Scientists are testing a new type of drone that may be able to keep operating in the sky for longer – owning to the fact it has its own version of a nervous system.
科学家们正在测试一种新型无人机，这种无人机可能能够在天空中保持更长时间的运行——因为它有自己的神经系统。

Currently, cargo-carrying drones are required to make regular pitstops for manual safety checks, which limit their use and and increase operating costs.
目前，载货无人机需要定期进站进行人工安全检查，这限制了它们的使用并增加了运营成本。

But experts from the University of Southampton have created a drone with an optical fibre system, which researchers said can monitor its own health just like the body’s nervous system.
但南安普顿大学的专家创造了一种带有光纤系统的无人机，研究人员表示，它可以像身体的神经系统一样监测自身的健康状况。

The team said the technology would make future drones more reliable and cost-effective.
该团队表示，该技术将使未来的无人机更加可靠和具有成本效益。

The system uses a unique technique called optical speckle, which projects specific images dependant on what the optical fibre nervous system feels.
该系统使用一种称为光学散斑的独特技术，该技术根据光纤神经系统的感受投射特定图像。

These can be interpreted using AI algorithms to assess the health of the drone, said Dr Chris Holmes, one of the lead researchers.
这些可以使用 AI 算法进行解释，以评估无人机的健康状况，首席研究员之一 Chris Holmes 博士说。

“This speckle system keeps track of the stresses and strains on the drone, helping ground crews spot issues early without needing to land the drone as often for inspections,” he said.
“这个斑点系统跟踪无人机上的应力和应变，帮助地勤人员及早发现问题，而无需像经常降落无人机进行检查一样，”他说。

And he said the fact the drones used light to send back information rather than electricity meant they avoided the interference from radio frequencies that electronic systems have.
他说，无人机使用光而不是电来发回信息，这意味着它们避免了电子系统所具有的无线电频率干扰。

The optical fibre system has already shown promise when tested on a drone, developed by undergraduates at the university.
该光纤系统在该大学本科生开发的无人机上进行测试时已经显示出前景。

Aerospace engineering graduate Toby King-Cline, 23, who led the student team, said the technology could change the way drones are used in many industries and that it was exciting to see the live data from the fibre system.
领导学生团队的 23 岁航空航天工程专业毕业生 Toby King-Cline 表示，这项技术可能会改变无人机在许多行业的使用方式，看到来自光纤系统的实时数据令人兴奋。

“It showed that the technology could keep drones operational longer without the need for extensive ground crews,” he said.
“这表明，该技术可以使无人机运行更长时间，而无需大量的地勤人员，”他说。

Dr Holmes said they were aiming for the technology to be commercialised by 2025.
Holmes 博士表示，他们的目标是到 2025 年将这项技术商业化。