Robots have certain advantages compared to humans: They are efficient, tireless, can be repaired when damaged and they never get sick. This last trait has made them the star during our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. While hundreds of thousands of medical workers have fallen ill dealing with this highly infectious virus and a lot more are forced to stay at home for fear of getting the disease, this isn’t a problem for robots.
This is why the COVID-19 outbreak is seen as the “tipping point” — noted The Independent Science reporter Anthony Cuthbertson — for robots to start to replace humans in certain jobs.
In areas like hospitals and healthcare facilities, robots are used to perform high-risk tasks. In China, for example, a hotel in Hangzhou employed a robot named “Little Peanut” to deliver food to people under quarantine(隔离期). In Spain, robots are about to be used to test people for the coronavirus.
“Hospitals around the world are waking up to autonomous disinfection,” Per Juul Nielsen, CEO of Denmark’s UVD Robots, a leading company manufacturing disinfection robot, told Forbes. “We can’t build these robots fast enough.”
In non-medial companies, robots are also replacing human employees since they don’t have the problem of social distancing and will never take sick leave. Walmart and Amazon, for example, where robots are already used in sorting, packing and shipping, are planning to increase the number of robots in their facilities.
According to futurist Martin Ford, using more robots than human employees can prove to be rewarding for companies even when the pandemic is over. “People will prefer to go to a place that has fewer workers and more machines because they feel they can lower overall risk,” Ford told the BBC.
But this sudden surge(激增)in robot demand doesn’t mean that they triumph over humans in every aspect.
According to Bill Smart, a roboticist at Oregon State University, the human contact between doctors and patients is still important. Doctors comfort the patients and guide them through hard decisions while robots are only doing routine tasks, like cleaning and giving tests, just to free up doctors and nurses.
It might be true that robots have certain advantages over humans, but they are still secondary to human interaction.
12. What is the passage mainly about?
A.The advantages of robots compared to humans. |
B.Why the COVID-19 outbreak has fueled robot demand. |
C.Why humans play a less important role in fighting the pandemic. |
D.Different views on applying robots to fight against COVID-19. |
13. What has made robots desirable during the pandemic?
A.They can be repaired when damaged. |
B.They do not get infected with diseases. |
C.They test people for coronavirus more precisely. |
D.They are tireless and can replace medical staff. |
14. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?
A.Human interaction is essential in some areas. |
B.The demand for robots is too great to meet. |
C.Doctors can make more accurate judgments than robots. |
D.Robots need updating to improve contact with humans. |
15. Which word best describes the author’s attitude to the application of robots?
A.Skeptical. | B.Indifferent | C.Objective. | D.Favorable. |