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U.S. Will Use Robots to Patrol Water Supply

Posted by michael on from the drink-me dept.

bl8n8r writes "By the summer of 2005, the United States will have an underwater network of robots monitoring the nations fresh water supply. Realtime environmental details will be used to help safeguard the nations drinking water. The robots would take on the painstaking, time consuming, and sometimes dangerous, task of collecting water samples which is currently being done by carbon based lifeforms."

5 of 218 comments (clear)

  1. Contamination by SCSi · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I just hope these robots arent made with anything that can contaminate the water supply if they malfunction/leak/blow up.

  2. Wouldn't it make more sense... by FFFish · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ...to actually implement and enforce some decent environmental standards? AFAIK, the past four years has been a tremendous step backwards regarding water quality regulations.

    In other words, patrolling the rivers isn't going to do a goddamn bit of good when whatever minimal laws don't even have any teeth.

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  3. Re:This is awesome by Glug · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The problem with drinking water is not the potential threat of a terrorist attack in one densely populated area, it's the constant ongoing damage to waterways everywhere done by chemical plants, pesticide use, logging, etc etc. There's an elephant in the room! Right here! RIGHT HERE!!!

    Let's not notice the elephant, let's build some robots to see if we can detect any subtle hints of poisons in the water.

  4. Water sampling is getting easier every day by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Judging from the combination of drought in the west and the rate that water is being drawn from sources around the country, water sampling will soon consist of wading out and scooping up some muddy water. Hell, the problem may go away entirely:

    Lake Powell Article

    Lake Powell Photo

    Lake Powell Satellite Image

    Ipswich River in Mass

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    It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
  5. Profit from fear, a very common business by FedeTXF · · Score: 3, Insightful

    1) Create in the general population a sense of fear of something. (It can be an irrational fear)
    2) Make a product or service that helps reduce that fear. (And patent it)
    3) Call the government and make them buy your patented product or service
    4) Profit!

    Or alternatively

    1) Make a product or service. (And patent it)
    2) Create in the general population a sense of fear of something so your product or service helps reduce the fear.
    3) Sell the product or service for a reasonable price
    4) Profit!

    If we buy the idea that anything is at risk, that terrorists can do anything and I mean anything, there's nothing we can affor not buying to help us feel safer.
    Fear and shopping, great combination. An it is good for businiess too!
    By the way, who was the one sending anthrax in letters back in 2001, remember?
    And I don't buy a plane crashed in the pentagon. Too much evidence against it.