经济学人355:机器人世界杯

 　　RoboCup

　　机器人世界杯

　　Humans 1, Machines 7

　　人机对战1:7

　　When will robots do to football what computers did to chess?

　　当机器人踢足球能和电脑下象棋一样好的时候

　　MESSI v the Machine was how some commentators¹ touted² the World Cup final, inspired by the disciplined way the German team dismantled³ Brazil in the semi-finals. But despite such caricatures of Teutonic precision, German players are only human. So as the latest edition of RoboCup, a competition for robot soccer players rather than flesh-and-blood ones, kicks off on July 19th in Jo?o Pessoa, Brazil's easternmost city, a question that will be on many minds is: when will real machines conquer the sport?

　　世界杯半决赛中，德国干掉了巴西。受这种一板一眼的踢法的刺激，一些评论人员戏称世界杯决赛为“梅西对战机器”。但是尽管我们这样讽刺条顿式精密，德国队员也仍是人类。而机器人世界杯则是机器足球运动员的赛事，无关有血有肉的人类。因此，今年7月19日，当机器人世界杯在巴西最东端的城市圣保罗开赛的时候，许多人开始考虑：真的机器，什么时候会统治足球运动？

　　机器人世界杯.jpg

　　When the first RoboCup was held, in 1997, those who launched it set a target of 2050 for engineers to produce a humanoid robot team that would rival the champions of the older competition. Judged by the plodding⁴ clumsiness of some of the RoboCup players, that goal might seem far-fetched. But it is easy to underestimate how quickly robotics is improving. Self-driving cars and delivery drones, which seemed hopelessly futuristic just a decade ago, are now topics of serious business interest.

　　1997年，第一届机器人世界杯举行的时候，创始者们设定的目标是2050年，工程师能开发出类人的机器队伍，媲美旧有比赛的冠军。通过一些机器人世界杯队员的沉重步伐来看， 这个目标还遥遥无期。但是人们往往会低估机器人发展的速度。无人驾驶汽车和无人运输机十年前看上去也是遥不可及的，如今已成为严肃的商业兴趣点。

　　By comparison with the corporate⁵ investments of the likes of Google in electric cars, the teams competing in this year's RoboCup—more than 150 of them—have shoestring⁶ budgets. But the tournament includes features that the organisers hope will accelerate innovation without the incentive⁷ of cash.

　　对比谷歌因对电动汽车的偏好而进行的合作投资，今年机器人世界杯的150多支队伍的预算不过是毛毛雨。但是比赛有这样一个特点，组织方希望在没有资本刺激的情况下加速创新。

　　One is a clever combination of competition and co-operation. Leading up to the playoffs, teams prepare new strategies and fine-tune their hardware and software in secret. Immediately after the finals have been played, however, all must publish their methods, thus raising the bar for everyone the following year. Another feature is that there are limits to how far teams can push their hardware, to encourage them to develop smart routes to victory, rather than using mere⁸ brute⁹ force.

　　这项赛事是对竞争和合作的良好结合。进入了季后赛，各队都会秘密准备新战术，调整软硬件。然而，决赛一旦结束，所有人都要公开他们的方法，由此给其他人在明年的比赛提供参照。另一项特质是对于队伍对硬件做的改进是有上限的，以鼓励他们开发智能方案赢得胜利，而不是仅仅通过粗鲁的物理性能。

　　A further twist is that RoboCup is not one competition but many. These range from a little league of miniature cylinders¹⁰ on wheels, like the “Star Wars” character R2-D2, in which each entire team is controlled by one computer using input¹¹ from overhead cameras, to a fully¹² limbed humanoid league, akin¹³ to R2-D2's faithful companion, C-3PO (see picture above). In the humanoid league, which is further divided into three sizes of robot—kid, teen and adult—each android has its own independent on-board sensors¹⁴ and artificial-intelligence software.

