Smart Machines

Pop a snack into a fuzzy microwave oven, leave the room and just forget about it. No, your treat won't come out half raw or burnt to a crisp. Fuzzy microwaves cook foods perfectly all by themselves. And no, they're not covered with fuzz. Fuzzy refers to the fuzzy logic computer chip inside the oven. This chip turns an ordinarily dumb machine into one smart cookie.

Not Just Microwaves. Fuzzy logic is spiffy technology that can make almost any machine work better.

Fuzzy washing machines automatically know how much soap and water to add to a load of laundry. They stop washing as soon as the clothes are clean.

Fuzzy automobiles adjust themselves to fit driving conditions. This saves gas and gives a better ride.

Fuzzy cameras adjust themselves so even a beginner can take good pictures, with every photograph in focus. Fuzzy video cameras remove the jiggle.

It's a technology that will change forever the way we deal with machines.

Fuzzy Thinking The fuzzy revolution started 30 years ago. Lotfi Zadeh, a computer science professor at the University of California, started comparing how humans and computers think.

"Computers depend upon exact information to do their work. We don't," Zadeh says.

Most computers know only two commands: on or off. Humans know there are many steps in between. We don't, for example, turn a water faucet all the way on. We adjust it to put out just the right flow. That's a fuzzy judgment.

Zadeh thought if he could teach a computer to handle fuzzy information, he would have a smarter machine. He was right.

The Fuzzy Difference. Let's say you want a computer to keep a subway train running at 30 miles per hour. A fuzzy computer would handle the job much differently than a non-fuzzy computer. The non-fuzzy computer would need thousands of lines of programming like this: if the tram 5 speed falls to 27 m.p.h., then give the engine 10 percent more power. It would need to be told how to react to every possible speed the train could reach. That takes lots of instructions.

A fuzzy computer's programming would be much simpler. Specific commands would be left out in favor of more general instructions: if the train's speed falls a little below 30 m.p.h., then increase engine power a little. If the train's speed continues to decrease, then continue to increase power a little more.

As a result, the fuzzy computer would need only a few dozen lines of programming to do its job.

The Future Is Fuzzy. Japan's Sendai Subway is run by fuzzy computers. It is fast, fuel efficient and moves so smoothly that passengers don't have to brace themselves when it starts and stops.

Other fuzzy computers, or "expert systems," are helping doctors determine why a patient is sick, businessmen predict stock-market trends and engineers design bridges and buildings.

Computers are definitely getting smarter — and fuzzier.

Task 1

1. Comment on the following: "Most computers know only two commands: “on” or “off”. Humans know there are many steps in between".

2. Prove that computers are getting smarter.

Task 2

Translate the following sentence from the text into Russian. Pay attention to the underlined combinations:

1. Fuzzy cameras adjust themselves so even a beginner can take good picture? with every photograph in focus.

2. It's a technology that will change forever the way we deal with machines.

Task 3

1. Give a short account of the fuzzy washing machine you or your friends or your closest have.

2. Prove that computers are getting smarter.

Task 4

Render the text into English.

Новейший телевизор превращается в зеркало

Подразделение компании Phillips в Нидерландах начинает в Великобритании продажи системы MiraVision Mirror TV. Это LCD – дисплей, который одним нажатием кнопки превращается в зеркало.

Дисплей, закрытый тонким полурефлексивным листом, установлен в картинной раме. Когда экран выключен, поверхность ведет себя так , как обычное зеркало.

Кроме того, MiraVision способна быть обеими вещами сразу: желающий смотреть телевизор одновременно расчесывать волосы может включить режим “изображение в зеркале“, чтобы маленькое изображение осталось только в углу рамки. Экран также может быть подключен к компьютеру и использоваться как нестандартный монитор.

Phillips надеется, в конечном счете, сделать водонепроницаемую версию для ванных. Стоит система недешево – $ 4.6 тыс.

Helpful vocabulary

Button (кнопка), to turn into (превратить), frame (рамка), waterproof (водонепроницаемый).

Final task

Organize your knowledge on the topic and present a report on one of the following points.

1. What famous scientists of our century do you know?

2. The role of predictions in science.

3. Computer and a man. There are a lot of things computers will never able to do.

4. What to do to become famous in science?

5. Science – a great productive force.

6. Scientific achievements that have excited you most in recent years.

7. We live in an era of scientific and technological revolution.

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