May 29 2009On Call: Dustbot Comes To Collect Garbage
Well folks, it looks like we're starting Friday off entirely wrong with only stories from the robot front. I recommend running out for beer now so you can stay safely tucked away in your robot-shelter all weekend building a powerful burning laser blaster. I'm not even kidding. Anyway, this is the Dustbot from Italy -- it comes to haul your refuse away. AND YOUR CHILDREN. MWUAHAHAHHAHAHA! What the hell's wrong with me?
The Dustbot can be summoned to your address through a mobile phone any time of the day.
The robot works with a combination of GPS navigation and with a gyroscope to keep it upright. There are also a number of sensors on the machine so it does not bump into anything.Dustbot's inventors say they hope it will put an end to fixed times for rubbish collection and they say it is designed to work in tightly packed urban areas where large refuse trucks find it difficult to operate.
Anybody here live in Italy? Great, now I know this might sound crazy, but I want you to hear me out. I want you to call the Dustbot to your house. Still with me? Take a deep breath, you can change your drawls later. Now listen: when the Dustbot arrives I want you to pack that bitch full of explosives and kick it off a cliff into the ocean after chumming the water real good to attract sharks. TA-DA! -- two birds stoned at once.
Dustbot the street cleaning robot [bbcnews]
Thanks to Dave Fancypants, who has Bedazzled the hell out of every pair of jeans he owns.
Reader Comments
1. naas - May 29, 2009 10:35 AM
Awesomesauce, I need me a few of those around here
2. naas - May 29, 2009 10:36 AM
...not because there's a lot of trash laying around, oh no - just because dust makes me sneeze
3. Matty - May 29, 2009 10:38 AM
"...the friendliness of high technology..."
i'm moving to New Guinea.
4. psh - May 29, 2009 10:40 AM
psh....
5. 24-bit whore - May 29, 2009 10:43 AM
I'd love to see that thing kicked off a cliff after being packed with explosives haha, what a youtube video that'd make!
6. Silver - May 29, 2009 10:45 AM
Think of all the great things you could put in there... Gasoline, timed explosives, smaller robots, unwanted children... The list goes on.
7. radio show host - May 29, 2009 10:47 AM
There was a story on the Bob & Tom show this morning about a mysterious box that was discarded at a rest stop. The police were called and the mysterious box contained an 'adult device' and they were able to re-open the rest area safely.
Now, with these trash collecting robots, people will be able to discard of their 'adult devices' without causing a massive public issue for hours. Perhaps you can also dispose of flying cats or unwanted bowling balls.
8. DeeplyTroubled - May 29, 2009 10:52 AM
A trashcan on wheels - because apparently we are now too lazy to walk to the curb.
Also, this robot appears to be the blue-collar cousin of B.O.B.-The robot from The Black Hole: http://www.teachingrobotics.com/Pictures/Axlon-VincentCompare.jpg
9. potato_owl - May 29, 2009 11:03 AM
Awwww, he's super cute! He can pick me up, I have a fetish for small, smelly places.
10. naas - May 29, 2009 11:05 AM
@8 I sure as shit am too lazy to walk to the curb, especially dragging a big container of trash behind me. No thanks, that was yesterdays story
11. the Commish - May 29, 2009 11:07 AM
FAIL!! This post fails on so many levels. Who the hell cares!?
This is exactly like when Johnny 5 had a bunch of pals over for an intense game of robot twister. The T-1000 ended up cracking a lower support pin and had to go to Lowe's and repair itself. While they were waiting, Rosie made them all some cookies.
12. STOMPY - May 29, 2009 11:10 AM
oh and remember, every friday between memorial day and labor day is hawaiin shirt day...so, you know, if you want...go ahead and wear a hawaiian shirt and jeans
OMG i'm living office space...
13. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - May 29, 2009 11:10 AM
This weekend is shaping up in the wrong direction. Starting Friday with nothing but robots and going to a wedding on Saturday (I hate wearing heels)... I should start drinking... too bad I'm at work =(
14. Gordon "Fücking" Shumway - May 29, 2009 11:14 AM
And I would be drinking if it weren't for those damned antibiotics. Stupid antibiotics. They ruin everything. Oh well...Where's the morphine?
15. STOMPY - May 29, 2009 11:26 AM
@GFS
Have the flying monkey jokes started coming your way yet? Cause they get old really quick...
16. naas - May 29, 2009 11:30 AM
@13 I started drinking this morning, it's a healthy weekend introducer. I recommend the same to you, just hide the container from your boss & don't crack stupid jokes only you find funny (like I would do)
Shum I feel bad for you, but you could test the results of mixing alcohol with those antibiotics by saying you didn't read the label...? Maybe it speeds up the healing & the doc just doesn't want you to know this. Second thought, maybe I should google that before recommending it
17. Brick Top - May 29, 2009 12:15 PM
I don't care if he's Muhammad I'm hard Bruce Lee. You can't change fighters.
18. Angel Mass - May 29, 2009 12:18 PM
More like, to collect our dead bodies after the apocalypses!
19. Max - May 29, 2009 12:29 PM
Daisy put some panties on and go do your thing.
20. Dave - May 29, 2009 12:30 PM
Reminds me of the trash robot in Back to the Future II
21. Matt - May 29, 2009 12:54 PM
"they even designed this to look a little bit human"
I think your friends are ill, Mr. newsman.
22. Charlzee - May 29, 2009 1:26 PM
omg!!! the volume goes up to 11 !!!!
23. GLADIATOR - May 29, 2009 1:34 PM
Looks lime a commercial application of the Roomba !!!!
Hey you missed a spot!
Come and join the short and easy game mybrute:
http://burpnassker.mybrute.com
24. dude... - May 29, 2009 2:34 PM
look at how slow and clumsy that thing is... what's going to stop people from just knocking them over in the street? Doesn't even look like it can stand up on it's own. And when it doesn't arrive on time, people are going to order another one. And then that one is going to get a beat down. This cycle will continue and pretty soon, the entire city will littered with these little bastards bleeding their robo-blood and oil all over the place. How good will that be for the environment, huh?
FYI, robo-blood smells like urine.
25. Gubba - May 29, 2009 3:56 PM
So let me get this straight. You call this robot. It picks up about maybe 2-3 bags of trash and then goes back where it came from just to be called out to a distant location again to get trash. This robot will not be the least bit usefull!
26. aids - May 29, 2009 4:01 PM
I wanna ride on that!!
http://std-aids.mybrute.com
27. Nero - May 29, 2009 5:15 PM
A great and friendly looking robot! Probably more reliable than humans are! Where can order these helpful robots?
28. Rhialto - May 29, 2009 5:18 PM
How bout using these robots for bringing groceries??
29. Darth - May 29, 2009 5:19 PM
Very useful for bringing cases of beer and picking up empty cases!
30. Tom - May 30, 2009 8:04 AM
screw driving upstate to bury murder victims, robots are the way of the future making organised crime a waaaaalk in the park... a danger walk
31. Sniper-Viper - May 30, 2009 5:10 PM
Hi GW!
I'm from Italy but we don't have sharks in our seas (well, maybe just few) so your plan is not gonna work :(