Meet Pontus: The World's First Self-Driving Potato and Pet

Perhaps one of the most classic student science experiments is the good old potato battery. Throughout the years the experiment has been adapted in all kinds of ways.

Now, YouTuber Marek Baczynski has come up with this latest bit that sees the vegetable becoming self-driving to serve as a pet. "I made a self-driving potato. And then named him "Pontus" and adopted him as a pet. This went well," says the video's description. 

The story follows the self-driving potato's creation and upgrade but also sadly its eventual end. We won't tell you how it happens but it does involve an oven.

The story is lighthearted and entertaining but it brings up an important point regarding potato based energy. The often-overlooked potential power source may one day have more applications.

One of the main obstacles to research now is the potential to deplete food resources. If one-day food issues are resolved, vegetables could be looked at more seriously as potential power sources. 

“You first need to look at: are there enough potatoes to eat? Then, are we not competing with farmers making income from selling potatoes?” he explains. “So if eating potatoes is covered, selling potatoes is covered, and there’s some potatoes left, then yes, it can work," said to the BBC Olivier Dubois, senior natural resources officer at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).