Title Analysis
标题分析
Vitivulture指的是“the science or practice of growing grapes葡萄栽培学；葡萄栽培术；葡萄栽培”，用这个标签来概括了文章的主题是葡萄种植与酿酒。
Robocrop是由“robot”和“crop”组合而成的复合词，这种构词方式有时被称为“portmanteau混成词”或是“neologism新词”。这个词巧妙地传达了机器人在农业中的应用，特别是用来采摘或管理作物的情景，使得读者更容易理解文章讨论的机器人在葡萄种植中的作用。
SAFFRON WALDEN是一个地名，指的是英格兰埃塞克斯郡的一个小镇，也是文章发生的背景。
Winemakers are buiding robots to pick grapes.作为文章的小标题简介地概括了文章内容。winemaker的意思是a person who produces wine葡萄酒酿造者；葡萄酒生产者。winemakers与robots两者同时出现，又暗示了传统产业与现代技术的结合。
Lead-in
导入
在现代这个科技高速发展的时代，人工智能已经早已成为热门话题。这些人工智能技术与机器人已经成为一些产业中不可或缺的一部分，如许多物流公司使用AI和机器人通过识别包裹的重量和大小来自动分类；达芬奇手术机器人在外科手术中应用广泛，以更高的精度完成手术等等。这篇文章将展开叙述开发者们如何克服技术难题来设计这款葡萄采摘机器人，从而使其有望成为未来提高采摘效率甚至是代替人力一大途径。
Questions
Why do vineyards usually have a no-robot policy？
How does the grape-picking robot work？
What are the advantages over hand picking？
Mind map
思维导图
Text Analysis
文本分析
PART 1——para 1-2
Overview:
这段内容的逻辑是从现代农场的自动化趋势出发，指出葡萄采摘的特殊性，也就是“have a narrow window of ripeness, and are prone to being bruised or crushed”，进而通过解释的价值需要在正确的时间和地点才能实现，得出了大多数葡萄园禁止机器人采摘的结论。
Text Explication
Para 1
Modern farms are increasingly automated from GPS-controlled combine harvesters to machines that shake apples from trees. One task, though, seem stubbornly resistant to being ceded to robots: picking grapes.
Modern farms are increasingly automated from GPS-controlled combine harvesters to machines that shake apples from trees.现代农场的自动化程度越来越高，从GPS控制的联合收割机到从树上摇苹果的机器。
automate： [VN][ usually passive]to use machines and computers instead of people to do a job or task使自动化
“that shake apples from tree”是定语从句，用来修饰“machines”。
One task, though, seem stubbornly resistant to being ceded to robots: picking grapes.然而，有一项任务似乎坚决不愿让渡给机器人：采摘葡萄。
cede one task to robots：在文中用来比喻采摘葡萄的任务不愿意让机器人接手或取代。
cede：[VN]~ sth (to sb). to give sb control of sth or give them power, a right, etc., especially unwillingly割让；让给；转让。
stubbornly resistant to:顽固地抵制。在文中stubbornly表示了坚决程度之深。
Para 2
Like all soft fruit, grapes have a narrow window of ripeness, and are prone to being bruised or crushed if picked by clumsy metallic fingers. Matters are worse if the fruit is intended for fine wine. At upwards of £5,000 ($6,480) per tonne, the value of an individual grape-grown in the right place at the right time-is enough to make such accidents unacceptable. Most vineyards therefore have a strict no-robots policy.
