<![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires - io9 Comments]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires - io9 Comments]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Freddie Freelance: Arm bears! :D

Silver_Back

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> Wow - Maximilian (The Black Hole) times a gazillion.

I'll be quitting my day job immediately when this hits production. (for firefighter training of course)

avconsumer

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> The saw blades seem to be upside down. Is there anything connecting his legs to the torso?

Bloodboiler

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Silver_Back: Aaaah, the inalienable right to arm bears!

Freddie Freelance

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> You know just outfitting Smokey the Bear with chainsaw hands and a water hose on his back will save all our forests!

Silver_Back

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @monkity: That's only IF it gets made. As it is, there are reports of the army's robots turning their guns on people by accident. Perhaps we could cross this w/Iron Man and get a suit worn BY forest rangers and firefighters to fight fires. Enhanced strength powered by the atom and guided by years of experience. I for one will welcome our smoke eating overlords.

Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Charlie Jane Anders: And in all reality, the Giz article didn't give all the pictures you did. I never realized it had articulated arms in addition to it's "tree hugging" arms.

Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> Way to put a lot of frakkin' forest rangers and firefighters out of work!

If that is, the huge-ass dollar sign can be overcome. Lookit how hard it is for most states to find the funds for a few more sprinkler helicopters!

monkity

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @russdanger:

Yeah, the Davy was pretty feeble, but at least it only killed people if you actually used it. The Plutos were supposed to fly figure-eights out over the pacific until needed - speweing radiation at mach 6 the whole time...

-Kle.

Klebert L. Hall

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Git Em SteveDave:

"The way to "deal" with them is to let them burn."

I agree with you. That idea is unacceptable to the majority of the electorate, however.

As long as we seem determined to fight these fires though, it would behoove us to do it less stupidly.
-Kle.

Klebert L. Hall

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Charlie Jane Anders: I second the don't sweat it vote.. some of us don't spend time of Giz... so I have no problem with items from there posted over here...

DocGratis

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> Definitely cool, but I have 2 questions.
First of all, would it be piloted, remote control, or A.I. driven?
Second, and far more importantly, can it transform? I will accept either transforming into a vehicle, or combining with 4 similar color-coded models to form a Godzilla fighting unit. In the latter case, it must also have a chainsaw sword.

Tiber

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Klebert L. Hall:

Dumb.

But I think I can top it:

[en.wikipedia.org]

As close to a nuclear hand-grenade as you can get.

russdanger

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> "Oh god, the whole forest is on fire. SAVE ME FOREST FIGHTING ROBOT."

Queue Forest Fighting Robot bursting from flame-encrusted trees, reaching with giant saw arms to 'save' puny human. Queue gristly, horrible screaming.

Evdor

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> Can I get a copy of that model? that would look great on my TV next to Wolverine in my nerd shrine.

ggodo

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Git Em SteveDave: Thanks! Yeah, the flashlight nipples are pretty fantastic.

Charlie Jane Anders

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Charlie Jane Anders: With all the great work you've done, I understand, and so should everyone else::hint::, and cut you some slack. The only reason I remembered is I commented on it, and I dug the flashlight nipples of our saw-weilding overlords.

Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Klebert L. Hall: The way to "deal" with them is to let them burn. Yes, the land is "scarred", but only because the amount of wood that is allowed to accumulate causes a fire that eventually happens to burn very hot, and sterilize the ground. If we let nature take it's course, the forest would re-populate naturally, and make future fires drastically less intense.

