This Robotic Device Is Small Enough to Operate on the Human Eye(翻译)

A newly-built machine uses extremely small instruments to perform eye operations.
有一种新机器采用极小的仪器做眼科手术。

The machine is reported to make fewer mistakes than doctors.
据报道，该机器犯的错误比医生还要少。

Robots are already used to perform some relatively simple operations like a hysterectomy, when a doctor removes a woman’s uterus. But operating on the eye is more difficult than those kinds of surgeries.
机器人已经被用于做一些相对简单的手术，比如子宫切除术，就是医生切除女人的子宫。但是在眼睛上的手术比那些手术更难一些。

A cataract is a condition that many people develop as they get older. It makes the lens of the eye appear cloudy, making it more difficult for the patient to see. Doctors can remove cataracts through surgery.
白内障是一种随着年龄的增长许多人都会患的病。它使眼内的晶状体出现浑浊，使患者更加难看清。医生可以通过手术切除白内障。

One of the difficult parts of that surgery is getting close to the lens. The doctor has to work very carefully next to the capsule of the lens, without breaking it.
手术的困难之一就是如何设法接触到晶状体。医生要注意，手术进行到晶状体囊附近时，一定要加倍小心，不要使其破裂。

That is where Axsis technology comes in.
这就是Axis技术流行起来的根源。

Axsis is one of the smallest robots for surgical use. It is the size of a soft drink can. The robot is equipped with instruments measuring only 1.8 millimeters in length.
Axis是用于外科手术最小的机器人之一。它的大小就是一个软饮料罐的大小。 机器人配备的仪器长度只有1.8毫米。
 

A company called Cambridge Consultants developed the Axsis system. Chris Wagner is its head of advanced surgical systems. He says Axsis could help patients in need of corrective eye surgery.
一家名为英国剑桥咨询（Cambridge Consultants）的公司开发了Axis系统。克里斯·瓦格纳（译音）是此先进外科系统的主管。他说，Axsis可以帮助需要做眼部矫正手术的患者。

Wagner says the company’s robotics product can help with this “extremely sensitive part of the operation” of getting close to the lens without breaking it. He says with robotics, and guidance and imaging during the operation, one can see where the robot is, and see where the lens is, along with other important body parts.
瓦格纳说，该公司的机器人产品可以帮助“操作极其敏感的部分”即接近晶状体，而不会使其破裂。他表示，在手术当中，通过遥控技术、专业指导以及晶体成像，人们可以看到机器人的位置， 看到晶状体的位置，以及其他重要的身体部位。

All of the machine’s operating parts are inside the device, he says. This is different from traditional surgical robots that operate on a long straight instrument.
他说，所有的机器的操作部件都在设备内部。这与在长直仪器上进行传统外科手术的机器人不同。

Wagner says the joints have been moved inside, “so no arm is swinging around… and no arm motion has to conflict with another robot arm.”
瓦格纳说接头处已经移动到内部了，“所以不会出现手臂四处摆动的情况，机器人两只手臂之间的动作也不会相互干扰。”

Critics say cataract surgery is not very difficult, and the new machine may not be needed. But Wagner believes it shows that such small robotic devices could be used in many other ways.
评论家说白内障手术并不是很难，可能不需要这种新机器。但瓦格纳认为，这说明这样的小型机器人设备可以用于其他方面。

“I think the fact that it’s a 1.8 millimeter diameter robot that’s operating on the size scale of the eye is exciting. This just opens the door to a number of different types of procedures that you can do that previously weren’t possible.”
“我认为一个直径仅有1.8毫米的机器人能在那样大小的眼睛上做手术是令人兴奋的。这只是打开了许多不同类型手术的大门，可以实现之前不可能实现的事情。

That means the device could be used for treatments that require more attention to detail than human hands can provide.
这也意味着，当人们碰到需要对细节更加注意，但自己又没有能力达到要求的治疗时，该设备便能够派上用场。

I’m Anne Ball.
安妮·鲍尔为您报道。