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"As the rate of technological development speeds up, the gap between science fiction and what we’re living now is getting narrower all the time."
- Richard Morgan
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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! |
| 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 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
| ESTHER Tennis Robot V. Fact (1934) And Fiction (1952) |
| EELS Exobiology Extant Life Surveyor For Enceladus |
| Helpful Robots In Science Fiction |
| SayCan with PaLM - Google's Robot Helper |
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Science Fiction
Timeline
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'THE red tennis robot scooted desperately across the court...'
'The Consul remembered his first glimpse of the kilometer-long treeship...'
'Do you know what window washing used to cost by the hour?'
'Once the target is confirmed, it uses an IR laser to send a coded signal back to the parent, clearing it to attack.'
'I filled your bullet hole with flesh putty and the lattice.'
'... it will be easy to form an alphabet which shall enable us to converse with the inhabitants of the moon.'
'From the tower's huge octagonal base radiate wide silvery strips...'
'It was about five feet long... a black bullet head and red camera eyes.'
'The Law Society has strict rules on the use of pseudo-intelligent software...'
