Artist Robert Chew imagines a future in which animals of the African plains are combined with robots to make insanely cool poaching prevention machines. The bad news is that in the future some human beings are still dicks, the good news is that there are will be any exotic animals left to poach at all.
Big Five Part Five
Following this week’s news that the West African Lion is now truly on the brink of extinction, it’s important to take a moment to reflect on what we’re doing to the fragile natural world around us (especially when reflecting involves a robot-rhino hybrid.) Chew’s bad-ass Big Five series imagines a Serengeti in the future where animals of the African plains are combined with robots to aid rangers in their battle against poachers.
Big Five Part 1
As sad as we are that humans won’t be respectful stewards of the natural world even in our wildest futuristic fantasies, the sheer awesomeness of Chew’s robots-Wild Dog, Vulture, Rhino, and Elephants, to name a few- make up for it, and we’re glad to hear that rangers of the future have such finely-honed instruments at their disposal.
Big Five Part 4
Chew’s prints comes with a small write-up about the functions of each robot. For instance, in an excerpt on his fearsome White-Black Vulture Robots Chew writes,
Vultures patrol protection zones providing aerial recon and basic first aid capabilities…Vultures also serve as locators for tagged ivory and rhino horn. By locating signals from planted GPS units Vultures can help anti-poaching units and law enforcement locate the contraband and hopefully the poachers as well.
White-Black Vulture
If Chew’s imaginative take on endangered species seems like an impractical way to solve a pressing problem, you’re wrong/don’t care about robots. One hundred percent of the proceeds from Chew’s pictures will go towards the International Anti-Poaching Foundation and are also available as prints.
Big Five Part 2
You should probably consider getting some, unless you like the taste of ivory: Rhinobots are coming for you.
(via io9, photo credit via Robert Chew)
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