[ti:Mobility Machine Needs No Help at Tokyo Airport] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]Call it a mobility system or a wheelchair [00:04.28]– it can be seen at the Tokyo airport moving on its own. [00:09.68]It is helping with social distancing while fighting the spread of the coronavirus. [00:17.80]It also helps older passengers and those who otherwise need assistance [00:24.88]walking the last few steps to the boarding gate. [00:30.64]The mobility system seats one person and runs on its own without hitting anything. [00:38.56]It has a pre-programmed path of about 600 meters [00:43.96]at Tokyo's Haneda International Airport. [00:47.80]It was shown Monday by WHILL, the company behind the technology. [00:56.80]WHILL Chief Executive Satoshi Sugie said robotics and self-driving technology [01:05.60]reduce the need for a human at the wheel. [01:09.28]They are good for these times of "living with" coronavirus. [01:15.12]"We are...developing our business in order to help restore a world [01:20.16]where people can enjoy moving around with peace of mind," [01:24.96]he told The Associated Press. [01:29.08]The ride lasts several minutes. It travels from the security area [01:34.80]to the boarding gate at a speed of 3.5 kilometers per hour. [01:41.40]But many people hope the technology can help in other places, [01:46.40]such as hospitals or parks. [01:50.12]The technology uses sensors and cameras to see a clear path [01:56.52]and avoid hitting those walking toward it. [02:01.12]It could also help Japan free up laborers. [02:05.36]Japan, like many other nations, suffers from a labor shortage. [02:10.68]The technology could free a worker to do another job. [02:16.92]Tests have been carried out at several airports since last year, [02:21.92]including John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. [02:27.80]The company hopes to put it in airports around the world. [02:34.04]The person on the machine can start or stop it through a simple controller. [02:40.12]It runs on batteries and is programmed to return [02:44.48]to where it started when its passenger gets off. [02:49.84]Anyone needing help walking long distances [02:53.72]can use it at Terminal One at Haneda airport. [02:58.44]It is called the "last-mile mobility," says WHILL. [03:05.04]I'm Susan Shand. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM