第二篇
Walking Robot Carries a Person
The first walking robot capable of carrying a person unveiled on Friday in Tokyo， Japan. Its creators at Waseda University in Tokyo and the Japanese robotics company
Tmsuk hope their two-legged creation will one day enable wheel-chair users to climb up and down the stairs and assist the movement of heavy goods over uneven ground.
The battery-powered robot， code-named WL-16， is essentially an aluminium chair mounted on two sets of telescopic poles. The poles are bolted to flat plates which act as feet. WL-16 uses 12 actuators （传动装置） to move forwards， backwards and sideways while carrying an adult weighing up to 60 kilograms （130 pounds）。 The robot can adjust its body and walk smoothly even if the person it is carrying shifts in the chair. At present it can only step up or down a few millimeters， but the， team plans to make it capable of dealing with a normal flight of stairs.
I believe this bipedal （两足的） robot， which I prefer to call a two-legged walking chair rather than a wheel-chair， will eventually enable people to go up and down the stairs，“ said Atsuo Takanishi， from Waseda University.
“We have had strong robots for some time but usually they have been manipulators， they have not been geared to carrying people around，” says Ron Arkin， at the Georgia Institute of Technology and robotics consultant for Sony. “But I don’t know how safe and how user-friendly WL-16 is.”
Tmsuk chief executive Yoichi Takamoto argues that bipedal or multi-legged robots will be more useful than so-called “caterpillar （毛毛虫） models” for moving over uneven ground.
WL-16’s normal walking step measures 30 centimetres， but it can stretch its legs to 136 cm apart. The prototype （原型） is currently radio-controlled， but the research team plans to equip it with a stick-like controller for the user in future. Takanishi said it will take “at least two years” to develop the WL-16 prototype into a working model.
Smaller， ground-hugging （紧贴地面行走的） robots have been developed to pass across tricky ground. One maggot-like （像蛆一样的） device uses a magnetic fluid to pulse its way along， while another snake-like robot uses smart software to devise new movement strategies if the landscape affects any one part. One ball-shaped robot even uses a leap-and-bounce approach to travel over rough territory. But none of these are big or strong enough to carry a person too.
36 The robot presented to the public on Friday in Tokyo， Japan
A.surprised visitors from Waseda University.
B.can move up to 60 kilometres per hour.
C.can transport heavy goods over uneven ground
D.has two legs and is able to carry a person.
37 The researchers plan to make WL-16 capable of
A.moving up and down the stairs easily.
B.turning its head easily.
C.using a telescope to find the way.
D.carrying a person of over 60 kilograms.
38 What does Ron Arkin think of WL-16？
A.He doesn’t think it is useful.
B.He thinks it is only a manipulator.
C.He thinks it is user-friendly.
D.He is unsure of its safety.
39 Which of the following is true of WL-16？
A.It can only move forwards and backwards.
B.It is a caterpillar model.
C.It can walk with a step of up to 136 cm.
D.It is equipped with a stick-like controller.
40 Which type of robot is NOI mentioned in the last paragraph？
A.Maggot-like robots.
B.Snake-like robots.
C.Ball-shaped robots.
D.Chair-shaped robots.