I can see it now, DARPA releases these robots everywhere except North America and has a masive EMP flash every 2-3 mins along the US borders... then the US could rape the planet and there would be no-one around to complain*

*except the robots but they'd be under US control.

Haha nice one Reg. An April fools joke in July.

.. it is ... isn't it?

...by bacteria, although humans have become imune to them, <steam powered killings machines> are no match......

Ulla, ulla, ulla, ullaaaaaaaa

This is dumb, no?

9th of July, not 1st of April.

.... nah not going there!

welcome our semi-intelligent, walking pressure-cooker-esque, pikey thieving robotic overlords.

I plan to move to Death Valley, hopefully the blighters will be out of steam before they reach me...

Until they discover plutonium....

Could they be programmed to prey only on the likes of Kleeneezee reps, wheelclampers, MP's and Big Brother housemates etc.? You know - stuff that is a waste product of the planet already?

Surely this thing could be seen for miles around, belching our smoke and steam and, if it burns road kill and bodies, smelling strongly of BBQ. Also, how big would this thing have to be?

Are they just a metaphor for the human race?

At least there's now a fitting response to those who keep whining on about carbon dioxide and "the environment" as they line their own pockets. See? They can be useful - as fuel.

All they have to do is develop a time machine within the next 6 years and we can travel to 2015 BEFORE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENS. Then suddenly, the future will resolve into a symbolically complete solution of itself and wink out of existence as we become caught in a non-terminating causal reality/unreality Mobius/Spielberg probability loop. THANKS DARPA!!!

*POOF!*

Matrix, shurely?

(with the spoon.... what do you mean there's no....?)

Someone call SG1 & Richard Dean Anderson to stop the Replicators!

Am I wrong, but besides the obvious, and now-ever-so-slightly-dull-and-predicatable teminator/skynet references, didn't Thunderbirds feature a couple of storylines about machines like this going mental?

Calling International Rescue.....

unless they can digest rocks...

Reminds me of all the apocalyptic stories I've read where the apparently invincible force is felled by the one thing the designers didn't take into account. It will probably be wear and tear that halts the giant, lumbering furnaces.

Steam is not sexy enough. So yesterday. We want Mr. Fusion, please?

If I am the only one that misread "Cyclone Power Technologies" as Cylon Power Technologies?

If these things are built in the same factories as most American cars they'll only be able to travel at walking pace and be incapable of turning! All we need to do is keep up a brisk step and walk in a circle:

<zoinks! the humanoid energy being has evaded me. activating orientation adjustment circuits. oh sh*t! i haven't got any...>

Reminds me the game Thief 2 where the bad guy Karras wanted to erradicate everyone and replace them with metallic steam powered "Children of the builder".

"In one act, I will end all human suffering, and clear the path for the Builder to walk again on earth, history will move forward! My tireless children will build in his name, creating advancements beyond our understanding."

Truly, life is stranger than fiction!

Yeah, but that was just a logging machine, and the crew fell unconcious when the chili from the night before finally settled in. (I'm not joking! Watch the episode!)

to making a heavily-armed smokey, clanking mechanical raccoon?

Can't DARPA train the real thing (or maybe a pack of coyotes) to do the same job?

See Boilerplate at http://bigredhair.com ;)

...to remember where I had seen this before. DARPA as just copying ideas from Star Wars.

This is just a World Devastator.

"The world devastators were designed from ground based walking construction droids, which use a molecular furnace to 'consume' and remake debris and other items into useful/new constructions."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKBCEiAk5J4

... or should the 'biomass furnace which powers a steam generator driving a "waste heat engine" from Cyclone Power Technologies' be put into a passenger vehicle for trial?

THAT part of it sounds like a decent idea and a lot more likely to happen soon than the preferable Mr. Fusion.

Oh, and I do love the idea of having it feed on roadkill and Big Brother housemates.

My wife and I made 2 of these already, took us about 20 min. for the initial prototypes. Ongoing programming and upgrades are costing us, but we imagine we should have 2 fully working field tested samples in about 14 years.

"EATR"

That name right there, is purest WIN. :-)

"The idea of EATR is ostensibly that military reconnaissance droids far behind enemy lines would be able to forage for fuel."

And by happy coincidence would also plunder the resources of the enemy as they did so. Burn and pillage, yeah! Not exactly stealthy though.

"Steam is not sexy enough. So yesterday."

I'm sure those people responsible for developing and refining nuclear powered subs and aircraft carriers would disagree... :-)

"Might be to train plant and roadkill eating bots, and release them along highways. Never again will you have to see a weed or untrimmed lawn or dead skunk."

Awesome, where can I preorder one of these? Should take care of trimming my lawn, solve my mole/rabbit/neighbor's dog problems in a stroke, *and* double as a handy home defense system should some miscreant wander onto my property.

They're really just after the soylent green. NOM NOM NOM

Somewhere there is a room full of people thinking this sh**.. stuff up and getting paid handsomely with taxpayers money... am torn between wanting in or pouring the concrete to seal the room.

Well, maybe its tracks will be able to go up stairs, but I think it's likely to be stumped by a big pit.

I'll get my moat ....