VOA常速英语:麻省理工科学家:机器人即将像猎豹般奔跑

But for now, the different technologies that will bring them closer to everyday life are still being tested.
但是就目前来说，这些使得机器人愈加贴近日常生活的不同技术仍在测试中。

One of the obstacles continues to be power consumption.These complicated machines are still relatively heavy and their numerous motors require a lot of energy to run.
其中仍然存在的一个障碍是能耗。这些复杂的机械仍然相对较重，而它们为数众多的马达需要巨大的能量才能运转。

The most powerful among them are either tethered to a power source or have a gasoline-powered generator onboard.
其中动力最强的机器人要么和电源拴在一起，要么载有汽油发电机。

But engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have designed a 30-kilogram cheetah-like robot that is light enough to run on batteries.
但是麻省理工的工程师们设计了一台重30公斤、外形酷似猎豹的机器人，它非常轻，只依赖电池就可运转。

“This robot can actually jump, about like, 40 centimeters high and it can land very safely and then it can run, sprint,because of the special, motor technology we developed.”
“这个机器人事实上可以跳跃40厘米高、并非常安全地着陆，它可以跑、可以冲，因为我们发明了一种特别的发动机技术。”

Sangbae Kim, director of MIT Biomimetics Robotic Lab, says the robot needs only about 700 watts of power.Its limbs and other parts were made in a 3-D printer and reinforced with the strong, light-weight plastic called Kevlar,used for modern military helmets and bodysuits.
桑巴·金是麻省理工仿生机器人实验室主任，据他表示这台机器人只需要700瓦的动力。它的四肢和其他部位是用3-D打印制成的，并且用坚固、轻巧的塑料凯拉夫尔进行了加固，这种塑料通常于现代军用头盔和紧身衣裤的制作。

“The frame has to be very light and very stiff, so we designed this frame to handle these high forces and the high shock.”
“这整个框架必须非常轻而且坚固，因此我们就设计了这种结构来应对这些强力和强冲击。”

But the development of MIT’s robot is not without setbacks.Its limbs must sustain tremendous force and sometimes they break.
但是这个麻省理工机器人的开发并非没有受到挫折。它的四肢必须承受巨大的力量，而且有时会断裂。

Kim says another special feature is the custom-made motor controller.
金表示说这个机器人另一个特点是那台定制的电机控制器。

“It is also designed by us because none of the commercially available products can handle this kind of power.”
“这也是由我们设计的，因为没有市售的产品可以处理这种能量。”

The researchers say the new technologies used on this robot may find their way to artificial limbs as well as other high-tech machines being developed to replace humans at back-breaking jobs.
研究人员们表示说，运用在这台机器人上的新科技也可能用在假肢上，以及其他正在被开发用来代替人类进行高疲劳工作的高科技机器上。