VOA慢速英語: 直升機飛行員的新裝備

While flying high above Earth’s surface, jet fighter pilots may suffer loss of eyesight for brief periods. Some pilots may even lose consciousness -- not being able to recognize what is happening around them. These experiences, commonly called blackouts, can lead to tragic results.
飛行員在地球表面高空飛行時可能會出現(xiàn)短暫的視力消失。一些飛行員甚至失去知覺，不能夠察覺身邊發(fā)生的事情。這些經(jīng)歷，通常叫做“黑視”，能夠?qū)е卤瘎“l(fā)生。
Now, an Israeli company says it has developed a device that could save pilots’ lives at such times.
現(xiàn)在，一位以色列公司表示發(fā)明了一種新裝備，這種裝備可以在飛行員失去知覺時挽救他們的生命。

Yaron Kranz is senior research and development director at Elbit Systems. He is also a retired fighter pilot. He says two different situations can lead to a pilot’s loss of consciousness.
雅讓·克蘭茲是艾比特系統(tǒng)公司的最高研究人員和發(fā)明總指導(dǎo)人。他同時也是一名退休戰(zhàn)斗飛行員。他說了兩種可以使飛行員失去知覺的情況。
“One is ‘G-LOC’ or G Loss of Consciousness, and the other one is hypoxia,which is lack of oxygen to the brain.”
其中一種情況是“意識喪失”，另一種是缺氧，即大腦供氧不足。
G-LOC happens when the airplane is making a sharp turn or speeding up veryquickly. During these periods, centrifugal force reduces the normal flow of blood to the pilot’s brain. At high speeds, loss of control of the aircraft hasproved deadly for many pilots.
當(dāng)飛機急速轉(zhuǎn)彎或加速時會出現(xiàn)意識喪失，在這段時間內(nèi)，離心力減少了飛行員體內(nèi)流向心臟的血液的正常流動。在高速下，飛機失控對飛行員來說極其危險。
Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, can affect anyone at extreme heights. That is whypassenger planes are equipped with oxygen masks. Passengers are always told before flying to put on the masks in case of a sudden loss of air pressure.
低氧，或者缺氧，在一定高度下能夠影響任何人。這就是為什么客機都備有氧氣面具的原因，飛機起飛前，乘客往往被告知戴上氧氣面具以防飛機突然失壓。
Current devices for preventing such dangerous situations are very large. So Elbit Systems and a small start-up company, called Life BEAM, developed a system they are calling Canary. It uses small, non-invasive sensingequipment. Yaron Kranz says the sensors are built into the helmet worn by the pilot.
目前的裝備應(yīng)對這種情形還存在較大危險。因此，艾比特公司和一家剛剛發(fā)展的稱作“生命之光”小公司研發(fā)了一種叫“金絲雀”的系統(tǒng)。該系統(tǒng)采用小型的，不具侵入性的感覺器材。雅讓·克里茲表示，這些感應(yīng)器植在飛行員所戴的頭盔里。
“The pilot doesn’t have to do anything in order to activate those sensors and they are small enough and wise enough to give the information to gather the physiological data that is required.”
這些感應(yīng)器并不需要飛行員額外啟動，且體積小，又能智能地手機所要求的生理數(shù)據(jù)。
By physiological data, he means information related to the processes and activities that keep the person alive. When the danger is real, the system sends a message to the visor on the front of the helmet. If it senses that the pilot has lost consciousness, it tells the plane’s computer to activate the autopilot. The autopilot will then take control of the plane’s movement until thepilot wakes up.
雅讓所提到的生理數(shù)據(jù)，是指能夠保持一個人活著的關(guān)于進程和活動的信息。當(dāng)危險存在時，系統(tǒng)就會向頭盔前沿發(fā)送信息。如果感應(yīng)器感到飛行員已失去知覺，那么它將會啟動飛機的電腦自動飛行員。自動飛行員接著將會操控飛機飛行知道飛行員蘇醒過來。
Elbit Systems is now developing its Canary device for U.S. F-35 fighter jetsand other aircraft.
艾比特系統(tǒng)目前正為美國的F-35戰(zhàn)斗機及其他機型研發(fā)“金絲雀”裝備。
I’m Jonathan Evans.
我是約納遜·伊萬斯
VOA’s George Putic reported on this story from Washington. George Grow adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
本臺記者喬治·普提克華盛頓報道，撰稿人：喬治·格林；編輯：馬里奧·利特
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Words in This Story
consciousness – n. knowing about the world around you
blackout – n. loss of consciousness for a brief period; unable to react topeople around you or your surroundings
centrifugal – adj. relating to a movement away from the center
visor – n. a device that protects the eyes from the sun or other light