VOA慢速英语2021--以色列军方新型战斗机器人引发关注

New Armed Robot for Israel’s Military Raises Concerns

An Israeli military contractor¹ has built an armed, unmanned robot designed to be deployed² in many battle situations.

The vehicle is called Rex MK II. It was developed by state-owned contractor Israel Aerospace³ Industries, also known as IAI. The robot is semi-autonomous⁴, with the ability to perform some operations on its own. It can also be guided by humans remotely through an electronic controller.

Officials from IAI said the vehicle was built to support Israeli military ground forces in different levels of fighting. It can carry equipment and supplies, gather intelligence and open fire at nearby targets.

The robot can carry two machine guns and a series of cameras and sensors⁵ to support military activities. It was also designed with the ability to transport injured soldiers.

Rani Avni helps lead the development of autonomous systems for IAI. He told The Associated Press the Rex MK II is the most advanced in a series of unmanned vehicles developed for the Israeli military over the past 15 years.

Israel's military is currently using a similar but smaller vehicle called the Jaguar⁶. The Jaguar is used to guard Israel's border with the Gaza Strip. The Islamic militant⁷ group Hamas took control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in 2007. As a result, Israel closed off its border with Gaza and enforces a blockade.

Gaza is home to 2 million Palestinians who face the blockade, which is supported by Egypt. Protests take place there and Palestinian militants⁸ and laborers⁹ try to cross over into Israel.

The Israeli army's website states that the semi-autonomous Jaguar was designed to reduce danger to soldiers working along the Gaza-Israel border. The Jaguar also carries a machine gun and is one of many technology tools used by the Israeli military. The army also has used drones with guided missiles in operations against Hamas forces.

Unmanned ground vehicles are increasingly being used by other armies. Countries include the United States, Britain and Russia. They are designed for things like providing operational support, removing landmines¹⁰ and firing weapons.

The military contractor says the new Rex MK II can complete many actions on its own, such as controlling movements and carrying out surveillance. Actions such as firing a weapon require a human to operate the electronic controller.

Critics have raised concerns that robotic weapons could decide on their own, possibly mistakenly, to shoot at targets. The company said that while the new robotic vehicle was developed with that ability, the current version being offered does not have it.

"It is possible to make the weapon itself also autonomous, however, it is a decision of the user today," developer Rani Avni said. "The maturity¹¹ of the system or the user is not there yet," he added.

Yonni Gedj is an operational expert in IAI's robotics division. He said the robot is built to become smarter over time. "With every mission, the device collects more data which it then learns from for future missions," he told the AP.

Bonnie Docherty is a researcher with the arms division of Human Rights Watch. She said such weapons can be dangerous because they cannot be trusted to recognize soldiers from civilians¹². The robots are also not equipped to make the right decisions about the harm attacks could cause to civilians.

"Machines cannot understand the value of human life," Docherty said. This "undermines human dignity and violates human rights laws," she added. In a 2012 report, Docherty called for fully¹³ automated¹⁴ weapons to be banned by international law.

Words in This Story

autonomous – adj. independent and having the power to operate automatically without human involvement

remote – adj. far away, from a distance

advanced – adj. having developed or progressed to a late stage

drone – n. a small, pilotless aircraft

surveillance – n. the process of getting information about a place or an area for military use

maturity – n. the time when someone or something is completely grown or developed

mission – n. an important job, usually involving travel somewhere

undermine – v. lessen¹⁵ the effectiveness, power or ability of something

dignity – n. the state of being worthy of honor or respect

1 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

2 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

3 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。

4 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

5 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

6 jaguar   

n.美洲虎

参考例句：

• He was green with envy when he saw my new Jaguar car.看见我那辆美洲虎牌新车，他非常妒忌。
• Should you meet a jaguar in the jungle,just turn slowly,walk away.But slowly,never look back.你在丛林中若碰上美洲虎，就慢慢转身走开，可一定要慢，切莫回头看。

7 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

8 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

9 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

10 landmines   

潜在的冲突； 地雷，投伞水雷( landmine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The treaty bans the use production and trade of landmines. 该条约规定，禁止使用地雷相关产品及贸易。
• One of the weapon's of special concern was landmines. 在引起人们特别关注的武器中就有地雷。

11 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。

12 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

13 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。

14 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。

15 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。