Scientists develop a self sustaining robot

[MolecularMan14]

It may eat flies and stink to high heaven, but if this robot works, it will be an important step towards making robots fully autonomous.

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The UWC is developing a robot that will be able to sustain its own functions, by meatolising dead flies. And get this- it attracts the flies using human sewage.

 

Edit* post #400 baby YEA!

[Lance]

I gota get one of those. I'll get rid of the dog and have it patrol the front yard.

[5614]

ROFLOL lance, thats a wicked one!

 

that is wicked [the robot] shame bout the smell, its a good way forward, the only obvious problem is that in in-humane conditions, e.g. poisionous gas, high temperatures, there isnt normally flies there either! which means the robot will starve.

[MolecularMan14]

but if we could find or develop another food source, that it could survive off of, one that could be found in barren conditions on earth, then that would be a great stride as well. Just something to think about

[MolecularMan14]

gotsta get me one-a-dems

[ydoaPs]

feed it whatever you eat. of course, it would take massive amounts of alterations to the origional design.

[atinymonkey]

Soooo, not self sustaining as such. It's more like a robot that relys on a more complex method of sustaining itself than any previous robot.

[5614]

it cant just eat anything it wants, it uses the food in contained in the flies exo-skeleton, its too complex to just say "feed it something else" because that just wont work, the whole robot would need re-designing.

[YT2095]

not really all that much though, the catalytic enzymes may even be simplified to adapt to such things as natural sugars present in plants, and if you decided not to got that route, how much more difficult would it be for it to assimilate a Spider as opposed to a fly? I don`t think it`s that great a leap or change in the bio-chem catalyst to break most things down into a usefull energy source

[MolecularMan14]

I want to see robots that harvest crops and then eat the stalks or weeds, or the excess of the plant, that no one else would eat. That would help with gardening! the weed-eating robot, that not only ate the weeds, but also the parasites that grow on the plants. not a bod goal! lol

[rakuenso]

Only thing left now is a photosynthetic robot =)

[Firedragon52]

What will they think of next?

 

Why can't this method be used, in a fashion, to supply energy to cars? Remember MR. FUSION from the BACK TO THE FUTURE movies? Is the amount of energy needed just out of the question?

[indignity]

... computers could be catching colds, before long

 

[insert obligatory "virus" pun]

[SubJunk]

it's funny you should bring that up rakuenso, recently a method to significantly reduce rusting effects of photosynthesis when it's combined with electronics. The article is on my site (it's in my sig)

[Sorcerer]

Only thing left now is a photosynthetic robot =)

 

Have you heard of solar panels?

[Firedragon52]

I think the most efficient robots would use the CAM system of photosynthesis. That way they wouldn't have to just operate during the day.

[rakuenso]

Have you heard of solar panels?

 

 

solar panels in comparison are no where near as effective as the photosynthetic system

[Sorcerer]

I'm pretty sure they won't make a cybernetic photosynthetic system anywhere near as efficient as a purely biological one.......... perhaps we need to make our own life forms and chip their brains so we can remote-control them.

[Mad Mardigan]

but if we could find or develop another food source, that it could survive off of, one that could be found in barren conditions on earth, then that would be a great stride as well. Just something to think about

 

Soylent Green is a good source. heh

[rakuenso]

I'm pretty sure they won't make a cybernetic photosynthetic system anywhere near as efficient as a purely biological one.......... perhaps we need to make our own life forms and chip their brains so we can remote-control them.

 

pfft let see how long it takes for them to obtain sentience