第2018期:AI Robot Finds Way to Produce Oxygen from Water on Mars

Chinese researchers say they have built an artificial intelligence (AI) robot that can carry out chemical reactions to produce oxygen from water on Mars. 

中国研究人员表示，他们已经建造了一种人工智能（AI）机器人，可以在火星上进行化学反应，从水中产生氧气。 

The system could be another way for space travelers in the future to make much-needed oxygen on Mars. Humans visiting the Red Planet will need oxygen to support life. The gas could also be used to make rocket fuel, which is difficult to transport to space. 

该系统可能成为未来太空旅行者在火星上制造急需氧气的另一种方式。 访问这颗红色星球的人类需要氧气来维持生命。 这种气体还可用于制造难以运输到太空的火箭燃料。 

Scientists have already established from multiple studies that Mars contains large amounts of water. Most of the water exists in the form of ice. Developers of the new robot system in China say it can be used to release oxygen from the planet’s water supply. 

科学家通过多项研究已经确定火星含有大量水。 大部分水以冰的形式存在。 中国新型机器人系统的开发商表示，它可以用来从地球的供水中释放氧气。 

Scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei led the research. The team explored whether an AI robot could use materials found on Mars to produce catalysts to break down water and release oxygen. A catalyst is a substance that permits certain chemical reactions to happen. 

合肥中国科学技术大学的科学家领导了这项研究。 该团队探讨了人工智能机器人是否可以使用火星上发现的材料来生产催化剂来分解水并释放氧气。 催化剂是一种允许某些化学反应发生的物质。 

Experiments were carried out on meteorites that either came from Mars or contained materials similar to the Martian surface. The researchers said the “robot chemist” first used an acid and chemical mixture to separate and examine materials contained in the meteorites. It identified several different metallic elements, including iron, nickel, magnesium and aluminum. 

对来自火星或含有与火星表面类似物质的陨石进行了实验。 研究人员表示，“机器人化学家”首先使用酸和化学混合物来分离和检查陨石中所含的材料。 它鉴定出了几种不同的金属元素，包括铁、镍、镁和铝。

The machine then worked to identify different molecules that could be produced from meteorite materials. The team said the system found more than 3.7 million possible molecule combinations. 

然后，该机器开始识别可以由陨石材料产生的不同分子。 研究小组表示，系统发现了超过 370 万种可能的分子组合。 

The robot used that data to predict which catalysts would be able to split water molecules to produce oxygen. The catalyst chosen as the best fit was able to operate at minus 37 degrees Celsius. This temperature is similar to current conditions on Mars. 

机器人利用这些数据来预测哪些催化剂能够分解水分子以产生氧气。 选择最合适的催化剂能够在 -37 摄氏度下运行。 这个温度与火星上目前的条件相似。 

A press release announcing the experimental findings said the AI chemist was able to complete the whole process without human involvement in just two months. The release claimed such an operation “would take 2000 years for a human chemist” to finish. 

宣布实验结果的新闻稿称，人工智能化学家能够在短短两个月内完成整个过程，而无需人工参与。 新闻稿称这样的操作“对于人类化学家来说需要 2000 年”才能完成。

The publication Nature Synthesis reported the full results of the study.

《自然综合》杂志报道了该研究的全部结果。 

The study’s lead writer, Jun Jiang, told the website Space.com that as a boy, he often dreamed of being able to one day travel in space. "So when we finally saw that the catalysts made by the robot could actually produce oxygen by splitting water molecules, I felt like my dream was coming true. I even started to imagine that I, myself, will live on Mars in the future." 

该研究的主要作者姜军告诉 Space.com 网站，小时候，他经常梦想有一天能够进行太空旅行。 “所以当我们最终看到机器人制造的催化剂实际上可以通过分解水分子产生氧气时，我感觉我的梦想成真了。我什至开始想象我自己将来会生活在火星上。”

The researchers said they plan next to test whether their AI system performs well under a series of other conditions – besides temperature – found on Mars. 

研究人员表示，他们下一步计划测试他们的人工智能系统在火星上发现的除了温度之外的一系列其他条件下是否表现良好。 

A report explaining the study’s results in Nature notes Jiang suggests that for every square meter of Martian material, his group’s system could produce nearly 60 grams of oxygen per hour. The researchers say this level of production could remove the need for future astronauts to transport oxygen from Earth. “The robot can work continuously for years,” Jiang said.

《自然》杂志上的一份解释该研究结果的报告指出，Jiang 表示，对于每平方米的火星物质，他的团队的系统每小时可以产生近 60 克氧气。 研究人员表示，这种生产水平可以消除未来宇航员从地球运输氧气的需要。 “机器人可以连续工作多年，”江说。 

Jiang told Nature he thinks his team’s robotic system could also be used to produce other useful catalysts on Mars. This could include processes for making substances to support the growth of plants that could be used to produce food for astronauts. 

姜告诉《自然》杂志，他认为他的团队的机器人系统也可以用于在火星上生产其他有用的催化剂。 这可能包括制造支持植物生长的物质的过程，这些植物可以用来为宇航员生产食物。 

“Different chemicals can be made by this robot,” Jiang said. He noted that Mars might also not be the only place where it could find other uses, suggesting the moon as another possibility. 

“这个机器人可以制造不同的化学品，”姜说。 他指出，火星可能并不是唯一可以找到其他用途的地方，这表明月球是另一种可能性。