奇速英语

Nowadays, some companies around the world are now offering humanoid (human-like) robots. They are being designed (设计) to look as human as possible. These products of technology are at the center of a debate (辩论): Should they be made to look like humans or just like what they are machines?

Robots are playing an increasingly bigger role in our lives. In some countries, robots have been entertaining kids and helping the elderly. Some experts say robots will be more effective at such jobs if they look like humans. Research has shown that people feel closer to human-like robots. Also, human-like robots suit environments that are designed for humans. After all, the world is full of stairs (楼梯), hallways, shelves at shoulder height and sightlines at eye level.

But other experts say robots don’t need to look like humans. Humanoid robots also have disadvantages. If robots look like us, we may expect them to act like us. However, they may make us disappointed because they can’t always do that yet. For example, they can’t laugh at the right moments during a conversation. Many people also find human-like robots scary.

I think the human body is not the best design for many of the jobs we want robots to do. Just think of small, flat robot vacuums (真空吸尘器). They can go under a sofa to pick up the dust balls. Can human-like robots also do this? Even if robots can be made into humanlike ones, why do we limit (限定) them to two legs and two arms? Why not four and six so they can pick up the elderly or sick people comfortably? And that super intelligent AI almost certainly wouldn’t pick one body design to carry its mind around in. Why limit computational capacity (算力) to what fits inside a single head?

What’s your opinion about robots’ shapes?