Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience
Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive “musical friend”.
“Shimi is designed to change the way that people enjoy and think about their music，” said Professor Gil Weinberg, the robot’s creator. He will unveil the robot at the June 27th Google I/O conference in San Francisco. A band of three Shimi robots will perform for guests, dancing in sync with music created in the lab and composed according to its movements.
Shimi is essentially a docking station with a “brain” powered by an Android phone. Once docked, the robot gains the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the user’s mobile device. In other words, if there’s an “app” for that, Shimi is ready. For instance, by using the phone’s camera and face-detecting software，Shimi can follow a listener around the room and position its “ears”，or speakers, for optimal sound. Another recognition feature is based on rhythm and tempo. If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phone’s musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion. Once the music starts，Shimi dances to the rhythm.
“Many people think that robots are limited by their programming instructions, said Music Technology Ph. D. candidate Mason Bretan. “Shimi shows us that robots can be creative and interactive. ’’Future apps in the works will allow the user to shake their head in disagreement or wave a hand in the air to alert Shimi to skip to the next song or increase/decrease the volume. The robot will also have the capability to recommend new music based on the user’s song choices and provide feedback on the music play list.
Weinberg hopes other developers will be inspired to create more apps to expand Shimi’s creative and interactive capabilities. “I believe that our center is ahead of a revolution that will see more robots in homes.” Weinberg said.
Weinberg is in the process of commercializing Shimi through an exclusive licensing agreement with Georgia Tech. Weinberg hopes to make the robot available to consumers by the 2013 holiday season. “If robots are going to arrive in homes, we think that they will be this kind of machines一 small, entertaining and fun，，，Weinberg said. “They will enhance your life and pave the way for more intelligent service robots in our lives.”
词汇：
pump v.用抽水机抽;不断播放(音乐)
scan v.扫描;浏览
skip v.轻跳，跳跃
sync n.同步，同时;v.使同步
tempo n.速度;节奏
注释：
1. Georgia Tech:全称是 Georgia Institute of Technology,佐治亚理工学院，建于 1885 年，位于亚特兰大市中心。佐治亚理工学齒是美国南部最大的公立理工学院,也是全美最顶尖的理 工学院之一，排名仅次于麻省理工学院(MIT)和加州理工学院(CalTech)。
2. pump:不断播放(音乐)。例如:This radio station recently pumps out pop music. (这家广播电台近来连续播放流行音乐。)
3. smartphone-enabled:由智能手机系统支持的
4. is billed as:相当于 is advertised as，意为“被标榜为”。
5. docking station: 插接站,扩充基座，扩展插口
-6. Android:(科幻小说里的)机器人。本文指用于智能手机和便携式计算机移动设备的一种以Linus为基础的开放源代码操作系统，通过接口和插槽连接多种外部设备。目前Android 尚未有统一中文译名，国内较多人翻译成“安卓”或“安致”。据2012年2月数据, Android 占据全球智能手机操作系统市场52.5%的份额,中国市场占有率为68.4%。
7. dock：对接
8. the sensing and musical generation capabilities:传感和音乐生成能力
9. app:应用程序(=application)
10. if the user taps a beat:如果用户打出某个(音乐)拍子
11. in the works:正在准备阶段;在进行中或准备中
12. intelligent service robots:智能服务型机器人
练习：
1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the first three paragraphs?
A Shimi is a one-foot tall robot.
B Shimi is the creator of the musical companion.
C Shimi is a docking station with a“ brain” powered by an Android phone.
D Shimi can gain the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the user’s mobile device.
2. What does Shimi do if the user taps a beat?
A It stores the beat in the musical library.
B It transmits the beat to the docking station.
C It positions its speakers for optimal sound.
D It selects a perfectly-matched song and plays it in sync with that beat.
3. Which of the following about Shimi is true?
A Robots are limited by their programming instructions, and Shimi is no exception.
B Present apps allow the user to shake their head to alert Shimi to skip to the next song.
C Existing apps allow the user to wave a hand to alert Shimi to turn up/down the volume.
D Shimi can be creative and interactive.
4. What does the author want to tell us?
A The research center is developing a stronger and more versatile Shimi.
B Weinberg only expects staffs from Georgia Tech. to develop more apps for Shimi.
C Shimi is not yet technologically ready for commercialization.
D Robots such as Shimi are created for large corporations rather than homes.
