Flea-like robots double as pollution detectors!
Philip K Dick always had miniature mechanical devices like this running amok in his seminal science fiction novels written in the 1960s.
According to the article: "The creature measures in at ten-centimeters long and weighs just 80-grams, and can supposedly cover vast amounts of land in shorter amounts of time" compared to less efficient pollution-seeking alternatives.
This is the lead of an article I read in our small hometown weekly newspaper the day before you posted this:
ReplyDeleteGas company is checking pipelines under the city
By Nancy Needham
"Smart pigs" are being launched through gas pipelines in Thousand Oaks by the Southern California Gas Company.
The hightech pieces of equipment are called pigs because they make a squealing sound as they move. They're smart because they race through the pipelines, sending back information about anomalies they find and telling gas company experts just exactly where problems exist, according to SCG spokesperson Peter Hidalgo.
The "pigs" reminded me of the "fleas." Here's the link to the rest of the story, which isn't nearly so intriguing.
http://www.toacorn.com/news/2007/0823/Community/006.html
I get the same feeling about Roomba vacuum cleaners...
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