海外趣闻 机器熊翻转头部可治打鼾
日本早稻田大学发明了一种机器熊
A research group from Waseda University has come up a robotic bear that flips over people's heads in their sleep to open their airways.
The bear is used as a pillow, but has a built-in microphone.
As soon as Jukusui-kun detects a loud snore, his paw reaches up (gently, at least in the brief video demo on display)， and pushes the sleeper's head to one side.
The motion should push sufferers of sleep apnoea - the loud form of snoring that can be dangerous not only to relationships but to health - into a position where they no longer snore.
The bear was shown off at the International Robot Show in Japan. Jukusui-kun means "deep sleep" - and the robot is targeted specifically at snorers whose snoring inhibits their blood oxygen level, with a separate hand monitor sensing when blood oxygen levels drop.
The only problem is that not only do they have to sleep on a bear-shaped pillow with jointed robotic hands, they also have to insert their hand into another bear-shaped monitor which monitors blood oxygen.
Monitors are also built into the sheet under the sleeper - the idea being that electrical cords would disturb sleep.
The bear waits until low blood oxygen and loud snores indicate that the person sleeping on Jukusui-kun is snoring loudly, then the paw strikes.
The bear is not yet on sale - and whether or not a robotic paw reaching up to turn one's head over is any more effective than one's partner shoving the person remains to be seen.
据英国《每日邮报》11月15日报道，日本早稻田大学的一个研究小组发明了一种机器熊，可以在人们睡觉时翻转他们的头部，以保证呼吸道畅通无阻。
这种熊其实是一个枕头，不过装有内置的扩音器。
只要Jukusui-kun(这款机器熊的日文名字)检测到响亮的鼾声，它就会抬起爪子(轻柔地，至少在展示的短片上看来如此)，把睡觉的人的脑袋推到另一边。
这个动作帮助了那些睡眠窒息患者——巨大的鼾声不仅危及人际关系，更加危及健康——使他们能够不再打鼾。
这款机器熊已经在日本国际机器人展上亮相。Jukusui-kun一词在日文中的意思是“深度睡眠”——这款机器熊是专门针对打鼾者设计的，打鼾会抑制人体血液中的含氧量，机器熊的一个“熊掌监控器”能够检测血液含氧量是否下降。
唯一的问题是，打鼾者不仅需要睡在一个接有机器手的熊形枕头上，还必须把手插进另一只熊形监控器里，以检测血液中的含氧量。
监控器也被安置在睡觉的人身下的床单里——人们认为它的电子芯片可能会干扰睡眠。
直到血液中较低的含氧量和响亮的鼾声表明睡在Jukusui-kun上的人正鼾声大作，机器熊才会伸出爪子移动。
这种机器熊尚未上市销售——机器熊用爪子翻转头部是否比伴侣直接推搡更加有用，还有待观察。
