| Kate : |
We had a class about disaster prevention* at school today.
Do you often have this kind of class in Hyogo? |
| Jun : |
Yes, we do. Japan has had many disasters in its history. In Hyogo, there was the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake* in 1995.
Over thirty years have passed since the earthquake,
and many schools have classes to review past experiences.
People in Hyogo feel that it’s very important to learn from them.
① though I wasn’t born at that time. |
| Kate : |
I see.
During the class, I thought our teacher and classmates were very positive
about preparing for disasters. |
| Jun : |
Since the earthquake, we have thought about a lot of ways
to protect ourselves from disasters.
②Our positive actions have been helpful for developing the latest technology. |
| Kate : |
What do you mean? |
| Jun : |
One example is using robots for rescuing people. |
| Kate : |
Oh, I’ve heard about them before.
Can you tell me more about them? |
| Jun : |
OK. Before the earthquake,
robots in Japan were not usually used for rescuing people in disaster areas.
They were often used for making products in factories. |
| Kate : |
Ah, in the process of making cars and computers? |
| Jun : |
Yes. However, the movements to prepare for disasters
became more common in Japan and new robots for rescuing people were invented.
③ .
They can approach and rescue people instead of us. |
| Kate : |
Wow, you know so much!
④Are you a big fan of robots? |
| Jun : |
That’s right, Kate.
In fact, I’m planning to join the “Robot Contest for Rescuing People”.
The missions of the contest are to improve technology for rescuing people
and to let young people have dreams for the future of technology. |
| Kate : |
Wonderful. I didn’t know about the contest. |
| Jun : |
You can see many interesting robots there. As you know, the latest robots have made great progress. Robots with AI can gather information faster than people in an emergency. They will help us find people in need very quickly.
On the other hand, they’re still not good at understanding someone’s feelings
like human beings. I think people are better at that. |
| Kate : |
I agree.
When we work with robots, we should focus on ⑤our strong point. |
| Jun : |
Yes. Although AI can do many kinds of things,
we need to consider how to use it in effective ways. |
〔注〕
disaster prevention 防災 the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake 阪神・淡路大震災 |