Ok using JTAS #2-5 or Book 8 I'm looking to turn out some TL 9, TL A & TL C 0g mining robot designs I'm thinking (Large?) human sized, Grav powered, two arms, 0g manurer package, built in Mining Laser, 0g Envron & Cargo Handling software. What else? Searchlights, Sensor packages, 500km Radio, Electronic Circuit Protection. Cost will be an issue for most designs but I'm wiling to have a "Premium" design for each TL.
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CT Only: Building Mining Robot
- Thread starter Sir Brad
- Start date
Ok been tinkering with TL9 robots in both Mining and Prospecting Functions, the Miners end up being little better than voice operated RPVs, so I've added in a Slave unit so a more derelict hand can be taken by operators if need be.
price comes to just short of 200K without circuit protection if I was to practice power shedding and make the robot dumber I could save perhaps 2K
I've got the "Rock Hound-9"
URP: 6140E-52-FL112-N412
Mass:234.5kg, Thrust: 400Kg
Fule:25Kg, 8hrs 20min duration in Vacuum, 3d 11hr 20min duration in Atmo
Cr: 189,550
TL: 9
30/75 (Cloth)
Head 5%
2 X Med Arm
2 X Basic Optical
Basic Audio
Voder
Spotlight
0g Manurer Package (Uses waste exhaust as Reaction Mass)
500km Radio
Slave unit
Laser Welder/Mining Laser
29L/165.5Kg cargo
0g Operations 1
Cargo Handling 1
price comes to just short of 200K without circuit protection if I was to practice power shedding and make the robot dumber I could save perhaps 2K
I've got the "Rock Hound-9"
URP: 6140E-52-FL112-N412
Mass:234.5kg, Thrust: 400Kg
Fule:25Kg, 8hrs 20min duration in Vacuum, 3d 11hr 20min duration in Atmo
Cr: 189,550
TL: 9
30/75 (Cloth)
Head 5%
2 X Med Arm
2 X Basic Optical
Basic Audio
Voder
Spotlight
0g Manurer Package (Uses waste exhaust as Reaction Mass)
500km Radio
Slave unit
Laser Welder/Mining Laser
29L/165.5Kg cargo
0g Operations 1
Cargo Handling 1
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any tips on improving the Rock Hound-9 without blowing out the costs too far?
I was thinking of two more Parallel CPU slots to beef up the INT and leave it open for upgraded software and perhaps more storage to hold those extra programs and improve the Edu.
Hardware wise there are a lot of Sensor options that won't help the robot in it's primary role, but would help a Belter use it as a remote sensor drone, so I'll leave them as after market options (it dose have the power to spare especially with rationing).
working on a Prospecting robot built with the same Chassis & P-Plant, better brain & sensors and perhaps a few extras, will have to use power rationing though.
Edit: If i rip the Bot Brain out of it and make it a pure RPV the price comes down to 29,750
I was thinking of two more Parallel CPU slots to beef up the INT and leave it open for upgraded software and perhaps more storage to hold those extra programs and improve the Edu.
Hardware wise there are a lot of Sensor options that won't help the robot in it's primary role, but would help a Belter use it as a remote sensor drone, so I'll leave them as after market options (it dose have the power to spare especially with rationing).
working on a Prospecting robot built with the same Chassis & P-Plant, better brain & sensors and perhaps a few extras, will have to use power rationing though.
Edit: If i rip the Bot Brain out of it and make it a pure RPV the price comes down to 29,750
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and now the Fluff Text.
Rock Hound-9, Robot, A product of Bowman Cybernetics, A revision and product improved version of the Ax Mining RPV first produced by the now defunct Bowman Remote Systems. The Rock Hound includes a Cybernetic Psudo-Intelligence capable of very limited autonomous functioning within a restricted programming and logic function. The Rock Hound requires a moderate to high level of trained supervision to function under normal cirmstiances and contains a Slave module allowing it to be used as an RPV when necessary.
