Carnivorous Robots....Really

Technology is advancing in so many directions all at once that I am beginning to suspect we will see some truly startling advances once someone begins to put differing lines together.

The You Tube video above arises from the work of James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau in the UK. Their work is a fusion of art and science that challenges how we use and view the common desiderata of life. In the video above, we have a clock that powers itself from captured flies. A microbial (i.e., bacterial) fuel cell converts the digested bodies of flies into electrical power that runs the clock and fly catching apparatus. Apparently 8 flies will run this for about 12 days.

The Microbial Fuel Cell is a very simple but fascinating device. One could IMAGINE that it might work, but actually getting one to work is quite remarkable. It uses electrons released/transfered by bacteria as they metabolize food. Along with acids (protons) that diffuse over to the cathode, a functional fuel cell is created.

A Microbial Fuel Cell (Logan et al. 2006).

Now if they could only put this together with an ant robot (Click Here), we might have something truly terrifying.

Sources:

You Tube Video Header From: http://www.auger-loizeau.com/index.php?id=13

Microbial Fuel Cell diagram. Logan, B. E., B. Hamelers, R. Rozendal, U. Schröder, J. Keller, S. Freguia, P. Aelterman, W. Verstraete, and K. Rabaey. 2006. Microbial fuel cells: Methodology and technology. Environ. Sci. Technol. 40:5181-5192.

Robotics

Robots can already do amazing things but dealing with visually complex structures of varying texture is extremely challenging. For example, it is very easy for a human to reach into a pile of nuts and bolts and specifically select just the bolts. This seems simple, but teaching a computer how to distinguish a bolt that may be positioned at any angle, while surrounded by a visually cluttered environment of other nuts and bolts, is quite complex.

Here a robot is demonstrating its mastery of a truly complex visual and tactile task. Consider combining this ability with other robots, such as the one that can be seen at this link.

What is even more interesting is that the programming is actually not that complex. The research paper can be found by clicking here. It is based on a fairly simple flowchart, as seen below:

Ant Robots

Robot technology seems to be leaping forward right now.  

Not sure when we will need to program in Asimov's three laws of robotics, but it won't be long.

Hat tip: Myrmecos blog

YouTube and Robot credit: Kåre Halvorsen (aka Xenta) from Norway