A-Robot-in-every-home家家都有机器人.doc

A Robot in Every Home 每一个家庭机器 The leader of the PC revolution predicts that the next hot field will be robotics PC革命的领导人预计,下一个热门领域将机器人 By Bill Gates 由比尔盖茨 Imagine being present at the birth of a new industry. It is an industry based on groundbreaking new technologies, wherein a handful of well- established corporations sell highly specialized devices for business use and a fast-growing number of start-up companies produce innovative toys, gadgets for hobbyists and other interesting niche products. But it is also a highly fragmented industry with few common standards or platforms. Projects are complex, progress is slow, and practical applications are relatively rare. In fact, for all the excitement and promise, no one can say with any certainty when--or even if--this industry will achieve critical mass. If it does, though, it may well change the world. 想象在一个新行业的诞生。基于突破性的新技术,它是一种行业中少数的公司出售商业使 用和高度专业化的设备数量快速增长的初创企业产生创新的玩具,电子产品爱好者和其他 有趣的利基产品。但它也是一个高度分散的行业,一些常见的标准或平台。项目复杂,进 展缓慢,实际应用比较少见。事实上,对于所有的激情和承诺,没有人能说任何确定性——或 者即使——这个行业什么时候达到临界质量。如果是这样,不过,很可能改变世界。 Of course, the paragraph above could be a description of the computer industry during the mid-1970s, around the time that Paul Allen and I launched Microsoft. Back then, big, expensive mainframe computers ran the back-office operations for major companies, governmental departments and other institutions. Researchers at leading universities and industrial laboratories were creating the basic building blocks that would make the information age possible. Intel had just introduced the 8080 microprocessor, and Atari was selling the popular electronic game Pong. At homegrown computer clubs, enthusiasts struggled to figure out exactly what this new technology was good for. 当然,上面的段落可以描述计算机行业在1970年代中期,当时,我和保罗·艾伦创办微软。 当时,大,昂贵的大型机电脑跑大公司的后台运作,政府部门和其他机构。一流大学和工业 实验室的研究人员创造的基本构建块,使信息时代成为可能。英特尔刚刚介绍了8080微处 理器,雅达利是受欢迎的电子游戏Pong出售。国产电脑俱乐部,爱好者很难弄清楚到底是 什么这种新技术很好。 But what I really have in mind is something much more contemporary: the emergence