2017考研英語拓展閱讀：谷歌專利“粘車”減少事故傷害

考研英語來源：新東方網整理 2016-06-01　

Google has patented a sticky coating for driverless cars that could reduce damage done to pedestrians in the event of a collision.

谷歌已經為無人駕駛汽車添加粘性涂層獲得專利，該涂層能夠在撞倒行人情況下減少對其的損傷。

People struck by the vehicle would become glued to its bonnet, rather than being thrown off and further injured.

被車輛撞擊的人將被粘在引擎蓋上，而不是被甩出，導致進一步受傷。

One transport safety professor said the concept could reduce injuries sustained in a pedestrian collision.

一位運輸安全教授說這個概念可以減少與行人碰撞發生的損傷。

Google did not say whether it intended to implement the idea in its driverless vehicles.

谷歌沒有透露是否打算在無人駕駛汽車上實施這個想法。

"It does have some merit to it," said Andrew Morris, Professor of Human Factors in Transport Safety at Loughborough University.

“這確實有一定道理的，”拉夫堡大學運輸安全人為因素的教授安德魯·莫里斯說。

"When pedestrian accidents happen, often the person is thrown up onto the bonnet and there may be injuries from that contact, but sometimes there are not.

“當行人事故發生，往往是人被拋到發動機罩上，這可能導致傷害，但有時也不會。”

"But when a driver brakes in a collision, a totally natural reaction, the pedestrian is thrown onto the ground and you can get injuries from that contact."

“但是，當司機剎車，這是一個完全自然的反應，行人會被拋出到地上，這就會導致傷害。”

Google’s patent explained that the adhesive layer would be hidden under a protective coating, to ensure it did not gather debris during journeys.

谷歌的專利解釋說，粘合劑層將被隱藏在一個保護層下，以確保它的行程期間不會聚集碎片。

"Upon the initial impact between the colliding object and the vehicle, the coating is broken, exposing the adhesive layer," the patent document said.

“在碰撞物體和車輛之間初始沖擊時，涂層將破碎，暴露出粘合劑層，”據專利文本所述。

Prof Morris said it remained to be seen whether the idea would work in practice.

莫里斯教授說該想法是否會在實際中運用仍有待觀察。

"Whether they could realistically make a car that has the right material in it and works reliably, we can’t categorically say that," he told the BBC.

“他們能否切實地在車上涂合適的材料并讓其可靠地發揮作用，我們還不能下結論，”他告訴BBC。

Kevin Clinton, head of road safety at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "As well as developing new technology that prevents pedestrians from being hit in the first place, it’s also crucial to develop ways of reducing the severity of injuries suffered if a pedestrian is knocked over."

事故預防皇家學會的道路安全負責人凱文·克林頓說：“除了開發新的技術，以防止行人被撞，減少被撞倒后的傷害程度也同樣重要。”

"This idea is a fascinating example of just how far vehicle technology is changing," he told the BBC.

“這是個汽車技術已經發生重大改變的一個有趣例子，”他告訴BBC。

"It will obviously need to be developed and tested to ensure that it works reliably and doesn’t cause any unintended consequences."

“顯然我們需要開發和測試，以確保其可靠地發揮作用，而不會造成任何意想不到的后果。”