Pentagon working on flesh-eating robots.

[Tonitrus]

I, for one, hail(feed?) our new robot overlords. 

Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies

Tuesday , July 14, 2009

FC1
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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.

[Martinus]

What could possibly go wrong?

[Jos Theelen]

Maybe the Pentagon should visit some waste fuel power plants.
And maybe Obama should cut some of the zillions, spend on defense.

[Syt]

It would be perfect if we could make a human (embryonic?) brain its CPU.

[Monoriu]

Does flesh from an American emit a different signal than a non-American?

[The Brain]

It makes me sick that they are building robots aimed specifically at eating corpses.

[Josquius]

I'm sure this was posted before and the first reply there was also 'What could possibly go wrong?'.
...
Or are is my future-sight playing tricks on me again.

[grumbler]

It makes me sick that they are building robots aimed specifically at eating corpses.

Afraid of a little competition?

[Caliga]

This thread is making me hungry.

[Iormlund]

Does flesh from an American emit a different signal than a non-American?

They'll be tuned to attack anyone who's not overweight.

[Ed Anger]

Does flesh from an American emit a different signal than a non-American?

They'll be tuned to attack anyone who's not overweight.

I guess all those fat Euros I saw are safe now too. 

[Syt]

Does flesh from an American emit a different signal than a non-American?

They'll be tuned to attack anyone who's not overweight.

I guess all those fat Euros I saw are safe now too. 

[Pishtaco]

I heard about something like this that was supposed to roam around farmers' fields, killing and feeding off slugs.

[Valmy]

steam-powered robot

It's like some horrible geek wet dream come true.

[Neil]

I approve of this new line of thinking.