The Rock Hound is reprecentive and functionally identical to numerous other Tech Level 9 0g Mining Robots found throughout explored space. As well as being equipped to function in a Microgravity environment it is equipped with Grav modules to allow it to function as a Ore and Cargo handling unit when under Gravity, the Grav modules also allow the robot to conserve reaction mass when working on or around large objects that excerpt some appreciable level of Gravitational force, an other wise decision of the designer was to recycle the robots fuel cell waste for use as reaction mass.
The Rock Hound has a simple sensor arrangement that is sometimes customised at time of initial assembly and almost always upgraded when funds allow, this gives the operators the ability to use the Rock Hound as a Prospecting RPV with the addition of improved optics as well as Radiation, Magnetic and Mass/Density sensors, an other popular option is to upgrade from Monophonic to Stereophonic audio sensors, though of no benefit in a vacuum, within an atmosphere where sound can propagate it allows for better vocal control and hazard avoidance.
A significant upgrade of the Rock Hound is the Elsdine-9 Prospecting robot , a 33% increase in CPU units effectively doubles the robots Intelligence allowing it to utilise the option of improved software and to carry a Prospecting program as standard that are carried in a 50% expanded memory core, the Elsdine comes standard with all the sensor options that are popular options on the AX and Rock Hound also added is a deployable flat screen monitor that allows the organic operator to view sensor findings without having to refer to their command console.
Rock Hound-9, Robot, A product of Bowman Cybernetics, A revision and product improved version of the Ax Mining RPV first produced by the now defunct Bowman Remote Systems. The Rock Hound includes a Cybernetic Psudo-Intelligence capable of very limited autonomous functioning within a restricted programming and logic function. The Rock Hound requires a moderate to high level of trained supervision to function under normal cirmstiances and contains a Slave module allowing it to be used as an RPV when necessary.
The Rock Hound is reprecentive and functionally identical to numerous other Tech Level 9 0g Mining Robots found throughout explored space. As well as being equipped to function in a Microgravity environment it is equipped with Grav modules to allow it to function as a Ore and Cargo handling unit when under Gravity, the Grav modules also allow the robot to conserve reaction mass when working on or around large objects that excerpt some appreciable level of Gravitational force, an other wise decision of the designer was to recycle the robots fuel cell waste for use as reaction mass.
The Rock Hound has a simple sensor arrangement that is sometimes customised at time of initial assembly and almost always upgraded when funds allow, this gives the operators the ability to use the Rock Hound as a Prospecting RPV with the addition of improved optics as well as Radiation, Magnetic and Mass/Density sensors, an other popular option is to upgrade from Monophonic to Stereophonic audio sensors, though of no benefit in a vacuum, within an atmosphere where sound can propagate it allows for better vocal control and hazard avoidance.
A significant upgrade of the Rock Hound is the Elsdine-9 Prospecting robot , a 33% increase in CPU units effectively doubles the robots Intelligence allowing it to utilise the option of improved software and to carry a Prospecting program as standard that are carried in a 50% expanded memory core, the Elsdine comes standard with all the sensor options that are popular options on the AX and Rock Hound also added is a deployable flat screen monitor that allows the organic operator to view sensor findings without having to refer to their command console.
Sorry, late to the party.
I developed a robot builder that I use. Seems to work OK. Excel based, but works also in OpenOffice, which is a free program:
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=33264
Are you using the latest errata to Book 8? Under the latest errata, the arms have been given a volume. I think this means they're subtracted from the chassis volume, since other than the head any component with volume is subtracted from the chassis volume. It might mean that, like the head, they add to the chassis volume - ergo the storage needed for your robot would be a bit more because of the arms, and you'd have a bit more room. I need to get a clarification on that.
