.

D. Raising enough funds to support extensive research and development.

【答案】C

【解析】细节题，同时也需要逻辑推理能力。命题出处是关于Figure AI公司状态的描述："At the moment, however, Adcock's company does not have a model that is ready." 与Brett Adcock的信念相结合："He believes his company can sell millions or even billions of humanoid robots if it can make a robot do a human's work." 可以推断出Figure AI面临的重要挑战是创建一个可以做人类工作的、可销售的机器人模型，因此选项C正确。

2. What aspect of Agility Robotics' robot Digit did Amazon find particularly compatible with its existing warehouse robots?

A. Its ability to walk and move in versatile ways.

B. Its capacity for carrying heavy loads autonomously.

C. Its visual design and human-like appearance.

D. Its use of advanced AI to perform complex tasks.

【答案】A

【解析】细节题。命题出处在文本中描述Amazon注意到Digit的原因：“Agility's Digit robot caught Amazon's attention because it can walk and move in a way that would work well with the robots the company already uses.”指出Digit机器人行走和移动方式能够和Amazon现有的机器人相适配，故选项A正确。

3. Why might some startups continue to develop humanoid robots despite current models being largely ineffective in real-life applications?

A. They are mainly interested in performing planned performances.

B. There is a substantial market demand for humanoid robots.

C. They are mandated by government directives to pursue such technology.

D. They believe in long-term potential over short-term functionality.

【答案】D

【解析】推理题。命题出处暗含在文本开头部分的描述：“But most of the current robot models that aim to look like people are not too effective... However, this has not stopped some startups from continuing to develop human-like, or humanoid, robots.” 虽然目前模型在现实生活中不太有效，但一些初创公司仍在继续研发，这暗示了他们对长期潜力的信仰超过了短期功能性的考量，因此选项D正确。

4. How does Figure AI's perception of robotic utility differ from that of Agility Robotics based on the text?

A. Figure AI focuses on multi-functional robots while Agility prioritizes specialized robots.

B. Figure AI stresses the importance of human-like features for effective operation.

C. Figure AI values simplicity in robotics, whereas Agility aims for more complex designs.

D. Figure AI emphasizes performance in planned scenarios, unlike Agility's focus on real-life adaptability.

【答案】B

【解析】分析题。命题出处在比较两家公司对机器人实用性的看法时得出的：“Competing robot-makers, like Figure AI, are designing robots differently. The company believes that only human-like robots can effectively work in places built for humans.” 相对地，“Hurst said Agility's robot Digit is designed to do human things. It is not designed to look like a human.” 这表明Figure AI强调机器人必须拥有类似人类的特征以在人类环境中有效工作，而Agility Robotics则不把外观看作首要任务，因此选项B正确。

5. Based on Elon Musk's experience mentioned in the article, what can be inferred about the difficulty level of creating a human-like robot that satisfies industry experts?

A. It is relatively easy and can be accomplished with minor adjustments.

B. It requires significant investment but guarantees success.

C. It is challenging and may involve overcoming skepticism from experts.

D. It is entirely dependent on the aesthetic appeal of the robot.

【答案】C

【解析】推理题。命题出处基于Elon Musk试图建造一个人形机器人Optimus的经历：“But a presentation of the robot's walking last year did not win over experts in the field.” 这句话表明尽管有广泛的知名度和资源，Musk展示的机器人并未能说服领域内的专家，说明创造一个满足行业专家标准的人形机器人具有挑战性，并可能涉及克服专家的怀疑，因此选项C正确。

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