DesertFoxRomel Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532492...test=latestnews It could be a combination of 19th-century mechanics, 21st-century technology — and a 20th-century horror movie. A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is working on a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever organic material it can find — grass, wood, old furniture, even dead bodies. Robotic Technology Inc.'s Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot — that's right, "EATR" — "can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment (and other organically-based energy sources), as well as use conventional and alternative fuels (such as gasoline, heavy fuel, kerosene, diesel, propane, coal, cooking oil, and solar) when suitable," reads the company's Web site. That "biomass" and "other organically-based energy sources" wouldn't necessarily be limited to plant material — animal and human corpses contain plenty of energy, and they'd be plentiful in a war zone. EATR will be powered by the Waste Heat Engine developed by Cyclone Power Technology of Pompano Beach, Fla., which uses an "external combustion chamber" burning up fuel to heat up water in a closed loop, generating electricity. The advantages to the military are that the robot would be extremely flexible in fuel sources and could roam on its own for months, even years, without having to be refueled or serviced. Upon the EATR platform, the Pentagon could build all sorts of things — a transport, an ambulance, a communications center, even a mobile gunship. In press materials, Robotic Technology presents EATR as an essentially benign artificial creature that fills its belly through "foraging," despite the obvious military purpose. So it's a self thinking, self sufficient robot with a built in incentive to kill and eat things. What could possibly go wrong? In other news, Skynet is ready to go online when EATR is released. Link to post Share on other sites
WeirdoTransvestite Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I just find it funny that a nation known for obese citizens makes a robot that eats. Link to post Share on other sites
Victory Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Queue "Om, nom, nom..." images: -Vic Link to post Share on other sites
Jagdraben Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Saruman called. He wants his Uruk-Hai back. Link to post Share on other sites
Punkypink Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 oh............ dear Link to post Share on other sites
spetsnazdave87 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Someone in R+D was clearly smoking crack. Link to post Share on other sites
QQexDERA Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Someone in R+D was clearly smoking crack. It may seem a bit mental to the vast majority of people, but if you work on the inside of the defence industry then it comes across as relatively sane compared to a lot of other ideas...... Link to post Share on other sites
spetsnazdave87 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I say bring back the incendiary bat-bombs Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Rayne Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Oh ######... Skynet Link to post Share on other sites
Shriven Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Sarah Connor? NOM NOM NOM. Link to post Share on other sites
Steel Rayne Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Someone in the pentagon has a sense of humour, or a terminator obsession. Link to post Share on other sites
Habakure Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Just sounds like they've created a robot tramp to me. Link to post Share on other sites
sturgis Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 In other news, Skynet is ready to go online when EATR is released. some of the stuff these people come up with boggles the mind sometimes.... remember the gay bombs Link to post Share on other sites
spetsnazdave87 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I still cant believe we called one of our new comms systems Skynet... Seriously. Link to post Share on other sites
Spedz Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 TL;DR a robot eating stuff? Old. |: Link to post Share on other sites
spetsnazdave87 Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 http://www.neoseeker.com/news/10458-japane...al-exoskeleton/ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6434773.stm Ahhh sh*t. I'll get my 416... Link to post Share on other sites
-Drake- Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Dosnt really look that sinister and to be honest if it can despose of all the corpses I leave around then I'd want one. Link to post Share on other sites
Skarclaw Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 Looks like you can play chess on it too Link to post Share on other sites
bbondaloose Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I'll get my EMP rocket launcher, and the 500 Cruiser with some slugs. A new satellite called Skynet, a robot that feeds off dead people, and a Japanese cyborg, now perfected. What could possibly go wrong? Link to post Share on other sites
Robinio Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 I'll get my EMP rocket launcher, and the 500 Cruiser with some slugs. A new satellite called Skynet, a robot that feeds off dead people, and a Japanese cyborg, now perfected. What could possibly go wrong? Worldwide Nuclear Explosions... BRB, going to move my computer into my fallout shelter. Link to post Share on other sites
Guts and Glory Posted July 16, 2009 Report Share Posted July 16, 2009 "Note to self, join a pmc that stations itself in Antarctica" Link to post Share on other sites
spetsnazdave87 Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 To be fair that last one isn't really a cyborg, just an emo suspect-gender japanese person strapped into an exoskeleton. Aliens' powerlifter anyone? Link to post Share on other sites
Roecar Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 At least the cyborgs haven't turned into Cylons... Six would destroy us all, then again time with Six wouldn't be so bad Link to post Share on other sites
Stealthbomber Posted July 17, 2009 Report Share Posted July 17, 2009 I think a lot of scientists slip these words into their work as a nod to other geeks out there. They recently had to add the (previously fictional) words "embiggen" and "cromulent" to the dictionary after a series of physicists all used them in their papers. Link to post Share on other sites
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