As to the idiots who build their homes in the middle of the woods, guess what, your house may burn. I hate when there is a fire approaching, people know it, and only evacuate when told to. They then stand in front of the cameras by their burned homes and say how they lost everything like photos and things. If you live where fires will be the natural disaster which can hurt your home, prepare your "important" stuff to be moved at the first sign of trouble. A moving trailer w/ run flat tires is a small investment if you can move most of your non-replaceable things quickly. Even better, prepare your home to withstand a fire. Make a ~200 foot fire break around your home. Build a cistern to store water. Hook said cistern to a generator powered sprinkler system on your home. When the fire comes, the system can prevent embers from starting fires on your homes surface and also lowers the temp surrounding your home, thus preventing heat flaming. The fire break insures nothing except the grass can burn, so not much can fall on/burn your home. /rant

Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Git Em SteveDave: Thanks... I guess they didn't mention Jordan Guelde by name, and that's how I missed it.

Charlie Jane Anders

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Charlie Jane Anders:
[gizmodo.com]

I will say again, bipedal is not the way to go. A tracked vehicle can cut and plow a fire break in one fell swoop. Can this even handle inclines?

Git Em SteveDave has a new Lego set

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> I have always envisioned mechs for two things other then warfare (wich lets face it, its not very constructive): Firefighting and of course Construction (heavy lifting, anyone? Why Cranes when you can have Walking Bipedal Cranes!? Think about it!).

Happy to see someone realizing the potential of having a bipedal humanoid fighting forest fires, wich let me assure you, are Hell on Earth.

My own country of Portugal burned quite severely a few years back and the land is still scared from those events... that truly was a dreadful summer, as we could only watch and do nothing while the forests became the surface of the moon, waking up to an orange sunrise every day for over a week.

Shiryu

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> Nothing like this is ever going to be built. Why? Because we refuse to deal seriously with forest fires now, and nobody wants to spend the money.

We could (and should) easily have forest fire-fighting machines based on military engineering vehicles, but instead, we send in people on foot with chainsaws. It's madness.

Wouldn't be a bad idea to have a federal forest-fire-fighting service, with real equipment and dedicated water bombers either. It would probably get lots of volunteers who are attracted to government service, but don't fancy the military, too.

@russdanger:

Hah - if you don't like ALCM, then you'll love not liking this: [en.wikipedia.org]

Most hilarious military project ever.
-Kle.

Klebert L. Hall

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @Rhainor: Actually I searched on Gizmodo before I posted this, and I didn't see it.

Charlie Jane Anders

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> I, for one, welcome our fire-fighting robot overlords.

ron2112

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> Just don't piss off the Iron Giant.

SigmundTheSeaMonster

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> He's a robot lumberjack and he's okay.

TheGreat&PowerfulTurtle

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]>

What could be worse? A flying robot with a thermonuclear bomb for a head maybe...
Oh wait...

[en.wikipedia.org]

Ugh...

russdanger

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> @DSTRYA: You aren't a real wood worker until you've cut a finger off! I can hear it now from Robo-lumberjack, "Yeah, you're not a real Robo-jack until you've 'accidently' cut a human in half."

Jeff-Minor

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> This was on Gizmodo a while back. Whassa matter, you don't read your sibling sites?

BTW, I know of a group that's trying to do this (or something like it) for real. Check out Mechanized Propulsion Systems:
[www.mechaps.com]

Rhainor

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> *Russdanger claps hand on forehead and groans...*

Isn't the Robot Menace enough for the Human Race to deal with WITHOUT ARMING THEM TO DESTROY OUR LAST FIVE TREES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

russdanger

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> Having know a smoke jumper (the firefighters who parachute into remote areas to fight forest fires) and hearing his stories, I welcome the fire fighting robot...

DocGratis

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> That's no firefighting bot, that's a herald of the apocalypse.

carterbaldwin

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> It's strange to see a real life version of something that will kill Hank and Dean Venture.

"Time to ready the clones, Brock."

ManchuCandidate

]]> <![CDATA[Only A Giant Killer Robot Can Prevent Forest Fires]]> dear science nerds: please avoid giving robots arms that could saw a human in half. after hundreds of years of sawmill accidents and dad's lopping off their thumbs w/ circ saws, i'd venture a guess that we shouldn't give those thing legs. Thanks!

DSTRYA

]]>