Japanese Stores Test Robot Workers
日本商店测试机器人员工
In August, a robot will begin placing food and drinks on store shelves in Japan. This is a test that the robot's maker hopes will help create a wave of automation in retail stores. Automation is the process of using robots or computers, instead of people, for some jobs.
八月份，一个机器人将开始在日本的商店上架摆放食物和饮料。该机器人的制造商希望，这一测试将有助于在零售商店掀起一股自动化浪潮。自动化是指在某些工作中使用机器人或计算机代替人类的过程。
The manufacturer of the robot worker is a Tokyo-based company called Telexistence.
机器人员工的制造商是东京的一家公司叫Telexistence株式会社。
Following the test, store operator FamilyMart says it plans to use such robots at 20 stores in and around Tokyo by 2022.
测试之后，全家便利店表示截止到2022年它要在东京及附近的20家商店使用这样的机器人。
One of FamilyMart’s competitors is the retail chain Lawson. That company will be testing its first robot in September, according to Telexistence.
全家便利店的竞争对手之一是罗森零售连锁店。据远Telexistence株式会社的消息，罗森会在9月份测试它的第一个机器人。
At first, people will operate the robots from a distance. These operations will continue until the machines’ artificial intelligence (AI) can learn to copy human-like movements.
起初，人们会远程操作机器人。人们的操作会持续到机器的人工智能学会模仿人类的动作。
Jin Tomioka is the robot maker’s chief executive. He noted how the technology lets people sense and experience places other than where they are.
金富冈是机器人制造公司的首席执行官。他解释了这项技术是如何让人们感受和经历那些他们没有去过的地方。
“It advances the scope and scale of human existence,” he said.
“它扩大了人类存在的范围和规模，”他说。
The idea, called telexistence, was first proposed around 40 years ago by the company’s co-founder, University of Tokyo professor Susumu Tachi.
这个想法，叫做远程存在，是该公司创始人-东京大学教授田智前大约40年前首次提出的。
Telexistence calls its robot the Model T, after the famous Ford Motor car. The Ford Model T began the era of mass car use around 100 years ago.
Telexistence株式会社把它的机器人叫做“Model T”，为纪念著名的福特汽车。大约100年前，福特T型车开始了大规模使用汽车的时代。
The robot looks somewhat like an Australian animal -- a kangaroo. The unusual design is meant to help people feel at ease. Many people feel uneasy around robots that look too human.
这个机器人看起来有点像一种澳大利亚动物——袋鼠。这个非同寻常的设计是为了让人们感觉舒适。许多人在看起来像人类的机器人面前感到不安。
Escaping factories
逃离工厂
Robots are still a rare sight in public. They also struggle with simple jobs in unexpected settings.
机器人在公共场合还是很少见的。他们也在意想不到的环境中努力做着简单的工作。
Solving that problem could help businesses in some countries, especially those in rapidly aging Japan, deal with fewer workers. Businesses hit by the coronavirus may also need to operate with fewer people.
解决这一问题可以帮助某些国家的经济，尤其在快速老龄化的日本，可以解决工人少的问题。被新冠肺炎冲击的生意需要的运营人员也减少了。
Since the coronavirus crisis began , hotels, restaurants and even oil companies have contacted Telexistence, Tomioka said.
富冈表示，自新冠肺炎危机爆发以来，旅馆、饭店甚至是石油公司都联系过Telexistence株式会社。
Niki Harada is an official at Japan’s Restaurant Workers Union. “It’s difficult to tell now what impact robots might have in restaurants - it could mean fewer people, but it could also create new jobs,” Harada said.
妮基原田是日本饭店工人协会的一名官员。原田说：“现在还很难说机器人会对饭店行业造成的影响——可能意味着需要的员工更少，但是它也可能创造更多的工作岗位。”
Although FamilyMart will still need people to control its robots, operators can be anywhere. The operators can also be people who would not normally work in stores, said Tomohiro Kano, a general manager.
尽管全家仍旧需要人来操控机器人，但是操控者可以在任何地方。总经理卡诺智宏说，操控者也可以是那些不常在商店工作的人。
“There are about 1.6 million people in Japan, who for various reasons are not active in the workforce,” he said.
他说：“在日本大约有160万人由于种种原因在劳动力市场并不活跃。”
Takeo Kanade is an AI and robotics scientist at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. Kanade joined Telexistence in February as an adviser.
金出武雄是美国卡内基-梅隆大学的人工智能和机器人方向科学家。武雄在2月份作为顾问加入了Telexistence株式会社。
Future telexistence robots could be used in hospitals so doctors could perform operations from a distance, he said.
他说，未来远程存在的机器人可能出现在医院，这样医生就可以远程实施手术。
However, he added, it might take another 20 years before robots can work in people’s homes.
然而，他补充道，大概还需要20年机器人才能在人类家里工作。
“In order for robots to be really usable at home,” he said, “we really have to be able to communicate."
他说道：“为了让机器人真正地在家庭中工作，我们得能够沟通。”
I'm John Russell.
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