Robot Beetle Fights Forest Fires.

[Chris Nahr]

This totally awesome concept (http://www.presseportal.de/story.htx?nr=850294&action=bigpic&att=57926) (German only but with genuine fake picture!) is being developed by a group of researches at the FH Magdeburg-Stendal. The press release does not state whether the group includes Theodore Rex DX.

The device is a meter-long robot beetle, protected by a heat-resistent ceramic compound and equipped with a smoke sensor. Normally the beetle is rolled up as a ball; in this shape it's maintenance-free for up to one year. When the sensor detects smoke within a range of 1 km, the beetle unfolds its six legs and starts moving towards the source of the smoke at a speed of 10-20 km/h, there presumably to engulf some unhappy cigarette smoker in a torrent of foam from its built-in fire extinguisher.

And all that for only €25,000 apiece!

[balut]

there presumably to engulf some unhappy cigarette smoker

I think it would work much better without the end of that sentence.

[RepoMan]

Yeah man, I want to see the horror flick version of this.

Little Timmy, Mom, and Dad by the campfire. A peaceful moonlit night in the national park.

Suddenly a crackling from the bushes! The dog starts barking wildly! "MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT THING!?!" A shotgun blast -- a wild hissing noise -- the sound of flailing mechanical legs....

A long panning shot over a wilderness of white foam, limbs sticking out like the legs of a dead cockroach, and just the faintest hint of smoke still trailing from the vanquished campfire.

[tromik]

Yeah man, I want to see the horror flick version of this.

Little Timmy, Mom, and Dad by the campfire. A peaceful moonlit night in the national park.

Suddenly a crackling from the bushes! The dog starts barking wildly! "MY GOD, WHAT IS THAT THING!?!" A shotgun blast -- a wild hissing noise -- the sound of flailing mechanical legs....

A long panning shot over a wilderness of white foam, limbs sticking out like the legs of a dead cockroach, and just the faintest hint of smoke still trailing from the vanquished campfire.
It could be like WE3, except the beetles are evil.

[TomChick]

Sweet!

I wonder who would win in a fight between a robot fire-fighting beetle and that robot donkey someone linked a while back? The robot donkey can take one hell of a kick, as the video demonstrated, but can he handle a blast from the beetle's günstiger Windrichtung ein Feuer*?

-Tom

* That's a random fragment of text I copied from the robot beetle article, but I'm guessing it means 'Gun of Wind and Fury'.

[balut]

I think das panzerbeetle would win against the donkey because, uh, it could roll up into a ball. That's pretty cool.

[RepoMan]

What creeps me out about the beetle render is the sphincter-like razor-edged mouth opening. I mean, what the fuck is wrong with just a nice simple nozzle? No, it has to be something that looks like a cybernetic lamprey from hell! Looks like the thing would chew the donkey into tiny pieces, and then shit foam all over them.

[balut]

I can definitely see these things running amok in a Sci Fi Channel Original Movie.

[Brad Grenz]

How will they keep campers from playing pick up games of football with them?

[Euri]

Sweet!

I wonder who would win in a fight between a robot fire-fighting beetle and that robot donkey someone linked a while back? The robot donkey can take one hell of a kick, as the video demonstrated, but can he handle a blast from the beetle's günstiger Windrichtung ein Feuer*?

-Tom

* That's a random fragment of text I copied from the robot beetle article, but I'm guessing it means 'Gun of Wind and Fury'.

Closer to "uses the wind to find the best direction to spray"

[Ben Sones]

How will they keep campers from playing pick up games of football with them?

I don't think you are understanding the scale. That picture in the article is of a redwood forest.

[Bill Dungsroman]

I don't think you are understanding the scale. That picture in the article is of a redwood forest.
I don't think I understand German, nor are any in the picture close enough to the redwood trees (which can be any size) to really judge. What is the rough size of those bad boys?

[Ben Sones]

When deployed, they are 10 meters tall.

[Bill Dungsroman]

When deployed, they are 10 meters tall.
YOIKS!

[balut]

When deployed, they are 10 meters tall.

And they have a plan . . . .

[Mike O'Malley]

No, they really don't...the company just wants you to THINK there's a purpose to their mindless wanderings and interaction.

[Brad Grenz]

I don't think you are understanding the scale. That picture in the article is of a redwood forest.

I didn't click the link. That probably has something to do with it.