Japan’s Robot Revolution in Senior Care

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Being cared for by robots is becoming the method of choice1method of choice达到预期效果的最佳方法。among elderly residents.机器人看护正成为老年人的最佳养老选择。

Japan’s artificial intelligence expertise is transforming the elder care industry,with niche robotic caregiving accomplishing more than just taking pressure off the critical shortage of caregivers.Senior care facilities across Japan are testing out robots that deliver an assortment of social and physical health care and the government-backed initiative has been met with positive reviews by elderly residents.

日本的人工智能技术正改变着养老产业现状，小众化的机器人看护技术已超出了单纯缓解护工严重短缺压力的范畴。日本各地的养老机构正在试用提供各种社会照护和身体保健服务的机器人，并且这项政府支持的举措已获得入住老人的积极评价。

[2]Japan’s rapidly graying population is being eyed by the government as a lucrative market for medical technology.Dismal government projections show that by 2025,Japan’s first baby boomers will have turned 75 and 7 million people will be suffering from some form of dementia.The nation won’t be able to avert a dementia crisis without an additional 380,000 senior care workers.

[2]日本迅速增长的老龄化人口被政府视为医疗技术领域中一个商机巨大的市场。据政府不乐观的预测结果显示，到2025年，日本首批婴儿潮一代将步入75岁，届时将有700万人口患有某种形式的痴呆症。如果不增加38万名养老护工人员，日本将无法避免这场痴呆症危机。

[3]The chronic shortage of professional care workers has encouraged the Japanese government to simplify procedures for foreign caregivers to get trained and certified.The current Technical Intern Training Program between Vietnam,the Philippines,and Indonesia under an Economic Partnership Agreement was extended to include nursing care as well as agriculture,fishery,and construction sectors.

[3]专业护工的长期匮乏，促使日本政府简化了外籍护工受训和认证的程序。根据经济伙伴关系协定，越南、菲律宾和印度尼西亚之间现行的“技能实习培训计划”已扩展到护理、农业、渔业以及建筑业领域。

[4]Despite the government’s move to bolster the numbers of senior care workers,the target number of foreign graduates has fallen flat,with the national caregiver examination proving a major hurdle to pass.The success rate for foreign students was a measly2measly很少的；不足的。106 students in 2016,which slightly improved to 216 students in 2017.Another grim reality is that 19 to 38 percent of foreign nurses who pass the exam opt to leave the industry and return home,citing tough work conditions and long hours.

[4]尽管政府采取措施来增加养老护工人员的数量，但外籍毕业生的规模因受国家护工技能考试这一主要阻力的影响未能达到预期的目标。2016年通过考试的外籍护工毕业生只有区区106人，2017年略有提高，仅达到216人。另一严峻的现实是，通过考试的外籍护工中，有19%到38%的人员会选择离开这个行业回国，理由是工作条件艰苦、劳动时间长。

[5]This is where the government believes care robots will be able to step in.

[5]政府认为看护机器人正好能在这一领域一展身手。

[6]Shintomi Nursing Home in the heart of Tokyo is making international headlines for being home to 20 models of care robots,mimicking cute furry animals,small children,human shaped“humanoids,” or full-sized lifting and walking robots.The government-funded project took off in 2013take a shine to爱上；看中。but five years on residents have taken a shine to3their robotic companions.A research study by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development showed that,with robot care,seniors’ autonomy,sociability,mood,and communication improved along with a better quality of life over all.

[6]位于东京市中心的新富町养老院日前登上了国际新闻头条。该养老院拥有20台看护机器人，有可爱的毛皮动物仿真机器人、模拟儿童机器人，还有人形机器人以及全尺寸的托举和步行机器人。这一由政府资助的项目于2013年启动，五年后的今天，入住的老人已对他们的机器人伴侣颇有好感。日本医学研究与发展机构公布的一项研究表明，在机器人的看护下，老人的自主能力、社交能力、精神状态以及沟通能力都有了提升，整体生活质量也随之提高了。

[7]A nationwide survey by private elder care company Orix Living found that 80 percent of respondents over 40 welcomed or were open to being helped by a care robot.Respondents revealed a common fear of becoming a burden on family members and explained feeling more relaxed in the presence of a robot.

