This robotic plant can go on walkabout whenever it pleases. It was created by the Mexican artist Gilberto Esparza, who specializes in thought-provoking robot creations, as well as mechanical sculptures.
The Plantas Nomadas robot plant is part robot, part plant. I guess that’s kind of obvious from the name. It’s nomadic and it can walk about, slurping water from contaminated rivers to keep itself going. Thanks to a microbial fuel cell, the elements of the contaminated water are decomposed and turned into energy, that will feed the “brain” behind this robot.
It’s definitely an interesting concept. I wonder why they don’t make thousands of these and release them into the wild to help clean up the environment.
If you’d like to check it out in person (and happen to live in Spain), you can see Plantas Nomadas at Laboral, Gijón (Spain) through June, 7, 2010.
[via We Make Money Not Art via Good]
