特别广播英语第 147 课：Improving Industrial efficiency through Robotics
利用机器人技术提高工业效率-2

As an example, a robot doing spot welding one month can be reprogrammed and switched to spray painting the next. 比如说，一个机器人做了一个月的点焊，可以重新编程，下个月转向喷漆。

Automatic machine, on the other hand, are not capable of many different uses; they are built to perform only one task. 相反，自动化机器却没有许多不同用途，它们只是为了招待一项任务而被建造。

The next generation of robots will be able to see objects, will have a sense of touch, and will make critical decisions. 下一代机器人将能看见物体，具有触觉，能作出关键性的决定。

Engineers skilled in microelectronics and computer technology are developing artificial vision for robots. With the ability to "see", robots can identify and inspect one specific class of objects out of a stack of different kinds of materials. 精通于微电子和电脑技术的工程师正在为机器人开发人造视力，有了"看"的能力，机器人就能从一推不同的材料中鉴别检查出具体的一类物体。

One robot vision system used electronic digital cameras containing many rows of light-sensitive materials. 机器人礼堂系统采用包含多行感官材料的电子数码相机。

When light from an object such as a machine part strikes the camera, the sensitive materials measure the intensity of light and convert the light rays into a range of numbers. 当一个物体上的光，如机器零件，照射到相机上时，敏感材料就可测量出光的强度，把光线转换为一组数字。

The numbers are part of a grayscale system in which brightness is measured in a range of values. 这些数字是灰度系统的一部分，其亮度由一系列数值测量。

One scale ranges from 0 to 15, and another from 0 to 255. The 0 is represented by black. The highest number is white. The numbers is between represent different shades of gray. 一个刻度范围是0到15，另一个是0到225。0用黑色表示，最高值用白色，其间的数值用不同的灰色阴影来表示。

The computer then makes the calculations and converts the numbers into a picture that shows an image of the object in question. 然后计算机进行计算，并将数字转换为表明该无题形象的图像。