VOA标准英语2010年-Nosing Your Way Around

Different combinations of sniffing² in and out can be used to control a wheelchair.

 

Reasearchers in Israel have developed an electronic controller that allows severely³ disabled people to control their wheelchairs or computers with a simple sniff¹ of the nose.

 

Injury or disease can leave people paralyzed virtually from the neck down, often without any impairment of their mental capabilities⁴. This new technology uses a hypersensitive device that allows severely disabled people to communicate and move about, using their nose.

Smell away

Quadriplegia can leave individuals without the use of their limbs or torso, but the degree of control from the neck up varies.

Even more severe is the "trapped in" or "locked in" syndrome⁵, where individuals are completely paralyzed but still have full use of their mental faculties⁶.

There are several existing technologies that can help such people with communication and mobility⁷. These systems can be controlled by changing the position of the tongue, moving the eye, or, sipping⁸ or puffing⁹ on a straw. However, sniff technology presents new opportunities.

Noam Sobel is a professor at the Department of Neurobiology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, where this technology was developed. His lab discovered that people can actually sniff very fast and very accurately¹⁰, producing a very rich signal.

Noam Sobel, Weizmann Institute of Science
This wheelchair is equipped with electronics that are controlled by user sniff signals.
Sniff control

"It contains digital information. You have sniff onset¹¹ and sniff offset¹², and you can sniff in and out. And it also contains analog¹³ information because you can sniff with greater or lesser¹⁴ magnitude, or for faster or shorter durations," he explains. "And, so, all those pieces of information together can be used to generate an incredible wealth of control."

So long as they still have control of their soft palate - the soft tissue at the back of the mouth - many completely paralyzed people can control whether air flows through their nose or their mouth. For many users, this can come easily, perhaps because sniffing is controlled similarly to language in the brain.

Sobel demonstrates this over the phone, talking in a very nasal tone while his soft palate is closed, and then speaking normally when his soft palate is open. With practice, he says, it is possible to control a wheelchair and talk at the same time, something that is difficult to do with other technologies such as tongue control or sip-puff.

Price is right

Controllers activated¹⁵ by eye movements are currently the best communication option for "trapped-in" individuals, but Sobel's sniff technology offers an alternative.

With the use of a special mask, trapped-in individuals on a respirator can open or close their soft palate, changing the air pressure in the mask. Electronics measure these changes in pressure, which can be used as a signal to a communication device.

Another benefit of this technology is cost. Sobel built a stand-alone sniff controller for an electric wheelchair for $358. That's significantly cheaper than an eye tracking device, which can cost up to $20,000.

Sobel estimates that if sniff technology is mass-produced, it could be made for only tens of dollars.

Immediate¹⁶ impact

Eric Larson of the National Spinal¹⁷ Cord Injury Association works with researchers to help them understand the needs of individuals with spinal cord injuries.

He says that work like Sobel's is exciting to see, since it can have an immediate, tangible¹⁸ impact on lives.

"Part of our role is to make people aware of new technologies, new opportunities like this, while at the same time, we need to manage expectations. But if people know that it's in the pipeline¹⁹, it can bring people a sense of hope."

And, in this case, hope for quadriplegics and others living with severe disabilities might be just a sniff away.

 

1 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

2 sniffing   

n.探查法v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的现在分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• We all had colds and couldn't stop sniffing and sneezing. 我们都感冒了，一个劲地抽鼻子，打喷嚏。
• They all had colds and were sniffing and sneezing. 他们都伤风了，呼呼喘气而且打喷嚏。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

4 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

5 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

6 faculties   

n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院

参考例句：

• Although he's ninety, his mental faculties remain unimpaired. 他虽年届九旬，但头脑仍然清晰。
• All your faculties have come into play in your work. 在你的工作中，你的全部才能已起到了作用。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 mobility   

n.可动性，变动性，情感不定

参考例句：

• The difference in regional house prices acts as an obstacle to mobility of labour.不同地区房价的差异阻碍了劳动力的流动。
• Mobility is very important in guerrilla warfare.机动性在游击战中至关重要。

8 sipping   

v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
• She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。

9 puffing   

v.使喷出( puff的现在分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He was puffing hard when he jumped on to the bus. 他跳上公共汽车时喘息不已。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My father sat puffing contentedly on his pipe. 父亲坐着心满意足地抽着烟斗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

11 onset   

n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始

参考例句：

• The drug must be taken from the onset of the infection.这种药必须在感染的最初期就开始服用。
• Our troops withstood the onset of the enemy.我们的部队抵挡住了敌人的进攻。

12 offset   

n.分支，补偿；v.抵消，补偿

参考例句：

• Their wage increases would be offset by higher prices.他们增加的工资会被物价上涨所抵消。
• He put up his prices to offset the increased cost of materials.他提高了售价以补偿材料成本的增加。

13 analog   

n.类似物，模拟

参考例句：

• The analog signal contains high-frequency video information,which helps make up the picture.模拟信号包括有助于构成图像的高频视频信息。
• The analog computer measures continuously,without proceeding step by step.模拟计算机不是一步一步地进行，而是连续地进行量度。

14 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

15 activated   

adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The canister is filled with activated charcoal.蒸气回收罐中充满了活性炭。

16 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

17 spinal   

adj.针的，尖刺的，尖刺状突起的；adj.脊骨的，脊髓的

参考例句：

• After three days in Japan,the spinal column becomes extraordinarily flexible.在日本三天，就已经使脊椎骨变得富有弹性了。
• Your spinal column is made up of 24 movable vertebrae.你的脊柱由24个活动的脊椎骨构成。

18 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。

19 pipeline   

n.管道，管线

参考例句：

• The pipeline supplies Jordan with 15 per cent of its crude oil.该管道供给约旦15%的原油。
• A single pipeline serves all the houses with water.一条单管路给所有的房子供水。