近年來，機器人技術發展很快，但它們還是隻能做一些簡單的工作。最近科學家造出了能感知疼痛的機器人，再發展下去就是讓機器人理解人類的情感。
A robot that can feel pain
by Sarah Knapton
A future in which androids look and feel so much like humans that they start to believe they are actually alive – as depicted in the film Blade Runner – may soon be reality.
android /ˈændrɔɪd/ n. 人形機器人
alive /əˈlaɪv/ adj. 活着的
depict /dɪˈpɪkt/ v. 描繪、描寫
Blade Runner 銀翼殺手（也譯作“刀鋒戰士”）
reality /riˈæləti/ n. 現實（由real加後綴-ity變成名詞）
Scientists in Japan have invented a robot that can "feel" pain and is programmed to visibly wince when an electric charge is applied to its synthetic（人工合成的） skin. The team from Osaka University is hoping that adding pain sensors（傳感器） to machines will help them develop empathy to human suffering, so they can act as more compassionate（有同情心的） companions.
program /ˈprəʊɡræm/ v. 編寫程序
visibly /ˈvɪzəbli/ adv. 看得見地、明顯地
wince /wɪns/ v. （因爲疼痛）齜牙咧嘴
charge /tʃɑːdʒ/ n. 電荷、電量
apply /əˈplaɪ/ v. 使用、施加
empathy /ˈempəθi/ n. 同理心
act as 做爲、充當
companion /kəmˈpænjən/ n. 同伴
For lead researcher Professor Minoru Asada, the question of whether robots could one day seem human is almost irrelevant. "In Japan we believe all inanimate（無生命的） objects have a soul, so a metal robot is no different from a human in that respect. There are less boundaries between humans and objects," he said.
researcher /rɪˈsɜːtʃə(r)/ n. 研究者（由research加上表示人的後綴-er）
irrelevant /ɪˈreləv(ə)nt/ adj. 不相干的、不相關的（由relevant加上表示否定的前綴ir-）
soul /səʊl/ n. 靈魂
respect /rɪˈspekt/ n. 方面
boundary /ˈbaʊnd(ə)ri/ n. 分界線
In the 1982 film Blade Runner, which was based on the short story "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" by Philip K Dick, androids became so lifelike it was impossible to tell them apart from humans. Asked if such a future was possible, Asada said: "I think we are not far away from that technically, but obviously ethically that is another matter."
based on 基於
lifelike /ˈlaɪflaɪk/ adj. 栩栩如生的、活靈活現的
tell apart 區分、辨別
technically /ˈteknɪk(ə)li/ adv. 技術上（由technical加後綴-ly變成副詞）
ethically /ˈeθɪk(ə)li/ adv. 道德上、倫理上（由ethical加後綴-ly變成副詞）
"We are embedding a touch and pain nervous system into the robot to make the robot feel pain so that it can understand the touch and pain in others," Asada explained. "And if this is possible, we want to see if empathy and morality can emerge. We are aiming to construct a symbiotic（共生的） society with artificially intelligent robots, and a robot that can feel pain is a key component of that society. Japan is a very high ageing society and many senior people are living alone, so these kinds of robots could provide physical and emotional assistance."
embed /ɪmˈbed/ v. 鑲嵌、嵌入
nervous /ˈnɜːvəs/ adj. 神經的
morality /məˈræləti/ n. 道德（由moral加後綴-ity變成名詞）
emerge /ɪˈmɜːdʒ/ v. 顯現、出現
construct /kənˈstrʌkt/ v. 建造
artificially /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)li/ adv. 人工地、人造地（由artificial加後綴-ly變成副詞）
intelligent /ɪnˈtelɪdʒ(ə)nt/ adj. 智能的
key /kiː/ adj. 關鍵的
component /kəmˈpəʊnənt/ n. 組成部分
ageing /ˈeɪdʒɪŋ/ adj. 變老的、老齡化的
senior /ˈsiːniə(r)/ adj. 年老的
physical /ˈfɪzɪk(ə)l/ adj. 身體的
emotional /ɪˈməʊʃ(ə)n(ə)l/ adj. 情感的（由emotion加後綴-al變成形容詞）
assistance /əˈsɪst(ə)ns/ n. 幫助
The artificial pain system has been built into an eerily-lifelike robot child head called "Affetto" which was unveiled（揭幕） by Osaka engineers in 2018. By mapping 116 different points on the face, scientists are able to create nuanced（細緻入微的） expressions such as smiling and frowning, and now wincing.
artificial /ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 人工的、人造的
eerily 怪異地
map /mæp/ v. 繪製地圖
expression /ɪkˈspreʃ(ə)n/ n. 表情（由express加後綴-ion變成名詞）
frown /fraʊn/ v. 皺眉
Affetto has soft tactile（觸覺的） sensors which can detect both a gentle touch and painful blow and induce a range of facial expressions to demonstrate the level of discomfort. Although presently a thump（捶打） produces a synthesised（人工合成） reaction, it is hoped that in the future the robot will be able to understand that it is being harmed through being hit, and experience a real kind of pain.
detect /dɪˈtekt/ v. 偵測
blow /bləʊ/ n. 重擊
induce /ɪnˈdjuːs/ v. 引起
facial /ˈfeɪʃ(ə)l/ adj. 面部的（由face加後綴-ial變成形容詞）
demonstrate /ˈdemənstreɪt/ v. 展現
level /ˈlev(ə)l/ n. 水平、程度
discomfort /dɪsˈkʌmfət/ n. 不適、難受（由comfort加上表示否定的前綴dis-）
presently /ˈprez(ə)ntli/ adv. 現在、目前（由present加後綴-ly變成副詞）
reaction /riˈækʃ(ə)n/ n. 反應、迴應
harm /hɑːm/ v. 傷害、損害
Dr Hisashi Ishihara, who helped design the robot, said such empathy was crucial if robots and humans were to live side by side. "Generally, I believe that robots will be more effective in social bonding with humans when they have a more sensitive and expressive body," he said. "That's why I'm trying to develop expressive android head and sensitive tactile sensors. Of course I think one day we humans will create robots that are difficult to distinguish from humans."
crucial /ˈkruːʃ(ə)l/ adj. 至關重要的
effective /ɪˈfektɪv/ adj. 有效的（由effect加後綴-ive變成形容詞）
bond /bɒnd/ v. 建立密切聯繫
sensitive /ˈsensɪtɪv/ adj. 靈敏的、敏感的（由sense加後綴-itive變成形容詞）
expressive /ɪkˈspresɪv/ adj. 善於表達的（由express加後綴-ive變成形容詞）
distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ v. 分辨
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