《经济学人》双语：上海交大研发的假肢 论文在国际期刊上发表

《经济学人》双语：上海交大研发更好更便宜的假肢，论文在国际期刊上发表

文/Irene-自由英语之路

【本篇内容简述】

【Para1】引入：假肢的历史追溯到3000多年前。中国上海交通大学的研发新进程。

【Para2&3】假肢工作原理：刚性管，软接头，覆盖着一层柔性弹性体层以模拟皮肤，装在腰包里的泵气动驱动，连接空气的管道沿着通讯电缆在用户衣服下运行。由模式识别软件进行解释，该软件向泵发送适当的指令，以同样的方式移动假手。感觉就像一只真手。

【Para4&5】功能与优势：可以进行精细任务如，书写、抓取和举起物体、将食物举到口中等。比传统的便宜，这将使500万失去一只手或生来没有一只手的人的生活发生比目前更多的变化。

（文末的补充材料对理解本文有帮助）

标题：

Prosthetics

A new prosthetic hand

It gives users the sensation of touch, and is cheaper than alternatives, too

修复术—假肢

新型假手

它给用户触摸的感觉，而且比其他替代品更便宜

It is cheaper and better than anything now available

它比现在的任何东西都便宜而且更好

原文日期：2021年8月21日

Paragraph 1：

PROSTHETIC LIMBS have been around for a long time. The oldest known, a piece of wood carved and painted to replace the lost toe of an Egyptian noblewoman, dates back more than 3,000 years.

假肢已经存在很长时间了。已知最古老的是一块雕刻和绘画的木头，用来代替一位埃及贵族妇女丢失的脚趾，可以追溯到3000多年前。

But prosthetics which behave like the real thing as well as looking like it are still very much a work in progress.

但是，假肢的行为就像真的一样，看起来也像真的一样，这在很大程度上仍然是一项正在研究的工作。

And a group at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in China, have just come up with what looks to be a significant advance—an affordable prosthetic hand that not only responds like a real one to signals from the wearer’s brain, but is also able to signal back to the brain what it is touching and doing.

中国上海交通大学的一个小组刚刚提出了一个重要的进展，即一种负担得起的假手，它不仅能响应佩戴者大脑发出的信号，而且还能向大脑发出信号，表明它正在触摸什么和做什么。

Paragraph 2:

Gu Guoying and his colleagues describe their invention in Nature Biomedical Engineering.

谷国迎和他的同事描述了他们在《自然·生物医学工程》中的发明。

Its fingers are made of rigid tubes connected by soft joints. These are similarly connected to a 3D-printed plastic palm.

其手指由刚性管制成，通过软接头连接。它们类似地连接到3D打印出来的塑料手掌。

The whole is covered with a flexible elastomer layer to mimic skin and is attached to the user’s residual limb via a customised plastic socket.

整个系统覆盖着一层柔性弹性体层以模拟皮肤，并通过定制的塑料接口连接到用户的残肢上。

In contrast to current models, which are electrically powered, Dr Gu’s hand is powered pneumatically by a pump held in a waist bag, with the connecting air lines running under the user’s clothes alongside communication cables.

与目前的电动机型不同，谷博士研究的假手是由一个装在腰包里的泵气动驱动的，连接空气的管道沿着通讯电缆在用户衣服下运行。

This reduces its weight below 300 grams—half that of some current models, and less, indeed, than the weight of a real hand—though the waist bag adds a further 444 grams.

这使它的重量减少到300克以下，是目前某些型号的一半，而且确实比真正的手轻，尽管腰包增加了444克。

Paragraph 3:

The hand uses similar signal-processing algorithms to other prosthetics on the market.

该假手使用与市场上其他假肢类似的信号处理算法。

The big advance is that it does not require invasive surgery or electronic implants into the residual limb to communicate with the user’s brain.

最大的进步是它不需要侵入性手术或电子植入残肢来与用户的大脑进行交流。

Sensors on the skin record electrical activity from the remaining arm muscles. In an intact arm, this activity would tell those muscles how to operate the hand.

