小时候看《机器猫》，你是否也想拥有一个无所不能的机器人朋友？虽然这个愿望到现在还不能实现，但随着现代科技的发展，机器人技术已广泛应用于人类社会生活的各个领域。它们外形可爱、善解人意，对工作从不挑肥拣瘦，勤劳能干、任劳任怨……说到这里，你是否也染上了“机器人情结”？

　　Follow You

　　Robots may not invade anytime soon, but there's no denying that they're getting smarter. The ball-shaped ApriAlpha uses advanced voice-recognition technology to distinguish between voices coming from different locations. When ApriAlpha hears a voice, it fixes its digital-camera eye on the person speaking. The taller ApriAlpha can identify a person in a crowd by the color of his clothes and shape of his body, and then follow its target. It even bleeps when it loses track of its subject.

　　步步紧盯

　　机器人在不久的将来不大可能侵袭人类，但不可否认的是，机器人正变得越来越“聪明”。球形机器人“ApriAlpha”可以利用先进的声音识别技术区别从不同位置传来的声音。一旦听到声音，“ApriAlpha”的数码相机“眼睛”就会盯着说话的人。身材更高的“ApriAlpha”能根据一个人的衣服颜色和体形将其从人群中分辨出来，然后尾随目标。一旦跟失目标，机器人就会发出嘟嘟声。

　　Cool Cat

　　The notion of robot as home companion is nothing new, but iCat adds something: an expressive face. Tell her to go away, and iCat will look sad. Praise her, and she will smile. Internal microphones can be used to record sounds and help with speech recognition, and 13 electric motors move her eyes, eyebrows, eyelids, mouth and head to produce the appropriate emotional response. iCat can also connect to the net and show online information on your TV or read it aloud.

　　酷“猫”

　　机器人作为家庭伴侣的概念早已不是新鲜事，但机器猫“iCat” 增加了一些功能：一张富于表情的面孔。如果你叫它走开，“iCat” 脸上会露出悲伤的表情，而如果你表扬它，它会乐不可支。机器猫体内的麦克风能录音，帮助辨别语言，而13个电动马达能让机器猫的眼睛、眉毛、眼睑、嘴巴和头部活动自如，做出相应的表情。“iCat”还能上网，并把网络信息显示在电视上，或将信息大声读出来。

　　Turtle Race

　　It's small, it's cute and it walks across your desk, tail wriggling. To program Walkie Bits, simply knock its shell with your finger. It can remember and mimic up to 15 kinds of rhythmic patterns. In song mode, it bleep-bleeps Leopold Mozart's Toy Symphony. But the most fun you can have with these tiny turtle robots is to race them against each other. In basic walk mode, the Walkie Bits' pace is unpredictable, so you never know which one will win. Three can fit in the palm of your hand.

　　“小龟”赛跑

　　“Walkie Bits”小巧可爱，扭动着尾巴爬过桌子。如果想给它下指令，只需用手指轻敲其背部。它最多可记住并模仿15种节奏的敲击声。在歌曲模式下，它能嘟嘟地发出里奥波德-莫扎特(伟大的奥地利作曲家沃尔夫冈·莫扎特的父亲)谱写的《玩具交响曲》。但最好玩的是你可以让这些“小海龟”赛跑。在基本行走模式下，“Walkie Bits”的步伐是不可预测的，所以你永远想不到哪只小龟会获胜。三个“Walkie Bits”加起来才有巴掌大。

　　My Family Member: Nuvo

　　Tired of coming to an empty home each night? Try Nuvo. This 15-inch, two-legged robot can dance, talk, play music, tell time and even shake your hand. It can respond to 40 simple commands (like "Nuvo, let's go out and take a walk") in a Japanese-accented female voice and take pictures with the Cyclops lens mounted on its head. Nuvo can perform tricks like headstands, as well as roaming freely around the house. Nuvo will even take photos and transport them to your cell phone.

　　机器人家属

　　你是否厌倦了每晚都得回到空无一人家中？那就试试让机器人“Nuvo”来为你解闷。这种机器人高15英寸、有两条腿，能言善舞、还能播放音乐、报时，甚至握手。它能对40种以日本女性声音发出的简单指令做出反应，如，“Nuvo，我们出去散步吧”，同时还能用安装在头部的“独眼”摄像头拍照。”Nuvo”能做倒立，还能在房间内自由漫步。“Nuvo”甚至在拍照后能将图片发送到你的手机上。

　　Shall We Dance

　　With a face modeled on Marilyn Monroe's and a long, flowing skirt to hide its three wheels, the 5-feet 5-inch Partner Ballroom Dance Robot can dance the waltz very well. Available in pink or blue, it has upper-body sensors that allow it to "predict" its partner's next steps. Dancing is just one application. "By interpreting users' movements to estimate what they want, care robots will be able to provide better service for the elderly or handicapped," says one of the creators.

　　我们跳舞吧

　　机器人舞伴的面容脱胎于玛丽莲-梦露，平滑的裙摆下藏着三个轮子。它高5英尺5英寸，善于跳华尔兹。这种机器人有两种颜色——粉红色和蓝色。它利用安装在上身的传感器来“预测”舞伴的下一舞步。跳舞只是其用途之一。一位设计者说：“护士机器人可以通过主人的行动推测他们的需求，能够为老人或残疾人提供更到位的服务。”

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