Robot craftsmen James Auger and Jimmy Loizeau, of the Royal College of Art in London, believe that robots should be as seamlessly integrated into your living space as any other piece of furniture or adornment.  Thus, they have created "robot furniture," that go a step beyond merely having simple functions, and power themselves on trapped vermin, such as houseflies.

There are five different models, ranging from a fly-gobbling lamp, a mouse-nibbling table, and a flypaper-enabled wall clock.  The robots "digest" the pesky vermin, and the resulting chemical reaction enables the robots to power themselves.  The lamp, pictured below, mimics nature's meat-eating plants by activating only at night.

Rather than consuming extra power to put out a bug zapper or an energy gobbling porch light, why not save energy and control pests with one of these lamps?  What do you think of these revolutionary robots?  Innovative and green, or cruel to flies?

[Via New Scientist]

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