io9: mining

Fracking Is Destroying the Earth - And Not in the Fun Way

Annalee Newitz — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:57:29 PDT

Apparently the word "fracking" isn't just a Battlestar Galactica curse that means sexytime. It's also a term that comes from mining, and refers to an unregulated (in the US) practice of pumping chemical-laced liquids underground at high pressure to help bring gasses to the surface. Sounds scary. Apparently people living in the vicinity of frack operations have found that it dramatically affects aquifers, messing with water pressure and making shower water mildly toxic. via Treehugger

Meet Your New Robot Overlord: The Autonomous Mining Truck

Annalee Newitz — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 10:22:27 PDT

So you already know about autonomous aerial vehicles being used in combat and surveillance — they're little planes that look almost like toys. Not so with the next generation of autonomous vehicles. A group of researchers at Carnegie Mellon have just won a contract to create a robotic system that would make this badass 797B Caterpillar mining vehicle into an autonomous hulk with no driver on board. This is clearly one of Skynet's minions in the making.

The 797B weighs 1,375,000 pounds, which means it can pulverize you and your whole gang of ninjas with no effort at all. This gives you a sense of the scale, with a human about half the size of one of its tyres:

Here is the Cat 3524B engine, below, which powers our mega-robot.

And here is a schematic showing how the already-computer-operated controls function. Presumably, the Carnegie Mellon team will create a way to control these computers wirelessly so that a remote operator can push the start button. If you want to see more, you can download a PDF with tons of information about the 797B from Caterpillar.

Generally, the 797B is used in mining operations purely as a hauler. It can haul 380 tons of rock at up to 42 mph. Imagine what would happen if the 797B got pissed that you weren't respecting its robot rights — that's 380 tons of rock moving toward your face at a pretty high velocity. So mind your manners, and always say please and thank you when dealing with the autonomous 797B, which will be hitting the market in 2010.

Images via Caterpillar.

You Call That a UGV? This is a UGV [via Ares]

Planet-Mining And Giant Parasites In "Dead Space"

Kevin Kelly — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:00:31 PST

Dead Space, a new game from Electronic Arts, brings parasitic "we want to kill you, kill you, kill you" aliens back into fashion just in time for next Halloween. In the far future, humans have depleted all of the natural resources on Earth, so private corporations begin sending out enormous ships called "Planetcrackers" that carve off enormous chunks of planets, and then mine them down to their bare essentials. Of course, as often happens in these games, this pisses off an "ancient and malevolent force" who decides to start unleashing hell. In space.

You play through the game as weaponless systems engineer Isaac Clarke aboard the USG Ishimura, and not only to you have to survive the onslaught of demon hordes out in space, but you also have to seal up their doorway so they can't get back out. All in a day's work. It seems like spacefaring folks don't ever have things go that well. Just ask anyone in the Doom universe. However, we sure wouldn't mind having a Planetcracker to fly around.

All Your Precious Little Moon Minerals Belong On This Carrier

Kevin Kelly — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:30:17 PST

Somewhere between the Eagle from Space: 1999 and the Resurrection Ship from Battlestar Galactica lies Oliver Scholl's conceptual design for a space carrier, from for the movie Moon 44. While it seems to be an unwritten rule that designers need to stick sharp spires on one end of a ship, and massive engines on the other which don't really matter outside of gravity, the piece fills the gap between usefulness and artistry. Click through for more info.

This was the first film Scholl had ever worked on, and he found himself hooked. He just finished production design for Jumper, and has worked on everything from Batman Forever to The Time Machine.

Moon 44, Roland Emmerich's first science fiction film, involved robot miners being hijacked for their precious mineral cargo. In an act of desperation, the mining corporation sends a band of hardened criminals to defend them, and of course things don't go that well. Let's see: robots, expensive minerals, and criminals. Sure sounds like a recipe for success.