皮肤上的传感器记录手臂其余肌肉的电活动。在一只完整的手臂上，这项活动将告诉那些肌肉如何用手操作。

Instead, they are interpreted by pattern-recognition software that sends appropriate commands to the pump to move the artificial hand in the same way.

相反，它们由模式识别软件进行解释，该软件向泵发送适当的指令，以同样的方式移动假手。

Meanwhile, other signals travel in the opposite direction from sensors in the hand’s fingertips to nerves in the arm, whence they are relayed to the brain and provide a sensation of touch.

同时，其他信号从手指尖的传感器到手臂的神经，以相反的方向传播，并从那里传递到大脑，提供触觉。

The upshot is something which responds like a hand and feels like one to the user.

结果是，用户的反应就像一只手，感觉就像一只手。

Paragraph 4:

Dr Gu and his colleagues compared the efficacy of their invention with that of existing models using tests borrowed from research into strokes and spinal-cord injuries.

谷博士和他的同事利用从中风和脊髓损伤研究中借鉴的试验，将他们的发明与现有模型的功效进行了比较。

These included writing, grasping and lifting objects, lifting food to the mouth, and stacking draughtsmen.

这些包括书写、抓取和举起物体、将食物举到口中以及堆放跳棋棋子。

Normally, they found, it worked better—particularly for delicate tasks like handling fragile objects, petting a cat and shaking hands.

他们发现，通常情况下，这种方法效果更好，特别是在处理易碎物品、抚摸猫和握手等精细任务时。

Paragraph 5:

The other advantage of Dr Gu’s invention is that it is cheap. The components it is made from cost about $500. Existing models may sell for $10,000 or more.

谷博士发明的另一个优点是它便宜。它的零部件价格约为500美元。现有型号的售价可能为10000美元或更高。

If it, or something similar, goes into production, that will permit the transformation of many more of the lives of the 5m people who have lost a hand, or were born without one, than is possible at the moment.

如果它或类似的东西投入生产，这将使500万失去一只手或生来没有一只手的人的生活发生比目前更多的变化。

（恭喜读完本篇，英语阅读量545左右）

【补充资料】（来源于知社学术圈 ）

2021年8月16日，国际著名期刊《自然·生物医学工程》（Nature Biomedical Engineering）在线发表了上海交通大学机械与动力工程学院机器人研究所朱向阳、谷国迎教授和麻省理工学院赵选贺教授的合作论文“操作感知一体化的软体神经假肢手”（A soft neuroprosthetic hand providing simultaneous myoelectric control and tactile feedback）。上海交通大学作为论文第一作者和通讯作者单位，博士研究生张宁斌为论文共同第一作者。

【重点词汇】（6个）

prosthetics/prsθetks/artificial parts of the body.

n. 假体；义肢；修复学，修补学；弥补术

socket/skt/

n. 插座；窝，穴；牙槽

pneumatically/nju:"mtikli/

adv. 充气地；由空气作用

whence/wens/

adv. 从何处；由此；到原来的地方

upshot/pt/

n. 结果，结局；要点

draughtsmen/drɑftsmn/

n. 起草人；制图员；跳棋棋子

【重点句子】（2个）

It worked better—particularly for delicate tasks like handling fragile objects, petting a cat and shaking hands.

这种方法效果更好，特别是在处理易碎物品、抚摸猫和握手等精细任务时。

It will permit the transformation of many more of the lives of the 5m people who have lost a hand, or were born without one, than is possible at the moment.

这将使500万失去一只手或生来没有一只手的人的生活发生比目前更多的变化。

【重点词根】（1+2个）

prosth- = added, 表示”附属的“。词根 prosth- 由 pros-（to）+ the-（放置）组合而成，字面含义“add to, 附属或附加”，如：

prosthodontia [prsθdnt] n. 假牙修复学

prosthodontics [prsθdntks] n. 补齿术, 口腔部修复术, 镶牙术

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