机器人厨师诞生了！

Picture the scene: You come home after work feeling too exhausted to cook – only to find a delicious meal worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant waiting for you.

想象一下这个画面：下班回家倍感疲倦不想做饭——却发现可以和米其林星级餐厅的食物媲美的美味饭菜在等你食用。

It sounds like a fantasy, but it could be about to come true thanks to a robot chef developed by British scientists.

听起来像做白日梦，但很快就能实现了，这得归功于英国科学家发明的机器人厨师。

They have come up with a set of robotic arms so sophisticated that they are capable of cooking meals from scratch.

他们发明了一套精细灵活的机器手臂，能够烹饪饭菜。

The device will be sold from as early as 2017 as part of a purpose-built high-tech kitchen, priced at around £10,000, which includes an oven, hob, dishwasher and sink.

这套设备作为高科技厨房用具的一部分，最早2017年上市，市价约1万英镑，包括烤箱、滚刀、洗碗机和洗涤槽。

Scientists at Moley Robotics spent almost 18 years developing the hands, which are each governed by 24 motors, 26 micro-controllers and 129 sensors.

Moley Robotics的科学家用了近18年研发这双手臂，每个手臂由24个马达、26个微型控制器和129个感应器支配。

According to its creators, the arms can chop, stir, whisk and baste well enough to recreate almost anything you would care to eat, whether it is a simple home-cooked supper, or an elaborate concoction designed by a world-class chef.

据其创造者说，这双手臂能熟练地切剁、搅拌、浇汁，几乎能做你喜欢吃的一切东西，不管是一顿简单的家常便饭，还是一顿世界级厨师水平的精美调制品。

The hands move a little slowly, hovering strangely above the work surface whenever they are not busy, but they imitate human movements closely enough that they can do things such as wipe a spoon on the edge of a pan to prevent drips.

机器手的动作有点慢，闲暇时，怪异地悬在料理台上空。他们能逼真地模仿人类动作，所以能做一些精细活儿，如用勺子刮一下平底锅边缘以防汤汁滴下来。

But last year, after Russian engineer Mark Oleynik approached the team with the notion of turning the hands into an everyday household gadget, the concept of the robot chef was born.

去年，俄罗斯工程师Mark Oleynik带着把这双手臂变成日常家用这一理念来到团队后，机器人厨师这一观念诞生了。

Even if there are a few splatters, it shouldn’t matter – the gadget will load the dishwasher and wipe down the work surfaces afterwards.

即使做饭过程中有东西溅撒出来，也没关系——这套厨具会出动洗碗机，在做完饭后将料理台擦洗干净。

The arms will tuck up out of the way when not in use, making space for their owners to get their own hands dirty.

这双手臂在不用时能收缩起来，毫不碍事，为主人自己做饭留出空间。

Mr Oleynik, who is spearheading the project, said: ‘All the things which are possible with the hand are possible here. There is no limitation.

带头研发该项目的Oleynik先生说：“这双手做什么都有可能，没什么限制。

‘A lot of people want to go to Michelin-starred restaurants, but they are quite expensive and may be quite far from the home. This is an opportunity for people to enjoy very good food, and for a reasonable price.'

“许多人想去米其林星级餐厅，但那里饭菜特贵，可能离家又远。这项发明为人们提供了一个享受合理价格的超级美味食物的机会。

The only cuisine that is off the robot’s menu at the moment is sushi, which requires exceedingly steady pressure and nimble fingers to make, but the team plan to conquer that as well by the time it goes on sale.

目前机器手臂的菜单上唯一没有的菜系是寿司，因为寿司的制作需要非常稳定的压力和灵活的手指，但团队打算在其上市时克服这一缺点。

By that point, they claim, users will be able to order meals from an iTunes-style library of recipes devised by professional chefs, making it possible to tuck into Michelin-standard food on a daily basis.

他们称，到那时，用户能通过iTunes软件从专业厨师设计的菜谱上预定饭菜，这样每天都能吃到米其林星级餐厅水平的食物。

People will also be able to train the robotic arms to cook their own favourite family recipes, by demonstrating them a few times while wearing high-tech gloves and wrist-bands.

人们还能训练机器手臂来烹调自己最喜欢的家庭菜谱，不过，这需要人们自己带着高科技手套和手链演示几次才能做到。

Users will be able to ‘order’ dinner on their way home, or breakfast for when they wake up, using an app on their smartphone, picking recipes depending on the ingredients they have in stock. They will also be able to choose dishes based on their nutritional content.

用户通过智能手机上的一个应用程序就可以在回家途中“订晚餐，早上醒来时“订早餐。菜谱的选择则要靠自家储备的做菜材料而定，还能依自身营养需求而定。

And just in case, the unit has emergency equipment if there’s a fire.

为了以防万一，这个厨师机器人还安装了能灭火的应急设备。

Vocabulary

from scratch: 从头做起

hob: 滚刀

baste: (烤炙时为防止烤焦)在(烤肉、烤鸡上)涂(或抹、浇、滴)油(或汁)

concoction: 调制品