VOA英语：日本公司开发出智能口罩以改善疫情新常态下的沟通质量
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‘Smart’ Face Mask Aims to Improve Communication in New Normal
日本公司开发出智能口罩以改善疫情新常态下的沟通质量
By Bryan Lynn
05 August 2020
A Japanese company has created a "smart" mask that aims to improve communication for people wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
一家日本公司开发出了一种智能口罩，旨在改善戴口罩防止新冠肺炎传播的人群的沟通。
The use of face masks has become the new normal in parts of the world still struggling to reduce spread of the coronavirus. However, masks and other kinds of coverings can affect the quality of communication between wearers.
在世界上仍在努力减少新冠病毒传播的地区，戴口罩已经成为了一种新的常态。然而，口罩等物品会影响佩戴者之间的沟通质量。
It can be more difficult to hear voices through the coverings. Many business and public spaces also have social distancing barriers in place, which also make it harder for people to be heard and understood.
声音通过口罩之后更难以被听到。许多商业和公共场所也存在社交隔离防范措施，这使得人们更难被听到和听懂。
The wearable electronic device is designed to help improve speech interactions in such conditions.
这款可穿戴电子设备旨在帮助改善这种状况下的语言交流。
The Japanese startup company Donut Robotics calls its invention the "c-mask." The device is meant to fit over other kinds of face masks commonly worn by the public.
日本初创公司Donut Robotics把他们的这种发明称为c-mask。该设备可戴在公众日常佩戴的其它类型的口罩上。
The c-mask is made of soft plastic material. It contains a built-in microphone and has holes in the front to let air in. When it is turned on, the mask uses Bluetooth technology to connect to a mobile device.
这款智能口罩是由软塑料制成。它包含一个内置麦克风，口罩正面设有允许空气进入的孔。这款口罩在打开之后利用蓝牙技术与移动设备连接。
An app then helps users perform several actions, including turning speech into text, completing telephone calls and making the user's voice louder. The device can also translate a person's voice from Japanese into eight other languages.
然后通过一款应用程序帮助用户执行多种操作，包括将语音转换为文本、完成通话以及放大用户的声音。该设备还可以将用户的声音从日语翻译为其它8种语言。
The engineers who developed the smart mask had already built robots for use in Japanese airports to provide guidance and translation services to travelers.
开发出这款智能口罩的工程师之前已经造出了一款机器人，可以在日本机场使用，为旅客提供指导和翻译服务。
But with the travel industry currently suffering big losses, the future of the robots became unclear. So, engineers sought to come up with a new product to fill a need.
但是随着目前旅游业遭受巨大损失，这款机器人的未来变得不清晰。所以工程师试图造出一种新产品来满足需求。
Taisuke Ono is the head of Donut Robotics. He told the Reuters news agency, "We worked hard for years to develop a robot and we have used that technology to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society."
小野泰介是Donut Robotics公司的负责人。他对路透社表示：“我们为开发机器人付出了多年的努力，并且我们已经利用该技术造出了一种产品，来应对已经被新冠病毒重塑的这个社会。”
Ono told international broadcaster CNN that the company was able to raise money to develop the smart mask through a campaign on the Japanese crowdfunding service Fundinno.
小野泰介对CNN表示，该公司通过日本众筹服务机构Fundinno得以筹集到资金用于开发这款智能口罩。
He noted that the effort raised $265,000 in just the first 37 minutes. "It was very surprising, because it would usually take three or four months to get that kind of money," Ono said.
他指出，此举仅花了37分钟就筹集到了26.5万美元。小野泰介表示：“这非常令人惊讶，因为通常需要花三四个月时间才能筹到这么多钱。”
The company produced a working model of the mask within a month by using software developed for its other robot products. The mask design was similar to one created years ago by one of the company's engineers that mapped facial muscles to interpret speech.
该公司利用其为其它机器人产品开发的软件，在一个月内就造出了这款口罩的工作模型。该面罩的设计类似于该公司一位工程师多年前开发出来的一种绘制面部肌肉转换为语音的设计。
Ono said the company plans to ship its first 5,000 c-masks to buyers in Japan starting in September. He is also looking to sell the devices in China, the United States and Europe and says he has received strong interest in the product.
小野泰介表示，该公司计划在今年9月份开始向日本买家发出首批5000个智能口罩。他还希望把该产品售往中国、美国和欧洲，并表示收到了这些地方对该产品的浓厚兴趣。
Donut Robotics plans to sell the devices for about $40 per mask, in an effort to capture a mass market that did not exist until a few months ago.
Donut Robotics公司计划以每个口罩40美元的价格出售该设备，以占领几个月前还不存在的这个大规模市场。
"We hope that our device will be useful in a society where people naturally practice social distancing," the company states on its website.
该公司在其网站上表示：“我们希望这种设备在人们本能地进行社交隔离的这个社会中发挥作用。”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·琳恩。
Words in This Story
mask – n. a covering for the face
interaction – n. the act of talking or doing other things with people
app – n. a program for a smartphone or other device that performs a special function
text – n. written words
translate – n. to change written or spoken words from one language to another
society – n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values
interpret – v. to explain the meaning of something in a certain way
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