"Clear Cut Robot"

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/giant-robot-fights-forest-fires.php?dcitc=TH_rotator I was told by my flat mate to check this new concept out for fighting forest fires. Basically, this is a huge 30 foot machine designed for clear cutting swathes of forest down to prevent more from catching fire. As far as I can tell this design has not properly taken shape and I cant find a small prototype anywhere. However, the idea behind this is so ambitious I loved it anyway, it looks like a transformer for a start so I was immediately bought.

There is a double edged view of something like this for me. In one sense it could be a fantastic step forward in robotics, engineering and safety. Or, it could be used to simply remove more forests at an unsustainable rate. Or even be used as a weapon, cutting down buildings or mounted with ballistics etc. This is all very fantastical however. But I am exited to see the push for this sort of thing and we as humans will use it in as many ways as we can - look at the nuclear bomb for instance. Nuclear power made as an energy solution and used as an end to so many lives.