第1877期:Japanese Researchers Develop Wearable Robot Arms

A team at Tokyo University is developing robotic arms that people can wear. The devices could find use in areas from creative expression to search and rescue operations. Masahiko Inami is a professor who develops systems to expand human abilities. Inami’s team at the University of Tokyo is designing the wearable robotic arms. The team is developing a series of technologies rooted in the idea of “jizai.” It is a Japanese idea that he says roughly means the autonomy and the freedom to do as one wants.东京大学的一个团队正在开发人们可以佩戴的机械臂。 这些设备可用于从创意表达到搜索和救援行动等领域。Masahiko Inami 是一位教授，致力于开发扩展人类能力的系统。 东京大学 Inami 的团队正在设计可穿戴机械臂。该团队正在开发一系列植根于“jizai”理念的技术。 他说，这是一种日本观念，大致意味着自治和随心所欲的自由。The aim is to create something like the relationship between a musician and an instrument. Inami said, “Lying somewhere between a human and a tool, like how a musical instrument can become as if a part of your body.” Inami says the idea came to him when he thought of traditional Japanese puppetry and a short story by Yasunari Kawabata. The story is about a young man who borrows a young woman’s right arm.目的是在音乐家和乐器之间建立类似的关系。 伊波说：“介于人类和工具之间，就像乐器可以成为你身体的一部分一样。”稻波说，当他想到传统的日本木偶和川端康成的短篇小说时，他就产生了这个想法。 这个故事讲述了一个年轻男子借用了一位年轻女子的右臂的故事。Inami said the robotic device is “not a rival to human beings, but rather something that helps us do as we please.” He added that it was “like a bicycle or e-bike. It supports us and can unlock creativity." A video called JIZAI ARMS shows two dancers performing with the robotic arms on their backs. The humans and machines move together in the performance. The dancers come together and move in similar ways either leading or following the robot arms. Inami said some wearers grow attached to the arms after some time. "Taking them off after using them for a while feels a little sad. That's where they're a little different to other tools," he said.Inami 表示，机器人设备“不是人类的竞争对手，而是帮助我们做我们想做的事情。” 他补充说，它“就像自行车或电动自行车。 它支持我们并可以释放创造力。”一段名为“JIZAI ARMS”的视频显示，两名舞者背着机械臂表演。 人类和机器在表演中一起移动。 舞者聚集在一起，以类似的方式移动，或者引导或跟随机器人手臂。伊波说，一段时间后，一些佩戴者就会对手臂产生依恋。 “使用一段时间后把它们取下来感觉有点难过。这就是它们与其他工具有点不同的地方，”他说。But Inami added that the possibilities for the robot arms go beyond turning a short story into real life. He said such machines could help in search and rescue operations. He wondered if similar devices could be used to fly or perform sports in the future. "In the future we might see wings growing out of people's backs, or drones attached to people...Maybe someone will come up with a sport that requires six arms or invent a new type of swimming," Inami said.但伊波补充说，机器人手臂的可能性不仅仅是将短篇故事变成现实生活。 他说这种机器可以帮助搜救行动。他想知道未来是否可以使用类似的设备来飞行或进行运动。“未来，我们可能会看到翅膀从人们的背上长出来，或者无人机附着在人们身上……也许有人会想出一项需要六只手臂的运动，或者发明一种新型的游泳，”伊波说。