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Robotic Mold
Canis Lupus writes to mention that researchers from the University of West England are designing the world's first biological robot, constructed from mold. The robot, "Plasmobot," will be created using vegetative slime mold called plasmodium (Physarum polycephalum) that is commonly found in forests, gardens, and most damp places in the UK. "This new plasmodium robot, called plasmobot, will sense objects, span them in the shortest and best way possible, and transport tiny objects along pre-programmed directions. The robots will have parallel inputs and outputs, a network of sensors and the number crunching power of super computers. The plasmobot will be controlled by spatial gradients of light, electro-magnetic fields and the characteristics of the substrate on which it is placed. It will be a fully controllable and programmable amorphous intelligent robot with an embedded massively parallel computer."
... is amazing! Kinda looks like my son took 2 of his matchbox cars and drove them thru his dinner plate. :-P
"...number crunching power of super computers... It will be a fully controllable and programmable amorphous intelligent robot with an embedded massively parallel computer." I don't think that means what you think it means...
Just because I can hook a shark from a boat, I do no offer to wrestle it in the water.
The previous attemp contained in papers stored in the head, using hebrew text as programming language.
Rest assured, your Dungeon Master will come up with something interesting.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
Great, now I'll be allergic to my electronics too. Nature I can escape, but mold in my computer??
I think it can be summed up best as "what could possibly grow wrong?"
UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
I noticed a tiny mistake in TFS. Since it's British, they should have spelled it "mould", becauuse American mold is so different. British mold doesn't even have color -- it has colours.
Free Martian Whores!
You're sitting in a bar. The vid screen is barely audible over the sounds of the loud patrons hammering back their brews and celebrating the end of the day and beginning of the night. With some effort, you tune your cybernetic hearing enhancement to hear the newscaster.
"Hackers used banned mould robots to conquer cheese factories in Wisconsin and France. News at Eleven.
Looking down, the plate of nachos you ordered suddenly doesn't look so appealing. It looks less appealing as it leaps up from the plate, tortilla chips poking your eye and jalapenos forcing their way down your throat.
Roll for initiative, please.
"Common sense will be the death of us all"
This plasmodium doesn't hold a candle to my plasmondilium
Translation for our readers in New Zealand, he means "monster size".
I, for one, welcome our new smelly, slimy, moldy robotic overlords....ewww....
My blog
My bathroom has enough slime and mold to corner the market with. I knew I was keeping it for something big.
Is it appropriate to lichen this bizarre construction to a robot? And I have to wonder whether it would be constructed from custom built components, or would they would have to come from a mold.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
.........
..@F.....
.........
You hit the brown mold. You are suddenly very cold!
or moldy loaf of sliced bread? You decide!
Blearf. Blearf, I say.
Roll for initiative, please.
Man, if there's ever a situation where I'd be okay with the GM assuming I'm caught off guard, it's when my own plate of nachos leaps up and attacks my face. The only way I could be more surprised would be if the Long Island Ice Tea I bought tried to sober me up.
The enemies of Democracy are