Break Out The Two-ply, Ecobot III Poops

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU6zi1_aZiw&feature=player_embedded%5D

Imagine our surprise when this article on Ecobot III and the disgusting video above showed up in our feed. The robot can theoretically be self-sustaining forever, so long as it has a food source. Yes, you read correctly, food.

Typical robots relying on grub burn the biomass to produce heat/steam/energy, but Ecobot III actually digests using Microbial Fuel Cells and extracts energy in the form of hydrogen.

The process isn’t very efficient (yet), and of course waste must be excreted, but we’re inching closer and closer to the day our robot overlords are invincible. The project has come to a halt (we can’t imagine why), but you can still read up on the process, and meet Ecobot’s brothers: II and I.

Related: We’re all going to die, Carnivorous robots.

24 thoughts on “Break Out The Two-ply, Ecobot III Poops

  1. I think I remember some art exhibit an the SF MoMA of a giant deconstructed digestive system that attempted to mimic the human gut. It too produced real fecal matter. I’ve gotta find a link to that article one of these days…

  2. The Cloaca machine does not produce energy in the process of producing poop. Thus, it is fake poop, since all the valuable items are still in the poop. And yes, I too predict seeing something like a Cloaca&Ecobot/1cup… since it does make sense. Unless machines develop a sense of taste as well… then we’d see machines puking at the video just like their human peers.

  3. You know there is still a lot of energy left in real shit, I mean detritovores (sp) and bacteria love to eat it, so why don’t we just feed the robot our shit to keep it powered, 1 girl, 1 bot, free energy!

  4. @Halexander “The Cloaca machine does not produce energy in the process of producing poop. Thus, it is fake poop, since all the valuable items are still in the poop.”

    It may not STORE energy, but it sure consumes it. There are real live bacteria in this machine as well that eat biomass and belch out methane and other gasses.

    http://www.lacan.com/frameXIX7.htm

  5. And these shall become our robot overlords? Nah.
    I hate the thought of not only having to dodge dog poo, but robot poo as well. Hopefully they will use toilets by programming.

  6. Why do people continue to develop technology towards what will eventually destroy us? We’re seriously working to develop Cylons, and it seems some are working deliberately in that direction!

Leave a Reply to d_mcintireCancel reply

Please be kind and respectful to help make the comments section excellent. (Comment Policy)

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.