生於年的機器人十大明星

At the end of every year in recent memory, it seems, high-tech optimists have predicted the next year as the one when robots will finally lift from our shoulders the burden of dreary domestic tasks.

回顧近些年，似乎每當接近年終之時，那些擁護高科技的樂觀主義者就會預測，在未來一年裏，機器人終將挑起我們肩上的家務重擔。

Think washing floors, scrubbing the grill, cutting the lawn, watering plants, changing cat litter, vacuuming the carpet — and, for good measure, pacifying the baby and entertaining the older children.

想想看，那些清潔地板、擦洗燒烤架、修剪草坪、給植物澆水、換貓砂和吸地毯的家務活兒——更妙的是，還能哄哄小嬰兒，逗逗大孩子。

That was certainly the case at the close of 2013, said Dan Kara, a robotics analyst with ABI Research. “This was supposed to be the year where everything was going to be different,” Mr. Kara said. “Again.”

這確實就是2013年結束前的情況，一家市場調研公司ABI Rearch的機器人科技分析師丹·卡拉(Dan Kara)說。“應該就在今年，會發生翻天覆地的變化，”卡拉說，“再一次。”

And while that home-robotics revolution didn’t exactly come to fruition this year, Mr. Kara said a handful of interesting robotic debuts in 2014 brought consumers one step closer to the chore-free home of the future.

雖然在這一年裏，家用機器人的革命沒有實實在在地結出什麼果實，但卡拉說，有十多款於2014年初次亮相的趣味機器人，讓消費者們向沒有家務活兒的未來又邁近了一步。

That sentiment was echoed by two others who closely follow the consumer robotics industry: Erico Guizzo, editor of the Automaton blog of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and Andra Keay, managing director of Silicon Valley Robotics, an industry group. Based on recommendations from these specialists, as well as some firsthand tests, here are 10 notable robots that made their debut this year.

這種想法還得到了另外兩個人的迴應，他們都是消費型機器人行業的密切追蹤者：一位是電子與電氣工程師協會(Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)“機器人”(Automaton)博客的編輯埃裏克·圭佐(Erico Guizzo)，另一位是該行業中一個名爲“硅谷機器人(Silicon Valley Robotics)”的商業團體的主管安德拉·凱伊(Andra Keay)。根據這幾位專家的推薦和某些一手測評，這裏給大家介紹十款今年首次亮相的超棒機器人。

Neato Botvac Vacuums constitute the biggest and most competitive consumer-robotics category in the marketplace, and they’re getting better. The earliest models were criticized for their over-reliance on humans to maintain them. (“I had to constantly clean my cleaning robot,” Mr. Guizzo said.) Owners also had to drag the bots to their charging stations when the batteries died, and move furniture that the robots couldn’t squeeze beneath. The Neato Botvac ($480 to $600) requires less cleaning than the earliest robotic vacuums, and it features good pickup power and a low profile that helps it sneak under couches. My favorite feature: When the battery is low, the Botvac returns to its charging station. When Dyson’s much-anticipated robot appears next year, watch for similar features.

吸塵機器人(Neato Botvac) 真空吸塵器是市場上規模最大、也最有競爭力的一類消費型機器人，而且設計得越來越好。這類機器人最早的型號，因爲過度依賴人類的維護而受到了一些指責（“我得常常清理我的清潔機器人。”圭佐說）。主人還得把它在電池耗盡後搬到充電器旁，或者把它無法鑽下去清掃的那些傢俱挪開。而這臺售價在480美元（約合人民幣2979元）至600美元（約合人民幣3724元）的Neato Botvac機器人所需的維護工作，則比早期的機器人吸塵器少得多。這款機器人的特點是吸附能力強，且扁平的外形有助於它鑽入沙發下面。我最喜歡的一個特點是：一旦進入低電量狀態，Botvac機器人就會回到自己的充電站。等明年戴森公司(Dyson)那款衆望所歸的機器人上市時，我們再來看看它的類似功能吧。

Grillbot It’s a small, nasty job that’s too often forgotten until the food is ready to throw on the barbecue, but cleaning a grill can be a pleasure — as long as someone else is doing it. The $130 Grillbot works like a miniature Roomba, but with more fearsome metal bristles. On a hot or cold grill, start the bot, close the lid and 10 to 30 minutes later, the grate is clean enough to cook on. Some users have noted the bot’s tendency to shed bristles, but Ethan Woods, the company’s chief executive, said a new design has addressed the issue. Forgetful types will appreciate the device’s alarm, which sounds when the bot is left in a hot grill for too long.

