How Awesome Is This?!

[HapSmo19]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532 ... 6413028:z0

Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies

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.

SkyNet!

[strike wolf]

It can eat the dead bodies it's just the possible live bodies it would try to feed off of that worries me.

[captain.crazy]

what?

its like terminator just hopped off the silver screen!

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532492,00.html?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.

[captain.crazy]

Great... now I have to learn how to destroy robots! Dammit!

[Skittles!]

This has already been posted. Looks like you're a little slow today

[captain.crazy]

I see that now. I have requested that they be merged.

Thanks,

[grandin]

Fascinating. I wonder if we'll destroy the world out of stupidity or intelligence? It's a fast paced race, with a slight advantage to stupidity at the moment - but the odds are pretty much even.

[captain.crazy]

NEWS FLASH:

A renegade brigade of flesh eating robots has gone rouge, once they were integrated with AI technology, they decided that dead flesh no longer satisfied their appetites. They were last sean heading for the D.C. area. If you see tham, be on guard and do not engage. They will f*ck your shit up.

[Neoteny]

What is this silliness about? I'm not surprised the conservatives are all ok with a flesh-eating robot...

The company attempting to build the robots has this to say:

The purpose of the Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR)™ (patent pending) project 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, which would otherwise preclude the ability of the robot to perform such missions. The system obtains its energy by foraging – 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 (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.

http://www.robotictechnologyinc.com/index.php/EATR

Nowhere are they talking about eating dead people, that's a nice touch by FOXNews... There are much better sources of bioenergy than people...

[captain.crazy]

What is this silliness about? I'm not surprised the conservatives are all ok with a flesh-eating robot...

The company attempting to build the robots has this to say:

The purpose of the Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR)™ (patent pending) project 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, which would otherwise preclude the ability of the robot to perform such missions. The system obtains its energy by foraging – 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 (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.

http://www.robotictechnologyinc.com/index.php/EATR

Nowhere are they talking about eating dead people, that's a nice touch by FOXNews... There are much better sources of bioenergy than people...

ummm... I don't think that Fox News contracted with the company and initiated the EATR project. I think that was our federal frankenst... I mean government.

[strike wolf]

NEWS FLASH:

A renegade brigade of flesh eating robots has gone rouge, once they were integrated with AI technology, they decided that dead flesh no longer satisfied their appetites. They were last sean heading for the D.C. area. If you see tham, be on guard and do not engage. They will f*ck your shit up.

Three came by my house this morning. luckily they only took our neighbor's dog...

[thegreekdog]

What is this silliness about? I'm not surprised the conservatives are all ok with a flesh-eating robot...

The company attempting to build the robots has this to say:

The purpose of the Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR)™ (patent pending) project 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, which would otherwise preclude the ability of the robot to perform such missions. The system obtains its energy by foraging – 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 (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.

http://www.robotictechnologyinc.com/index.php/EATR

Nowhere are they talking about eating dead people, that's a nice touch by FOXNews... There are much better sources of bioenergy than people...

Yes, because dead people aren't organic. That damn Fox News and the mainstream conservative media! Always spinning shit for their own nefarious plots!

[AceGeneral***]

robots

[captain.crazy]

robots

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skynet_(satellites)

[Strife]

I could feed off of dead bodies too, doesn't mean I will.

[Skittles!]

I could feed off of dead bodies too, doesn't mean I will.

We can go grave strolling! It'll be a date.

[Neoteny]

Yes, because dead people aren't organic. That damn Fox News and the mainstream conservative media! Always spinning shit for their own nefarious plots!

You trying to start something? Let's discuss the politics and morality of having a robot that eats peoples' bodies; let's not even touch on the logistics of doing so. Do you think the American population would stand for the disrespect that would accommodate using enemy combatants as fuel? Even if they did, do you think it would make good political sense to allow such a thing on the battlefield? We would be outraged if enemy robots were eating our dead soldiers. I'm not saying Fox News is spinning this story, I'm saying they drew a disgusting conclusion that is not probable at all. It may not be spin, but it shows the quality of their reporting.

[thegreekdog]

Yes, because dead people aren't organic. That damn Fox News and the mainstream conservative media! Always spinning shit for their own nefarious plots!

You trying to start something? Let's discuss the politics and morality of having a robot that eats peoples' bodies; let's not even touch on the logistics of doing so. Do you think the American population would stand for the disrespect that would accommodate using enemy combatants as fuel? Even if they did, do you think it would make good political sense to allow such a thing on the battlefield? We would be outraged if enemy robots were eating our dead soldiers. I'm not saying Fox News is spinning this story, I'm saying they drew a disgusting conclusion that is not probable at all. It may not be spin, but it shows the quality of their reporting.

I'm trying to start nothing. What I was doing is making fun of your clearly ridiculous original post, which seemed to make the point that conservatives generally and Fox News specifically was bringing the issue of the eating of dead bodies to the forefront. You said, among other things:

"What is this silliness about?"
"I'm not surprised the conservatives are all ok with a flesh-eating robot..."
"... that's a nice touch by FoxNews"

In sum, my point is that this story has nothing to do with politics, this thread has nothing to do with politics... it has to do with robots.

[Neoteny]

Alright, man. If you think there's nothing political about man-eating robots, I guess I can't change your mind. My point was that Fox is a terrible news source for adding their (absurd) 2 cents in on this topic and misrepresenting the capacity of this robot.

Both libs and cons have expressed humor at the possibility, but I imagine most sane people would be truly horrified at the concept. What's silly about recognizing that?

[thegreekdog]

Alright, man. If you think there's nothing political about man-eating robots, I guess I can't change your mind. My point was that Fox is a terrible news source for adding their (absurd) 2 cents in on this topic and misrepresenting the capacity of this robot.

Both libs and cons have expressed humor at the possibility, but I imagine most sane people would be truly horrified at the concept. What's silly about recognizing that?

It's all very silly and ridiculous. That's pretty much it. There's nothing else relevant.

[Serbia]

I could feed off of dead bodies too, doesn't mean I will.

I feed off dead animal bodies. It's how I roll.

Thanks, Strife!

[HapSmo19]

Both libs and cons have expressed humor at the possibility, but I imagine most sane people would be truly horrified at the concept. What's silly about recognizing that?

Actually, being that my dream involving free-enterprise is being crushed as we speak, the only dream I have left that has a realistic chance of materializing is a global war against robots(or dinosaurs but scientists seem a bit reluctant to reproduce the raptor and tyrannosaur in large numbers). I never even imagined a flesh-eating robot!

Don't crush my dream.

[Danyael]

ohh
so now i know that can ward off the zombies
but then what destroys robots
shit and i was so prepared for zombies

[apey]

Both libs and cons have expressed humor at the possibility, but I imagine most sane people would be truly horrified at the concept. What's silly about recognizing that?

Actually, being that my dream involving free-enterprise is being crushed as we speak, the only dream I have left that has a realistic chance of materializing is a global war against robots(or dinosaurs but scientists seem a bit reluctant to reproduce the raptor and tyrannosaur in large numbers). I never even imagined a flesh-eating robot!

Don't crush my dream.

you sir, are a freak!! Doin anything Friday night

[HapSmo19]

Hehe. Probly just gettin my freak on