VOA慢速英语: 直升机飞行员的新装备

While flying high above Earth’s surface, jet fighter pilots may suffer loss of eyesight for brief periods. Some pilots may even lose consciousness -- not being able to recognize what is happening around them. These experiences, commonly called blackouts, can lead to tragic results.
飞行员在地球表面高空飞行时可能会出现短暂的视力消失。一些飞行员甚至失去知觉，不能够察觉身边发生的事情。这些经历，通常叫做“黑视”，能够导致悲剧发生。
Now, an Israeli company says it has developed a device that could save pilots’ lives at such times.
现在，一位以色列公司表示发明了一种新装备，这种装备可以在飞行员失去知觉时挽救他们的生命。

Yaron Kranz is senior research and development director at Elbit Systems. He is also a retired fighter pilot. He says two different situations can lead to a pilot’s loss of consciousness.
雅让·克兰兹是艾比特系统公司的最高研究人员和发明总指导人。他同时也是一名退休战斗飞行员。他说了两种可以使飞行员失去知觉的情况。
“One is ‘G-LOC’ or G Loss of Consciousness, and the other one is hypoxia,which is lack of oxygen to the brain.”
其中一种情况是“意识丧失”，另一种是缺氧，即大脑供氧不足。
G-LOC happens when the airplane is making a sharp turn or speeding up veryquickly. During these periods, centrifugal force reduces the normal flow of blood to the pilot’s brain. At high speeds, loss of control of the aircraft hasproved deadly for many pilots.
当飞机急速转弯或加速时会出现意识丧失，在这段时间内，离心力减少了飞行员体内流向心脏的血液的正常流动。在高速下，飞机失控对飞行员来说极其危险。
Hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, can affect anyone at extreme heights. That is whypassenger planes are equipped with oxygen masks. Passengers are always told before flying to put on the masks in case of a sudden loss of air pressure.
低氧，或者缺氧，在一定高度下能够影响任何人。这就是为什么客机都备有氧气面具的原因，飞机起飞前，乘客往往被告知戴上氧气面具以防飞机突然失压。
Current devices for preventing such dangerous situations are very large. So Elbit Systems and a small start-up company, called Life BEAM, developed a system they are calling Canary. It uses small, non-invasive sensingequipment. Yaron Kranz says the sensors are built into the helmet worn by the pilot.
目前的装备应对这种情形还存在较大危险。因此，艾比特公司和一家刚刚发展的称作“生命之光”小公司研发了一种叫“金丝雀”的系统。该系统采用小型的，不具侵入性的感觉器材。雅让·克里兹表示，这些感应器植在飞行员所戴的头盔里。
“The pilot doesn’t have to do anything in order to activate those sensors and they are small enough and wise enough to give the information to gather the physiological data that is required.”
这些感应器并不需要飞行员额外启动，且体积小，又能智能地手机所要求的生理数据。
By physiological data, he means information related to the processes and activities that keep the person alive. When the danger is real, the system sends a message to the visor on the front of the helmet. If it senses that the pilot has lost consciousness, it tells the plane’s computer to activate the autopilot. The autopilot will then take control of the plane’s movement until thepilot wakes up.
雅让所提到的生理数据，是指能够保持一个人活着的关于进程和活动的信息。当危险存在时，系统就会向头盔前沿发送信息。如果感应器感到飞行员已失去知觉，那么它将会启动飞机的电脑自动飞行员。自动飞行员接着将会操控飞机飞行知道飞行员苏醒过来。
Elbit Systems is now developing its Canary device for U.S. F-35 fighter jetsand other aircraft.
艾比特系统目前正为美国的F-35战斗机及其他机型研发“金丝雀”装备。
I’m Jonathan Evans.
我是约纳逊·伊万斯
VOA’s George Putic reported on this story from Washington. George Grow adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
本台记者乔治·普提克华盛顿报道，撰稿人：乔治·格林；编辑：马里奥·利特
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Words in This Story
consciousness – n. knowing about the world around you
blackout – n. loss of consciousness for a brief period; unable to react topeople around you or your surroundings
centrifugal – adj. relating to a movement away from the center
visor – n. a device that protects the eyes from the sun or other light