Posted 07.19.2010 at 2:00 pm
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In order to create truly autonomous robots that can sustain themselves without human intervention, it's necessary to first create a way for them to fuel themselves. While engineering our 'bots to plug themselves into the wall is one solution, robotics researchers envision the androids of the future consuming waste and biomass to generate power to operate. To that end, researchers at Bristol Robotics Lab in the UK have created the first synthetic gut for use in self-sustaining robots.
Biomass-munching robots aren't new in concept -- many have been demonstrated in the past, relying on microbial fuel cells to turn organic matter into hydrogen atoms that can fuel a machine -- but the synthetic gut is the first to deal with the waste produced during this process. Bristol's Ecobot III consumes its own meals, turns a mash of nutrient-rich, partially processed sewage into fuel, and later, ahem, excretes.
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Technology, Clay Dillow, artificial gut, autonomous robots, digestion, EATR, food, microbial fuel cells, robotics, robotsEcobot III has demonstrated the ability to survive unaided for up to seven days, feeding and watering itself -- it needs periodic drinks of water to maintain power generation -- and even exhibiting small intelligent behaviors, like moving toward sources of light. But it moves very slowly and is highly inefficient, capitalizing on just one percent of the chemical energy actually available within its food.
As such, Ecobot III's MFC technology is unappealing to projects like DARPA's Energetically Autonomous Tactile Robot (EATR), which will extract its chemical energy from biomass by burning it rather than breaking it down with microbes, getting better caloric value from the fuels.
However, microbial fuel cells can eat a wider variety of organic matter, and improvements to the fuel cells could improve their efficiency over time. MFCs and synthetic guts may not be military grade hardware, but for the garden variety helper 'bots of the future, a slow-moving, trash-eating, self-sufficient robot might be handy to have around. Besides, it's already housebroken.
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It sounds similar to the process of composting. Maybe the people to lazy to compost would be willing to dump a robot in there garbage can and then get fertilizer out. Would be eco concious.
www .nerdherd .ucoz .com -- our site (without the spaces before the dots)
one step closer to a terminator/zombie
my god what could be scarier than a robot that wants to kill you, you ask?
well step right up and see the robot that wants to kill you so it can eat you!
wtf are we thinking?
just another reason for them to take over, now we can see what it feels like to be cattle, the matrix was close...
So basically it's a moving excrement factory, it's very slow and highly inefficient, and it barely exhibits intelligent behavior, hmmm...
Next thing we know it will be in Congress.
No, being fair, these robots will eventually do something useful I guess.
I think there are plenty of applications for these little robo-critters. In just a few short years the software for these little dudes will be WAY better along with their power producing capabilities. So it's not outlandish to think of these things going around and cleaning up yards, neighborhoods, high traffic national forest areas, beaches and such. I'm sure with a little tweak of the system you could make an oil sniffing robot that swims around and eats stray oil and potentially hazardous materials. Powering themselves and cleaning up our planet at the same time. Attach a few extra sensors (maybe some cameras) for data collection on these things and you have a truly multi-functional piece of equipment. Kill many birds with one stone if you will. I swear this is not a difficult idea and time will only make it easier.
As long as the biomass-munching robots aren't eating, or excreting, Soylent Green.
Mmmm..... soylent green *drool*
They will find a more efficient want to extract energy from their food sources. Perhaps if given the chance, they will construct an elaborate virtual reality called "The Matrix" where the principle inhabitance of this world is unaware that they are cattle, feeding a society of machines with the energy generated from their body heat. It could totally happen :)
***please see my comment above***
Well...a genuine ro-butt.
I can see kids running in from back yards all over the world someday...
"Mommy! I got 'bot poopy on my shoe!"
@friedguy if it makes you feel any better it can eat you alive too.