烤架機器人(Grillbot) 清潔烤架是項細碎繁瑣的工作，通常人們直到食物已經要上架烤了，纔會想起架子還沒擦。但清洗烤架也可以是一種樂趣，只要幹活的人不是自己。這臺售價130美元（約合人民幣807元）的烤架機器人，工作起來就像一臺迷你的Roomba吸塵器，只是多了些嚇人的金屬鬃毛。在一臺灼熱或冰冷的烤架上啓動這臺機器人，併合上蓋子，經過10至30分鐘，格柵就潔淨一新，可以開始燒烤了。有些用戶已經注意到，這款機器人有脫落鬃毛的趨勢，但該公司的首席執行官伊桑·伍茲(Ethan Woods)說，目前新設計的機器人已經解決了這一問題。有健忘症的人還會喜歡該設備的鬧鐘設計，如果機器人被忘在一個受熱的烤架上，時間一長就會鈴聲大作。

Soloshot2 Filming oneself, for fun or work, is easy enough if you stand still. But for less-static pursuits — like sports, dance or just even romping in the yard with your toddler — filming and doing are mutually exclusive. The Soloshot2 is a $400 system made up of a robotic camera harness and a separate sensor that attaches to whatever you want to film. The harness points the camera in the direction of the sensor. With a range of 2,000 feet and a battery life of eight hours for the base and four hours for the sensor, the Soloshot2 can be used to videotape any activity, even your next synchronized swimming session (the sensor is waterproof). The only thing you need worry about is someone stealing your camera while you’re playing in the pool.

自拍機器人(Soloshot2) 不管是拍着玩還是從事攝影工作，站着不動的自拍容易得很。但要拍攝不那麼靜態的畫面——比如運動、跳舞，或者只是在院子裏和你蹣跚學步的孩子嬉鬧，這時候拍攝和被拍就總難以兼顧了。這臺Soloshot2是一套價值400美元（約合人民幣2482元）的系統，由機器人攝像架與一個附着在拍攝對象上的獨立感應器組成。該設備的拍攝距離爲2000英尺（約610米），基座電池壽命8小時，感應器4小時，因而可以用來錄製任何活動，甚至是你的下一次花樣游泳表演（感應器是防水的）。你唯一需要擔心的是在泳池裏玩耍時，有人偷走你的攝影機。

Litter-Robot Changing cat litter is the most dreaded entry on my children’s list of chores. The Litter-Robot may change that. It’s built with a sensor that knows when your cat has visited, and afterward the unit rotates like a giant cement mixer, to sift and deposit clumps into a waste tray. There are downsides: The Litter-Robot is fairly big — about 29 inches high and roughly 25 inches from front to back — so it may not fit easily in smaller apartments. At $389, it’s not cheap. And you need to keep it stocked with carbon filters and waste-tray liners.

貓廁機器人(Litter-Robot) 在我家孩子們的家務清單上，換貓砂是最無趣的一件事。現在，這臺貓廁機器人可能會帶來些改變。該設備裝了一個感應器，可以知道你的貓何時來過，然後這臺機器就會旋轉起來，像一臺巨大的水泥攪拌機，把塊狀物都過濾下來，倒進一個垃圾盤裏。但它也有些缺點：這臺機器人太大了——高約29英寸（約74釐米），前後長約25英寸（約64釐米）。所以，面積較小的公寓可能不太合適。而且389美元（約合人民幣2414元）的售價也不便宜。你還得爲它裝好活性炭過濾器及廢物盤內的襯墊。

rockaRoo A company based in Pittsburgh, 4moms, built the rockaRoo to track a baby’s weight and seat position hundreds of times per second, and replicate the rocking motion with a seat that pivots at the bottom. The motion includes “falling at the speed of gravity,” the company said, and the motor is quiet enough to allow napping or for the baby to hear whatever music parents wish to play over the device’s internal speakers. For parents of colicky or otherwise sleepless babies, this particular bot may be worth the $180 price. For this parent of older kids, it arrived around 12 years too late.

