阅读理解
Future astronauts could travel
with emotional support robots
To help
astronauts of the future survive (幸免于) the mental (精神的) challenges that come with staying in space for quite a
long time, space travelers‟ tasks could soon be accompanied(陪伴) by AI-powered, empathetic (有同理心的, 同感的) robotic helpers.
Not only does space travel present
astronauts with lots of physical stresses, spending months or years in such a
physically demanding (要求高的)
place with limited space and the same people can also raise many mental tests
as well. According to MIT Technology Review, scientists are working to alleviate astronauts from some of the latter
challenges by creating "an AI assistant that's able to feel human emotion and respond (做出反应) with empathy."
While such a technology would prove itself
useful by being able to predict the needs of the
crew
members in space and "intervene (干预) if their mental health is in danger," it has
the potential to be life-saving when humans choose to explore beyond Earth's gravitational field (引力场) and towards deep space.
Though astronauts currently on the
International Space Station have an intelligent robot to interact with called
CIMON, it is short of proper emotional intelligence according to NASA CTO Tom Soderstrom. As a result, a team at the
organization's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory is working on a more complex (复杂的) emotional support companion that can control a
spacecraft's functioning in
addition to tracking the crew members‟ behaviours.
Right now in the lab, an AI-equipped robot
called Henry the Helper can be found walking around the grounds assisting
visitors who appear confused or lost based on their facial expression. Two more emotionally intelligent robots are
expected to be introduced later this year, one
of which is said to be able to take part in conversations more complex than giving navigation(导航) assistance.
The team's final goal is to make a companion named Fiona the
Future a reality, an emotionally intelligent cross-platform system. Fiona, if
all goes according to the JPL's
plans, will help keep astronauts of the future stay mentally fit as they start
their journeys to deep space.