‘Smart’ Face Mask Aims to Improve Communication in New Normal
日本研发智能口罩 以改善疫情新常态下的沟通质量
A Japanese company has created a "smart" mask that aims to improve communication for people wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
日本一家公司研发了一种智能口罩，旨在改善戴口罩以防止新冠病毒传播的人之间的沟通。
The use of face masks has become the new normal in parts of the world still struggling to reduce spread of the coronavirus. However, masks and other kinds of coverings can affect the quality of communication between wearers.
在全球仍在努力减少新冠病毒传播的部分地区，戴口罩已成为了一种新常态。然而，口罩等其它类似覆盖物会影响佩戴者之间的沟通质量。
It can be more difficult to hear voices through the coverings. Many business and public spaces also have social distancing barriers in place, which also make it harder for people to be heard and understood.
声音通过口罩传出会更难被听到。许多商业和公共场所还要进行社交隔离防范措施，这使得人们更难被听清和听懂。
The wearable electronic device is designed to help improve speech interactions in such conditions.
这款可穿戴电子设备旨在帮助改善这种状况下的语言交流。
The Japanese startup company Donut Robotics calls its invention the "c-mask." The device is meant to fit over other kinds of face masks commonly worn by the public.
日本初创公司Donut Robotics称其发明为c-mask。该设备可戴在公众日常佩戴的其它类型的口罩上。
The c-mask is made of soft plastic material. It contains a built-in microphone and has holes in the front to let air in. When it is turned on, the mask uses Bluetooth technology to connect to a mobile device.
这款智能口罩是由软塑料制成。口罩包含一个内置麦克风，正面有小孔让空气进入。而当口罩被打开之后，它将通过蓝牙技术连接到移动设备上。
An app then helps users perform several actions, including turning speech into text, completing telephone calls and making the user's voice louder. The device can also translate a person's voice from Japanese into eight other languages.
然后，通过一款应用程序可以帮助用户执行多种操作，比如将语音转换为文本、完成电话呼叫以及放大用户的声音。该设备还可以将用户的声音从日语翻译为其它8种语言。
The engineers who developed the smart mask had already built robots for use in Japanese airports to provide guidance and translation services to travelers.
开发出这款智能口罩的工程师之前已经造出了一款在日本机场为旅客提供指导和翻译服务的机器人。
But with the travel industry currently suffering big losses, the future of the robots became unclear. So, engineers sought to come up with a new product to fill a need.
但是随着目前旅游业遭受巨大损失，这款机器人的未来变得不明朗。因此，工程师试图造出一种新产品来满足需求。
Taisuke Ono is the head of Donut Robotics. He told the Reuters news agency, "We worked hard for years to develop a robot and we have used that technology to create a product that responds to how the coronavirus has reshaped society."
小野大辅是Donut Robotics公司的负责人。他对路透社表示：“我们为开发机器人而努力多年，并且我们已经利用该技术造出了一款产品，以应对已经被新冠病毒重塑的社会。”
Ono told international broadcaster CNN that the company was able to raise money to develop the smart mask through a campaign on the Japanese crowdfunding service Fundinno.
小野大辅在接受国际广播公司CNN采访时表示，该公司通过日本众筹服务机构Fundinno筹集到了研发这款智能口罩的资金。
He noted that the effort raised $265,000 in just the first 37 minutes. "It was very surprising, because it would usually take three or four months to get that kind of money," Ono said.
他指出，众筹才开始37分钟就筹集到了26.5万美元。小野大辅表示：“这非常令人惊讶，因为通常需要花三四个月时间才能筹到这么多钱。”
The company produced a working model of the mask within a month by using software developed for its other robot products. The mask design was similar to one created years ago by one of the company's engineers that mapped facial muscles to interpret speech.
该公司利用其为其它机器人产品开发的软件，在一个月内就造出了这款口罩的工作模型。该口罩的设计与该公司一位工程师多年前绘制面部肌肉图来解读语音的口罩设计类似。
Ono said the company plans to ship its first 5,000 c-masks to buyers in Japan starting in September. He is also looking to sell the devices in China, the United States and Europe and says he has received strong interest in the product.
小野大辅表示，该公司计划在今年9月份开始向日本买家发出首批5000个智能口罩。他还希望将该产品售往中国、美国和欧洲，并表示这些国家和地区都对该产品表示出了浓厚的额兴趣。
Donut Robotics plans to sell the devices for about $40 per mask, in an effort to capture a mass market that did not exist until a few months ago.
Donut Robotics公司计划每只口罩售价40美元，以占领几个月前才出现的大规模市场。
We hope that our device will be useful in a society where people naturally practice social distancing, the company states on its website.
该公司在其网站上表示：“我们希望在人们自然而然地保持社交距离的这个社会中，这种设备能发挥作用。”
I'm Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·琳恩为你播报。