　　更深一步的是，机器人世界杯不是一项比赛，而是一系列比赛。其范围包括微型有轮缸式的小联赛，到完全类人化的队伍。前者类似“星球大战”中的R2D2，整个队伍由一台电脑控制，输入端为上空的摄像头。后者好比R2D2的忠实队友C3PO（见上图）。在类人队伍中，根据其不同的尺寸又分为小孩，青少年和成人，每个机器人都有其独立的自带传感器，以及拟人智能软件。

　　Moreover, for those who cannot be bothered to get out the spanners and the soldering¹⁵ iron, there is a virtual league as well. Competition there can focus on improving the software needed for the rapid planning of the best move at each step of the game, without having to worry about the vagaries¹⁶ of the hardware. And there is also a junior league for school-aged geeks, some of whom will no doubt join the RoboCup major leagues when they go to college, their skills already finely honed.

　　更有甚者，对于那些不善于使用扳手和焊接工具的人，也有虚拟队伍。此处的比赛主要专注于能在比赛中快速规划出最佳行动的软件，而不在意硬件的搭配。还有校园极客的初级队伍，他们在进入大学后无疑会加入机器人世界杯，毕竟他们的技巧已经经过考验。

　　To sense the state-of-the-art in robot football, you need to go behind the scenes. Last week, hidden in a windowless office, Joydeep Biswas of Carnegie Mellon University and his colleagues were making final adjustments to their team, which competes in the little league. While robots in the humanoid league are still lumbering¹⁷ and prone¹⁸ to error, the speed and accuracy of those in the little league are stunning¹⁹. Their electromechanical kickers can fire the league's orange golf balls at eight metres per second. In fact, they could easily shoot harder if it were not for hardware-control regulations that set a maximum speed.

　　为了体验机器人足球的先进性，你要走近荧幕背后。上周，躲在一件无窗办公室中，卡内基·梅隆大学的Joydeep Biswas和他的伙伴对队伍进行最后的调整。他们将在小联赛中出现。尽管类人组机器人依然胡拼乱造而且容易出故障，其在小联赛中的速度和精确性都有大幅提高。他们的电力学球员能够以每秒八米的速度将比赛用橙色高尔夫球踢出去。实际上，如果不是硬件控制限制了最大速度的话，他们能够踢得更狠。

　　The state of play

　　踢球的状态

　　Mr Biswas, a graduate student, works for Manuela Veloso. She helped found RoboCup and her group has won the most finals titles in the little league. In 2009 Dr Veloso and her colleagues decided²⁰ to share with their competitors the vision software that had let their team win a streak²¹ of RoboCups. This helped establish the now-mandatory open-source approach that has rapidly raised the quality of the competition.

　　研究生Biswas先生为Manuela Veloso工作。她帮助成立了机器人世界杯，而她的团队已经赢得了小联赛中的多数头衔。2009年Veloso博士及她的团队决定同他们的竞争对手分享帮助他们赢得了一系列机器人世界杯的视觉软件。这引导建立了如今的强制开源规则，并快速提升了比赛的质量。

　　“In the past couple of years,” Dr Veloso opines, “one of the big changes is that we are starting to analyse real football tactics and strategy, to devise our own.” A paper her group published earlier this year lays out how their CMDragons team observed and exploited the defence tactics of opponents, luring²² them away from positions where they could prevent goals. This approach, dubbed²³ “coerce and attack”, has parallels in professional playbooks.

　　Veloso博士说，“在过去的几年，一项巨大的改变是我们开始分析实际足球技巧和策略，并衍生出我们自己的。”今年早些时候，她的团队发表的一篇文章，说明了他们这个CMDragons团队如何观测并利用选手的防守战略，引诱他们远离能阻止球的防守位置。这个方法被叫做“威逼后攻击”，已经出现在专业玩家手册中。

　　Other research groups are getting equally sophisticated, and teams from Australia, China, Iran and Thailand, among other countries, are regularly placed high in several leagues of the competition—in contrast to their national reputations on real pitches. In the early years of RoboCup, there were huge differences in quality between the teams. No longer. The best of the little league routinely finish their ten-minute-long games with the low scores characteristic of well-matched human teams. Indeed, Dr Veloso's squad²⁴ came in second last year, after a penalty shoot-out following a 2-2 game.

