Humanoid could join astronauts at ISS by 2013
人形机器人2013年可能做为宇航员进入国际空间站
TOKYO - Lonely astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) may soon be getting an android friend from Japan.
东京－国际空间站中孤单的宇航员可能很快就有来自日本的机器人的朋友
And for the folks back home, it will tweet.
当人们回到家中，它会发出鸣叫。
Japan's space agency is considering putting a talking humanoid robot on the ISS to watch the mission while astronauts are asleep, monitor their health and stress levels and communicate to Earth through the micro-blogging site Twitter.
日本宇航局考虑放置一会讲话的机器人到国际空间站去，当宇航员睡觉时，坚守使命，监视宇航员的健康及压力水平，通过XX网站用微博和地球联系。
Japan's space agency JAXA announced this week that it is looking at a plan to send a humanoid robot to the space station in 2013 that could communicate with the ground through Twitter - primarily feeding photos, rather than original ideas - and provide astronauts with "comfort and companionship".
日本宇航局JAXA本周宣布，正着手计划在2013年派一个机器人到空间站，它可以通过微博（主要是图片）和地球联系，向宇航员提供舒适和陪伴，这不同于之前的想法。
Following up on NASA's "Robonaut" R-2 program, which is set for launch on the Discovery shuttle next week, the Japanese android would be part of a larger effort to create and refine robots that can be used by the elderly, JAXA said in a statement.
随着美国宇航局机器人R－2下周登录发现号太空梭，JAXA在一声明中说，日本的机器人使用很大部分是创造及改善老年人可使用的功能。
Japan is one of the leading countries in robotics and has a rapidly aging society with one of the world's longest life expectancies.
日本是机器人领域领先的国家之一，也是社会迅速老龄化，世界上最长寿的国家之一。
Improving robot communication capabilities could help elderly people on Earth by providing a nonintrusive means of monitoring the robot owner's health and vital signs and sending information to emergency responders if there is an abnormality, JAXA said.
JAXA称：提高机器人的交流能力可能会帮助老年人，通过提供一个免打扰的方式监视机器人主人的健康，及生命特征，如果发生不正常时，会向急救部门发出信息警示。
"We are thinking in terms of a very human-like robot that would have facial expressions and be able to converse with the astronauts," said JAXA's Satoshi Sano.
JAXA的佐野聪说，我们 正在考虑一种很像人的机器人，会有面部表情能够和宇航员进行交流。
The robot was being developed with the advertising and communications giant Dentsu Inc and a team at Tokyo University.
这种机器人正在由广告信息业巨人电通公司及东京大学的团队共同研究
The NASA project has a human-like head, hands and arms and uses the same tools as station crew members. The "Robonaut" called R-2 - a shout-out to R2-D2 of Star Wars fame - is intended to carry out maintenance tasks in the station's Destiny lab.
美航空局的项目有一个像人的头部，手，及手臂，可以像空间站的成员们一样使用相同的工具。这个机器人被称为R2(源于星球大战中出生的R2），其使命是对太空站中命定实验室进行维护。
NASA said it hopes that humanoid robots could one day stand in for astronauts during spacewalks or perform tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans.
美国航空局称， 希望有一天类人机器人可以与宇航员一样在太空中行走，或者执行一些对人类来说困难或者危险的任务。
For now, the $2.5 million NASA robot exists only from the waist up and is limited to activities within the lab.
迄今，价格250万美元的美航空局机器人只能在实验室，从腰部以上做一些有限的活动。
The robot also uses Twitter, but generally just messages relayed from NASA spokespeople.
机器人也使用微博，但是通常只是转播美航天局发言人的信息。
Sano said the agency is considering ways to program the Japanese version to be more original.
佐野称该机构正考虑编程升级日本原版本到更高级的。
More importantly, he said, the Japanese project is intended to build on the R-2 idea by providing a more communicative companion for the astronauts themselves.
他说，更重要的是，日本的机器人尝试建设R－2的构想，通过为宇航员提供一个更善沟通的交流伙伴。
Japan has no manned space program of its own, but its astronauts have been part of the space station crew and Japan also maintains a laboratory, called "Kibo", or Hope, on the station.
日本没有载人航空计划，但其宇航员已经成为空间站成员，日本还在空间站中维持一个叫希望的实验室。
Sano said that JAXA hopes the robot's communications with Earth while there are no Japanese passengers on the space station will help maintain public interest and support in the mission.
佐野称：JAXA希望当没有日本人在空间站时机器人可以和地球联系，这将有助于维持公众在项目上的兴趣和支持。
Associated Press
美联社
(China Daily 02/18/2011 page10)
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