There are numerous indications that our planet is getting warmer. It is true that the recent heat waves in Europe and America are impacts of global warming. We are producing energy and emitting too much carbon dioxide into the environment. The current rise in temperature is a consequence of the increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the last 50 years. Data released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) indicate that 2022 was the second warmest year on record since global temperature records began in 1867. The 15 warmest years since records began have happened since 1980 and the three warmest years have occurred in the last five years.
Under normal circumstances, humans maintain a body temperature around 36º centigrade. When subjected to extreme heat, the body tries to maintain this ideal temperature by varying blood circulation and sweating. When the internal body temperature rises above 40º centigrade, vital organs are at risk. If the body temperature is not brought down, death follows. In general, when summer temperatures are 6 degrees or more above the norm, the incidence of heat-related illness increases dramatically. When excessive heat stays for more than two consecutive days, the risk of heat illness and death goes up.
Heat waves cause the highest number of deaths in cities. Urban centres, where the area of heat-absorbing roofs and pavements exceeds the area covered by cooling vegetation, are like a ‘heat island’ and can be up to 6 degrees hotter than the surrounding countryside. While people in rural areas are often comforted from the heat when temperatures drop at night, urban areas stay warmer 24 hours a day. Air pollution, which tends to be higher in cities than in rural areas, can also intensify the dangerous effects of high temperatures by further stressing the body’s respiratory and circulatory systems. The lack of public recognition of the danger caused by high temperatures is another negative factor of heat waves. Heat wave warnings often do not have the significance of other natural disaster alerts. Heat-related deaths are often not made public and very few governments keep systematic records of them.
There are numerous indications that our planet is getting warmer. It is true that the recent heat waves in Europe and America are impacts of global warming. We are producing energy and emitting too much carbon dioxide into the environment. The current rise in temperature is a consequence of the increase in carbon dioxide emissions over the last 50 years. Data released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) indicate that 2022 was the second warmest year on record since global temperature records began in 1867. The 15 warmest years since records began have happened since 1980 and the three warmest years have occurred in the last five years.
Under normal circumstances, humans maintain a body temperature around 36º centigrade. When subjected to extreme heat, the body tries to maintain this ideal temperature by varying blood circulation and sweating. When the internal body temperature rises above 40º centigrade, vital organs are at risk. If the body temperature is not brought down, death follows. In general, when summer temperatures are 6 degrees or more above the norm, the incidence of heat-related illness increases dramatically. When excessive heat stays for more than two consecutive days, the risk of heat illness and death goes up.
Heat waves cause the highest number of deaths in cities. Urban centres, where the area of heat-absorbing roofs and pavements exceeds the area covered by cooling vegetation, are like a ‘heat island’ and can be up to 6 degrees hotter than the surrounding countryside. While people in rural areas are often comforted from the heat when temperatures drop at night, urban areas stay warmer 24 hours a day. Air pollution, which tends to be higher in cities than in rural areas, can also intensify the dangerous effects of high temperatures by further stressing the body’s respiratory and circulatory systems. The lack of public recognition of the danger caused by high temperatures is another negative factor of heat waves. Heat wave warnings often do not have the significance of other natural disaster alerts. Heat-related deaths are often not made public and very few governments keep systematic records of them.
The word ‘robot’ was first used during a science fiction theatre play in 1921. A century later, robotics is no longer a futuristic idea, but part of our present. Many people are excited about their roomba vacuum cleaning the entire house or the kitchen robot helping them cook dinner, but the truth is that the use of robots goes far beyond household chores and has meant huge progress in important fields such as industry, medicine, physics or chemistry. Robots are widely used in industrial processes, especially in the car industry. Here, industrial robots can move large boxes and pieces, fit batteries and connect them, package products and label them, and so on. Robots can do all this faster and more accurately than humans, but above all more safely, since the weight of some parts can cause falls and serious accidents in the workplace. Thus, robots are left with the physical part of the processes, while humans are in charge of supervising them.
Robots are also a great complement for health professionals, both in diagnostic tasks and in treatment, rehabilitation or helping people. There are robots that are very fast when it comes to making diagnoses, as they are very good at identifying patterns, collecting data and relating all the information. There are also robots that can act where a doctor’s hand would not be able to do so precisely, so they are very useful during surgical interventions. And there are robots which help elderly people with reduced mobility or with special needs. The combination of robotics and medicine offers more and more possibilities looking for the same goal: to improve people’s lives and health. In the field of physics, space robots monitor space stations or walk on the terrain and allow humans to explore these territories from a distance. In terms of chemistry, the precision of robots has been key to the manufacture and packaging of chemicals that require a high level of accuracy, which is complicated for humans.
In short, robots are constantly evolving and getting better and better prepared. The common feature of all the uses of robotics is the simplification of tasks for humans and the improvement of our daily life thanks to this technology.
Do not copy literally from the text. (1 punto por respuesta = 4 puntos)
1. In what way(s) has robotics entered people’s homes in a more or less enthusiastic way?
2. In a factory, for example, how do robots improve the working conditions of employees?
3. How can a robot be useful to a doctor or health professional?
4. What is the most outstanding feature of robotics for humans?