　　其他的研究团队也变得同样的厉害。在所有国家中，来自澳大利亚，中国，伊朗和泰国的队伍，同该国在实际比赛中的名声相比，处在比赛的领头羊地位。在机器人世界杯早些时候，各队在质量上大有不同。这一幕已成为历史。小联赛的佼佼者一般在10分钟的比赛中以小比分结束，同人类队伍间的比赛相仿。实际上，去年一场2-2的比赛结束后，Veloso的小队在点球大战中憾负中国队，屈居第二。

　　Nor need only the players be robots. In a step that many of FIFA's critics may admire, Dr Veloso and her team are developing automated²⁵ referees²⁶. That will not stop some teams from exploiting decidedly human traits, such as fouling²⁷ by forcefully bumping into another robot. But it may result in more effective enforcement of things like the maximum kick-speed rule.

　　而且不仅仅运动员是机器人。许多世界杯批评人士可能会羡慕的是，Veloso博士及其团队正在开发自动裁判。这不会阻止一些队伍触犯人类比赛中的规则，比如有力地碰撞另一个机器人。但其可能导致更有效的强化诸如最大踢球速度限制这样的规定。

　　What fascinates Dr Veloso most about RoboCup is the execution, during the game, of moves that had not been deliberately²⁸ inserted into the algorithms controlling the robots. She is ebullient²⁹ about an unexpected three-way pass and chip, worthy³⁰ of a minor³¹ Messi and his Argentine teammates. Such unanticipated plays are examples of emergent behaviour, a hallmark of artificial intelligence at its highest level, and something she reckons RoboCup teams in all leagues will produce a lot more of with each passing year.

　　机器世界杯最吸引Veloso博士的的地方在于，比赛期间，对运动的执行不是事先设定在控制机器人的算法中。她乐于见到三角传球过人，就像参照梅西和他的阿根廷队友。这种意外的踢法是紧急处理中的例子，标志着人工智能的最高水平。她认为，每年机器世界杯各项比赛的队伍会产生越来越多的闪光点。

　　So is 2050 an unrealistic deadline for robots to beat the best humans at football? Half a century is roughly the time that separates ENIAC, America's first electronic computer, from Deep Blue, the IBM machine that beat chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1997. Judged in that light, RoboCup's goal does not seem absurd. Indeed, the question may be whether, come 2050, there are still any human football players around who have not been prosthetically enhanced in some way, making them cyborgs. RoboCup v RoboCop, anyone?

　　2050年是不是虚拟的截止日期，那时候机器人会在足球方面打败人类？从美国第一台电子计算机ENIAC到1997年IBM生产出打败世界象棋大师Garry Kasparov的深蓝，大概过去了一个世纪。由此判断，机器人世界杯看上去并不荒唐。事实上，问题可能是到了2050年的时候，还有没有足球运动员在某方面没有进行强化，变成半机械人？机器人世界杯，还是半机器人世界杯？

1 commentators   

n.评论员( commentator的名词复数 )；时事评论员；注释者；实况广播员

参考例句：

• Sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 体育解说员翻来覆去说着同样的词语，真叫人腻烦。
• Television sports commentators repeat the same phrases ad nauseam. 电视体育解说员说来说去就是那么几句话，令人厌烦。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 touted   

v.兜售( tout的过去式和过去分词 )；招揽；侦查；探听赛马情报

参考例句：

• She's being touted as the next leader of the party. 她被吹捧为该党的下一任领导人。
• People said that he touted for his mother and sister. 据说，他给母亲和姐姐拉生意。 来自辞典例句

3 dismantled   

拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消

参考例句：

• The plant was dismantled of all its equipment and furniture. 这家工厂的设备和家具全被拆除了。
• The Japanese empire was quickly dismantled. 日本帝国很快被打垮了。

