A robotic game of cat and mouse playing out in a lab provides a peek at future possibilities of robots carrying out search-and-rescue missions or wildlife surveys without much human guidance.

The Tianjicat robot developed by researchers at Tsihgftua University in China uses a brain-inspired computing chip called TianjicX. The so-called neuromorphic(神经形态的) chip can run multiple artificial intelligence techniques at once in an energy-efficient manner. It is one example of experiments with neuromorphic systems that could allow small robots to make decisions using limited computing resources and power.

The researchers challenged the Tianjicat robot to chase another robot that was set to move randomly in a room filled with obstacles. This required Tianjicat to track the mouse robot by using both visual recognition and sound detection, and to figure out the best path to chase down its pretend prey without crashing anything. The team says that the TianjicX chip reduced the amount of power required for the robot cat to make decisions during the chase by about half compared with an NVIDIA chip designed for AI computing.

Performing a cat-and-mouse chase would be a step up in difficulty for most commercialised robots, which usually follow very predictable routines in warehouses or factories. Many robots that interact with more complex and unpredictable environments rely on remote control by human operators, or else must maintain wireless connections with distant data centres that have the computing power necessary for more intensive decision-making.

Neuromorphic systems haven’t yet been commercialised in a big way, but their relatively low size, weight and power requirements could provide practical advantages.

“For robotics, this is very important because it allows the system to operate for longer durations in hard-to-reach environments with greater autonomy.” says Jeffrey Krichmar at the University of California, Irvine.

【小题1】Why did researchers do the experiment in a room with obstacles?

A．To apply visual recognition to Tianjicat.

B．To explore the best path for Tianjicat.

C．To test the integrated performance of Tianjicat chip.

D．To reduce the amount of power for Tianjicat.

【小题2】What advantage does Tianjicat have over other commercialized robots?

A．It follows predictable routines.

B．It can operate without humans involved.

C．It has access to distant data centers.

D．It is used in warehouses and factories more often.

【小题3】Which of the following can best describe neuromorphic systems?

A．User-friendly.

B．Heavy to carry.

C．Energy-consuming.

D．Complex to operate.

【小题4】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Search-and-Rescue missions.	B．Commercialized robots.
C．NVIDIA chips for AI computing.	D．A robot cat chasing a robot mouse.