评论
打印
Facebook is working with drones to beam Internet connectivity to isolated corners of the world;
Facebook也已携手无人机，为与世隔绝的角落传送网络连接；
the energy giant Shell employs the technology to keep its network of offshore rigs running smoothly.
能源巨头壳牌集团应用该技术确保其海上钻井平台平稳运行。
Meanwhile, investors are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into drone startups with names like Skycatch (which creates aerial maps)
与此同时，投资商们也拿出了数亿美元，投资Skycatch(一家制作航拍地图的公司)
and Skydio (which makes video-recording drones that automatically track a subject).
和Skydio(一家生产自动跟踪目标的视频录制无人机的公司)等无人机初创企业。
The drone business is heavily dominated by China.
目前，中国占据了无人机行业的大半江山。
Roughly 72% of the global market is controlled by DJI,
全球约72%的市场均在大疆的掌控之中，
which is headquartered in Shenzhen, often referred to as the Silicon Valley of China.
其总部坐落于“中国硅谷”深圳。
All this investment raises both possibilities and concerns.
如此火热的无人机投资既带来了无限的希望，也引起了一些人的忧虑。
Privacy advocates are worried about the unchecked growth of aerial surveillance.
拥护隐私的人群对空中监视的无限制增长感到担忧。
Drones have been used to smuggle drugs into prisons,
无人机已经被用来向监狱走私毒品，
and the U.S. military is spending hundreds of millions of dollars
美国军方正在投资数亿美元
to develop methods to prevent them from becoming terrorists’ weapon of choice.
研究防止无人机成为恐怖分子绝佳武器的办法。
Some people, concerned about protecting their privacy from high-lying cameras, have taken matters into their own hands,
为保护自己的隐私不被高空摄像机侵犯，一些人已经自己出马，
like a Kentucky man who said he saw one flying over his property in 2015, grabbed a gun and shot it down.
肯塔基州一名男子就表示，2015年他看到一架无人机飞过他的房屋时，他直接就拿枪将其打了下来。
(He later sold T-shirts labeled DRONE SLAYER.)
(后来他还设计了印有“无人机杀手”字样的T恤出去卖。)
DJI recently unveiled a way for authorities to identify aircraft in no-drone zones.
大疆最近公开了一种协助有关部门识别无人机禁飞区内的无人机的办法。
AT LEAST 122,000 PEOPLE in the U.S. are now certified to fly drones professionally, according to the FAA,
据联邦航空局（FAA）称，目前，美国至少有12.2万人通过了专业驾驶无人机的认证，
which sparked the drone explosion in 2016 when it simplified its process for allowing their commercial use.
2016年，该局简化了认证流程，允许无人机用于商业用途，大大推动了无人机持有量的上涨。
Small drones, often between the size of a soda can and that of a mini-fridge, are relatively cheap and easy to fly
大小通常介于汽水罐和迷你冰箱之间的小型无人机相对便宜，飞行难度也较低，
and can carry a variety of payloads, including high-resolution cameras and thermal-imaging gear.
可携带多种有效载荷，如高分辨率相机和热成像设备。
The surge in drone use presents a challenge for regulators.
无人机使用的激增也给监管机构带来了新的挑战。
The FAA rules governing drone operation, which include no flying outside a pilot’s line of sight,
联邦航空局有关无人机操作的规定，如不得让无人机飞入飞行员视线之内，
have been criticized by drone entrepreneurs for hampering a burgeoning industry.
被无人机企业家批评称阻碍了一个蓬勃发展的行业的发展。
How can Amazon deliver your toothpaste with a drone if it has to stay within eyeshot of a pilot?
如果无人机不能飞入飞行员视线之内，亚马逊还如何用无人机配送你的牙膏？
The Department of Transportation is working with drone-flying companies in 10 states as it tries to strike a balance between safety and innovation,
交通部已经联手10个州的无人机公司，试图在安全和创新之间寻求一个平衡点，
and groups like NASA are studying ways to safely integrate drones into an already crowded airspace.
NASA等组织也在研究如何将无人机安全地整合到本已拥挤的航空领域。
(U.S. commercial pilots report about 100 too-close-for-comfort encounters per month.)
(美国商业飞行员报告，每月都有100次左右与无人机距离近到令他们感到不适的遭遇。）
Developments in artificial intelligence and automation will make it possible to operate massive drone fleets simultaneously,
随着人工智能和自动化的发展，有朝一日，大规模无人机编队同时飞行或将成为可能，
increasing efficiency and greatly expanding their capabilities.
届时，无人机的工作效率将有所提高，其工作范围也将大大拓宽。
First responders envision highways lined with drones ready to zip lifesaving medicine to accident scenes.
急救人员可以展望，无人机在告诉公路上严阵以待，随时准备将救命药物快速送达事故现场。
Global transportation firms are designing helicopter-size versions that could zip people around like flying taxis, Jetsons-style, without a pilot on board.
国际运输公司也已着手设计直升机大小，能够像飞行的出租车一样，像《杰森一家》里的飞船一样，在没有飞行员的情况下载着人们飞来飞去的无人机了。
Like it or not, the sky above is about to become far busier.
无论你喜欢与否，头上的天空都将变得越来越忙碌。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
