Breeze: because robotic trees are better

As any mad scientist can tell you, all things natural can be improved upon through robotics. In homage to this axiom we bring you the robotic tree, Breeze, the horrific robotonous embodiment of juvenescent nightmares. Described as an ambient robot inhabiting the body of a Japanese Maple, Breeze can "visually sense" and react "allowing her to reach out to you and others whenever you are near." Its "subtle and artistic" movement is created through Nitinol wires which flex like muscles when electrical current is applied. Of course, it's only a matter of time until DARPA advances the technology into a forest of seemingly passive attack trees with razor sharp leaves and poisonous needles. Lorax, can you look into this... Lorax?

[Via Robot Gossip]

[lincoln @ Jul 10th 2006 8:24AM]

next thing ya know it will be leanin over saying feed me into your ear

[David Muszynski @ Jul 10th 2006 8:40AM]

I for one welcome our foliage covered robotic overlords!

[Wonderboy @ Jul 10th 2006 8:51AM]

I thought that was a benefit of plants over pets... they don't rub against your leg... or in this case, your exposed neck.

[insane @ Jul 10th 2006 8:51AM]

can it be use to ward off cops who come and try to snatch my crops?

[Daren @ Jul 10th 2006 8:51AM]

I can see it now... the old wives tale will change in the furture (said, if you talk to your plants they will grow bigger) to; if you talk to your plants, it will talk back...

[Tulio @ Jul 10th 2006 9:02AM]

This would be much better than those plastic fake trees you see in office buildings.

I could see this being big in corporations. Especially, in the main waiting room. This will give new life to fake trees everywhere as long as the price is not high.

[Sheldon @ Jul 10th 2006 9:20AM]

but can they be disolved with sea water?

[Toby Piller @ Jul 10th 2006 9:56AM]

so I now have 1 EMP gun, 1 microwave ray gun, a massive napalm flame thrower and a "portable" thermal nuclear missle launcher (baby nuke). yeah I think I'm ready... ready for the uprising.

[Anuj @ Jul 10th 2006 10:13AM]

Cool this thing is awesome now only couple of things more to the terminator.....

[Tim UF @ Jul 10th 2006 10:24AM]

yea, i'm with lincoln on this one. This thing would spur nightmares of Little Shop of Horrors if i could take my eyes off it long enough to sleep, lol.

[Wonderboy @ Jul 10th 2006 10:44AM]

By the way... is that just red lighting, or has someone already fallen victim to the killer tree?

[u07ch @ Jul 10th 2006 11:02AM]

My aibo would SO love a pink tree to play with

[James @ Jul 10th 2006 11:22AM]

you have an Aibo? then the pink tree is definately in your price range ;)

[Dnice808 @ Jul 10th 2006 11:51AM]

I was hoping this article was going in the direction of using the technolgy to tap in to the tree to see if it needed more light to increase photogenesis and in doing so it would use the "stretching" ability to search and find adequate light. Also robotic tech could probably be used to chemically test the trees to alert the owner to know what might be needed to treat the plants year round and to see if there are any stress related chemicals or bugs threatening the health...

[Ken @ Jul 10th 2006 11:58AM]

Is this the same red fern that also starred in "War of the Worlds"? If so, I found it slightly less robotic than Tom Cruise.

[EdZ @ Jul 10th 2006 12:12PM]

Argh, Triffids!

[Andrew @ Jul 10th 2006 12:20PM]

Oh no, I hope you know what this means: self defending pot plants!

[MarkMSF @ Jul 10th 2006 3:25PM]

Looks like the Giving Tree is back- and out of bubblegum.

[CelestialReasoning @ Jul 10th 2006 3:51PM]

"but can they be disolved with sea water?

Posted at 9:20AM on Jul 10th 2006 by Sheldon [ ! ]"

Wow! A reference to "Day of the Triffids".

Impressive.

[Rick @ Jul 10th 2006 7:04PM]

After 5 minutes of looking at the picture for smoked blunts and/or wafting potsmoke (and finding none), I'm still convinced that this is a picture from Spencer Gift's R&D..

[Jill Coffin @ Jul 26th 2006 10:06PM]

Documentation also at:

http://www.ife.ee.ethz.ch/~jill/robotany/