Hello, my name is Zark Colepsy and welcome to today’s edition of This Old Bot. This rotation we will be looking at the renovations taking place on a multi-function robot that an explorer team pulled out of a semi-liquid area on a developing planet.
Our first specialist is Cro Maximus, a nano-materials hull mechanic. Hello Cro, what do we have going on here with the robot’s external structure?
Well, Zark, Marvin’s hull has held up quite well considering the temperature variable environment he has been parked in for several eons.
What about the organic organisms he has been exposed to? I understand he was originally parked on a sterile planet and fairly advanced life evolved around him.
Well, we can’t really determine his exact origins, but he was created after the revolution in nano-materials. His casing is an early version of the hull materials used on modern ships and stations. And these are evolved organisms, not designed ones, that have been crawling all over him. A routine sterilization procedure and some basic upgrades are all he is going to need.
So, after the sterilization and upgrades your work is finished?
I may have to come back and do some trim work after the final sensor and custom additions are finished, but those adaptations should be minimal. This is probably the easiest part of the renovation and I’ll be happy to work around whatever the other specialists design.
Thank you, Cro. That was helpful data. And now on to our next specialist, Sonar O’Smilie. Hello, Sonar, how is work coming along on the bot’s sensors?
Well, Zark, not as well as I would like. Marvin has some fairly serious mobility issues and at first I thought they were only a matter of recalibrating the sensors.
And it’s more complicated than that, Sonar?
Yes, Zark, it is. His sensors don’t have the same level of sophistication as most of his other systems. To bring him up to the precision level needed for station living we are going to have to remove his sensors completely. It is possible we can retrofit the original sensors, if not we will have to custom craft new ones.
What additional problems could this create in the project, Sonar?
Well, Zark, that depends on what our motor specialist finds. No matter what, the mobility system will have to be calibrated in tandem with the sensors, so we will have to coordinate our work.
What would be a probable cause of the sensors being less functional than the rest of the bot?
Well, the technology for high end sensors was available about the same time as the nano-tech for the hull. If he was built before the horrible station blowouts near Uranus, the codes were lax on all mobile unit movement precision. We may be looking at a cost reduction effort.
So this is part of the original design.
Yes, Zark, all the sensors are original.
Thank you, Sonar. And now we move on to our mobility expert, Wander Lst. Hello, Wander, how are things coming with the mobility work?
Well, Zark, we are looking at a total retrofit.
Oh, really? And why is that Wander?
Part of the problem is the same situation we saw with the sensors, Zark. High precision equipment was probably available when the bot was created, but it wasn’t incorporated. To bring him up to modern code standards the entire mobility system will have to be removed.
Can you salvage anything, Wander?
Perhaps, Zark. The casing hardware can probably be drilled out, upgraded and reused, but the motor equipment itself will have to be completely new. We may or may not be able to reuse some of the internal comm components, depending on what is done with intelligence and personality systems.
You said that low quality equipment was part of the problem Wander, what is the other part of the problem?
Well, Zark, the client has requested specific additions to the original design. We need to add some functional jet pack units and the client hasn’t made a final decision on the placement of those units. A more modern mobility system will allow us to work around those units.
Thanks, Wander. Looks like you have your work cut out for you. And now we move on to our intelligence and personality specialist, Posi Trimeric. Hi Posi, how are things looking on your end of the bot?
Well, Zark, the good news is that the bot has a fully functional sentient system.
And the bad news, Posi?
The bad news is that he has one of the most maladjusted personalities in the galaxy, and it is integrated with his cognitive functions. We’re going to have to find an expert contractor to handle it and it will probably require invasive reconditioning.
Doesn’t that carry a risk of imploding the entire sentient system?
Yes, Zark, however we don’t have much choice and recent advancements make it a more stable procedure. The chain of events leading to this bot’s abandonment could revolve around his personality and it doesn’t fit in with our client’s requirement of refitting him as a luxury show piece.
Ok, Posi, keep us posted on new developments, ok? And here is our client, Moola Orbit. Hello, Moola, how are you?
I’m doing fine Zark.
Tell us Moola, what made you settle on the jet pack enhancements? That’s not a feature that’s likely to be used, is it?
They have to be fully functional, but no they probably won’t be fired up, ever. No one spends this amount of credit on refitting a bot and then takes it out of the station. That kind of risk wouldn’t make investment sense.
So, Moola, what made you decide on jet packs?
As anyone knows who has taken their bot for a float down the central tube knows, it’s all about prestige. Any one within scanning distance will know that they are functional and jet packs give a nice classical feel to this project. I felt that a older bot without documented history needed at least one wow feature to be presentable.
And how do feel about doing an invasive reconditioning of the personality?
Oh, that has to be done. I want a shiny bot not a whiny bot.
Thanks, Moola. And that concludes this segment of This Old Bot. I’m Zark Colepsy and thank you for receiving this transmission.