Mad Scientist's Ramblings: Scavenger Robots

I had a small, unsuccessful blog that postulated the effects of the technological singularity. A nerd's wet dream, the technological singularity is a hypothetical outcome of the convergence of technology. The point of no return is when machines can improve upon themselves, and create more advanced machines. Until that point, humanity has the ability to curb the accelerating progress, or embrace it. I will share a page from that ill-fated blog...

"Scavenger Robots"

A solution to our surmounting waste problem is robots. Their job description is already suited for the task: they do tasks repeatedly and unerringly, even in undesirable environments. So why not develop robots for waste management?

There are plenty of automatic sorting machines already established in the recycling industry. However the majority of waste does not get the chance to be recycled. Society end up with landfills brimming with recyclable waste.

An idea, I propose, is an autonomous scavenger robot. Many robotics get inspiration from insects and I believe this is a perfect application. It will be mostly autonomous in the sense that it will live, operate, and replicate in waste environments virtually by itself. Being a scavenger by nature, these machines will get their energy anyway they can. In a landfill there is an abundance of energy to be harnessed. Some species of robot will thrive on generating power from food wastes by chemical means. Others will break down plastics inside an electronic stomach to produce energy, and as a side effect, make those plastics available for recycling. Automating these machines will prove the most difficult process because, by inheritance, they should self-replicate.

Next post: More thoughts on Robotics