The future will be full of robots doing our bidding. But how are we going to power so many of these things? Thankfully, a couple of British researchers are working on powering them with pee.

The researchers at the University of West of England and University of Bristol invented a pee-powered robot heart, which is actually a microbial fuel cell. It feeds upon urine to generate electricity.

The best part? It doesn't have to be entirely pee. It can use liquid waste from rotten fruits, to dead flies or sewer sludge as well. Microbes within the robot heart break down the waste and electrodes collect the energy generated as the microbes eat.

The Bristol-based researchers are also looking at a number of ways to improve efficiency as this first prototype robot heart was designed more as a proof of concept than anything else.

The concept is being backed by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. Will the robots of the future be powered by pee? What do you think?

[IOP Science, via Phys.org]