Japanese Researchers Create Remote Control for Cockroaches_在线英语听力室

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Japanese Researchers Create Remote Control for Cockroaches²

Most of the time, people are not happy to see cockroaches. The insect is known around the world as a pest – a creature that causes problems for people.

However, the cockroach¹ is a useful insect for research scientists. And they could one day be used to help find survivors³ after major earthquakes.

Scientists in Japan have been working on a system that they can attach to the insects that permits remote control.

Kenjiro Fukuda leads a team at the Thin-Film Device Laboratory at Riken, a company that does scientific research. The team created a thin solar cell they can attach to the body of a cockroach. It is thinner than a human hair.

The cell permits the cockroach to move freely but it sends signals to organs that control the insect's legs.

The scientists believe they can control the cockroaches from a long distance. This means they will be able to send the insects into a disaster area, such as a building destroyed by an earthquake. The small insects can get into places that humans and even rescue robots cannot reach. With the right equipment, they could be used to help find survivors stuck under broken pieces of buildings.

The work advances a project done by scientists in Singapore.

Fukoda said the problem with rescue robots is their batteries run out quickly. The insect, however, moves on its own. The battery only sends a signal that makes the cockroach move, so it lasts much longer.

"The electricity required is nowhere near as much" as what is required for rescue robots, Fukoda said.

The research team is using hissing⁴ cockroaches from Madagascar. Those cockroaches are big enough to carry the equipment and strong enough to get back on their feet if they fall over.

Although the research is going well so far, the technology is not fully⁵ ready for use in the real world. For example, in a recent demonstration⁶, the scientists sent signals to a cockroach that caused it to move to the left. However, the cockroach moved in circles when they sent a signal telling it to move right.

The next step is to see if there are small cameras and sensors⁷ that can be placed on the cockroach's back. The team created the first test backpack using material purchased from an electronics⁸ market in Tokyo for only $35.

Even if the thin solar cell is not able to be used in rescue missions, Fukoda said there could be a number of future uses.

For example, the cells could be used in clothing to measure a person's health. The cells could also be added to an umbrella. Used in this way, the cells could help generate⁹ enough power to charge a mobile phone.

Words in This Story

remote –adj. far away or distant

umbrella –n. an item you hold that protects you from the rain and sun

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收听单词发音

1 cockroach
n.蟑螂
参考例句：
A cockroach can live several weeks with its head off.蟑螂在头被切掉后仍能活好几个星期。 She screamed when she found a cockroach in her bed.她在床上找到一只蟑螂时大声尖叫。

2 cockroaches
n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 )
参考例句：
At night, the cockroaches filled the house with their rustlings. 夜里，屋里尽是蟑螂窸窸瑟瑟的声音。来自辞典例句 It loves cockroaches, and can keep a house clear of these hated insects. 它们好食蟑螂，可以使住宅免除这些讨厌昆虫的骚扰。来自百科语句

3 survivors
幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )
参考例句：
The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。 survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

4 hissing
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视动词hiss的现在分词形式
参考例句：
The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。 His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

5 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。

6 demonstration
n.表明，示范，论证，示威
参考例句：
His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。 He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

7 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

8 electronics
n.电子器件，电子学，电子技术
参考例句：
About 45000 people worked in electronics in Scotland.苏格兰约有4.5万人在电子行业工作。 He wants to brush up his knowledge of electronics.他想温习他的电子学知识。

9 generate
vt.生成，产生（光、热、电等）导致
参考例句：
We need someone to generate new ideas.我们需要有人出新主意。 This book will continue to generate excitement for a long time.这本书将在很长一段时间里继续使人们为之激动。

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Japanese Researchers Create Remote Control for Cockroaches