Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies - The Firearms Forum

358 winchester · 07-16-2009, 01:36 PM

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Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

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.

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

ARB · 07-16-2009, 02:04 PM

Soylent Green--It's people!!
I'd, hate to be around when one of those suckers go haywire!

jacksonco · 07-16-2009, 02:05 PM

DANG! I don't know if I like the sounds of that. I could see the machine getting lazy and just killing whatever for fuel. Would be a good subject for scifi film or book. I think that whenever we make a machine of any sorts we darn well need to be able to turn it off whenever we feel the need to.

pinecone70 · 07-16-2009, 03:41 PM

...Ick.......

07-16-2009, 01:36 PM	#1
358 winchester TFF Admin Staff Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Pensacola Fl. area Posts: 7,335	Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies Wednesday, July 15, 2009 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. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532492,00.html __________________ Administrator & Owner RangeDay.com Proud, White, Heterosexual, Gun Owning, Southern American, Christian. Any question about where I stand? -->

07-16-2009, 02:04 PM	#2
ARB Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Mid Missouri Posts: 1,184	Re: Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies Soylent Green--It's people!! I'd, hate to be around when one of those suckers go haywire!

07-16-2009, 02:05 PM	#3
jacksonco Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Jackson County West Virginia Posts: 2,237	Re: Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies DANG! I don't know if I like the sounds of that. I could see the machine getting lazy and just killing whatever for fuel. Would be a good subject for scifi film or book. I think that whenever we make a machine of any sorts we darn well need to be able to turn it off whenever we feel the need to.

07-16-2009, 03:41 PM	#4
pinecone70 Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Minnesota Gal! Posts: 4,730	Re: Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies ...Ick....... __________________ _____________________________________________ "Miss Scarlet, in the library...with a revolver...."