Excluding that, I get a 150-liter Chassis III-B out of your URP, you get another 7.5 liters for the head, with 134.7 liters of stuff inside it, excluding the arm question:
60-liter fuel cell
60 liters in grav suspension (needs 3 units to carry the projected load)
14.7 liter brain
Therefore 22.8 liters fuel for about 76 hours. I get weight as 227.85 kg empty. I'm not sure why we're different, maybe I missed something:
15 kg chassis
95 kg fuel cell
36 kg gravs
3.6 kg brain
3 kg voder
2 kg slave unit
1 kg radio
1 kg spotlight
4 kg zero-G maneuver package
0.75 kg head
0.5 each (total 1 kg) for the two visual sensors
0.5 kg audio sensor
20 each (total 40 kg) for the arms
25 kg laser welder as a mining laser
Hydrogen fuel is another 1.596 kg. With 165.4 kg load, your G's are down to 0.75 and it can't move in a normal 1G field. Can't carry more than about 60 kg. when in a 1G field, but that's only a problem planetside or in the ship's G-field. Anyway:
I get a Type-E fuel cell out of your URP - 50 Kw delivered. I'm getting a total of 61 Kw used:
24 Kw for the gravs,
1 for the brain,
2 for the voder,
2 for the slave unit,
1.5 for the radio,
1 for the spotlight,
1 for the zero-G maneuver package
1.5 for the head
1 (0.5 each) for the two visual sensors
1 for the audio sensor
10 (5 each) for the arms
15 for the laser welder
It's not clear whether you're using one E cell or two, but one F cell would provide the power needed with less volume used than two E's, though of course it cuts your fuel, so you might want to grow the head a bit to get room for more fuel.
Add: Oh, forgot one point. Any robot using a grav-based propulsion automatically has a dexterity of 15; see Book 8 under The Universal Robot Profile.
I developed a robot builder that I use. Seems to work OK. Excel based, but works also in OpenOffice, which is a free program:
http://www.travellerrpg.com/CotI/Discuss/showthread.php?t=33264
Are you using the latest errata to Book 8? Under the latest errata, the arms have been given a volume. I think this means they're subtracted from the chassis volume, since other than the head any component with volume is subtracted from the chassis volume. It might mean that, like the head, they add to the chassis volume - ergo the storage needed for your robot would be a bit more because of the arms, and you'd have a bit more room. I need to get a clarification on that.
Excluding that, I get a 150-liter Chassis III-B out of your URP, you get another 7.5 liters for the head, with 134.7 liters of stuff inside it, excluding the arm question:
60-liter fuel cell
60 liters in grav suspension (needs 3 units to carry the projected load)
14.7 liter brain
Therefore 22.8 liters fuel for about 76 hours. I get weight as 227.85 kg empty. I'm not sure why we're different, maybe I missed something:
15 kg chassis
95 kg fuel cell
36 kg gravs
3.6 kg brain
3 kg voder
2 kg slave unit
1 kg radio
1 kg spotlight
4 kg zero-G maneuver package
0.75 kg head
0.5 each (total 1 kg) for the two visual sensors
0.5 kg audio sensor
20 each (total 40 kg) for the arms
25 kg laser welder as a mining laser
Hydrogen fuel is another 1.596 kg. With 165.4 kg load, your G's are down to 0.75 and it can't move in a normal 1G field. Can't carry more than about 60 kg. when in a 1G field, but that's only a problem planetside or in the ship's G-field. Anyway:
I get a Type-E fuel cell out of your URP - 50 Kw delivered. I'm getting a total of 61 Kw used:
24 Kw for the gravs,
1 for the brain,
2 for the voder,
2 for the slave unit,
1.5 for the radio,
1 for the spotlight,
1 for the zero-G maneuver package
1.5 for the head
1 (0.5 each) for the two visual sensors
1 for the audio sensor
10 (5 each) for the arms
15 for the laser welder
It's not clear whether you're using one E cell or two, but one F cell would provide the power needed with less volume used than two E's, though of course it cuts your fuel, so you might want to grow the head a bit to get room for more fuel.
Add: Oh, forgot one point. Any robot using a grav-based propulsion automatically has a dexterity of 15; see Book 8 under The Universal Robot Profile.
