Tech
Slug-eating robot chomping at the bits
A slug-eating robot, protruding an extendable arm with a big claw on the end, could soon be catching small slimy creatures across Britain.The four-wheeled SlugBot, capable of identifying slugs and capturing them with its extendable arm, has taken several years to perfect.
A slug-eating robot, protruding an extendable arm with a big claw on the end, could soon be catching small slimy creatures across Britain.
The four-wheeled SlugBot, capable of identifying slugs and capturing them with its extendable arm, has taken several years to perfect. It uses image sensors to distinguish between slugs, snails and worms--a red light shone on the creatures helps identify the slugs, whose mucus layer shows up brightly in the light.
The robot was developed by researchers at the University of the West of England in Bristol. It is estimated that there are as many as 200 slugs in every square meter of winter wheat in Britain. --Graeme Wearden, ZDNet UK