新奇事件簿 机器人帮助私人订制家具

Robots are taking over more and more aspects of our lives, and jobs. The latest occupation to perhaps feel threatened by the march of technology is carpentry. For thousands of years, skilled carpenters have lovingly created furniture from wood. However, the next generation of master craftsmen¹ and women may be robots, not humans. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a robot that can create custom-made wooden furniture. They say the robots will not replace humans, but instead will improve safety. The researchers said the goal of their project was to let robots do the more dangerous tasks of sawing and assembling, so carpenters can focus on design.

机器人越来越多的承担了我们生活和工作的方方面面。最近受到这只技术队伍威胁取代的就是木工业了。几千年来，技术娴熟的木匠利用木材创造出了家具。但是工匠大师们的下一代或许是机器人而非人类。麻省理工学院（MIT）的研究人员发明了一种机器人能够制作定制木头家具。他们表示机器人不会取代人类，而是会提高安全程度。研究人员表示他们这个项目的目标是让机器人进行锯切和装配等更加危险的工作，这样木匠们就可以专注设计了。

The MIT team used currently available technology to create what they call the AutoSaw. It differs from conventional robots that are currently used to manufacture the mass-produced, flat-pack furniture many of us buy from giant home-furnishing stores. People will be able to design their own furniture and AutoSaw will cut up the wood with great precision and reduced risk of us losing a finger. Researcher Adriana Schulz said: "Our aim is to democratize furniture-customization. We're trying to open up a realm of opportunities so users aren't bound to what they've bought at Ikea. Instead, they can make what best fits their needs." She believes it will empower people to create better-designed furniture.

MIT团队利用目前可用技术创造出了AutoSaw（智能锯）。和传统机器人不同，传统机器人常常是加工大量生产的拆装家具，其中许多都可以从大型居家市场买到。人们将能够专注设计他们自己的家具，而AutoSaw将以高精度标准锯木头并降低失去手指的风险。研究员Adriana Schulz说道：“我们的目标是让家具定制大众化。我们尝试打开一片机遇领域，这样用户就不一定要在宜家购买家具了。相反，它们能够制作出最能够满足用户需求的家具。”她认为这种机器人能够让人们创造出设计感更好的家具。

1 craftsmen   

n. 技工

参考例句：

• rugs handmade by local craftsmen 由当地工艺师手工制作的小地毯
• The craftsmen have ensured faithful reproduction of the original painting. 工匠保证要复制一幅最接近原作的画。