China’s quest to become a robot superpower
中国追求成为机器人超级大国
As its population shrinks, China hopes machines can pick up the slack
面对人口萎缩，中国希望机器人能填补空缺
- slack （绳索的）松弛部分；（组织中人员、资金或地方的）富余部分，闲置部分；煤屑、煤末
China’s first attempt at building a humanoid robot did not hit the mark. The machine produced in 2000 by a team at the National University of Defence Technology looked like a walking toaster. It had googly eyes and cannon-like protuberances near its crotch. Called Xianxingzhe, or Forerunner, it was mocked in neighbouring Japan, which at the time boasted far sleeker robots. Japanese netizens described it as China’s secret weapon—designed to make its enemies die of laughter.
中国打造人形机器人的第一次尝试并不理想。2000年，国防科技大学的一个团队开发了一台机器，看起来就像是会走路的烤面包机。它有圆溜溜的眼睛，胯部附近有炮筒一样的突起。这台名为“先行者”的机器人被当时机器人技术远远领先的邻国日本大加嘲笑。日本网民说它是中国的秘密武器——能让敌人笑死。
- humanoid 类人动物；仿真机器人
- googly （指眼睛）注意力不集中的或转动的
- cannon 加农炮、大炮
- protuberance 鼓起的部分；隆起的部分
- mock 嘲笑；（模仿）嘲弄（参见：区别辨析ridicule、mock、scoff与sneer）
- boast 自夸、自吹自擂；有（值得自豪的东西）（参见：熟词僻义 | boast 并不完全是“吹嘘”）
- sleek 线条流畅的、造型优美的
China has stuck with it, though. In November the government published a plan calling for the mass production of humanoids by 2025. The country’s love of robots goes beyond those that can walk and talk. Last year half of all the industrial robots installed worldwide were fitted in China, according to the International Federation of Robotics, an industry body. It is now the fifth most automated country in the world when measured by robots per worker. Motivated by pride and pressing demographic challenges, China is on a mission to become a robot superpower.
但中国坚持了下来。2023年11月，中国政府公布了一项计划，提出要在2025年实现大规模生产人形机器人。中国对机器人的热爱远不限于那些会走路说话的。据行业机构国际机器人联合会（International Federation of Robotics）的数据，2022年中国的工业机器人装机量占到了全球的50%。按平均每名工人配备的机器人数量计算，中国目前是全球自动化程度第五高的国家。受荣誉感的驱动，加上紧迫的人口挑战，中国正在努力成为机器人超级大国。
- demographic 人口（学）的、人口统计（学）的；（某个地方或社会的）人口特征，人口统计数据；（尤指特定年龄段的）人群
