VOA慢速：自驾船可同时搭载货物和乘客

欢迎来到今天的VOA慢速专区。

今天为大家带来一则关于科技的新闻。（文末左下角点击阅读原文，可获取中英文分开版本）

The development and testing of self-driving car technology has seen major progress in recent years.

近年来，自动驾驶汽车技术的发展和测试取得了重大进展.

But engineers are working on other kinds of autonomous vehicles too -- including some built for water.

但是工程师们也在研究其他类型的自动驾驶汽车--包括一些为水而建造的汽车。

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, are leading one such project.

麻省理工学院（MIT）的一些工程师就正在牵头进行一个这样的项目。

The engineers have been developing autonomous water vehicles they call "roboats."

这些工程师们将自己正在研发的水上自动驾驶工具称为自动驾驶船(roboat)。

The word is a combination of "robot" and "boat."

roboat这个词是由机器人(robot)和船(boat)组合而来的。

The project – which began in 2016 – aims to create a group of boats to transport goods and people along the waterways of Amsterdam.

该项目始于2016年，旨在创造一组船，用来在阿姆斯特丹的水路上运输货物和人。

The Dutch capital has been called the world's "most watery city" because of its large network of canals.

阿姆斯特丹是荷兰首都，人们将这座城市称为“最具水上特性的城市”，因为阿姆斯特丹有着庞大的运河网。

The project was launched in an effort to explore how autonomous boats can make Amsterdam - and other cities –

发起该项目是为了探究自动驾驶船能以何种方式来让阿姆斯特丹和其他城市

more efficient and improve the population's quality of life.

提高效率、提升民众的生活质量。

MIT's Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, CSAIL, is leading the development in a partnership with the university's Senseable City Lab.

MIT的计算机科学与人工智能实验(CSAIL)牵头进行了这项研发，与其合作的是MIT的感知城市实验室。

The engineers centered past efforts on autonomous boats designed to transport small goods.

工程师们过去将精力放在了运输小型货物的自动驾驶船上。

But the project's latest creation, the Roboat II, can also carry passengers.

但该项目最近研发的第2代自动驾驶船(Roboat II)也能搭载乘客了。

The developers used machine-learning methods similar to those used to train self-driving cars.

工程师们使用了机器学习的方法，这种方法与训练自动驾驶车的方法类似。

The robotic boats are designed to not only carry people and goods,

设计自动驾驶船的初衷不只是为了携带人和货物，

but also connect with other Roboats to form a range of autonomous platforms, Daniela Rus said in a statement.

也是为了与其他自动驾驶船连接，从而形成一套自动驾驶平台，丹妮拉·鲁斯在一则声明中说道。

She is a professor at MIT and the director of CSAIL.

丹妮拉是MIT的教授，也是CSAIL的主任。

The electric-powered Roboat II has four propellers that permit it to move in any direction.

电动的第2代自动驾驶船有4个螺旋桨，可允许其往任意方向移动。

It is equipped with a series of cameras and sensors to guide its movements.

第2代自动驾驶船配有一系列摄像头和感应器来引导其移动。

It also uses LiDAR, a technology that uses light lasers to map the environment and measure distances.

它还可使用激光雷达(LiDAR)技术，该技术会通过激光来绘制环境的图谱以及测量距离。

The boats are designed to use the sensor-collected data to create and pilot a path between a series of goal points, the researchers say.

这类自动驾驶船会通过感应器收集的数据，在一系列目标点之间创建一条路径并领航，工程师们这样说道。

The Roboat II measures two meters by one meter and weighs about 80 kilograms.

第2代自动驾驶船长2米、宽1米，重约80千克。

A demonstration video of the model showed it carrying two passengers.

一则模型的演示视频显示这样的船搭载了2名乘客。

The MIT team is currently developing its third autonomous water vehicle.

MIT团队现在正在研发第3代水上自动驾驶船。

That boat is expected to be four meters long and is designed to carry up to six passengers.

第3代船预计会有4米长，能搭载6名乘客。

The researchers described their latest development and testing results in a paper published online.

这些工程师们将它们最近的研发测试成果在网上发布的一篇论文中进行了描述。

They said Roboat II was successful in autonomously navigating the canals of Amsterdam for three hours while collecting data.

它们说，第2代自动驾驶船成功实现了边收集数据、边在阿姆斯特丹的诸多运河上航行，可持续3小时之久。

The boat completed its chosen course and returned to the starting point with an error of just 0.17 meters, engineers reported.

该船完成了其选定的路线，回到了起始点，误差仅有0.17米，工程师们这样说。

The team says it designed its autonomous system to involve separate boats working together.

研发团队称其设计的自动系统是为了让不同的船只能够彼此协作。

For example, Roboat II vehicles can link up in larger groups guided by a leader boat, the researchers say.

比如，第2代自动驾驶船可以在某只指挥船的引导下与其他更大的群体相连，工程师们这样说道。

The follower boats can travel next to the leader boat, in front of it or in back of it.

从属船可以在指挥船的旁边，也可以在指挥船的前方或后方。

This ability can greatly expand the possibilities of autonomous vehicles meant to transport goods.

这种能力可以极大地拓展自动驾驶船运输货物的可能性。

The MIT team plans to use what it has learned from its first two Roboats to create a model of its biggest autonomous boat yet.

MIT的研发团队计划用其从前2代自动驾驶船上学到的经验来创建其最大的自动驾驶船模型。

The researchers will test that boat in Amsterdam, as well.

工程师们也将在阿姆斯特丹来测试这只船。

After that, the team plans to start testing the vehicles in environments with more noisy waters, such as conditions found in the ocean.

测试后，研发团队计划开始在更嘈杂的水域环境中测试自动驾驶船，比如海洋中的环境。

There have already been some experiments with autonomous shipping vehicles.

关于自动驾驶船已有一些实验进行过。

In September, it was announced that an ocean research vehicle called the Mayflower Autonomous Ship

9月，有宣布称，一辆名为五月花号的自动驾驶船

would attempt to set sail across the Atlantic without a captain or crew on board.

将尝试在大西洋上起航，船上没有船长和船员。

The 15-meter ship is a joint project of ocean research group ProMare and IBM, the American computing company.

这只15米长的船是海洋研究团体ProMare和美国计算处理公司IBM联合发起的项目。

It will take the same path across the Atlantic as the 1620 Mayflower - the ship that carried a group of European settlers to North America.

该船在大西洋上的航行路径将跟1620年的五月花号相同——1620年的五月花号携带一批欧洲移居者来到美洲。

The crossing is planned to begin early next year.

航行计划于明年初开始。

The builders of the new Mayflower say they hope such ships can be used in the future

新五月花号的建造者们表示，他们希望这类船能在未来

to explore parts of oceans that are too difficult or dangerous for people to reach.

用于探索那些对人类来说太难抵达或者危险性太高的海洋地区。

I'm Bryan Lynn.

布莱恩·林恩为您播报。

●VOA慢速：这不是世界末日

●VOA慢速：美国总统大选什么样

●VOA慢速：拜登对大选结果信心百倍

●VOA慢速：万圣节南瓜灯名字的由来

●VOA慢速：墨尔本解封最长禁足令 企业主失声大哭

●VOA慢速：英国研究员为研究新冠肺炎计划感染健康志愿者

这里是 美国之音 频道

想观看VOA英语视频？快戳我！

想观看VOA常速英语？快戳我

戳”阅读原文“，查看中英分开版本哦~