机电英语unit 7
An industrial robot is a general-purpose, programmable machine possessing certain humanlike characteristics.工业机器人是一种具有某些人类特点的可编程的通用机械。The most typical humanlike characteristic of a robot is its arm. 机器人最具有人性化特点是它的机械臂This arm, together with the robots capacity to be programmed, makes it suitable to a variety of production tasks, including machine loading, spot welding, spray painting, and assembly.机器人的手臂加上它的可编程能力，使它非常适合完成多种生产任务，包括机械加料、点焊、喷漆和组装。The robot can be programmed to perform a sequence of mechanical motions, and it can repeat that motion sequence over and over until reprogrammed to perform some other job.通过控制编程，机器人可完成一系列的机械动作，并按顺序不断重复相同的动作直到重新调整编程为止。 An industrial robot shares many attributes in common with a numerical control machine tool. 工业机器人和数控机床有许多共同特性。The same type of NC technology used to operate machine tool is used to actuate the robots mechanical arm.启动机器人机械臂和操作机床所用的数控技术是一样的。The robot is a lighter, more portable piece of equipment than an NC machine tool. .和数控机床相比，机器人是一种重量轻、更便于携带的设备。The uses of the robot are more general, typically involving the handling of workparts. Also, the programming of the robot is different from NC part programming. 其用途也更广泛，主要涉及到工件的搬运。另外，机器人编程与数控机床不同。Traditionally, NC programming has been performed off-line with the machine commands being contained on a punch tape.通常，数控编程是脱机完成的，指令载于穿孔带上。Robot programming has usually been accomplished on-line, with the instrunction being retained in the robots electronic memory. . 机器人编程常常是联机完成的，指令存储于机器人的电子存储器中In spite of these differences, there are definite similarities between robots and NC machines in terms of power drive technologies, feedback systems, the trend toward computer control, and even some of the industrial applications.尽管有这些差别，但在电力驱动技术、反馈系统、计算机控制化趋势，甚至在某些工业应用方面，两者之间有着明显的共同之处。 The popular concept of a robot has been fashioned by science fiction novels and movies such as "Star Wars." 星球大战之类电影和科幻小说促成了现今人们熟悉的有关机器人的概念。These images tend to exaggerate the robots similarity to human anatomy and behavior. The human analogy has sometimes been a troublesome issue in industry. 这些概念往往夸大了机器人与人类在形体和行为方面的相似之处。在工业方面，机器人的这种人性化比拟有时会引起麻烦。People tend to associate the future use of advanced robots in factories with high unemployment and the conquer of human beings by these machines.人们往往会把未来时代工厂中使用现金的机器人和高失业率、机器人征服人类联系起来。 Largely in response to this humanoid conception associated with robots, there have been attempts to develop definitions which reduce the humanlike impact.针对这种把机器人人性化的概念，人们一直在尝试重新给机器人下定义，以减弱其人性化的影响。The Robot Institute of America has developed the following definition:美国机器人研究所对机器人定义如下： A robot is a programmable, multi-function manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools, or special devices through variable programmed motions for the performance of a variety of tasks.“机器人是一种通过不同的程序动作来完成多种工作的、可编程的、多功能装置，其设计目的是用来搬运材料、零部件、工具或特殊装置。” Attempts have been made to rename the robot.人们也一直在尝试给机器人重新命名。George Devol, one of the original inventors in robotics technologhy, call his patent application by the name "programmed article transfer."乔治。迪洛尔是一位在机器人技术领域颇有创造性的发明家，他把自己的专利应用冠以“程控物体传送器”之名。For many years, the Ford Motor Company used the term "universal transfer device" instead of "robot". . 多年来，福特汽车公司一直使用“通用传送装置”这一名称而不用“机器人”。Today the term "robot" seems to have become entrenched in the language, together with whatever humanlike characteristics people have attached to the device.如今，“机器人”这一名称连同人们所赋予它的人性化特点看来已经在语言中扎下牢牢的根基。