Like all soft fruit, grapes have a narrow window of ripeness, and are prone to being bruised or crushed if picked by clumsy metallicfingers. 和所有软质水果一样，葡萄的成熟期很短，如果被笨拙的金属手指采摘，很容易被碰伤或压碎。
have a narrow window of :表示有一个很短的时间段可以用来完成某项任务或进行某项活动。~ripeness特指某些事物（如水果）在很短的时间内达到最佳成熟状态，生动形象。
be prone to:很可能表现出某种（负面的）特征，，或者受到某种不好的事物的影响。
bruise：[v]to develop a bruise , or make a bruise or bruises appear on the skin of sb/sth（使）出现伤痕；撞伤；擦伤
clumsy finger：常用于形容某人做某事时手部动作笨拙、不灵巧。
clumsy:[adj.]moving or doing things in a very awkward way笨拙的；不灵巧的
metallic:[adj.]made of or containing metal金属制的；含金属的
Matters are worse if the fruit is intended for fine wine. 如果葡萄是用来酿酒的，情况就更糟了。
后半句是条件状语从句，be intended for表示打算为……所用。
At upwards of £5,000 ($6,480) per tonne, the value of an individual grape-grown in the right place at the right time-is enough to make such accidents unacceptable. 每吨价格高达 5000 英镑（6480美元），一颗葡萄在正确的时间、正确的地点生长，其价值足以让此类事故变得不可接受。
At upwards of：在...之上。同理，at downwards of, 在...之下。
Most vineyards therefore have a strict no-robots policy.因此，大多数葡萄园都有严格的禁止使用机器人的政策。
vineyards：a piece of land where grapes are grown in order to produce wine; a business that produces wine from the grape it grows in a vineyard （为酿酒而种植的）葡萄园；（以葡萄园自种葡萄进行生产的）酿酒厂
Extension
葡萄酒酿造的原料成本：一瓶普通进口的750ml的葡萄酒，按照一般出汁率70%计算，需要3到4斤的葡萄酿制而成。一颗葡萄藤通常要生长三年才能生产适合酿酒的果实，不同产地不同品种的葡萄生长周期也不同。根据《2017 年加州葡萄酒压榨报告》得出，市场价格大致在35元的葡萄就足够酿制一瓶品质较高的葡萄酒。各大酒庄在酿制前还会对葡萄进行严格筛选，这样一来，也会增加酿酒的原料成本。
PART 2—— Para 3-5
Overview:
A grape-picking robot equipped with a vision sensor is currently under development. This paragraph delves into its working principle, highlighting how it operates. Additionally, it points out the challenges faced in practical applications.
行文逻辑：
第三段首先开始转折，表明已有对于葡萄采摘机器人的开发和研究，利用AI来解决上文提到的采摘难点。
第四段进一步开始解释采摘机器人上的视觉传感器“the visual sensors”的原理，用来确认葡萄中糖的含量“determine the levels of sugar”。而为了更精准的识别，他们希望能建立另一个静态系统，用来观察葡萄的整体情况。
第五段说明了该项目仍有不足，如操作时的不方便“has to be awkwardly puppeteered”，以及仍在实验当中。
Text Explication
Para 3:
A project at Saffron Grange vineyard in Essex，however aims to change some minds.Engineers at Queen Mary University of London(QMUL),working with Extend Robotics, a firm also based in London, are building a grape-picking robot equipped with visual sensors powered by artificial intelligence (Al) to tell when fruit is ripe, and pressure-sensitive fingers to grasp and cut bunches from vines without having to shake any fruit loose.
A project at Saffron Grange vineyard in Essex，however aims to change some minds.然而，位于埃塞克斯的 Saffron Grange 葡萄园开展的一个项目旨在改变一些人的想法。
Engineers at Queen Mary University of London(QMUL),working with Extend Robotics, a firm also based in London, are building a grape-picking robot equipped with visual sensors powered by artificial intelligence (Al) to tell when fruit is ripe, and pressure-sensitive fingers to grasp and cut bunches from vines without having to shake any fruit loose.伦敦玛丽女王大学（QMUL）的工程师们与同样位于伦敦的 Extend Robotics 公司合作，正在研发一款配备视觉传感器的葡萄采摘机器人。该机器人利用人工智能（AI）技术判断果实是否成熟，并装有压力感应手指，能够在不摇动任何果实的情况下抓取并剪断藤蔓上的葡萄串。
黄色标记部分为修饰主语“engineers”的定语，蓝色标记部分为修饰“Extend Robotics”的定语。
“are”为整句句子的谓语，“equipped with”之后的都是用来修饰“a grape-picking robot”,过去分词作后置定语。
visual sensor：视觉传感器：一种能够检测并处理光信号的设备，通常用于图像识别、机器视觉等领域。
pressure-sensitive fingers：压力感应手指
bunch：[C]~ of stha number of things of the same type which are growing or fastened together串；束；扎
vine：a climbing plant that produces grapes葡萄藤
Para 4
The visual sensors work by looking for light that has passed through the grapes and measuring which wave lengths come out the other side. A glass of ethanol and a glass of water may look the same to the naked eye but if you can see exactly which wave lengths of light are absorbed by the liquid, it is trivial to tell them apart. The same technique can be used to determine the levels of sugar present in grape juice says Lei Su, a photonics researcher a QMUL. Doing all this when the juice is still inside a grape, the grape is still on a vine and the vine is in the Essex countryside is the challenge: "The information contained in the spectrum is actually too abundant says Dr Su. So the team has trained an Al model to focus on the grape itself and ignore the noise. In the long run, the hope is to separate the sensors from the robot entirely, and have a static system that can autonomously monitor an entire vineyard-an array of cameras watching the grapes grow, checking for disease, and alerting vintners to when the optimal time is to start their harvest.
