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laboratories, and a radiation shelter in which the crew could live during
periods of intense solar activity; and the biological laboratory for receiving
and analyzing surface samples from Mars.
The entire spaceship would be continuously rotated. If two ships made
the trip simultaneously, they could be docked end-to-end and rotated in
the plane of the longitudinal axis.
No doubt, the time will come when people will build and inhabit
orbiting stations and reach other planets in order to harness outer space
to serve the mankind.
Text 4 (C). Robotics: Japan Takes the Lead
In the mid-1960s Prof. Hiroyasu Funakubo of Japan’s Medical Precision
Engineering Institute
1
was handed a particularly challenging assignment: develop
an artificial limb for thalidomide
2
babies born without arms. Eight years later
Funakubo produced an aluminum and carbon-fiber arm powered by eleven separate
micromotors – which, on command, could duplicate almost any function of the
human arm. Professor Funakubo’s arm proved too expensive for its intended
purpose. But it has turned out to be a key element in a generation of “mechatronic”
robots.
This class of robots seemed to cement Japan’s position as world leader in the
business for years to come. Japanese companies moved into the field and quickly
conquered the market. By the end of 1980s Japanese producers had supplied
about 70% of the industrial robots working in the Western world. Nevertheless,
industry leaders in Japan feel their biggest growth is yet to come.
Much of the growth is likely to stem from research like Professor Funakubo’s.
The electrical arm is much more accurate than the hydraulic arms used in many
robot models, and robot manufactures are now confident they will produce
“intelligent robots” that will be able to “see” and “feel” and take over more
production-line and commercial functions. For example, there has been developed
a snake-like robot that can creep through pipes and other narrow openings to
inspect and even do repair work in places inaccessible to humans. One Japanese
company is getting ready to market a janitor-watchman
3
that is simultaneously
able to clean the floor and send out radio signals warning against fires or intruders.
In the prototype stage are even more sophisticated devices: a 25-fingered breast-
cancer detector, a Seeing Eye dog and a home-care system for invalids.
Most of the new robots are expected to be used in heavy industry, where the
current generation of smart machines has already proved popular in automotive
and other assembly plants, performing such tasks as spot welding and body painting.
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