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What do you picture in your mind, when you think of...robots?
当你想到机器人时，脑海里会出现什么？
Do you think of a walking, talking piece of metal, like this?
你是不是想到了一个能走能说话的金属物体，就像这个？
A lot of people do! Because some robots really do look sort of like people…
很多人都这样想，因为有些机器人看起来确实有点儿像人类，
But, despite what you see in the movies, most real-life robots don't look like us.
但除了你在电影里看到的那些机器人和人一样，现实生活中大部分机器人看起来并不像我们。
They can look like animals, like Squeaks here, or like things you've never even seen before.
他们看起来可能像动物 就像吱吱一样，也可能是我们从没有见过的物体。
Robots come in all different shapes and sizes, because they all have different jobs to do.
因为工作不同，机器人的形状和大小也不尽相同。
And if you're wondering what robots really are, and what they can do...You are not alone!
如果你想知道机器人到底是什么，他们能干什么，那么，你不是唯一一个好奇的。
Seven-year-old Rowan recently email to ask "What is a robot, and how do robots work?"
七岁的罗恩最近给我们发了一封邮件，问“什么是机器人，它们如何工作”
Squeaks says "Great, question, Rowan!"
吱吱说“问得好，罗恩 ”。
A robot is a machine that's designed by people to do a specific job.
机器人是人类设计出来做特殊工作的机器。
And the scientists who design and build robots are called roboticists.
设计并制作机器人的科学家被称为机器人专家。
Most robots do jobs that people can't do, or don't want to do.
大多数机器人做的都是人类无法做或不想做的工作。
If a job is kind of boring—like if it involves doing the same thing over and over,
比如有些无聊的工作，它需要反反复复做同一件事，
or if a job is very dangerous—and it means going places where people could get hurt,
又如非常危险的工作，它需要去一些人类容易受伤的地方。
then chances are, a robot has been built to do it instead!
那么机器很可能代替我们做这些工作。
The very first robot was built over 50 years ago to help build cars in a factory.
最早的机器人大约是在50年前创造的，用于帮助工厂生产汽车。
Today, car factories still depend on robots a lot like that one to do all kinds of jobs:
现在，汽车制造厂仍旧依赖机器人做各种各样的工作:
from putting the pieces of car together to spraying them paint when they're finished.
从组装零件到喷漆上色。
And robots work in lots of other kinds of factory jobs, too.
机器人也做各种其他的工作,
Like building computers,and even putting candies in their wrappers!
像制造电脑甚至是包装糖果。
Robots are good at jobs like these, because unlike humans,
机器人很擅长这类工作，和人类不同
they're less likely to make mistakes when they're working,
他们工作时犯的错误更少，
and they don't go on vacation, or even lunch breaks.
并且他们不需要放假 甚至不需要午休。
Plus, they never get bored. They can keep going, and going, and going.
除此之外，他们从不会觉得厌倦，能够一直工作。
This makes nighttime jobs the perfect fit for rabots.
这就使得机器人非常适合夜间工作。
They can do things like control city trains after dark while we get our sleep!
它们能在我们睡觉时替我们操控城市火车。
Robots can also work in places that humans would have a tough time adjusting to—or where we could never go.
机器人也能在人类很难适应的地方或者我们根本无法到达的地方工作。
There are robots that work in really hot places, like volcanoes…
有些机器人能在火山之类的炎热地带工作，
...and really cold places like deep underwater in the ocean
还有些能在深海等非常冷的地方工作。
...and even in really smelly places like sewage plants.
甚至有些在污水处理厂等非常臭的地方工作。
There are even robots doing jobs for us on other planets.
甚至有些机器人在别的星球上为我们工作。
Yup, that means there are robots in space!
是的，那意味着有些机器人在太空。
There are two robots-on-wheels, named Opportunity and Curiosity,
这是两个有轮子的机器人,一个叫机遇号,另一个叫勇气号
that are cruising around on Mars right now!
正在火星上漫步
Scientists call them rovers, and they might look like cars or go-carts, but they're considered robots, too,
科学家叫它们巡游者, 它们看起来可能像小车或是手推车,但它们也是机器人
because they get instructions from scientists here on Earth to do all kinds of important work
因为它们能接收来自地球科学家的指令，去做各种重要的工作，
like studying the planet's air, digging up soil, and even drilling into rocks to see what they're made of!
像检测火星的空气，挖掘土壤，甚至钻取岩石来研究其组成成分。
Scientists hope that the discoveries that are made by Opportunity and Curiosity
科学家希望通过机遇号和勇气号的发现
will help us figure out how we can one day send humans to Mars!
能帮助我们研究出把人类送上火星的方法。
Another robot called R2 was sent to the International Space Station,
另一个叫R2的机器人被送上了国际空间站，
making it the first human-like robot in space.
因此它成为了第一个在太空的人形机器人。
Even though they're not very common,
尽管他们并不寻常，
there are other robots, like R2, that look and act sort of like people.
还是有像R2这样的机器人，它们的外表和行为都有些像人类。
One of them, called ASIMO, has been built to do some amazing, lifelike things.
其中有一种叫阿西莫的机器人，能够做一些令人惊叹、十分像人类的事。
Although he hasn't been to space—yet!
尽管它至今没去过太空
ASIMO can walk, run, climb stairs, and even dance!
阿西莫能走路、跑步、爬楼梯甚至跳舞。
Robots like ASIMO show us just how far roboticists have come since they built the very first robot over 50 years ago.
从50年前创造了第一个机器人至今，类似阿西莫这样的机器人向我们展示了机器人专家们取得了多大的进步。
It'll probably be a long time before a robot can do your homework with you,
可能距机器人能每天陪你写作业，
or fly you to school every morning.
或早上载着你飞向学校还有很长时间，
But they're already showing up in lot of homes, doing ordinary chores,
但它们已经出现在了很多家庭，做一些寻常的家务，
like mowing the lawn or vacuuming the house.
如修理草坪或打扫房子。
All we have to do is plug them in or press the START button.
而我们所需要做的仅仅是插上插头或按下启动按钮。
So, who knows what super-cool robots there will be in the next 50 years!
所以，谁能想象得到在未来50年里，超级机器人会长什么样？
I can't wait to find out!
我已经迫不及待地想知道了。
Thanks to Rowan for asking such a fun question, and thanks to you for learning about robots with Squeaks and me.
谢谢罗恩提出了这么有趣的问题，也感谢你和我与吱吱一起了解机器人。
And remember, if you have a question about anything you'd like to learn more about,
记住，如果你有任何疑问，或者想了解更多信息，
just let us know by getting help from a parent,
请爸爸妈妈帮助告诉我们
and leaving a comment below or emailing us at kids@thescishow.com.
在下方写下评论或者发送邮件到kids@thescishow.com
See you next time!
我们下期节目再见
