Company Denies Its Robots Feed On the Dead 154
Back in January we covered the Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot, or EATR. The EATR gets its energy by "engaging in biologically-inspired, organism-like energy-harvesting behavior which is the equivalent of eating. It can find, ingest, and extract energy from biomass in the environment ..." So many news outlets picked up the story and ran it with titles alluding to the robot "eating flesh" or even "eating corpses" that a company spokesperson put out a press release saying, "This robot is strictly vegetarian." The statement says in part, "RTI's patent pending robotic system will be able to find, ingest and extract energy from biomass in the environment. Despite the far-reaching reports that this includes 'human bodies,' the public can be assured that the engine Cyclone has developed to power the EATR runs on fuel no scarier than twigs, grass clippings and wood chips — small, plant-based items for which RTI's robotic technology is designed to forage. Desecration of the dead is a war crime under Article 15 of the Geneva Conventions, and is certainly not something sanctioned by DARPA, Cyclone or RTI."
Wording (Score:5, Funny)
Desecration of the dead is a war crime under Article 15 of the Geneva Conventions, and is certainly not something sanctioned by DARPA, Cyclone or RTI
Doesn't say anything about dead "enemy combatants" though, does it?
what if it's desperate? (Score:2, Funny)
Article 15... (Score:2, Funny)
soooo what you are saying... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:This is too bad (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wording (Score:5, Funny)
Vote for ED-209!
Re:Clarification (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Wording (Score:3, Funny)
Those laws only apply to the Human Species.. not to our new robot overlord species. The creators are assuming they'll always be in control of what the robots choose to eat... they made a movie about that I think? heck we can't even control police dogs and they're "man's best friend". Forget robots being as smart as people.. when they get as smart as dogs we'll start having problems.
correction:
It also doesn't say who exactly is LEFT to ENFORCE the conventions if SOMETHING EATS them.
What a waist of time... (Score:5, Funny)
I spent all my time working on my emergency Zombie plan but now what i need is an Emergency robot plan.
Food preference = Fatties over Skinnies (Score:2, Funny)
Fat generates more heat, which means more energy. The time to lose weight is now!
Re:What a waist of time... (Score:4, Funny)
I made a belt buckle out of a wristwatch so I could waist time.
Perhaps not dead, but... (Score:3, Funny)
[My apologies to Monty Python.]
Grass clippings? (Score:5, Funny)
You damn robots! Stay off my lawn!
Re:Wording (Score:4, Funny)
I can certainly see the appeal here.. Surely our flesh-eating robot overlords would have a vested interest in making sure that we are all healthy and nutritious. Disease and famine would become a thing of the past! Not to mention the forced breeding programs!
I relieved... (Score:3, Funny)
Well what's the bloody point then? (Score:5, Funny)
If it can't eat them after it kills them then why bother? It'll just leave a messy battlefield behind it, won't it?
Re:soooo what you are saying... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:What a waist of time... (Score:5, Funny)
I believe the creators of this robot have perfected their emergency zombie plan...