VOA常速英语2015--物理康复机器人有助于治疗肌肉损伤（在线收听）

Physical Rehab Robot Helps Heal Muscle Damage 物理康复机器人有助于治疗肌肉损伤

Physical therapists have a variety of tools to help patients with neurological or orthopedic injuries regain control of their muscles. There are balls and boards to improve balance, stretchy bands to increase strength, and a host of exercises to help with rehabilitation. A robot can help therapists better target their patients' workouts by assisting movement and monitoring nerve impulses in their muscles.

Recovering strength and flexibility after an injury often involves physical therapy. Exercising muscles that may have atrophied is an important part of the rehabilitation process. Polish bio-tech company Egzotech has developed a robot, called Luna, to make those exercises interactive while providing therapists with information about their patients' progress.

受伤后力量和柔韧性的恢复通常需要进行物理治疗。锻炼萎缩的肌肉是康复过程中极为重要的一部分。而波兰Egzotech生物技术公司已经研发出一款名为露娜的机器人，它能够进行这样的交互训练,同时为治疗师提供病人的境况信息。

Luna uses electromyography, or EMG, to identify electrical currents as patients bend their arms or legs. Egzotech CEO Michal Mikulski said detecting muscle tension that is not visible to the naked eye can help therapists refine an exercise regime.

露娜在病人手臂或腿部弯曲时使用EMG，即肌电图电流进行确认。Egzotech公司首席执行官迈克尔·米克拉斯基表示进行肉眼不可见的肌肉紧张检测有助于治疗师改善运动强度。

"We reach a certain stage of disease development....when the muscle tension is not even visible. But these signals can still be seen on our machines, Luna is still able to detect them. And based on that, when the brain sends a signal to the muscle to flex, even though we don't see it, Luna is still able to detect it. It detects these signals and causes the movement of the limb, as if it were performed naturally," Mikulski stated.

“当肌肉紧张甚至不可见时，我们已经处于疾病发展的特别阶段。但这些信号仍然可以通过我们的机器看到,露娜仍能检测到它们。而在此基础上,当大脑发出肌肉收缩的信号,即使我们无法看到,露娜仍能探测到。它检测到这些信号,引发肢体运动,就好像它是自然表现。”

Luna can also make therapy fun for children, who often get bored with repetitive movements. It allows them to play games without being aware that they are exercising their muscles.

对于重复动作经常感到无聊的儿童露娜在治疗时就会变得非常有趣。孩子们可以玩游戏但不知道是在锻炼肌肉。

"Sometimes it is a spacecraft, sometimes shooting balls, sometimes flying a dragon. In any case, a child wants to win a game, wants to compete, but in fact they are exercising," he explained.

“有时候这像是一艘宇宙飞船,有时是拍球,有时是放飞一条龙。在任何情况下,孩子们都会想要赢得比赛,想要参与竞争,但事实上他们是在锻炼。”

Although Luna is just a prototype, Egzotech expects to have a marketable and efficient robot later this year.

虽然罗娜只是一个原型,但Egzotech预计今年晚些时候会有一台符合市场及高效的机器人面世。