搖搖機器人(rockaRoo) 總部設於匹茲堡(Pittsburgh)的公司4moms建造了搖搖機器人rockaRoo，該設備可以感應嬰兒的體重，每秒鐘數百次地追蹤嬰兒的坐姿，並可通過一個底部活動的座椅反覆搖擺。該公司稱，這個搖擺的動作包括“以重力的速度下落”；而且座椅的馬達安靜得足以讓嬰兒入睡，還能讓寶寶聽到座椅內置音箱中的音樂，父母想通過它播放什麼都可以。對於家中寶寶不睡覺或愛哭鬧的父母而言，這臺售價180美元（約合人民幣117元）的獨特機器人也許物有所值。而對孩子年齡更大一些的父母來說，這臺機器人大概發明玩了12年吧。

Scooba 450 No company has done more to popularize home robotics than iRobot, the maker of the Roomba vacuum, the Looj gutter cleaner, the Mirra pool cleaner and, this year, the Scooba 450 floor scrubber. The $600 device soaks the floor, spreads cleaner and scrubs and vacuums the dirty water before a final pass with a squeegee. One hiccup we had during our otherwise successful testing: The “Virtual Wall” accessory, which creates an infrared barrier to keep the Scooba out of specific areas, cast so much infrared light that in smaller spaces the robot was hesitant to scrub anywhere.

洗地機器人(Scooba 450) 論及家用機器人的普及化，哪家公司都比不過iRobot。這家制造商生產了除塵者Romba、清溝者Looj、清池者Mirra，以及今年（2014年——譯註）推出的洗地機器人Scooba450。這臺售價600美元（約合人民幣3724元）的設備可以把地板打溼、噴灑清潔劑，擦拭後再吸去髒水，最後用一把橡膠掃帚清潔一遍。這款產品本可以通過我們的測評，但中途出了個小岔子：爲了讓Scooba繞過某些特定的區域，我們用“虛擬牆壁”設備釋放出一些紅外線作爲屏障，但它釋放的紅外線太多了，以至於在面積較小的地方，這臺機器人竟無所適從，不知該去哪兒打掃。

Robomow RS Most household tasks can be blown off with few consequences. Drag your feet on lawn-mowing duties, though, and you pay dearly. Robomow’s RS ($1,100 to $2,000) is among the latest entries in a category that’s attracting competition from established brands and start-ups. Setting up the mower can be a chore, as you must map out your yard with wires to define the Robomow’s boundaries. Once that’s done, though, the bot cuts as often as you like and returns to its charging dock when low on power. It’s electric, so noise is less of a problem than with conventional mowers. For American consumers, one big question for Robomow and its competitors is long-term reliability. But analysts give the latest generation of robotic mowers good marks for reliability, and electric mowers generally require none of the annual maintenance faced by owners of gas-powered mowers.

剪草坪機器人(Robomow RS) 大多數家務活兒都可以拖上一拖，後果並不嚴重；但你如果拖拖拉拉地不剪草坪，那代價可就大了。Robomow公司的RS機器人（售價1100美元[約合人民幣6837元]至2000美元[約合人民幣12412元]），是剪草坪機器人中新推出的幾款產品之一，目前，這類產品正吸引着來自成熟品牌與新興公司的競爭。啓用這臺割草機的工作可能非常繁瑣，因爲你得用鐵絲在草坪上劃分出Robomow機器人的工作範圍。不過，一旦這項工作完成，這款機器人便可讓你隨心所欲地剪草坪，想剪幾次就剪幾次了。用到電量低時，它就會自動返回充電平臺。由於這臺機器是電動的，所以比起傳統的割草機，它的噪音基本不成問題。而對美國消費者而言，Robomow剪草機及其市場競爭者都面臨着長期可靠性的問題。不過分析家們都給新一代機器人剪草機的可靠性評出了高分。此外，電動剪草機無需每年維護，而燃氣割草機的用戶則要面對這一問題。

Kibo The toy market is cluttered with robots that dance and make noise and then, if my children are any indication, collect dust once a child has grown bored with the toy’s schtick. Kibo is a different breed of bot, having emerged from a children’s technology lab at Tufts University. Designed for ages 4 to 7, it’s a learning tool disguised as a toy: Kids program the $230 robot using wooden blocks that form different commands. Kibo scans the sequence of the blocks and executes the commands, while also reacting to sounds, light and obstacles. Its components are so intuitively designed that a child (or adult) can operate it without reading directions. The idea isn’t so much to get kids to understand programming, but rather to use a self-programmed device to enhance playtime activities like storytelling and role playing.

