2018年CRI Robots trained to better service children and the elderly in China

 

As one of the biggest industrial robot markets in the world, China is developing its smart technologies to provide better educational and care services for children and the elderly.

Children in a kindergarten on the outskirts¹ of Beijing are solving puzzles which are assigned by their new teaching assistant – a roundish robot named Keeko.

Each time they get an answer right, the heart-shaped eyes on Keeko's face light up.

The half meter tall robot is equipped with a camera and a screen. It can tell stories, record video journals, and challenge children with logic² problems.

Candy Xiao is a teacher at the Yiswind Institute of Multicultural³ Education. She says that Keeko has been a hit among the students.

"When children see Keeko with its round head and body, they love this image. After they see it, we don't need to make too much of an effort to make children like Keeko, because the robot just sits there and they like it already."

She says that the robots provide a different approach to the learning process.

"Education today is no longer just the teacher teaching and the students learning. We hope that students can take the initiative to acquire, through different channels, all different kinds of knowledge, and be interested in what's happening around the world. Keeko can serve as one of those channels."

Besides assisting educators, robots are also being developed in China for delivering groceries, dispensing⁴ legal advice, providing guidance in hospitals, and also examining the health conditions of elderly people.

Zhou Xiaohong, from the Traditional Chinese Medicine Engineering Technology Research Center in Guangzhou, explains how the robots produced by her company conduct physical examinations of elderly and offer medical advice.

"The robot is able to identify facial features, and even check the coating on the tongue to carry out a traditional Chinese medicine health check. It is also able to conduct 'emotional' tests, as traditional Chinese medicine highly values emotional stability. The robot will give the necessary medical advice when it finds an elderly patient has a poor mood."

More than 130 thousand industrial robots were produced in China last year, an increase of 68 percent on the previous year.

The service robot market – which includes devices ranging from specialized⁵ medical equipment to automated⁶ vacuum cleaners – is estimated to be worth over 1.3 billion US dollars last year.

It is expected to grow to 4.9 billion by 2022.

The value of the global robotics industry has surpassed 25 billion U.S. dollars last year, and is expected to reach nearly 30 billion dollars this year.

1 outskirts   

n.郊外，郊区

参考例句：

• Our car broke down on the outskirts of the city.我们的汽车在市郊出了故障。
• They mostly live on the outskirts of a town.他们大多住在近郊。

2 logic   

n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性

参考例句：

• What sort of logic is that?这是什么逻辑？
• I don't follow the logic of your argument.我不明白你的论点逻辑性何在。

3 multicultural   

adj.融合多种文化的，多种文化的

参考例句：

• Children growing up in a multicultural society.在多元文化社会中长大的孩子们。
• The school has been attempting to bring a multicultural perspective to its curriculum.这所学校已经在尝试将一种多元文化视角引入其课程。

4 dispensing   

v.分配( dispense的现在分词 )；施与；配（药）

参考例句：

• A dispensing optician supplies glasses, but doesn't test your eyes. 配镜师为你提供眼镜，但不检查眼睛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The firm has been dispensing ointments. 本公司配制药膏。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

6 automated   

a.自动化的

参考例句：

• The entire manufacturing process has been automated. 整个生产过程已自动化。
• Automated Highway System (AHS) is recently regarded as one subsystem of Intelligent Transport System (ITS). 近年来自动公路系统(Automated Highway System,AHS)，作为智能运输系统的子系统之一越来越受到重视。