[7]提供私人老年看护服务的欧力士养老公司进行了一次全民调查，在40岁以上的受访者中，80%的人对看护机器人表示欢迎或是持开放态度。受访者普遍害怕自己成为家人的负担，并表示在机器人面前会感到更放松。

[8]The most visually unusual form in the catalog of care robots is the “Telenoid.” At first glance it looks like a bald,expressionless,unfinished robot from a horror movie.But the Telenoid,which mimics the gestures as well as broadcasting the voice of remotes users,was intentionally designed to be unisex,ageless,and easy to hug in a person’s lap.In spite of first impressions,the Telenoid robot specializes in friendly communication for dementia patients who live alone or in nursing homes.The goal is to improve communication with family and staff as well as serving as conversation stimuli.

[8]在列入产品目录的看护机器人中，Telenoid是外形最不寻常的一款。乍一看，它就像是恐怖片里那种面无表情的、未完工的秃头机器人。但是，Telenoid不仅可以模仿人类的姿势，而且能够播放远程用户的声音，其设计初衷就是无性别、无年龄且便于人类抱在腿上。尽管第一印象不佳，但Telenoid专门擅长与独居或住在养老院的痴呆症患者进行友好交流。目的就是为了增进患者与家人和工作人员的沟通，并激发其对话能力。

[9]The robot is maneuvered remotely using an external tablet and the robot’s mouth and head moves to mimic conversation.From a psychological standpoint the austere exterior encourages recipients to harness the power of imagination to envision the Telenoid as a positive image of the person they are actually talking to—or someone they want to talk to.One resident from Shintomi Nursing Home explained that talking with a robot eased the anxiety of overthinking what the other person is thinking during conversation,making participants more inclined to speak freely and share feelings.

[9]这款机器人通过外部的平板电脑进行远程操作，它的嘴巴和头部可以模拟对话时的动作。从心理学的角度来看，Telenoid严肃的外表促使用户将其想象成正与之交谈或愿与之交谈者的良好形象。新富町养老院的一位入住者解释说，与机器人聊天可以缓解过分考虑对方想法的焦虑，从而让谈话者更易于自由地表达看法和分享情感。

[10]The range of rehabilitation robots also includes Aibo,the pet dog robot,and Paro,a robotic baby harp seal that delivers emotional responses,producing similar effects to those found in animal therapy.For a conversation partner the 30cm Robohon and CommU robots feature a fast speech recognition function geared for simple conversation and“baby talk” responses.

[10]康复机器人还包括宠物狗机器人Aibo和小海豹机器人Paro，它们可以传递情感反应，达到与动物疗法相似的效果。对于谈话对象来说，30厘米高的Robohon和CommU机器人则具有快速对话识别功能，可以进行简单对话，并作出“婴儿咿呀学语”式的回应。

[11]While Japan tends to be slow at adopting bold public policies,it has been quick to get on board with kickstarting subsidies for care robot innovation.Although the industry is still in its early stages,generating only $16 million annually,the robotic business industry is projected to triple in revenue by 2065.However,a major setback remains the price of Telenoids and humanoids,which ranges from $3,800 to$8,000 each.■

[11]尽管日本在出台大刀阔斧的公共政策时往往行动缓慢，但为看护机器人革新提供启动补助时却进展迅速。虽然机器人行业仍处于初级阶段，每年仅创收1600万美元，但到2065年，机器人行业的收入预计将增长到目前的三倍。然而，Telenoid及人形机器人那3800至8000美元不等的零售价仍是主要的障碍。□

（译者曾获第五届“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛优秀奖；译者单位：山东省文登整骨医院）