something that can somehow find noteworthy life in a chosen area... anything from a collapsed building...
"Yep. There are squatters in there..."
That isn't easy to weaponize!
Wind/Tidal/Solar/Biofuel are all cheap, clean and renewable (Biofuel is clean if you balance the carbon output with growing new trees/plants).
But not necessarily efficient.
And I suppose you could maybe somehow weaponise them...?
Telepathic communication would be cool.
I'm not thinking of like "Oh wouldn't it be cool if we evolved" style.
Say, an item that picks up brain signals and can translate them, broadcast to other items and convert to a stimuli for the recipient?
Would be interesting. Probably a little easy to abuse.