Smart Robot Capable of Hunting For Its Own "Food"

coondoggie writes "Ok, maybe this is getting a little too close to bringing Terminator-like robots to life. For starters, eco-friendly engine builder Cyclone Power this week inked a contract from Robotic Technologies, Inc. (RTI) to develop what it calls a beta biomass engine system that will be the heart of RTI's Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR). The purpose of EATR is to develop and demonstrate an autonomous robotic platform able to perform long-range, long-endurance missions without the need for manual or conventional re-fueling — in other words it needs to 'eat.' According to researchers, the EATR system gets its energy by foraging, or what the firms describe as 'engaging in biologically-inspired, organism-like, energy-harvesting behavior which is the equivalent of eating. It can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment as well as use conventional and alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane, coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable.'" We can only hope they don't team up with the Multi-Robot Pursuit System project to "search for and detect a non-cooperative human."

Comments

I'm starting to think that the Amish

[wiredog]

may just have a point.

Re:I'm starting to think that the Amish

[$RANDOMLUSER]

I'm sure the robots will find them delicious as well.

Re:I'm starting to think that the Amish

[SatanicPuppy]

I bet the Amish could apply for the "organic" label.

If a machine only eats "organic" people, do you think they'd be eligible for tax breaks as a "green" consumer?

Re:Not like Terminator

[ShieldW0lf]

Come on... look on the bright side. Instead of your child getting blown apart by a land mine left over from the last invasion, they can get blown apart by a hunter-killer drone. That's WAY cooler.

Reminds me of Stephen King's The Dark Tower... maybe they could dress it up like a bear...

My worst fear

[parascott]

I have visions of the energizer bunny as a mutant omnivore.

It just keeps going, and going, and going.....

Re:Not at all premature

[Covert Penguin]

You're assuming that the lawn mower was tasked with the cat's safety in addition to cutting the grass.

Alternatives:
1.) Make the wheels smaller so the cat can't enter the business end of the machine.
2.) Get a dog. Most are too big for the lawnmower to injure, and will keep the cat off the grass.
3.) Reconsider feline sympathy.

My home would be an ideal habitat

[srussia]

When can I get a Roomba that runs on nacho crumbs and spilled Mountain Dew?

Re:Ummm, I'm thinking that, in this situation

[Retric]

I don't think the "consumed" need a tax break. So, I expect he was talking about the robots.

Dr. Frankenstein

[SL1200MKII]

"Cyclone brings to this project one of the most advanced external combustion engine technologies we have seen," stated Dr. Robert Finkelstein, President of RTI"

Maybe it's just me but I find it a little worrying that this monster of a robot was created by Dr. Finkelstein

It's alive Igor, It's Alive!!

DARPA's new endeavor

[NonUniqueNickname]

long-endurance missions such as search and rescue in the mountains and caves of Afghanistan and Pakistan

Greetings person in Afghan cave.
I am a robot.
I am here to rescue you.
*chainsaw*
Stand still so I can rescue you.

Oh shoot!

[Bovius]

Quote from article, emphasis added:

...the EATR robot's inherent advantage is its ability to engage in long-endurance, tedious, and hazardous tasks, such as reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition under difficult conditions, without fatigue or stress...

So we've got omnivorous assassin bots that consume their "target" after "acquisition" to remove evidence of the mission. That's just great.