--- title: "The military made a robot that can eat organisms for fuel" description: "This DARPA-funded program for robots that can eat living matter for fuel was christened with the acronym EATR." date: "2018-11-01" modified: "2024-02-20" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/robots-that-eat-people/" categories: - "Military News" - "Technology" tags: - "Technology" --- # The military made a robot that can eat organisms for fuel ![organic fuel robot eating EATER]() *Nothing to fear here. (DARPA)* "We completely understand the public's concern about futuristic robots feeding on the human population, but that is not our mission," is a sentence no one should ever have had to say. That was Harry Schoell, CEO of Cyclone Technologies, one of the companies making this robot, after a panic-filled scientific world started rumors of corpse-eating (or live human-eating) robots. This robot was then given the appropriate acronym, EATR (Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot). ![organic eating robot typing]() *Which is exactly the kind of name a sentient robot would give its startup.* The project began in 2003 and was a DARPA-funded venture between Cyclone Power Technologies and Robotic Technology, Inc. It was designed for long-range operations that also require extreme endurance, but its designers stressed that it could provide material support to units requiring intensive labor or just by carrying the unit's packs. They also designed it for reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition, as well as casualty extraction. ![organic eating robots at work]() *A fox is guarding this henhouse.* Before we all go crazy—this is an old story, [so the internet already went crazy]()—but still, the desecration of corpses is specifically forbidden by the Geneva Conventions. So the military (likely) won't be using it for that purpose, if it ever uses it at all. The designers of the Phase I engine emphasized that the robot is not intended to consume the dead. Instead, it runs on "fuel no scarier than twigs, grass clippings, and wood chips—small, plant-based items." Moreover, Cyclone and RTI swear this robot is [strictly a vegetarian](). The only problem with that is how many times we've watched a vegan/vegetarian order a meat-dipped meat pizza slice with extra cheese after six hours of drinking. As of April 2009, RTI estimated that 150 pounds of biofuel vegetation could provide sufficient energy to drive a vehicle 100 miles. The second phase of the project will have the engine determine which materials are suitable (edible) for conversion into fuel, locate those materials, and then ingest them. Basically, the plan is for the machine to learn to eat on its own whenever it's hungry. ![organic eating robot joaquin phoenix]() *Sadly, it will never learn to love Joaquin Phoenix. (Warner Bros.)* The final phase will determine the military or civil applications a robot that can feed itself by living off the land will actually have, as well as where such a system can be successfully installed. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty ##### • [5 terrifying things US troops faced in Vietnam’s jungles]() ##### • [The Army’s new retention play means less cash but more career control in 2026]() ##### • [Naval Combat Demolition Units and the sailors who made D-Day possible]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()