The visual sensors work by looking for light that has passed through the grapes and measuring which wave lengths come out the other side.视觉传感器的工作原理是寻找穿过葡萄的光线，并测量从另一边透射出来的波长。
A glass of ethanol and a glass of water may look the same to the naked eye but if you can see exactly which wave lengths of light are absorbed by the liquid, it is trivial to tell them apart.一杯乙醇和一杯水在肉眼看来可能是一样的，但如果你能准确地看到液体吸收了哪些波长的光，那么区分它们就很容易了。
naked eye：肉眼，指不使用任何放大设备或工具，仅凭人类的眼睛直接观察到的。
naked:[adj.]without the usual covering无遮盖的；裸露的
trivial:[adj.]not important or serious; not worth considering不重要的；琐碎的；微不足道的
be absorbed by:被吸收：被液体、物质或环境吸收或吸附。
absorb wave lengths of light：吸收光的波长
tell sth. apart:辨别，区分：看出（相似的人或物）之间的差异；识别（相似的人或物)。
The same technique can be used to determine the levels of sugar present in grape juice says Lei Su, a photonics researcher a QMUL. Doing all this when the juice is still inside a grape, the grape is still on a vine and the vine is in the Essex countryside is the challenge: "The information contained in thespectrum is actually too abundant says Dr Su. QMUL 的光子学研究员苏雷说，同样的技术可以用来确定葡萄汁中存在的糖的含量。当葡萄汁还在葡萄里，葡萄还在葡萄藤上，而葡萄藤又在埃塞克斯的乡下时， 要做所有这些是一个挑战：苏雷博士说：“频谱中包含的信息实际上太丰富了。
“Doing all this when...”是一个省略了主语和谓语的从句，其完整形式可能是“It is the challenge to do all this when...”。这里通过省略和倒装，使得句子更加紧凑。
“when the juice is still inside a grape...”通过三个并列的分句来强调测定条件的苛刻性。
photonics：[n.]光电；光子学
abundant spectrum：丰富的频谱
spectrum:[n.]a band of coloured lights in order of their wavelengths , as seen in a rainbow and into which light may be separated谱；光谱
abundant:[adj.]existing in large quantities; more than enough大量的；丰盛的；充裕的
So the team has trained an Al model to focus on the grape itself and ignore the noise. In the long run, the hope is to separate the sensors from the robot entirely, and have a static system that can autonomously monitor an entire vineyard——an array of cameras watching the grapes grow, checking for disease, and alerting vintners to when the optimal time is to start their harvest.因此，研究小组训练了一个人工智能模型，让它专注于葡萄本身，而忽略噪音。”从长远来看，他们希望我能将传感器与机器人完全分离，并拥有一个可以自主监控整个葡萄园的静态系统——一组摄像头可以观察葡萄生长，检查疾病，并提醒葡萄酒商何时开始收获最佳时机。
in the long run：从长远来看，长期而言
相近意思的词组还有In the long term，Over the long haul等
autonomously：[adv.]自治地；独立自主地
an array of:一排；一批；大量
array:[n.]a group or collection of things or people, often one that is large or impressive大堆；大群；大量
vintner:[n.]a person whose business is buying and selling wines or a person who grows grapes and makes wine葡萄酒商；葡萄酒酿制者
optimal:[adj.]最佳的，最适的
Extension：
Spectroscopy is a widely used technique that can contribute to food quality assessment in a simple and inexpensive way. Especially in grape production, the visible and near infrared (VNIR) and the short-wave infrared (SWIR) regions are of great interest, and they may be utilized for both fruit monitoring and quality control at all stages of maturity.
