第1424期:Like reality, only better?

We've landed on the moon and sent spacecraft to Mars. 

我们已经登陆月球并将宇宙飞船送往火星。

But how would you like to take a stroll around the red planet itself, having a closer look at the rocky Martian surface from all angles?

但是，您想如何在这颗红色星球上漫步，从各个角度仔细观察火星岩石表面？

Well, for those of us who can't afford our own rocket ship, experiences like this are now a 'virtual' step closer, thanks to AR technology.

好吧，对于我们这些买不起自己的火箭飞船的人来说，由于 AR 技术，这样的体验现在离“虚拟”更近了一步。

The letters stand for 'augmented reality', and even if it's not the most beautiful phrase in English, a lot of people in Silicon Valley think it will be the next big thing in tech.

这些字母代表“增强现实”，即使它不是英语中最漂亮的短语，硅谷的很多人也认为它会成为科技界的下一个大事件。

AR refers to the process of displaying digital information on top of the physical world using an electronic device.

AR是指使用电子设备在物理世界之上显示数字信息的过程。

The device could be a pair of smart glasses, a tablet or even a humble smartphone.

 该设备可以是一副智能眼镜、平板电脑，甚至是一部不起眼的智能手机。

And unlike 'virtual reality', or VR, users can physically move around and explore the digital world, instead of being restricted to a small area. 

与“虚拟现实”或 VR 不同，用户可以实际移动并探索数字世界，而不是局限于一个小区域。

This is particularly exciting for businesses.

这对企业来说尤其令人兴奋。

Alex Kipman is the creator of the HoloLens – a headset which allows people to see and interact with holograms. 

亚历克斯·基普曼 (Alex Kipman) 是 HoloLens 的创造者 - 一种允许人们查看全息图并与之互动的耳机。

During the 2016 TED Conference he even 'teleported' a hologram of a NASA scientist onto the stage with him, a stage which was transformed into a virtual Martian landscape.

在 2016 年 TED 会议期间，他甚至将 NASA 科学家的全息图“传送”到了舞台上，舞台变成了虚拟的火星景观。

In time, AR advocates hope it will allow us to interact with a whole world that is enhanced by multimedia provided by very clever computers – transforming not only business, but also fields like healthcare. 

随着时间的推移，AR 倡导者希望它能让我们与一个由非常聪明的计算机提供的多媒体增强的整个世界互动——不仅改变商业，而且改变医疗保健等领域。

A doctor could see patients around the world from the comfort of her own home.

医生可以在自己舒适的家中为世界各地的病人看病。

Not everyone is convinced that either the technology or the world at large is ready. 

并非所有人都相信技术或整个世界都已准备就绪。

Google's pioneering pair of smart glasses Google Glass were deemed a "fascinating failure" by the BBC's technology correspondent.

谷歌开创性的一副智能眼镜 Google Glass 被 BBC 的技术记者认为是“令人着迷的失败”。

And Kipman himself thinks we still have a long way to go before AR reaches its potential: "We will look back at this decade as being like cavemen in terms of technology," he said.

基普曼本人认为，在 AR 发挥其潜力之前，我们还有很长的路要走：“我们将回顾这十年，在技术方面就像穴居人，”他说。

词汇表

spacecraft 宇宙飞船
Martian 火星的
virtual （双关语）几乎的，虚拟的
augmented 增强、扩增的
Silicon Valley （美国）硅谷
the next big thing 下一个（将要来临的）大事
tablet 平板电脑
headset （头戴式）耳机
holograms 全息图（一种三维图像）
teleported （利用特殊技术）远距离及时传输
advocates 倡导者
enhanced （被）增色，提高
at large 整体上，普遍的
pioneering 首创的，先驱性的
reaches its potential 充分释放、发挥它的潜力
cavemen （史前时代的）穴居人