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Wednesday, December 15, 2004

Ecobots Eat for Power
"Currently being fed a diet of dead flies and rotten apples, the robot isn't one for speed. Ecobot II can crawl along at a top speed of about 2 to 4 centimeters every 15 minutes, fueled by eight flies that are fed directly into its microbial fuel cells."

Folk, I know this is the start of something, but can you see the day coming when they turn these things loose in the cemeteries? ("Sunoco Premium Is People!")

# Permalink Posted at 7:53 AM 7 comments Email this Link

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Soylent Green meets the Terminator?

# posted by rg 10:25 AM

Maybe NRA v. The Govenator...?

# posted by Bill 11:25 AM

I hope they test that "identifying their own food" algorithm thoroughly - otherwise turning them loose on the cemetaries may be the least of our worries. "Hmmm, master hasn't moved in eight hours...."

# posted by Anonymous 12:40 PM

I dunno... Could be a way to solve the Social Security problem...

# posted by Bill 4:33 PM

"Food" For Thought

This is one of those events that gives us a glimpse into possible futures that we haven't thought about before.

I'm surprised that most of the SciFi writers have not thought about this concept before. In the past, famous robots/androids (R2D2, C3PO, Robbie, Data, etc.) have always been powered by some high-power device of unexplained design and the defining characteristic of not needing to 'eat'. Now we see where they may have had it all wrong. These microbial fuel cells remind me of what could become the "Mr. Fusion" in the first 'Back To The Future' movie.

Right now, this technology is neither "good", nor "evil" and obviously could help us eliminate our organic waste. (Keep this in mind the next time you curse your computer. It could take that as a compliment.) The linked article mentions having a device that could run on tree sap, which in turn could qualify that device as a 'parasite'. To paraphrase a line from the 'I, Robot' commercials: "I remember when computer viruses only infected computers."

We currently have tree chipper units that can shred large logs, fed by with large grappling arms. Imagine a robot with a mouth like this feeding these fuel cells.

In the future, when a robot can repair itself; why couldn't it reproduce itself? (And you though that you had a roach problem, now!)

When we see Symantec merge with Orkin and Peter Norton becomes an Orkin Man, . . .

Nighty nite.
Sleep tight.
Don't let the bedbugs bite.

# posted by Tree 9:33 PM

I can see it now: "Texas Chainsaw Ecobots!"

# posted by Bill 3:08 AM

Other alternative energy sources/uses?
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/how2/article/0,20967,783909,00.html

# posted by Anonymous 2:56 PM

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