Japanese humanoid happy to work on in the rain 日本機器人樂於雨中工作

The HRP-3 Promet Mk-II robot balances while screwing a nut with an impact wrench during its press preview at Kawada Industry's laboratory in Haga town Japan, June 21, 2007. 六月二十一日，在日本芳賀町川田工業實驗室的媒體預展會上，「HRP-3 Promet Mk-II」機器人一邊用一支氣動板手旋轉螺帽，一邊讓身體維持平衡。 Photo: AFP

Japan is a step closer to having an ideal worker who won't complain in torrential rain or on slippery floors as a company unveiled a next-generation humanoid on May 20.

Kawada Industries' HRP-3 Promet Mk-II, a 160-centimetre-tall humanoid, walked on a slippery floor scattered with sand and held out its arms under a shower before media cameras.

"We have made a leap towards creating a humanoid that works in a real environment," the firm said in a joint statement with Kawasaki Heavy Industries and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology.

The visor-wearing white robot, also used a screwdriver with its right hand while leaning on its left arm, balancing itself like a human would.

The robot weighs 68 kilograms including the battery.

"Our country is rapidly ageing and it is an urgent task to develop robots that can perform tasks only done by humans now," the statement said.

"If a humanoid can substitute human functions, the entire social cost would be reduced," it said.

Kawada Industries said the company hoped eventually to put the HRP-3 Promet Mk-II to commercial use.

Project manager Takakatsu Isozumi said the company wanted to target clients such as construction contractors by 2010, with each robot costing around 150 million yen (NT$40 million) each.

"We want to increase the actions that this robot can do at construction sites, such as driving construction vehicles," he said.

Japan leads the world's robotic industries in fields ranging from manufacturing to entertainment and security. Last week, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said it would start renting out humanoids to staff front desks at offices and hospitals.

日本即將出現不會抱怨在傾盆大雨中或踩在滑地板工作的理想員工。一家企業在五月二十日推出了一款新一代的機器人。

川田工業株式會社的「HRP-3 Promet Mk-II」機器人高一百六十公分，可以行走在灑滿沙子的滑地板，並在淋浴時伸出手臂，媒體攝影機全都捕捉了下來。

川田工業與川崎重工和日本產業技術綜合研究所聯合發表的聲明中提到︰「要創造在真實環境下工作的機器人，我們已邁進了一大步。」

頭戴面甲的白色機器人也會用右手拿螺絲起子，左手同時前傾，就像人類一樣保持身體平衡。

聲明中說︰「日本急速高齡化，當務之急就是發展出能夠做現今僅人類能做的事之機器人。」

聲明中也提到︰「假如機器人可以取代人類功能，整體的社會成本就會減少。」

川田工業表示，他們希望最終能將「HRP-3 Promet Mk-II」運用於商業用途。

專案經理五十棲隆活說，川田工業希望能在二○一○年前鎖定建築包商等客戶，每個機器人售價約一億五千萬日圓（新台幣四千萬元）。

他說︰「我們想增加這個機器人在工地能從事的活動，如駕駛工程車。」

日本機器人工業獨步全球，在製造、娛樂與保安領域都是首屈一指。日本三菱重工業公司上週宣布，將開始出租機器人給辦公室及醫院擔任櫃檯工作。

TODAY'S WORDS 今日單字 1. humanoid adj. 擬人的 (ni3 ren2 de5) 例: Humanoid robots must be taught to walk, talk and handle complicated situations. (擬人機器人必須被教導走路、說話和處理複雜情況。) 2. visor n. 面甲 (mian4 jia3) 例: It's very bright outside, so you may want to pull down your motorcycle visor when you drive. (外頭陽光普照，所以你騎車時可以拉下安全帽面罩。) 3. urgent adj. 緊急的 (jin3 ji2 de5) 例: I got an urgent message from home - call Mom immediately! (我收到家中傳來的緊急通知！馬上打電話給媽媽！) 4. function n. 功能 (gong1 neng2) 例: What function does this tool serve? (這個工具的功能為何？)

SAY WHAT? 說說看 target　目標，鎖定 A target as a noun means something you aim at, such as the bullseye in archery or darts. Target can also be a verb, meaning to aim at something: "The police targeted the criminal and then shot him." In this article, target still means to aim at something, but not with a gun. If a company targets certain clients, the comany tries to encourage those clients to buy the company's product. "Toy commercials often target children, hoping the kids will convince their parents to buy a toy." 名詞的「target」意指你訂為目標的事，就如箭靶或飛鏢盤的紅心。當動詞的「target」則指訂某事為目標，例如「警方鎖定那名罪犯，開槍射殺他」。 本文中的「target」也是鎖定某事之意，但並非用槍。假如一家公司「target」特定的顧客群，即為鼓勵他們購買這家公司的產品。例如，「玩具廣告往往鎖定孩童，希望他們可以說服父母購買玩具」。

OUT LOUD 對話練習 Benjamin: I just saw the coolest robot! Jonathon: Oh yeah? What could it do? Benjamin: It could play soccer with people and was a great goalie as well. Jonathon: That's no small task. Are they going to let it join soccer teams? Benjamin: Not for now, but I bet they will one day in the future! 班傑明︰我剛剛看到了史上最酷的機器人！ 喬納森︰真的嗎？它可以做什麼？ 班傑明︰它可以跟一群人踢足球，也是很好的門將。？ 喬納森︰那可不簡單。人們會讓它加入足球隊嗎？ 班傑明︰現在不可能，但我敢打賭總會有那麼一天的！ no small task　可不是簡單的 If something is no small task, it is a difficult or time-consuming job or chore. "My boss wants me to sell four super computers today, but that's no small task. I probably won't be able to." 假如某事「 is no small task」，是困難或費時的工作或任務。例如︰「我老闆希望我今天賣四台超級電腦，但那可不容易。我大概辦不到」。