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Company Aims to Produce Thousands of Humanoid Robots in 2021
A Hong Kong-based robotics company says it plans to mass produce thousands of humanoid robots in 2021.
Hanson Robotics says four different humanoid models will start leaving factories during the first half of the year. One of the four is a robot named Sophia, which has received worldwide attention in recent years for looking and speaking in a very human-like way.
The company's founder and CEO, David Hanson, told Reuters the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for robots designed to assist and engage with humans. "The world of COVID-19 is going to need more and more automation to keep people safe."
He noted that in the past, many of the company's robots were built by hand. But now, Hanson Robotics is beginning to expand its manufacturing operations.
Hanson said there are currently 24 models of Sophia, which will be used as a basis for creating "many other kinds" of models. While not providing an exact number, Hanson said the company aims to sell "thousands" of robots by the end of 2021.
The company says it plans to market its humanoid robots as helpful assistants in the healthcare field. For example, they can be used to take temperature readings to identify possible sickness or perform physical exercises with older people.
Such "social robots" are powered by machine learning methods and artificial intelligence (AI). They use cameras and sensors to recognize human faces and activities. The robots are built with tools to help them develop their own form of social and emotional intelligence over time.

During a demonstration at the company's lab, one of the Sophia models identified some of the activities it could assist humans with.
"Social robots like me can help take care of the sick or elderly in many kinds of healthcare and medical uses."
Hanson said he believes robotic solutions to the pandemic are not limited to healthcare. He said the company's robots are so human-like, they could also serve the public in retail settings or in the airline industry.
The humanoids "can be so useful during these times where people are terribly lonely and socially isolated," Hanson said.
"I can help communicate, give therapy and provide social stimulation, even in difficult situations."
Johan Hoorn is a social robotics professor at Hong Kong's Polytechnic University. His research has included work on Sophia. He said that, although the technology is still developing, the pandemic could speed up relationships between robots and humans.
"I can infer the pandemic will actually help us get robots earlier in the market because people (will) start to realize that there is no other way," Hoorn said.
Products from other major developers in the industry are helping fight the pandemic as well. SoftBank Robotics' humanoid robot Pepper was deployed in Europe to identify people who were not wearing face coverings. In China, robotics company CloudMinds helped set up a robot-run field hospital for COVID-19 patients in Wuhan.
The use of robots was already on the rise before the pandemic. The International Federation of Robotics said in a report last year that worldwide sales of professional-service robots had jumped 32 percent between 2018 and 2019.
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重点解析

重点讲解：
1. aim to do sth. 致力于；旨在；以…为目标；
We aim to help students make more informed career choices.
我们旨在帮助学生作出更有依据的职业抉择P@YAm+WNIfaY。
2. take care of 照顾；照看；看护；
She used to take care of me when I was a baby.
我还在襁褓中时，她曾经照顾过我Qh|yO3!J+K5P^NtV-Q。
3. speed up 加快(…的)速度；
Increasing gravity is known to speed up the multiplication of cells.
我们知道不断增加的引力会加速细胞的分裂Xu@1oEN&UYLCu。
4. set up 创建；建立；安排；组建；
He has just set up his own business but it will take him a while to get established.
他刚建立起自己的公司，但要站稳脚跟还得花上一段时间z@xBK|va22=OuQJ1,n。

参考译文

机器人公司计划在2021年生产数千台人形机器人
总部位于香港的一家机器人公司表示，其计划在2021大规模生产数千台人形机器人~nTl[G=O9x.[&!。
汉森机器人技术公司表示，今年上半年，四款不同的人形机器人将开始离开工厂oskUClVy[76A8。四款机器人中有一个名为索菲亚的机器人，因为其用非常像人类的方式看东西和说话，因此在近几年受到全世界的关注XD#1d5[T1F。
该公司创始人兼首席执行官大卫·汉森对路透社表示，新冠肺炎疫情使人们对旨在协助人类并与人类交流的机器人的需求增加xETkl|JOhj7C=Fs2K#。“新冠肺炎笼罩下的世界，需要越来越多自动化的产品来保证人们的安全NGLxGYCwyC_。”
他指出，以前该公司的许多机器人都由手工制造[w)aS&Um4+tG。但现在，汉森机器人技术公司开始扩大其制造业务()[yS,3eKAUo_8Xv.-l。
汉森表示，目前有24个索菲亚模型，这将作为创建“许多其他种”模型的基础%w4Q7qU.Tg(H7Y。虽然没有提供确切的数字，但汉森表示，其公司的目标是在2021年底销售“数千台”机器人YX._nzNMsUpXUk,75uaU。
该公司表示，他们计划将其人形机器人作为医疗保健领域的实用助手推向市场AvA0MoRS4Ow~Op。例如，这些计算器人可以读取温度读数，以确定可能的疾病或帮助老年人进行体育锻炼4_QvN|9nh8。
这种“社交机器人”由机器学习方法和人工智能（简称AI）提供动力lBE|_-rs5+RWLU。他们使用摄像机和传感器来识别人脸和活动,B=nG.fcv@0E7。这些机器人的制造工具可以帮助他们随着时间的推移发展自己的社交智商和情商LAM3=I-[)n=#-。
在公司实验室的一次演示中，索菲亚的其中一个模型证明其可以协助人类进行一些活动vP.t8=QN=^ZqO)%Ug。
“像我这样的社交机器人可以在多种医疗保健和医疗用途中照顾病人或老人b@y8rt;hQ_1LKv。”
汉森表示，他认为机器人解决新冠疫情的方法不仅限于医疗保健KYoFv]AgR~^G。他说，其公司的机器人相当人性化，他们还可以在零售业或航空业为公众服务GX;RGvY*ZW5wO6,f。
汉森表示，人形机器人“在人们极度孤独和社会孤立的时候非常有用fZfDlKuV!2CNI5。”
“即使在困难情况下，我也能帮助沟通、治疗和提供社会刺激l2!!xGOciTI。”
约翰·霍恩是香港理工大学的社会机器人学教授YH3fW!vf3|JYXKhq0lA。他的研究包括对索菲亚的研究mhcTX!&=Av@f_^。他表示，尽管这项技术仍在发展中，但新冠肺炎疫情的蔓延可能会加速人与机器人间的关系升温OMZ#PVtuz-L~4&。
霍恩表示，“我可以推断，这场新冠肺炎疫情有助于我们将机器人更早地推入市场，因为人们已经开始意识到，除此之外已经没有其他办法x0xJ@arP7!1)。”
业内其他主要开发商的产品也在帮助抗击新冠肺炎疫情_UrGn7q+@TnhN(;QVd5%。软银机器人有限公司的人形机器人“胡椒”应用于欧洲，以识别未戴口罩者ONW=i#XiSUbt2RQ8。中国机器人公司达闼科技在武汉帮助为新冠肺炎患者建立了一个机器人管理的野战医院K[S*8lW6_xi;h%L%GG3p。
在新冠肺炎疫情爆发之前，机器人的使用就已经在增加l,-wr=5,43I+。国际机器人联合会去年发布的一份报告显示，2018年至2019年间，全球专业服务机器人的销量增长了32%w2|97)Fo&X0yHP=K=。
布莱恩·林恩报道^+0il6mj9p@3。

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