Picture the scene: You come home after work feeling too exhausted to cook – only to find a delicious meal worthy of a Michelin-starred restaurant waiting for you.
想象一下這個畫面：下班回家倍感疲倦不想做飯——卻發現可以和米其林星級餐廳的食物媲美的美味飯菜在等你食用。

It sounds like a fantasy, but it could be about to come true thanks to a robot chef developed by British scientists.
聽起來像做白日夢，但很快就能實現了，這得歸功于英國科學家發明的機器人廚師。

They have come up with a set of robotic arms so sophisticated that they are capable of cooking meals from scratch.
他們發明了一套精細靈活的機器手臂，能夠烹飪飯菜。

The device will be sold from as early as 2017 as part of a purpose-built high-tech kitchen, priced at around ￡10,000, which includes an oven, hob, dishwasher and sink.
這套設備作為高科技廚房用具的一部分，最早2017年上市，市價約1萬英鎊，包括烤箱、滾刀、洗碗機和洗滌槽。

Scientists at Moley Robotics spent almost 18 years developing the hands, which are each governed by 24 motors, 26 micro-controllers and 129 sensors.
Moley Robotics的科學家用了近18年研發這雙手臂，每個手臂由24個馬達、26個微型控制器和129個感應器支配。

According to its creators, the arms can chop, stir, whisk and baste well enough to recreate almost anything you would care to eat, whether it is a simple home-cooked supper, or an elaborate concoction designed by a world-class chef.
據其創造者說，這雙手臂能熟練地切剁、攪拌、澆汁，幾乎能做你喜歡吃的一切東西，不管是一頓簡單的家常便飯，還是一頓世界級廚師水平的精美調制品。

The hands move a little slowly, hovering strangely above the work surface whenever they are not busy, but they imitate human movements closely enough that they can do things such as wipe a spoon on the edge of a pan to prevent drips.
機器手的動作有點慢，閑暇時，怪異地懸在料理臺上空。他們能逼真地模仿人類動作，所以能做一些精細活兒，如用勺子刮一下平底鍋邊緣以防湯汁滴下來。

But last year, after Russian engineer Mark Oleynik approached the team with the notion of turning the hands into an everyday household gadget, the concept of the robot chef was born.
去年，俄羅斯工程師Mark Oleynik帶著把這雙手臂變成日常家用這一理念來到團隊后，機器人廚師這一觀念誕生了。

Even if there are a few splatters, it shouldn’t matter – the gadget will load the dishwasher and wipe down the work surfaces afterwards.
即使做飯過程中有東西濺撒出來，也沒關系——這套廚具會出動洗碗機，在做完飯后將料理臺擦洗干凈。

The arms will tuck up out of the way when not in use, making space for their owners to get their own hands dirty.
這雙手臂在不用時能收縮起來，毫不礙事，為主人自己做飯留出空間。

Mr Oleynik, who is spearheading the project, said: ‘All the things which are possible with the hand are possible here. There is no limitation.
帶頭研發該項目的Oleynik先生說：“這雙手做什么都有可能，沒什么限制。”

‘A lot of people want to go to Michelin-starred restaurants, but they are quite expensive and may be quite far from the home. This is an opportunity for people to enjoy very good food, and for a reasonable price.'
“許多人想去米其林星級餐廳，但那里飯菜特貴，可能離家又遠。這項發明為人們提供了一個享受合理價格的超級美味食物的機會。”

The only cuisine that is off the robot’s menu at the moment is sushi, which requires exceedingly steady pressure and nimble fingers to make, but the team plan to conquer that as well by the time it goes on sale.
目前機器手臂的菜單上唯一沒有的菜系是壽司，因為壽司的制作需要非常穩定的壓力和靈活的手指，但團隊打算在其上市時克服這一缺點。

By that point, they claim, users will be able to order meals from an iTunes-style library of recipes devised by professional chefs, making it possible to tuck into Michelin-standard food on a daily basis.
他們稱，到那時，用戶能通過iTunes軟件從專業廚師設計的菜譜上預定飯菜，這樣每天都能吃到米其林星級餐廳水平的食物。

People will also be able to train the robotic arms to cook their own favourite family recipes, by demonstrating them a few times while wearing high-tech gloves and wrist-bands.
人們還能訓練機器手臂來烹調自己最喜歡的家庭菜譜，不過，這需要人們自己帶著高科技手套和手鏈演示幾次才能做到。

Users will be able to ‘order’ dinner on their way home, or breakfast for when they wake up, using an app on their smartphone, picking recipes depending on the ingredients they have in stock. They will also be able to choose dishes based on their nutritional content.
用戶通過智能手機上的一個應用程序就可以在回家途中“訂”晚餐，早上醒來時“訂”早餐。菜譜的選擇則要靠自家儲備的做菜材料而定，還能依自身營養需求而定。

And just in case, the unit has emergency equipment if there’s a fire.
為了以防萬一，這個廚師機器人還安裝了能滅火的應急設備。

Vocabulary

from scratch: 從頭做起

hob: 滾刀

baste: （烤炙時為防止烤焦）在（烤肉、烤雞上）涂（或抹、澆、滴）油（或汁）

concoction: 調制品

（譯者：G.J，編輯：陳丹妮，齊磊）