5. Which of the following is Weinberg’s assertion?
A Shimi as a robotic musical companion can be applied to all types of smart phones.
B human lives will be filled with more fun if Shimi is going to arrive in homes.
C Shimi's creative and interactive capabilities are appreciated by most of its users.
D Weinberg has reached an agreement with Georgia Tech to commercialize Shimi.
答案与题解：
1. B在前三段中均可找到与选项A、C、D相应的句子，强调Shimi是一种电子设备;B与原文不符, Shimi不是该机器人的发明者,Gil Weinberg教授才是the robot’s creator。
2. D选项D简要地表述了第三段的倒数第二句“If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phone’s musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion”的意思,所以是答案。选项A、B、C都不符合上述句子的含义。
3. D选项A的意思与原文相反。虽然人们认为机器人受到程序指令的限制，但Shimi却表现出具有创造能力和互动能力，所以A不是答案。选项D的意思与原文相同，因而是答案。第四段第三句指的是未来的应用程序: future apps in the works,而选项B,C是指目前的应用程序，两者的表述均与原文有出入。
4. A第三段介绍Shimi的多种功能，第四段和第五段说Weinberg还在开发更多的应用程序来丰富Shimi的功能，还希望其他研发者也参与开发，因此，A是答案。选项B说Weinberg 仅仅希望Georgia Tech员工参与开发更多的应用软件，这与原文不符。文章最后一段告诉我们,Weinberg正在与Georgia Tech进行有关Shimi商业化的谈判,选项C的意思与此相反，不会是答案。选项D也与原文不符。
5. B选项A、C和D的内容Weinberg都没有说过。第三段告诉我们，Shimi是Android smart phone的扩充基座，并不适用于所有智能手机，所以A选项不正确;Shimi尚未进入市场，还谈不上公众对Shimi欣赏与否的问题，因此选项C不符合原意;Shimi正在进行商业化运作，但绝非已经完成，所以D也不是正确选项。本题的答案是B,依据是最后一段倒数第二句。
参考译文
第十九篇 音乐机器人伴侣提升音乐欣赏体验
Shimi是由佐治亚理工大学音乐技术中心研发的一款音乐伴侣。它可以根据听者的反馈推荐合乎节拍的歌曲、舞蹈;并且不断播放音乐。这款髙1英尺的机器人是由智能手机系统支持的，因此被标榜为“一个可以互动的音乐朋友”。
Gil Weinberg教授是该机器人的发明者，他解释说：“Shimi设计的宗旨是改变人们欣赏音乐、认识音乐的方式。”他将在今年6月27日在旧金山的谷歌I/O大会上展示这款机器人。一个由三个机器人组成的乐队将为来宾演奏，并伴随音乐起舞。而音乐是根据不同的运动形式编制的。
Shimi实际上是一个扩充基座，它的“大脑”由安卓手机控制。一旦连接上，机器人便从用户的移动装置获得传感和音乐生成能力。换言之，只要有应用程序，机器人便能使用。例如，通过手机的照相机和辨认脸型的软件，Shimi就能在房间周围跟踪到听众，然后安置好它的“耳朵”或扬声器，以确保输送最佳声音。另外一种识别特征是基于节奏和速度。如果用户打出某个(音乐)拍子，Shimi会对此进行分析，然后浏览手机的音乐库，并立即演奏最符合要求的音乐。一旦音乐响起来，Shimi就随韵律起舞。
“许多人认为机器人受到程序指令的限制，而Shiini给我们展示了机器人可以具有创造力和与人交互的能力。”音乐技术博士研究生Mason Bretan如是说。正在研发中的程序将使用户能沟通过摇头或摆手表示不同意，来提醒Shimi跳到下一首歌或增减音量。机器人还可根据用户对歌曲的选择推荐新音乐，并对音乐播放列表提供反馈。
Weinberg希望其他研发者会因此获得灵感，开发更多的应用程序，来扩展Shimi的创新和交互功能。他说：“我认为我们中心正在引领这场将更多机器人应用到家庭中去的变革。”
Weinberg正在通过获得佐治亚理工学院的独家授权来对Shimi进行商业推广。Weinberg希望到2013年的节日季消费者可购买到Shimi。Weinberg说：“如果机器人进入家庭，我们认为就应该是这种类型的机器人：小巧、令人愉快和有趣，它们能提高我们的生活质量，为更多智能服务型机器人进人我们的生活做好准备。
