This Tree-Pruning Robot Wields a Chainsaw

Robots wielding dangerous weapons never seems like a good idea, but that doesn’t stop engineers from continuing to create them. Case in point, this “Pruning Robot With a Power-Saving Chainsaw Drive.” It was developed by roboticists Yasuhiko Ishigure, Katsuyuki Hirai, and Haruhisa Kawasaki, and is capable of not only climbing up trees, but dismembering them without human intervention. The robot can spiral its way up tree trunks ranging from 2.3 to 9.8 inches in diameter, and easily lops of limbs up to about two inches in diameter. It doesn’t matter how much smooth jazz you play as it tears up the tree, slicing off branches. It’s still a deadly machine. While the machine could definitely reduce the need for human labor, the fact that it can climb and slice limbs seems like a horror movie waiting to happen. Imagine what this thing could do if it latched onto your leg. Eesh.

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