While this may not be the most Fortean thing that ever happened, it IS a pretty interesting coincidence. It is not the first time I have thought about this, nor the first time anyone else has thought of it or talked about it, either! BUT:
Last night, at bed time, I found myself thinking about (again) .... (seemingly totally randomly chosen thing to think about)...the idea of somebody creating a robot that would wander through people's yards, neighborhoods, parks or whereever, and sustain itself the way an insect or animal does: by consuming grass, fallen leaves, whatever it might find that would be compostable, and turning it into fuel to burn to keep itself going. If done right, it could theoretically go months or years this way (at least until somebody kicked it or ran over it while it crossed a street or driveway or something). It could send back video to "home base" and maybe also have the option to be remotely controlled at will instead of being totally autonomous.
So, I see THIS article on the web TODAY: