Robots that eat

I came across an interesting article about robots that can catch flies and digests them in a special reactor cell that generates electricity. The robot digests the flies in an array of eight microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacteria to break down the sugars, releasing electrons that drive an electric current.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6366

In the future maybe this type of fuel cell could be modified to be used in Aiko. If it could be modified to use real food, Aiko could eat with people and use the energy that she gets from the food. The ability to eat with people would make Aiko more real.

Good job Nick, for finding that video. Love it.

So what's the purpose of a portable robotic toilet?

Ok this is some thing that most people would miss, it digest organic material and turns it into electricity. Basically it's like the human digestion system. The question I have is how big does it have to be to power a larger robot? I see this as an alternate power source and if it doesn't have to be to big (say the size of a trash compacter) maybe you could dump your table scraps into it and make electricity for your home. Plus this can make it possible for your robot to have dinner with you. The only thing they need to do is get rid of the smell, I would suggest they take a look at an episode of Dirty Jobs were they eliminated the smell from a baby's diaper.
This is a good find.

Ok this is some thing that most people would miss, it digest organic material and turns it into electricity. Basically it's like the human digestion system. The question I have is how big does it have to be to power a larger robot? I see this as an alternate power source and if it doesn't have to be to big (say the size of a trash compacter) maybe you could dump your table scraps into it and make electricity for your home. Plus this can make it possible for your robot to have dinner with you. The only thing they need to do is get rid of the smell, I would suggest they take a look at an episode of Dirty Jobs were they eliminated the smell from a baby's diaper.
This is a good find.

That reminds me of Odo on Deep Space 9.
He sits down to a meal with an empty cup (an extension of his own hand), and fills it with part of his own body, so it will appear he's drinking when he's just reintroducing the two parts of his body.
If he has a real cup of coffee, he will absorb it like anyone else, but can expell it right into his cup through his fingers or something..

Yea Odo was cool, but I think of him as more of a liquid type of replicator from Star Gate SG-1.

Look at it this way if you take a bag and put some vinegar in it becomes like a stomach. Then if you put in 2 one-way doors you can some how squeeze the bag pushing the food into a large tube were the electrons could be extracted.

I don't know what the liquid is called again.
But i've seen a lquid turning food into energy.
As long if it contained sugar it would generate pressure and heat (even emitted fire)

Wouldn't be helpfull thought as I'm not sure if the liquid can be reused over and over.
Would be pointless if it require's refill of the liquid

this is remind me in an anime (i dont remember the name)but their was a girl that has a green hair
she was a robot , but she can eat and convert the food into energy

spring wrote:this is remind me in an anime (i dont remember the name)but their was a girl that has a green hair
she was a robot , but she can eat and convert the food into energy

woa XD that sounds epic :p
btw im not even going to try and get energy out of food :p
i heard it's possible but it will result in really really low voltages lol

i think this a new technology so it needs time to be improved

spring wrote:i think this a new technology so it needs time to be improved

it is =p

PJ wrote:

spring wrote:this is remind me in an anime (i dont remember the name)but their was a girl that has a green hair
she was a robot , but she can eat and convert the food into energy

woa XD that sounds epic :p
btw im not even going to try and get energy out of food :p
i heard it's possible but it will result in really really low voltages lol

This kind of thing isn't really new.
You're all thinking of electric energy, but energy doesn't have to be electric.
Chopped apples mixed with water will do fine (citric acid can be found in batteries).

Chopped apples and water.
Add a little bit of pure alcohol (no hops or flavoring).
Next add a whole red pepper.
Orange peel and pulp (no juice).
Lastly a few drops of lemon juice.
Make sure not to add too much lemon juice (see apple jack).

Alternately instead of chopped apples and water, use mashed corn and water (add more water to corn).
This was the recipe for street car fluid before it was outlawed (real event).
It actually started out in gocart racing, and drag racing (corn not apples), but they thought it could be more useful in regular cars.

This homemade fluid is not illegal for lawnmowers, but check the laws in your community first.

nick11380 wrote:I came across an interesting article about robots that can catch flies and digests them in a special reactor cell that generates electricity. The robot digests the flies in an array of eight microbial fuel cells (MFCs), which use bacteria to break down the sugars, releasing electrons that drive an electric current.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn6366

had to throw this gallery in as well:
http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/dn17367-carnivorous-domestic-entertainment-robots/1
simple robots that live in your house and eat bugs and other pests, while looking somewhat nice.
only problem with microbial fuel cells is that they produce very little power. the only viable unit i have seen so far is the slugbot one-many robots catch slugs, and they drop them into a central (large) fuel cell, which the stores the power to charge the bots during the day for the night hunt.
the technology is there, it just isn't feasible yet.
and raise your hand if you want to see a lifelike android standing next to you suddenly catch (then eat) a fly.

also the size is big for android

this technology is still in the early stages
so you must wait 5 years

spring wrote:this technology is still in the early stages
so you must wait 5 years

i'm gonna go on record as saying that would be the minimum time. I expect a working effective system to take much longer.

sure it was just a gess