2024年3月15日发(作者：)

2023年名校版高考英语阅读理解

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Researchers in Singapore have developed an electronic

material that helps robots sense and touch nearby objects.

The material is a kind of foam: a solid substance that is filled

with air and is soft. And the foam has another useful quality. It

repairs itself when damaged, much like human skin. The material

is called AiFoam, which is short for artificially innervated foam.

To innervate means to supply with nerves. In robots, AiFoam

would gather information from nearby and send it to a computer

controlling the robot. AiFoam is a stretchy polymer (聚合物)

combined with a mixture that lowers surface tension. This means

that if you cut the material, it can return easily into one piece.

To copy the human sense of touch, the researchers mixed

microscopic pieces of metal into the material. Then they added

very small electrical connections beneath the surface of the

foam.

Benjamin Tee, a lead researcher on the new material at the

National University of Singapore, said that when there is

pressure on the material, the metal particles (颗粒) get closer.

The movement changes their electrical properties. The electrical

connections sense these changes and send information about

them to a computer, which then tells the robot what to do.

“When I move my finger near the sensor, you can see the

sensor is measuring the changes of my electrical field and

responds accordingly to my touch,” he said. The robotic hand

senses not only the amount but also the direction of the force

placed on it. That could make robots more intelligent and

responsive.

Tee said AiFoam is the first material of its kind to combine

self-repairing properties with nearness and pressure sensing.

After spending over two years developing it, Tee and his team

hope the material can be put to use within five years.

12. What is one feature of AiFoam?

A. It is made out of air.

B. It is a low-cost material.

C. It has self-repairing ability.

D. It can replace human skin.