Chinese researchers say they have built an artificial intelligence (AI) robot that can carry out chemical reactions to produce oxygen from water on Mars.
中国研究人员表示，他们已经制造了一个人工智能机器人，可以进行化学反应，从火星上的水中生成氧气。
The system could be another way for space travelers in the future to make much-needed oxygen on Mars. Humans visiting the Red Planet will need oxygen to support life. The gas could also be used to make rocket fuel, which is difficult to transport to space.
该系统可能是未来太空旅行者在火星上制造急需氧气的另一种方式。访问这颗红色星球的人类将需要氧气来维持生命。这种气体还可以用来制造很难运上太空的火箭燃料。
Scientists have already established from multiple studies that Mars contains large amounts of water. Most of the water exists in the form of ice. Developers of the new robot system in China say it can be used to release oxygen from the planet's water supply.
科学家们已经通过多项研究证实，火星含有大量的水。大部分水以冰的形式存在。中国这个新机器人系统的开发人员表示，它可以用于从火星的水资源中释放氧气。
Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei led the research. The team explored whether an AI robot could use materials found on Mars to produce catalysts to break down water and release oxygen. A catalyst is a substance that permits certain chemical reactions to happen.
位于合肥的中国科学技术大学的科学家们领导了这项研究。该团队探索了人工智能机器人是否可以利用火星上发现的材料生产催化剂来分解水和释放氧气。催化剂是一种允许某些化学反应发生的物质。
Experiments were carried out on meteorites that either came from Mars or contained materials similar to the Martian surface. The researchers said the "robot chemist" first used an acid and chemical mixture to separate and examine materials contained in the meteorites. It identified several different metallic elements, including iron, nickel, magnesium and aluminum.
实验是在来自火星或含有类似火星表面材料的陨石上进行的。研究人员表示，这位“机器人化学家”首先使用酸和化学混合物来分离和检查陨石中所含的物质。它鉴定出几种不同的金属元素，包括铁、镍、镁和铝。
The machine then worked to identify different molecules that could be produced from meteorite materials. The team said the system found more than 3.7 million possible molecule combinations.
然后，该机器开始识别陨石材料中可能产生的不同分子。该团队表示，该系统发现了370多万种可能的分子组合。
The robot used that data to predict which catalysts would be able to split water molecules to produce oxygen. The catalyst chosen as the best fit was able to operate at minus 37 degrees Celsius. This temperature is similar to current conditions on Mars.
该机器人利用这些数据来预测哪些催化剂能够分解水分子产生氧气。被选为最佳配合的催化剂能够在零下37摄氏度下运行。这个温度与火星的现状相似。
A press release announcing the experimental findings said the AI chemist was able to complete the whole process without human involvement in just two months. The release claimed such an operation "would take 2000 years for a human chemist" to finish.
宣布该实验结果的新闻稿称，这位人工智能化学家得以在仅仅两个月内完成整个过程，而无需人类参与。新闻稿称，这样的操作“需要人类化学家花费2000年才能完成”。
The publication Nature Synthesis reported the full results of the study.
《自然·合成》杂志报道了这项研究的全部结果。
The study's lead writer, Jun Jiang, told the website Space.com that as a boy, he often dreamed of being able to one day travel in space. "So when we finally saw that the catalysts made by the robot could actually produce oxygen by splitting water molecules, I felt like my dream was coming true. I even started to imagine that I, myself, will live on Mars in the future."
这项研究的主要作者江俊告诉太空网，他小时候经常梦想有一天能在太空旅行。“所以，当我们终于看到机器人制造的催化剂实际上可以通过分解水分子来产生氧气时，我觉得我的梦想成真了。我甚至开始想象我自己将来会生活在火星上。”
The researchers said they plan next to test whether their AI system performs well under a series of other conditions – besides temperature – found on Mars.
研究人员表示，他们计划下一步测试他们的人工智能系统在火星上发现的除温度外的一系列其他条件下是否表现良好。
A report explaining the study's results in Nature notes Jiang suggests that for every square meter of Martian material, his group’s system could produce nearly 60 grams of oxygen per hour. The researchers say this level of production could remove the need for future astronauts to transport oxygen from Earth. "The robot can work continuously for years," Jiang said.
《自然》杂志上发表的一份解释这项研究结果的报告特别提到，江俊称他的团队的系统用每平方米的火星物质每小时可以生成近60克的氧气。研究人员表示，这种生产水平可以消除未来宇航员从地球运输氧气的需求。江俊说：“这个机器人可以连续工作好几年。”
Jiang told Nature he thinks his team's robotic system could also be used to produce other useful catalysts on Mars. This could include processes for making substances to support the growth of plants that could be used to produce food for astronauts.
江俊告诉《自然》杂志，他认为他的团队的机器人系统也可以用于在火星上生成其他有用的催化剂。这可能包括生成支持植物生长的物质，这些植物可以用来为宇航员生产食物。
"Different chemicals can be made by this robot," Jiang said. He noted that Mars might also not be the only place where it could find other uses, suggesting the moon as another possibility.
江俊说：“这个机器人可以生成不同的化学物质。”他指出，火星可能也不是它唯一的用武之地，暗示月球是另一种可能性。
I'm Bryan Lynn.
我是布莱恩·林恩。(51VOA.COM原创翻译，请勿转载，违者必究！)