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Vehicle for Cockroaches

William Robinson wrote to mention an entertaining Wired news article about vehicle meant for cockroaches. From the article: "Hertz has constructed a three-wheeled robotic vehicle that lets a Madagascan hissing cockroach navigate a room while perched atop a ping-pong ball. The ball works like a computer mouse's track ball. Where the roach moves on the ball, the vehicle moves in the room. Sensors on the bot can tell when it's going to hit something. It also has a semi-circle of LED lights facing the roach, so when it's about to hit an obstacle an LED will shine on the creature from the direction of the barrier, hopefully causing it to run in the other direction."

22 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Only two things will survive nuclear war by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Cockroaches and dupes.

    Cockroach-Controlled Robot

    1. Re:Only two things will survive nuclear war by wo1verin3 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Scary... I read this as Family guy was on and Peter went "Only two things can survive a nuclear holocaust... cockroaches and twinkies". For a moment I thought he was reading to me...

  2. Anyone else... by Obiwan+Kenobi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Am I the only guy who read the blurb and couldn't help but blurt out: "What the fuck is Hertz doing working on a rent-a-ping-pong-ball...for roaches?!"

    It was like living in a Ziggy strip, I swear to God.

    1. Re:Anyone else... by gbulmash · · Score: 3, Funny
      They have their "never lost" GPS option. This is the new "in dash chauffeur" option they're working on. :-)

      - Greg

    2. Re:Anyone else... by drgonzo59 · · Score: 3, Funny

      Pretty soon Jimmy the roach will be driving you to work every morning and picking up your kids from school. All it wants in return is some garbage and cartboard to poop on.

  3. And they say... by GeekZilla · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...Innovation is slowing down. HA! Take that Jonathan Huebner!

    first post?

    --
    Veritas patesco per quaestio questio. Truth is revealed through questions.
    1. Re:And they say... by kfg · · Score: 2, Funny

      Sure, go ahead, mock all you want, but we'll see who has the last laugh when they mount a .57 mm recoilless on that thing.

      KFG

  4. If you are going to duplicate articles: by Glowing+Fish · · Score: 3, Funny

    If you are going to duplicate articles, duplicate articles, about, say, finding water on the moon, or Debian releasing a stable distro, or, people find a cure for cancer, or SCO finally going belly up.

    Why subject us to the thought of ROBOTICALLY AMPLIFIED COCKROACHES twice? Or is this just for everyone whose mind blanked this out the first time?

    --
    Hopefully I didn't put any [] around my words.
  5. Roaches by DrugCheese · · Score: 4, Funny

    They're gonna be the ones surviving the nuclear wars anyway, so might as well teach them how to use the technology while we can.

    --
    *DrugCheese rants*
  6. I am not an exterminator (IANAE) but... by Krankheit · · Score: 2, Funny

    What happens when this new cockroach vehicle becomes more popular? What if I find cockroach hummers and cockroach minivans? And, by any chance, could these be modified hotwheels cars? I am afraid this will make the job of exterminators much harder.

    --
    Powered by caffeine and sugar; BSD
    1. Re:I am not an exterminator (IANAE) but... by SPY_jmr1 · · Score: 2, Funny

      If I were an exterminator, i'd be more worried about cockroach anti-personel fragmentation mines.

  7. This gives new meaning to the phrase: by soulctcher · · Score: 2, Funny

    Roach Coach.

  8. Very smart by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they can just get them to use cellphones while they drive it might be a great way to wipe out cockroaches. Darwin would be proud.

  9. Its obligatory by jolande · · Score: 3, Funny

    Well, I for one welcome our newly mobilized Cockroach overlords

  10. Great... by ShatteredDream · · Score: 4, Funny

    Next thing you know, we'll be giving squad cars to the spiders to keep those speed demon roaches in check...

  11. Sigh.... by khellendros1984 · · Score: 2, Funny

    1. Insert generic and superfluous statement regarding dislike of dupe'd articles

    2. Make obvious reference to previous story

    3. Welcome our newly mobile cockroach overlords

    4. ????

    5. Profit!

    --
    It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.
  12. But does it play... by 404notfound · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... La Cucaracha for the horn?

  13. Well... by iamdrscience · · Score: 2, Funny

    Good luck debugging this thing!

  14. HOORAY! by Stephen+Maturin · · Score: 2, Funny

    This is a great step forward in re-abilitating the handicapped cockroach and enabling him to regain his place as a useful, contributing member of society!

    --
    Non tam praeclarum est scire Latine, quam turpe nescire
    -- Cicero
  15. Re:Wow.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I think your missing the point. While we are good at developing machinery and electronics, programming AI into the system has always been the problem.

    The solution: Borrow an existing solution from nature. All you need is an insect, rat, or reptile to interface with the device and for them to obtain feedback with sensors it would closely be accustomed too.

    Just imagine for a moment using a pigeon mounted inside a scramjet with the only purpose to get an item from point A to B in a battle field autonomously. How about using rodents to operate a robotic vehicle provide surveillance or rescue missions. The list goes on.


    Imagine......... a dalek!

  16. Re:Wow.... by GeekZilla · · Score: 2, Funny

    And sometimes ... would just "spaz out" and run in circles for awhile.

    You just described my 2-year old son.

    --

    It's not the PC's I hate, it's...oh wait-yes it is.

    --
    Veritas patesco per quaestio questio. Truth is revealed through questions.
  17. Re:Wow.... by cvas · · Score: 2, Funny

    A cautionary tale for your animal-waged war...

    we3