Flesh Eating Robots

No, that’s not the title of a new Troma Entertainment movie, but it sure sounds like one.  Rather, it’s a breakthrough in energy production a la the Wakowski Brothers and their crazy human battery idea.  Turns out as bacteria digest organic compounds, they produce CO2, water, and you guessed it energy.  With bio fuel cells we can now harness some of this energy as electricity, essentially making a living battery if you will, just like our evil robot overlords will do in the future.  See diagram below:

Actually the science is pretty amazing considering the usefulness of self-sustaining machinery and a renewable energy source.  Right now there are just a few inventions out there making use of bio fuel cells. 

Pest Control

And the Military

However, in industrial nations like ours that has a huge amount of organic waste, I think we may see something similar to Doc Brown’s “Mister Fusion” in Back to the Future II—though obviously not as powerful and more green.

Imagine for a moment if your trash bin was a large bio fuel cell wired into your home’s electrical system. It may not be the most efficient power source right now, but it’s certainly something worth exploring.