玩具機器人(Kibo) 玩具市場上充斥着許多機器人，它們可以跳舞、可以發出聲音，若以我家孩子的情況作參考，一旦他們的新鮮勁兒過了，這種機器人還可以收集灰塵。但Kibo是一種與衆不同的機器人，它由塔夫茨大學(Tufts University)的一間兒童應用技術實驗室製造，專門爲4至7歲的兒童設計，是一個僞裝成玩具的學習工具：孩子們利用可組成不同命令的木塊，來給這個售價230美元（約合人民幣1427元）的機器人設置程序。Kibo機器人先掃描這些木塊的順序，然後執行這些命令，並對聲音、光線和障礙物做出反應。該機器人的零部件設計得非常直觀，使得孩子（或成人）不用讀說明書也能操作。該產品的設計理念，並不是要讓孩子們理解編程；而是用這種可自行編程的設備，強化諸如講故事和角色扮演等遊戲活動的樂趣。

Robotis Mini Robotis generated much attention for its Robotis-OP humanoid robot, which was praised for its sophistication and versatility, but which carries a $12,000 price tag. This year the company released a miniature version of that device, which loses some of the versatility and durability of its bigger sibling but remains a technological wonder. Unlike the humanoid robot toys on the market, the $500 Mini is programmable and responds to touch, gesture and voice commands with fluidity and precision. Some owners have complained that putting the robot together is unduly difficult, and the company tacitly acknowledged as much with video tutorials intended to help users through the hourslong assembly process. Another significant drawback, for now, is that you need an Android mobile device running Android software version 4.0 to control the Mini. The cheapest of these are around $150. An Apple version is in the works, the company said.

Robotis迷你機器人(Robotis Mini) Robotis公司由於生產出了Robotis-OP人形機器人而備受關注，這款機器人因設計精良、功能多樣而受到好評。但它貼着一個12000美元（約合人民幣74474元）的價籤。今年，該公司發佈了這款機器人的迷你版。雖然在多功能與持久性方面，它比自家的原版兄弟稍遜一籌，但在技術上仍是個奇蹟。與市場上的人形機器人玩具不同，這款售價500美元（約合人民幣3103元）的迷你機器人採用了程控設計，可以流暢精準地對觸摸、手勢和聲音命令做出反應。但一些買家曾抱怨，把這款機器人組裝起來實在太難了，該公司也坦然默認，推出了視屏教程，意在幫助用戶完成這個歷時數小時的組裝過程。從目前來看，該產品的另一個重大缺點是，你需要一個安卓(Android)系統的移動設備來運行4.0版的安卓軟件，才能控制這臺迷你機器人。這樣一套配置，最便宜的價格約爲150美元（約合人民幣931元）。據該公司說，該產品的蘋果版配置尚在開發中。

Droplet Gardeners with day jobs and cluttered lives understand that watering plants is a classic problem. You want precise and regular watering; you’re more apt to deliver a massive dousing after work and before dinner, and only after the plants have begun tilting earthward for lack of moisture. At $300, Droplet is a pricey but reliable solution to the problem. Set the sprinkler in place, program the system on a computer or mobile device and connect it to your home’s Wi-Fi router, and the system takes over from there. Droplet checks weather data and points the sprinkler to specific pockets of your garden to deliver water where and when it’s needed. With a range of 30 feet in all directions, the units can manage bigger gardens and entire swaths of lawn with less wasted water.

澆水機器人(Droplet) 那些白天要上班、生活一團亂的養花人都知道，給植物澆水是個大問題。你總想按時按量地澆水；但在下班後、晚餐前，或只是在植物們因缺水萎蔫之後，你澆着澆着就澆多了。對於這個問題，這款售價300美元（約合人民幣1862元）的澆水機器人是個雖然昂貴卻切實可行的解決方案。請把灑水器安裝到位，然後在一臺計算機或移動設備上爲該系統設定程序，再將系統連上你家的無線網絡路由器，它就可以接管你家花園裏的工作了。澆水機器人會首先檢查相關的天氣數據，然後在合適的時間跟地點，將灑水器對準花園裏的特定位置澆水。該設備可以在30英尺的範圍內全方位地澆水，因而可以管理較大面積的花園與各處草坪，而且用水量也浪費得更少。