4 plodding   

a.proceeding in a slow or dull way

参考例句：

• They're still plodding along with their investigation. 他们仍然在不厌其烦地进行调查。
• He is plodding on with negotiations. 他正缓慢艰难地进行着谈判。

5 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

6 shoestring   

n.小额资本；adj.小本经营的

参考例句：

• In the early years,the business was run on a shoestring.早年，这家店铺曾是小本经营。
• How can I take the best possible digital pictures on a shoestring budget?怎样用很小投资拍摄最好的数码照片？

7 incentive   

n.刺激；动力；鼓励；诱因；动机

参考例句：

• Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中，钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
• He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。

8 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

9 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

10 cylinders   

n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物

参考例句：

• They are working on all cylinders to get the job finished. 他们正在竭尽全力争取把这工作干完。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• That jeep has four cylinders. 那辆吉普车有4个汽缸。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 input   

n.输入(物)；投入；vt.把(数据等)输入计算机

参考例句：

• I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
• All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

12 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

13 akin   

adj.同族的，类似的

参考例句：

• She painted flowers and birds pictures akin to those of earlier feminine painters.她画一些同早期女画家类似的花鸟画。
• Listening to his life story is akin to reading a good adventure novel.听他的人生故事犹如阅读一本精彩的冒险小说。

14 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

15 soldering   

n.软焊；锡焊；低温焊接；热焊接v.（使）焊接，焊合( solder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Care must be exercised in attaching the lead wires to the soldering tabs. 在往接线片上焊导线时必须非常小心。 来自辞典例句
• I suggest posing me with a soldering wand over my head like a sword. 我想让自己这样像把剑一样把电焊杆举过头顶。 来自电影对白

16 vagaries   

n.奇想( vagary的名词复数 )；异想天开；异常行为；难以预测的情况

参考例句：

• The vagaries of fortune are indeed curious.\" 命运的变化莫测真是不可思议。” 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• The vagaries of inclement weather conditions are avoided to a certain extent. 可以在一定程度上避免变化莫测的恶劣气候影响。 来自辞典例句

17 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

18 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

19 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

20 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

21 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

22 luring   

吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Cheese is very good for luring a mouse into a trap. 奶酪是引诱老鼠上钩的极好的东西。
• Her training warned her of peril and of the wrong, subtle, mysterious, luring. 她的教养警告她：有危险，要出错儿，这是微妙、神秘而又诱人的。

23 dubbed   

v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制

参考例句：

• Mathematics was once dubbed the handmaiden of the sciences. 数学曾一度被视为各门科学的基础。
• Is the movie dubbed or does it have subtitles? 这部电影是配音的还是打字幕的？ 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

25 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。

26 referees   

n.裁判员( referee的名词复数 )；证明人；公断人；（专业性强的文章的）审阅人

参考例句：

• The fiery player has had numerous run-ins with referees. 这位脾气暴躁的队员曾和裁判员发生过无数次争吵。
• If you want to appeal, the Court of Referees will decide. 如果你要上诉，可以由仲裁法庭去判决。 来自辞典例句

27 fouling   

n.（水管、枪筒等中的）污垢v.使污秽( foul的现在分词 )；弄脏；击球出界；（通常用废物）弄脏

参考例句：

• He was sent off for fouling the other team's goalkeeper. 他因对对方守门员犯规而被罚出场。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A basketball player is allowed five personal fouls before fouling out. 篮球运动员侵人犯规五次即被罚下场。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

28 deliberately   

adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地

参考例句：

• The girl gave the show away deliberately.女孩故意泄露秘密。
• They deliberately shifted off the argument.他们故意回避这个论点。

29 ebullient   

adj.兴高采烈的，奔放的

参考例句：

• He was ebullient over the reception of his novel.他因小说获好评而兴高采烈。
• She wrote the ebullient letter when she got back to her flat.她一回到自己的寓所,就写了那封热情洋溢的信。

30 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

31 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。