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Better technology and rising wages are leading an increase in sales of robots to big companies all across America.
更好的技术和不断上涨的工资致使更多机器人被销往美国的大公司。
But smaller factories have shown less interest in the devices.
但规模较小的工厂则对机器人不那么感兴趣。
Robots are costly purchases.
购买机器人代价高昂。
Now, some investors are supporting a financial plan for a robot pay-by-use plan.
现在，一些投资者正在支持一个机器人按使用付费的财务计划。
This means smaller factories could pay to use a robot when they want its service, but they would not own the device.
这意味着小工厂可以在需要机器人服务时付费使用机器人，但他们不必拥有该设备。
Garry Tan's business Initialized Capital is one of the investors.
加里·谭的企业Initialized Capital是投资者之一。
He says he sees three important social and economic changes taking place now.
他说，他看到三个重要的社会和经济变化正在发生。
Tan said low-cost and better robot computer vision and other intelligence technology is growing more available.
谭说，低成本和更好的机器人计算机视觉以及其他智能技术越来越普及。
He said financing is available at low interest rates, also.
他说，融资利率也很低。
And, disagreements between the United States and China about supply chains have created more interest in robots, Tan said.
谭说，美国和中国在供应链方面的分歧使人们对机器人产生了更大的兴趣。
The investors' business plan puts much of the financial demand on new robot companies.
投资者的商业计划将大部分资金需求放在了新的机器人公司上。
These companies carry the risk of a manufacturer losing a business deal or changing a product.
这些公司承担着制造商失去一笔生意或改变产品的风险。
Smaller factories often produce smaller amounts of special products that do not need robotic support.
小型工厂通常生产少量不需要机器人支持的特殊产品。
And Silicon Valley Robotics, an industry group supporting robot startups, says that in the past, financing has been difficult.
支持机器人初创企业的行业组织硅谷机器人(Silicon Valley Robotics)表示，过去融资一直很困难。
Still, some powerful investors support the idea.
尽管如此，一些强大的投资者还是支持这个概念。
Tiger Global, the biggest financer of this year's new tech companies, has invested in three robot leasing companies in seven months.
今年新科技公司最大的融资方老虎环球基金(Tiger Global)在7个月内投资了3家机器人租赁公司。
Bob Albert's family owns Polar Hardware Manufacturing, a 105-year-old factory in Chicago.
鲍勃·艾伯特的家族在芝加哥拥有一家有105年历史的工厂——Polar Hardware Manufacturing。
The company paid less than $10 an hour for a robot. It paid the average human more than $20 an hour.
该公司为机器人支付的时薪不到10美元。而它支付给人类的平均时薪超过了20美元。
Albert watched this month as a robot arm picked up a metal bar, spun around, and placed it in an older machine.
这个月，艾伯特看到一个机器手臂拿起一根金属棒，旋转，然后把它放进一个旧机器里。
Together, the machines created a door handle.
这些机器共同协作，造出了一个门把手。
"If the robot works really well, we'll use it a lot," said Albert, who was pleased with the early results.
“如果这个机器人确实工作得很好，我们会大量使用它，”艾伯特说，他对早期的效果很满意。
Westec Plastics Corp, in Livermore, California, got its first robot in January 2020 and now has three from Rapid Robotics.
2020年1月，位于加州利弗莫尔的韦斯特克塑料公司(Westec Plastics Corp)使用了第一个机器人，现在它有了三个来自Rapid Robotics的机器人。
The company charges $3,750 a month for a robot in the first year and $2,100 a month starting in year two.
该公司对一台机器人的收费是第一年每月3750美元，第二年开始每月2100美元。
"Melvin runs 24 hours a day, all three shifts, and that replaced three full operators," said President Tammy Barras about the named robot.
“梅尔文一天24小时运转，三班倒，相当于取代了三个操作员，”总裁塔米·巴拉斯谈到这个机器人时说。
She also said she is saving about $60,000 in labor costs a year with one robot alone.
她还说，仅靠一台机器人，她每年就节省了大约6万美元的劳动力成本。
"We've had to increase our wages quite significantly this year because of what is going on in the world.
“今年因为外在环境，我们不得不大幅提高工资。
And luckily, Melvin has not increased his pay rate. He doesn't ask for a raise."
幸运的是，梅尔文并没有涨工资。他不会要求加薪。”
Barras, who has 102 employees, says robots cannot replace humans today because robots can perform only repetitive, simple jobs.
拥有102名员工的Barras表示，如今机器人还无法取代人类，因为机器人只能做简单的重复性工作。
Jordan Kretchmer is cofounder and CEO of Rapid Robotics.
乔丹·克里彻是Rapid Robotics的联合创始人兼首席执行官。
He said he meets people who have doubts about robots.
他说他遇到过对机器人持怀疑态度的人。
"A lot of times we've walked in and there's a graveyard of robots that they bought in the past," he said.
他说:“很多时候，我们一进去，就会看到他们过去购买的机器人堆积场。”
But he added, "robots can be easy and they do work when they're in the hands of the right people."
但他补充说，“机器人操作起来很容易，会用的人确实能让它们完成工作。”
I'm John Russell.
约翰·拉塞尔为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
