Japanese railway company creates giant robot

Nick's ESL News Lessons

A printable worksheet for news-based English conversation classes.

Date: 2023/04/22

Difficulty: Elementary A2

PDF: Japanese railway company creates giant robot
YouTube: Japanese railway company creates giant robot

Vocabulary Match

created •• 40 kilograms
dangerous •• movements
32 feet •• 9.75 meters
88 pounds •• made
by itself •• alone
actions •• not safe

Vocabulary Answers

createdmade
dangerousnot safe
32 feet9.75 meters
88 pounds40 kilograms
by itselfalone
actionsmovements

Article

A Japanese railway company, West Japan Rail, has created a giant robot to help clean and fix railways that are too dangerous for people. The robot is 32 feet tall and can lift things up to 88 pounds. It is being made with two other companies to make railway work safer and better.

The robot doesn't work by itself. People use special headsets and controls to move it, like playing a video game. They can control the robot's actions and even know how heavy an object is when the robot picks it up.

The robot can move easily because it is connected to a crane arm and a railway car. It can fix many different parts of the railway. They have been testing the robot since last year, and they plan to finish making it in 2024. After that, they want to use it in more places.

Quiz

  1. Why has West Japan Rail created a giant robot?
  2. How do people move the robot?

Quiz Answers (examples)

  1. To help clean and fix railways that are too dangerous for people.
  2. They use special headsets and controls to move it, like playing a video game.

Conversation

A:Woah, check out that huge robot fixing the tracks!
B:Yeah, it's like a scene from a sci-fi movie, huh?
A:No kidding! It's so cool how it can lift heavy stuff.
B:Sure is. And safer than people doing it.
A:I wish I had a robot like that to clean my room.
B:Haha, maybe you should ask West Japan Rail for one!

Discussion

  1. Do you think robots like this will become more common in the future?
  2. Would you like to control a robot like this? Why or why not?
  3. What other types of jobs could robots do?

Source Material

https://www.iotworldtoday.com/robotics/giant-robot-to-fix-railways-in-japan


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