Peace River Block Daily News Thursday, July 20, 2000
MEAT-EATING ROBOT INVENTED
London(Reuters)
Man really is in danger of being swallowed up by technology after U.S. scientists announced on Wednesday they had designed a robot that runs on meat.
Dubbed Chew Chew the "gastrobot" a 12-wheeled train-like robot runs on a microbial fuel cell, which breaks down food with bacteria and converts it into electrical energy, according to a report in New Scientist magazine.
The cell works by producing enzymes that break down carbohydrates, releasing energy, inventor Stuart Wilkinson of the University of South Florida in Tampa told the magazine.
"The ideal food in terms of energy gain, is meat. Vegetation is not nearly as nutritious," Wilkinson said.