（the box plot of this figure for the sugar content ground truth values is provided.）
Para 5
The project is still in its early stages. The current version of the robot has to be awkwardly puppeteered in real-time by a pilot wearing a virtual-reality (VR) headset (a Quest 3, produced by Meta, a social-media giant). The owners of Saffron Grange vineyard have provided leaf, grape and juice samples to train the Al systems and committed to planting half a field of vines in which the robot can run amok. Needless to say, the machine is not yet ready to be allowed anywhere near this year's actual grape harvest.
The project is still in its early stages. The current version of the robot has to be awkwardly puppeteered in real-time by a pilot wearing a virtual-reality (VR) headset (a Quest 3, produced by Meta, a social-media giant).该项目仍处于早期阶段。当前版本的机器人必须由一名戴着虚拟现实（VR）耳机的飞行员（社交媒体巨头 Meta 生产的 Quest 3）笨拙地实时操纵。
puppeteer:[n.]a person who performs with puppets演木偶戏的人；操纵木偶的人;[vt.]操纵
headset:[n.]耳机；头戴式受话器
giant:[n.]a very large and powerful organization大公司；强大的组织
The owners of Saffron Grange vineyard have provided leaf, grape and juice samples to train the Al systems and committed to planting half a field of vines in which the robot can run amok. Needless to say, the machine is not yet ready to be allowed anywhere near this year's actual grape harvest.藏红花农庄（Saffron Grange）葡萄园的主人提供了叶子、葡萄和果汁样本来训练人工智能系统，并承诺种植半块葡萄园，让机器人可以在其中疯狂奔跑。不用说，这台机器还没有准备好被允许在接近今年实际葡萄收成的任何地方使用。
commit to：承诺，致力于，投入
run amok：习语，to suddenly become very angry or excited and start behaving violently, especially in a public place（尤指在公共场所）发狂，狂暴，疯狂
在文中，“run amok”是指机器人在一定区域内进行自由操作或测试，指它将在没有人类直接干预的情况下，自主地在这片区域内运行和操作。
amok:[adv.]wildly;without self-control狂乱地，杀人狂地，失去理智地。
needless to say：意思是“无需多说”或“不用说也知道”，近义词组有“obviously，或者it is self-evident”等。
needless:[adj]不必要的，不需要的
Extension:
Meta公司开发的Quest 3 VR产品的功能：它将混合现实带入主流，可以通过摄像头捕捉外界信息，投射到显示屏上，再利用定位和距离传感器控制机器内部渲染生成的图形，与外界环境相匹配。用户可以在现实环境中摆放虚拟物品、与虚拟角色或物体进行互动等。
因此在葡萄远程采摘中能够有效地提供可视化操作的帮助。
Part 3——para 6-7
Overview
Robots could aid vineyards during harvest. A manager plans remote control by skilled workers to pick grapes around the clock, reducing losses and helping generate training data for future autonomous robots.
行文逻辑：
第六段开头几句建明地提出了机器人采摘是有好处的。接着解释了“harvest time”时的忙碌和紧张，以及各种可能会导致采摘时间延长的因素，如“sparse autumn sunlight, labour shortages and variations induced by climate change”。因此在人工操作下“dial into the VR controls and pick remotely”，葡萄采摘机器人可以帮助缩短采摘的时间，从而减少作物损失。
第七段继续阐述远程机器人的优点。它能够积累相关的数据“amass training data”，为训练和制造其他机器人提供参考。
Text Explication
Para 6
Robotic help would be a boon for the vineyard. Harvest time is short and intense——a ten-day flurry of activity when:typical English vineyard's staff will swell five-fold. The perfect window to harvest grapes for sparkling wine is just "a few days", says Nick Edwards, Saffron Grange's director, but sparse autumn sunlight, labour shortages and variations induced by climate change mean it often takes more than a week.With a robot, Paul Harrisonthe vineyard's manager, envisions turning grape-picking into a 24-hour operation by hiring skilled labourers in Australia who could dial into the VR controls and pick grapes remotely, after his local workers have clocked off for the day. He hopes to offer the same service in reverse during the southern hemisphere's harvest, since the two growing seasons and time zones perfectly offset each other. By picking grapes over a shorter time, losses of crops to mildew, frost and pests could also be reduced.
