Emerging Technologies

Emerging Technologies

 

©2005 MIT Technology Review,

Technology Review, Inc. Distributed by

Tribune Media Services International

 

Of the numerous technologies now in development, MIT Technology Review has chosen several it thinks will make particularly big splashes. Advanced brings three of these technologies into sharper focus

 

1

Airborne networks

By David Talbot

 

The technology that underpins² air traffic control systems hasn’t changed much over the last 50 years. Planes still depend on elaborate groundbased radar³ systems, plus thousands of people who watch blips on screens and issue verbal instructions for takeoffs, landings and course changes. The system is expensive, hard to scale up and prone⁴ to delays when storms strike.

 

An entirely⁵ different approach is possible. An Internet in the sky could let planes fly safely without ground controllers. Each plane could continually transmit its identity, precise location, speed and heading to other planes in the sky via an airborne network. Software would then take over, coordinating⁶ the system by issuing instructions to pilots on how to stay separated, find the best routes, avoid bad weather and execute precise landings in poor visibility.

 

In the near term, such technology could save travelers time and might reduce fuel consumption. Long term, it could revolutionize air travel by enabling more planes to fill the sky without the addition of infrastructure⁷ and staff. Vastly greater numbers of small planes could zip in and out of thousands of small airfields⁸ (there are 5,400 in the U.S. alone), even airfields with no radar at all. “The biggest holdback to the number of airplanes that can be in the sky is that air traffic controllers areseparating aircraft by hand,” says Sally Johnson, an aerospace⁹ engineer at NASA’s Langley Research Center. “Until you get away from that paradigm¹⁰, we are at the limits of what you can do.”

 

The U.S. Air Force is beginning to define the structure of an airborne network, and hopes to begin actively¹¹ developing and testing the network itself between 2008 and 2012. Airborne communication networks could change how we travel in the decades to come.

 

 

Vocabulary Focus

make a splash (idiom) to get a lot of public attention

underpin¹ (v) [7QndE5pin] to give support, strength or a basic structure to something

elaborate (adj) [i5lAbErEt] containing a lot of careful detail or many detailed¹² parts

prone to (v) tending to show a particular negative characteristic or suffer from a particular illness

infrastructure (n) [5infrE5strQktFE] the basic systems and services that an organization uses in order to work effectively

 

Specialized¹³ Terms

blip (n) 雷达荧幕显示的物体光点 a small spot of light that appears on a radar screen

heading (n) 航向；前进的方向 the direction in which someone or something is going

 

新兴科技

张梵 译

 

“麻省技术评论”从多项正在研发的科技中选出数项该刊认为将备受瞩目的技术。本期《彭蒙惠英语》要较详尽地介绍其中3项

 

1

航空网络

支持飞航控制系统的技术过去50年来没有太大改变。飞机起降依然有赖精密的地面雷达系统，以及数千名人员监控雷达屏幕上的光点，随时提供起飞、降落及航线变更的口头指示。这种航管系统价格昂贵、扩充困难，而且在暴风雨侵袭时信号容易延迟。

但另一种截然不同的航管方法可能可行。空中互联网络的出现，让飞机不经地面航管人员就可安全飞行。利用航空网络，每架飞机可持续将身份数据、明确位置、速度及航向传送给空中其它飞机。软件则接管后续的协调系统作业，指示飞行员如何与别的飞机保持距离、寻找最佳航道、避开恶劣天气及在能见度不佳时准确降落。

短期内这一技术可节省旅客时间，也可能降低燃料消耗量。长期而言，它可为航空飞行带来重大变革，使空中容纳更多飞机，而无须添加基础设施建设及航管人员。更多的小飞机可进出数千个小型机场，甚至是没有雷达设备的机场（单是美国便拥有5400座小型机场）。美国太空总署朗格里研究中心的航管工程师莎莉·强森说：“想突破能在空中飞行的飞机数量的最大障碍在于航管人员系利用人工隔离各架飞机。除非能够突破这一模式，否则目前我们已经达到能力极限。”

美国空军已经开始界定航空网络的架构，并希望于2008～2012年间，开始积极研发和测试这个网络。未来数十年中，航空通讯网络可能改变我们的旅游模式。

1 underpin   

v.加固，支撑

参考例句：

• China needs regional stability to underpin its continued economic growth.中国需要地区稳定来巩固其持续的经济增长。
• These developments are underpinned by solid progress in heavy industry.重工业的稳固发展为这些进展打下了基础。

2 underpins   

n.基础材料( underpin的名词复数 )；基础结构；（学说、理论等的）基础；（人的）腿v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的第三人称单数 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• A powerful sense of mission underpins everything he does. 一种强烈的使命感支撑他所做的一切。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His presence at the crime underpins the case against him. 案子发生时他在场对他更不利。 来自辞典例句

3 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

4 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。

5 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

6 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

7 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

8 airfields   

n.（较小的无建筑的）飞机场( airfield的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For several days traffic fromthe Naples airfields was partially interrupted. 那不勒斯机场的对外交通部分地停顿了数天。 来自辞典例句
• We have achieved a great amount of destruction at airfields and air bases. 我们已把机场和空军基地大加破坏。 来自辞典例句

9 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

10 paradigm   

n.例子，模范，词形变化表

参考例句：

• He had become the paradigm of the successful man. 他已经成为成功人士的典范。
• Moreover,the results of this research can be the new learning paradigm for digital design studios.除此之外，本研究的研究成果也可以为数位设计课程建立一个新的学习范例。

11 actively   

adv.积极地，勤奋地

参考例句：

• During this period all the students were actively participating.在这节课中所有的学生都积极参加。
• We are actively intervening to settle a quarrel.我们正在积极调解争执。

12 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

13 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。