阅读理解-第十五篇 肋生双翅机器人学飞行

第十五篇Wing ed〔翅膀〕Robot Learns to FlyLearning how to fly took nature millions of years of trial〔试验〕and error- but a winged robot has cracked it in only a few hours , using the same evolutionary〔进化的〕principle s〔原理〕.Krister Wolff and Peter Nordin of Chalmers University of Technology 〔CUT〕in Gothenburg ,Sweden, built a winged robot and set aboue testing whether it could learn to fly by itself, without any pre-programmed data on what flap ping〔上下左右移动、振翅而飞〕is or how to do it.To begin with the robot just twitch ed（颤动）and jerk ed（猛拉）erratically（不规律地）. But, gradually（逐渐地）, it made movements that gain ed（获得）height. At frrst , it cheat ed - simply standing on its wing tip s（顶端、翼尖）was one early short cut. After three hours , however, the robot abandoned such methods in favor of a more effective flapping technique , where it rotated its wings through 90 degrees and raised them before twist ing them back to the horizontal and push ing down."This tells us that this kind of evolution（演变）is capable（能够）of coming Up with flying motion ," says Peter Bentley , who works on evolutionary computing at University College London. But while the robot had worked out how best to produce lift , it was not about to take off. "There' s only so much that evolution can do，" Bentley says. "This thing is never going to fly because the motors will never have the strength to do it," he says.The robot had metre-long wings made from balsa（轻木）wood and covered with a light plastic（塑料）film.Small motors on the robot let it move its wings forwards or backwards , up or down or twist(扭) them in either direction.The team attach ed（附加）the robot to two vertical rod s（杆）, so it could slide up and down. At the start of a test , the robot was suspend ed by an elastic（有弹性的）band. A movement detector measured how much lift ,if any,at robot produced for any given movement. A computer program fed the robot random instruction s , at the rate of 20 per second, to test its flapping abilities. Each instruction told the robot either to do nothing or to move the wings slightly in the various directions.Feedback from the movement detector let the program work out which sets of instructions were best at producing lift. The most successful ones were paired Up and "offspring" sets of instructions were generat ed by swap ping(交换) instructions randomly between successful pairrs. These next-generation instructions were then sent to the robot and evaluate d（评价）before breed ing a new generation , and the process was repeated.练习:l. Which of the following is NOT true of what is mention ed about the winged robot in the second paragraph?A The two professors of CUT built the winged robot.B The two professors of CUT tested whether the winged robot could learn to fly.C The two professors of CUT programmed the data on how the robot flapped its wings.D The two professors of CUT tried to find out if the robot could fly by itself.2. How did the robot behave at the beginning of the test?A It rotated its wings through 90 degrees.B It twitched but gradually gained height.C It was twitched and broke down.D It land ed not long after the test.3. Which of the following is nearest to Peter Bentley's view on the winged robot?AThe winged robot could never really fly.B The winged robot did not have a motor.C The winged robot should go through further evolution before it could fly.D The robot could fly if it were lighter.4. What measured how much lift the robot produced?A Two vertical rods.B A movement detector.C An elastic band.D Both B and C.5. What does “the process" appearing in the last paragraph refer to?A Pairing up successful instructions.B Sending instructions to the robot.C Generating new sets of instructions for evaluation.D All the above.第十五篇肋生双翅机器人学飞行自然界中的飞行学习经历了几百万年的反复实践和磨炼，而安装机翼的机器人仅在数小时内就成功实现突破，用的是同样的进化原理。

瑞典GothenburgChalmers科技大学的KristerWolff和PeterNordin研制出带翼的机器人，并着手测试它能否在不预设振翅数据程序的条件下自行学会飞行。

首先，机器人只是飘忽不定地振动盘旋，不过它的运动逐渐获得了上升高度。

起初，它想走走捷径，试图仅用翅尖保持直立。

然而3小时后，它放弃了这种方法，转用更有效的振翅技术，90°角旋转两翼，并在它们恢复到水平位置前将其拉起。

"事实告诉我们，飞行装置有可能实现这种进化。

"PeterBentley说。

他现正在伦敦大学研究进化计算技术。

虽然机器人可以摸索出上升飞行的最佳方式，却不会起飞。

"进化升级所做的只有这么多，"Bentley说，"这东西不可能自行起飞，因为发动机不能产生足够动力。

"机器人的两翼由轻木制成，长约1米，覆有一层轻塑胶。

它的小马达使机翼可以前后上下运动，并能在这两个方向上任意旋转。

研究小组将机器人附着在两根竖直标杆上，它便能上下滑动。

实验刚开始的时候，机器人悬挂在一根弹性带上。

一旦它升高，运动探测器就能测量它任何运动的高度。

每过20秒，计算机程序就给机器人输入任意设定的指令，以检测其振翅能力。

每个指令或是让机器人停止运动或是在各种方向上转动机翼。