This solar-powered partially biodegradable crop circle-making robot is equipped with a GPS receiver and USB interface. Using the software from the accompanying CD, upload the desired pattern (create your own or buy cute patterns at the website for $14.99 each).
Once the job is done, the robot turns off and burns the electronics/propulsion parts, letting the rest to be devoured by microbes and small insects, leaving the origins of the pattern a mystery!-- xipetotec, Sep 26 2007 Roomba Development Toolkit Roomba_20Development_20ToolkitRoomba could be used to make crop circles [ed, Sep 26 2007] Who need aliens!-- flynn, Sep 26 2007 How about creating a new form of phenomenon: the Robin Hood crop robot, which uproots small amounts of grain from different places so it is barely noticed and then travels round the globe using a combination of helium/solar/mojo to a village where the people are hungry, and plants it in an interesting pattern.-- marklar, Sep 26 2007 I thought the Roomba could be modified for doing this (see link). But a robot that decomposes is much more interesting.
Perhaps the robot could break down into fertilizing chemicals, to help new crops grow after everyone has documented the phenomenon.-- ed, Sep 26 2007 [bigsleep]And the Anti Crop Circle Maker Robot Robots could be made by a secretly-controlled daughter company of the Crop Circle Maker Robot maker. <Evil Laugh>
[21 Quest]The robot wouldn't destroy too much crops -- within the regular loss to pests/harvester inefficiency/etc. Besides, it's not like there's a shortage of food on the planet -- there's more of a distribution problem to which the crop circles may drive some needed public attention.
[ed]Also, the robot can carry some nightcrawlers, releasing them along the way to improve the soil.-- xipetotec, Sep 26 2007 [Marklar] is a genious. sp?-- zeno, Sep 26 2007 random, halfbakery