flyrobot?
CNN reports that a scientist has created a robot that powers itself by trapping and eating flys.
The robot uses a little bit of human shit as the attractant to catch its meal. The fly is then digested and the sugars released from its exoskeleton power the robot.
So, why does this give me a huge case of the screaming willies?
Because we're talking about a flesh-eating robot here folks! Oh sure, I know, the flesh is a fly's so who cares? But right now the robot
is a tiny 'proof of concept' model. All it does ( besides killing and eating ) is travel a few centimeters and send a radio signal back to the home base. Presumably something like 'Dinner was fab! What's for dessert?'
But what happens, I ask you, when they have to make them bigger? When they need more power?
They can only generate so much juice from sucking down insects. At some point they have to move up the food chain. Oh sure, at first they'll be programmed for small vermin like rats. There will be a little noise when one of the robots
mistakenly eats a chihuahua, but that's the price of progress. Right? A big stink won't occur until a famous doggie, like Paris Hilton's Tinkerbell, buys the farm from a slavering robot...
...but by then it'll be too late. Even larger models will already have been produced. I foresee a future sort of like The Terminator, except they'll eat us. Crikey.
So what does this have to do with this time's panel? Absolutely nothing.
Kissy notes, proposals, and paypal to gspot@graysong.com . Death threats and hateful comments to president@whitehouse.gov .