Article: Will Robots Be Able to Eat?

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The world continues to embrace an ever-growing array of electronic devices beyond the smartphone and laptop computer to the AI computers that control our automobiles, the smart security systems protecting our homes, and even robotic lawnmowers.  All these devices need electricity to function. We all know the regular charging attention our devices need to function properly. People and animals need to recharge too with food and water to keep going and survive, but unlike electronic devices, people and animals that find food and water in the world around us to eat and drink.  The world around us, however, does not provide easily accessible sources of electricity in the wild. Electronics need electricity that must come from manmade sources such as generators based on fuel combustion, wind energy from turbines, or solar power for solar panels. These systems provide electrons to charge batteries and run machines. But, what if a machines could forage for fuel in the wild like animals do?

Researchers led by Dr. Ioannis Ieropoulos from the University of Southampton in England have developed new fuel cells that generate electricity from the decomposition of organic matter by microorganisms. The microorganisms in the gut of animals help to breakdown food to nourish the host animal.  In a similar way Dr. Ieropoulos’ research has found a method to use certain types of bacteria that produce ions that produce electrical energy that can charge and power electronic devices. The devices called Microbial Fuel Cells of MFCs act as an artificial digestive system that can generate electricity from organic waste. In the paper titled “EcoBot-III: a robot with guts,” Ieropoulos describes how his robot with the artificial digestive system called EcoBot-III ran for seven days on anaerobic or Pasteurized sludge before failure.  (researchgate.com)

In the publication the authors describe the MFCs as “two half-cells; an anode, which is the bacterial side and has negative polarity (electron generating) and a cathode, which is the oxidizing side and has positive polarity.”  In other words, the MFCs, act like a battery, but instead of the battery generating electricity from a chemical reaction, it comes from microorganisms creating electrons from the food they eat.  The authors describe the growing need for remote robotics that need to function without access to an electrical power grid and depending on organic material it can find in the environment like animals do. Such a transformation of machines into competitors for food in the greater environment poses a very complicated ethical question. The loss separation of machines from the environment creates new pressure and competition for animals and plants that never existed before. What will be the impact of machines becoming competitors of the animals already fighting for their survival?

Dr. Smith’s career in scientific and information research spans the areas of bioinformatics, artificial intelligence, toxicology, and chemistry. He has published a number of peer-reviewed scientific papers. He has worked over the past seventeen years developing advanced analytics, machine learning, and knowledge management tools to enable research and support high-level decision making. Tim completed his Ph.D. in Toxicology at Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from the University of Washington.

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