《中英對照讀新聞》Smart beer mat orders refills聰明啤酒杯墊自動通知續杯

Fans of non-stop drinking may soon be able to cut down on time wasted ordering refills, thanks to a beer mat that can tell when a glass is empty.

喜歡不停暢飲的酒客或許很快就可以減少浪費在叫服務生續杯的時間了，這得歸功於一種可在酒杯見底時及時發覺的啤酒杯墊的問世。

The coaster, fitted with sensors, measures the weight of the beer and sends a signal behind the bar when it's time for a refill. Anxious drinkers can also attract the attention of staff by waving the plastic mat, thanks to a motion sensor.

這種裝有感應器的杯墊可以測量啤酒的重量，在該續杯的時候向吧台發出訊號。藉助於一個運動感應器，性急的酒客還可揮動塑膠杯墊，吸引酒吧員工的注意。

It was invented by students Matthias Hahnen and Robert Doerr for a project at the University of Saarbruecken in southwest Germany. The device has attracted the attention of beer vendors in North America, including a leading Canadian brewer, according to Michael Schmitz, one of the supervisors of the project.

這是德國西南部薩爾布呂肯大學的學生哈南與多爾為學校一項研究計劃而發明的。該計劃主管之一的舒密茨表示，這項裝置吸引包括一家加拿大主要釀酒商在內的北美啤酒商注意。

“They wanted to know if they could use it or make it themselves,” he said. “The prototype cost about 84 euros ($100) to make one but if mass produced, it could be done for around 10 euros.” 。

「他們想知道能否使用它，或者可以自行製造，」他說。「產品原型的造價是每個約84歐元（100美元），但如果投入量產，每個造價可以降到約10歐元。」

新聞辭典

thanks to：片語，由於；因為。例句：Thanks to your help we were successful. （由於你的幫忙，我們成功了）。

tell : 動詞，本文中意為「弄明白」、「確切地知道」（常與can或be able to連用）。例句：You can't always tell from appearances. （並非總是能根據外表作判斷）。

coaster : 名詞，杯墊，在本文中與mat同義。coaster另一個意思是「雲霄飛車」（roller coaster）。

device : 設備；裝置。例句：The television receiver is an electronic device. （電視接收器是一種電子裝置）。