每日英語跟讀 Ep.879: About Britain - Shopping robots come into their own in locked-down English town購物機器人在英格蘭小鎮與訓練狗做新冠檢測

A fleet of robots on wheels that deliver shopping in the English town of Milton Keynes have seen their popularity surge as residents are stuck indoors due to the coronavirus lockdown.

一群靠著輪子行進、在英格蘭小鎮米爾頓凱恩斯運送購物貨品的機器人，受歡迎程度隨著居民因新型冠狀病毒封鎖措施無法外出而升高。

The robots, which come up roughly to an adult’s knee height and look like smooth white plastic boxes mounted on six black wheels, are a familiar sight in the town, where they have been delivering groceries for over two years.

這群機器人的高度大約到一名成年人的膝蓋，外表看起來像個裝在6個黑色輪子上的白色光滑塑膠盒，它們在這個小鎮快遞日用品已有2年時間，是當地常見景象。

But since the government imposed strict social distancing measures on March 23, the devices have been busier than ever, delivering for free to National Health Service (NHS) staff and facing increased demand from the general public.

但是，自從政府在3月23日實施嚴格的社交距離，這些裝置就比以往更為忙碌，忙著為國家醫療保健服務（NHS）員工免費快遞，也面臨一般民眾越來越大的需求量。

The robots have what looks like an antenna, topped with a small red flag to make it easier to spot them as they do their rounds.

這批機器人有一根看起來像天線、上面有個小紅旗的桿子，讓它們穿梭街頭快遞時更為醒目。

Canines have been used for decades to sniff out drugs, bombs, corpses and even cancer.

犬類數十年來一直被用於檢測毒品、炸彈、屍體，甚至癌症。

Now, a team of British researches are hoping dogs’ keen sense of smell can help detect COVID-19, CNN reports.

美國有線電視新聞網（CNN）報導，如今英國的一個研究團隊希望狗的靈敏嗅覺能幫助偵測「2019冠狀病毒病」（武漢肺炎）。

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is working with specially trained dogs to develop a new kind of coronavirus test, one that doesn’t require a swab, but just a sniff.

倫敦衛生與熱帶醫學院正利用經過特殊訓練的狗，發展一種新的冠狀病毒檢測方式，這種檢測不需要拭棉，一嗅即可。

The organization recently discovered canines can detect Malaria infections in humans and they are investigating whether the same is true for COVID-19.

該機構最近發現，狗可以檢測人體內的瘧疾感染，他們正在研究狗是否也可以檢測武漢肺炎。

The training began in March and researchers are eyeing six weeks as enough to determine if the dogs are up to snuff.

訓練從三月份開始，研究人員要觀察六週，以充分確定狗狗是否能夠勝任這份工作。

If the tests go well, these "super sniffers" could be deployed to screen up to 250 people per hour for the virus.

如果檢測順利進行，這些「超級嗅探器」每小時能對多達250人進行病毒檢測。

Researchers said the dogs could be used at airports and other public areas in the future to help prevent another outbreak once the current pandemic declines.

研究人員說，此次大流行疫情平息後，未來狗狗可以被用在機場和其他公共場所，協助預防疫情再次爆發。

Source article: https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1375114; https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1377201