Robotic help would be a boon for the vineyard. Harvest time is short and intense——a ten-day flurry of activity when:typical English vineyard's staff will swell five-fold. The perfect window to harvest grapes for sparkling wine is just "a few days", says Nick Edwards, Saffron Grange's director, but sparse autumn sunlight, labour shortages and variations induced by climate change mean it often takes more than a week.机器人的帮助将是葡萄园的福音。收获时间短而密集——在 10 天的忙碌中，典型的英国葡萄园的员工人数会增加5倍。藏红花农庄（Saffron Grange）的主管尼克•爱德华兹（Nick Edwards）表示，收获葡萄酿造起泡酒的最佳时间只有“几天”，但秋天阳光稀少、劳动力短缺以及气候变化导致的变化，意味着通常需要一周以上的时间。
boon:[n.]something that is very helpful and makes life easier for you非常有用的东西；益处
flurry:[n.]an occasion when there is a lot of activity, interest, excitement, etc. within a short period of time一阵忙乱（或激动、兴奋等）
swell five hold：增加到五倍
swell:[v.]~ (sth) (to sth)to increase or make sth increase in number or size（使）增加，增大，扩大
sparkling wine：有气泡的餐桌葡萄酒，通常用于庆祝或特殊场合。
sparkling:[adj.] (of drinks饮料)containing bubbles of gas起泡的
sparse sunlight：阳光稀少
sparse:[adj.]only present in small amounts or numbers and often spread over a large area稀少的；稀疏的；零落的
variation:[C,U]~(in/of sth) a change, especially in the amount or level of sth（数量、水平等的）变化，变更，变异
induce:[VN] ( formal ) to cause sth引起；导致
With a robot, Paul Harrisonthe vineyard's manager, envisions turning grape-picking into a 24-hour operation by hiring skilled labourers in Australia who could dial into the VR controls and pick grapes remotely, after his local workers have clocked off for the day. 葡萄园经理保罗·哈里森（Paul Harrison）设想，在当地工人下班后，在澳大利亚雇佣熟练工人，通过一个机器人，将葡萄采摘变成一个24 小时的作业。这些工人可以拨打 VR 控制器，远程采摘葡萄。
envision：[vn] to imagine what a situation will be like in the future, especially a situation you intend to work towards展望；想象
dial into the VR controls：操控虚拟现实（VR）控制器。强调了用户对VR环境的主动控制和调节。
dial into:拨入，通过拨号方式连接到电话系统或计算机网络。
clock off：在特殊的卡片上记录停止工作的时间，打卡下班
He hopes to offer the same service in reverse during the southern hemisphere's harvest, since the two growing seasons and time zones perfectly offset each other. By picking grapes over a shorter time, losses of crops to mildew, frost and pests could also be reduced.他希望在南半球的收获季节提供同样的服务，因为南半球的两个生长季节和时区完全重合。通过缩短采收葡萄的时间，还可以减少因霉病、霜冻和害虫造成的作物损失。
reverse:[n.]the opposite of what has just been mentioned相反的情况（或事物）
hemisphere:[n.]one half of the earth, especially the half above or below the equator（地球的）半球；（尤指）北半球，南半球
offset:[VN]~sth (against sth)to use one cost, payment or situation in order to cancel or reduce the effect of another抵消；弥补；补偿
mildew:[UN]a very small white fungus that grows on walls, plants, food, etc. in warm wet conditions霉；霉菌
Para 7
Remote-controlling the grape-picking robots will also help to break what Chang Liu, Extend's founder, describes as a vicious circle for robotics companies, in which there are too few robots around to generate useful data, and too little useful data with which to train and build future robots. With the help of robots piloted at a distance, Extend will be able to amass training data (in this case on how to best pick grapes). In time, the robots would become autonomous, leaving the humans with more time to relax and enjoy the English sparkling wine.
