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"Everything starts as somebody's daydream. And, when you're daydreaming, it is science fiction. It's when you start work out how you put it together, true science fiction becomes real science."
- Larry Niven
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| Mining Worm (Robot) | ||
| An autonomous mining robot shaped like a worm. |
One way to get materials out of an asteriod is to send a mechanical worm to chew through to what you want.
| "D'you realize what R-7 has done now?"
"He's taken the mining worm apart - that's what. I knew that he would! ...The worm was strewn all over the floor! |
| Technovelgy from Love Among The Robots,
by Emmett McDowell. Published by Planet Stories in 1946 Additional resources -
|
Larry Niven made use of the idea in a 1968 story - see the mining worm (organic) from A Gift From Earth.
Compare to the metal worms from Vandals from the Moon (1928) by Marius, the robot snake from Bait for the Tiger (1952) by Lee Chaytor, the robot earthworm from War with the Robots (1962) by Harry Harrison, the mechanical cobra from Lord of Light (1967) by Roger Zelazny, the digger worm from With Friends Like These (1985) by Connie Willis and the robot snake spy from Mariposa (2009) by Greg Bear.
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Love Among The Robots
More Ideas
and Technology by Emmett McDowell
Tech news articles related to Love Among The Robots
Tech news articles related to works by Emmett McDowell
Mining Worm (Robot)-related
news articles:
- CardioArm - Snakelike Surgical Robot
- Anna Konda Robot Spraying Water Video
- Surgical Robot Bores Into Brain Like Wasp
- HyDRAS-Ascent Pole-Climbing Snake Robot Construction Inspector
- Modular Snake Robot's Unique Gaits
- Scaly Yet Soft Robotic Snake
- Robot Snakes On A Plane!
- Robot Snake Flies, Fights Fires
| VaMEx Biomimetic Mars Robot Inspired By Skink |
| DIY Robotic Content Farming |
| Vero Robotic Dog With Vacuum Cleaner Feet |
| Boy Makes Biomimetic Turtle Robot |
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'Looks like she has bought the Avatar Construction Set and put together her own...'
'Across the ground something small and metallic came, flashing in the dull sunlight of midday.'
'A broken circle with arrows pointing to a right-hand flow appeared in the chalf.'
'The object seemed melted together like wax — nothing was distinguishable.'
'Midges have many capabilities. To the untrained eye, they look like sparrows.'
'I made disks of my own voice to the number of five hundred very carefully chosen words.'
'His sensors out and working, and the whirring of the tape that sucked up sight and sound and shape and smell and form...'
