Economistから学ぶ基本の重要性

今週号のEconomistはロボット特集です。特集記事はこれから読んでいこうと思いますが、オーソドックスに書かれている社説をご紹介します。

New roles for technology
Rise of the robots
Prepare for a robot invasion. It will change the way people think about technology
Mar 29th 2014 | From the print edition

ロボットは小説や映画の世界の話ではなく現実のものとなっているというITやテクノロジーものでありがちな導入です。

ROBOTS came into the world as a literary device whereby the writers and film-makers of the early 20th century could explore their hopes and fears about technology, as the era of the automobile, telephone and aeroplane picked up its reckless jazz-age speed. From Fritz Lang’s “Metropolis” and Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot” to “WALL-E” and the “Terminator” films, and in countless iterations in between, they have succeeded admirably in their task.

Since moving from the page and screen to real life, robots have been a mild disappointment. They do some things that humans cannot do themselves, like exploring Mars, and a host of things people do not much want to do, like dealing with unexploded bombs or vacuuming floors (there are around 10m robot vacuum cleaners wandering the carpets of the world). And they are very useful in bits of manufacturing. But reliable robots—especially ones required to work beyond the safety cages of a factory floor—have proved hard to make, and robots are still pretty stupid. So although they fascinate people, they have not yet made much of a mark on the world.

今回紹介するのは、今起きつつあるロボットの動向を３つ挙げている部分です。

That seems about to change. The exponential growth in the power of silicon chips, digital sensors and high-bandwidth communications improves robots just as it improves all sorts of other products. And, as our special report this week explains, three other factors are at play.

次のパラグラフからは、以下のような書き出しでパラグラフを展開しています

One is that robotics R&D is getting easier.

A second factor is investment.

The third factor is imagination.

英検エッセイ的なライティングは退屈と言えば退屈ですが、このような文章に慣れておくことも大切なことですよね。

Roboticsについては2013年の年末でも注目の分野に選ばれていましたから、相当準備をして作成されたのでしょうね。