Remote-controlling the grape-picking robots will also help to break what Chang Liu, Extend's founder, describes as a vicious circle for robotics companies, in which there are too few robots around to generate useful data, and too little useful data with which to train and build future robots. 远程控制采摘葡萄的机器人也将有助于打破 Extend 创始人刘畅所说的机器人公司的恶性循环，即身边的机器人太少，无法产生有用的数据，而用来训练和制造未来机器人的有用数据又太少。
vicious circle专指恶性循环，a situation in which one problem causes another problem which then makes the first problem worse。
vicious:[adj.]very bad or severe恶劣的；严重的。
generate data：生成数据
With the help of robots pilotedat a distance, Extend will be able to amass training data (in this case on how to best pick grapes). In time, the robots would become autonomous, leaving the humans with more time to relax and enjoy the English sparkling wine.在远程遥控机器人的帮助下，Extend 将能够积累训练数据（在这个例子中，是关于如何最好地采摘葡萄）。假以时日，机器人将变得自主，让人类有更多的时间放松，享受英国起泡酒。
pilot:[vt.]~ sth (through sth)to guide sb/sth somewhere, especially through a complicated place or system引导；使通过（尤指复杂的地方或系统）
at a distance:从远处的地方。
amass data：积累数据：收集大量数据并储存起来。
amass:[VN] to collect sth, especially in large quantities（尤指大量）积累，积聚
Answers
Why do vineyards usually have a no-robot policy？
Because they are prone to being bruised or crushed if picked by clumsy metallic fingers.
How does the grape-picking robot work？
They are equipped with visual sensors to tell when fruit is ripe, and pressure-sensitive fingers to grasp and cut bunches from vines without having to shake any fruit loose.
What are the advantages over hand picking？
It can reduce the harvest time and the losses.
Summary and Comment
A project led by engineers at Queen Mary University of London, in partnership with London-based Extend Robotics, is developing a grape-picking robot equipped with AI-powered visual sensors and pressure-sensitive fingers. The robot is designed to detect ripe grapes and pick them without damaging them, addressing the challenge of manual picking. Although still in its early stages, the project aims to improve efficiency and address labor shortages in vineyards.
It must be acknowledged that the development and research of artificial intelligence have significantly enhanced and extended human productivity and potential. This article takes the small perspective of grape picking as an entry point to introduce the assistance that robots can provide in agriculture. From the trend of diversified applications in this field, we can see the progress of technology, from the most basic tasks like timed pesticide spraying and watering, and now to the technology mentioned in the article that uses light wavelength detection to determine crop ripeness for precise picking and harvesting. People's ideas are becoming increasingly open, making them more willing to adopt such technologies, which can lend a hand in critical moments.
China is also actively practicing technology-driven agriculture. According to reserch， around 25% of China´s workforce are in agriculture, but the sector is based largely on small, family-owned farms, and it is in many cases still quite old fashioned. So when the global food shortage is growing, China government decides to use tech to optimize output. As of September 2021, the government has estimated that those high-tech means could save up to 30% in pesticide and 50% of labor costs.This is followed by the thriving and prosperity of e-commerce platforms selling agricultural products.
However, we should also seek and discover potential hidden dangers behind robocrop. Machines and technology are always developed and controlled by humans, but the risks have not yet fully emerged. For example, who truly bears the risk of failure: the entrepreneur or laboratory on the other side of the negotiating table, or the robot that encounters an accident during operation? Additionally, there is still much effort needed to safely store and utilize previous experimental data. Safely completing the transition from traditional farming methods to emerging productivity, we may still have a long way to go.
References
单词释义：柯林斯词典，牛津词典
文章参考:
https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/208835065
Kalopesa, E., Konstantinos Karyotis, Nikolaos Tziolas, Tsakiridis, N. L., Nikiforos Samarinas, & Zalidis, G. C. (2023). Estimation of Sugar Content in Wine Grapes via In Situ VNIR–SWIR Point Spectroscopy Using Explainable Artificial Intelligence Techniques. Sensors, 23(3), 1065–1065. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031065
How tech is transforming agriculture in China. (n.d.). China Experience. https://www.china-experience.com/china-experience-insights/how-tech-is-transforming-agriculture-in-china
本期外刊来自The Economist 2024年10月26日期刊
注：本篇外刊仅用来学习使用，无任何商业用途！
文字&排版|2023级国关3班杨同玉
指导教师|黄慧