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One more thought:
If you're using this in space, and using fuel cells, you're going to need an O2 source. The fuel cells generate power by combining hydrogen with oxygen. Your bot either needs O2 tanks, same as anyone else in vacuum, or you need to have an LO2 storage tank specific for the bot. If I recall correctly, it's an 8:1 mass ratio, so to serve a 1.596 kg LH2 tank, you'd need a 12.768 kg LH2 tank, which further reduces your cargo capacity.
Oops. just noticed you have it in cloth armor. That adds 22.5 kg mass, means that much less cargo. Except -
- that doesn't matter on zero-G. With no gravity to compete against, you can pretty much pull as much mass as you want. Also, canonically the grav drive works at much lower efficiency when away from a planet's gravity well, but it still works. They operate at about half normal output, if I recall. So, in vacuum you've got 0.5 G's to work with, enough to haul along 4 times your weight and still manage 0.1 G's, which is quite adequate for shuttling from ship to asteroid and back. With the gravs in place, you may not need a zero-G maneuvering system.
Conversely, with a zero-G maneuvering system in place, you may be able to eliminate the gravs and replace them with wheels or tracks, which are much cheaper and require much less power. Better yet, replace them with legs, and you can use the legs to move down tunnels in asteroids and to brace the bot when digging or drilling.
My take on a mining bot:
51304-52-GL112-N402(2)
Cr83,670
100-liter Box/Wedge; Chassis suggested dimensions: 74 cm tall/long by 37 cm by 37 cm
Armor, CT: Cloth
1 head (5%)
2 medium arms;
4 legs; Speed (ground): 1 (6 kph; 100 meters per minute)
Power: 1x Type D Fuel Cell; available excess power: 2.3Kw
Fuel: 2.26 liters LH2 and 18.04 liters LO2 internal, 9 hours
(That should be sufficient for one shift under supervision, with a bit of leeway.)
Designed Cargo Capacity (under 1 G): 93 kg.
Mass: 206.77 kg unloaded, 299.77 kg loaded
Inoperable: 20; Destroyed: 50
Programs
TL9 High Data: Commands must be explicit.
Basic Command: Full vocabulary but limited to basic verb-adjective-object commands, must be clearly spoken, cannot understand accents.
Cargo Handling-1, Active; Operations-1, Active;
(Is that supposed to be Zero-G ops?)
Chassis
Voder (speech synthesizer);
Slave Unit; Radio, Regional (500 km); Zero-G Maneuver Package; Spotlight (100 m. range);
Head: 2 Visual Sensors; 1 Audio Sensor;
Appendage #1: TL 6 Arm, medium; Laser Welder;
Appendage #2: TL 6 Arm, medium (no installed items)
Note that the effective intelligence is 0; bots get a TL-12 intelligence modifier, which means -3 at TL 9, so TL 9 bots are basically useless outside of their programmed routines and need to chirp for guidance for anything outside of routine parameters - which usually means the human monitor takes over the bot in slave mode since the Basic Command program doesn't give much room for guidance beyond routine program parameters outside of very specific one-step instructions.
Note also that there is no listing for the useful life of a TL9 bot; one could extrapolate the table and assume 5 years, but there's also no loan offered for the things. You could perhaps rule a 1 or 2 year loan for your TU, but even with that it's still most likely that only larger mining concerns with deep pockets can afford them, and given that they also need to be closely supervised by a miner (though hypothetically he could supervise 4 or 5), they aren't really cheaper than hiring a miner for the same work. They'd most likely only be used for high-risk tasks like placing explosives.
If you're using this in space, and using fuel cells, you're going to need an O2 source. The fuel cells generate power by combining hydrogen with oxygen. Your bot either needs O2 tanks, same as anyone else in vacuum, or you need to have an LO2 storage tank specific for the bot. If I recall correctly, it's an 8:1 mass ratio, so to serve a 1.596 kg LH2 tank, you'd need a 12.768 kg LH2 tank, which further reduces your cargo capacity.
Oops. just noticed you have it in cloth armor. That adds 22.5 kg mass, means that much less cargo. Except -
- that doesn't matter on zero-G. With no gravity to compete against, you can pretty much pull as much mass as you want. Also, canonically the grav drive works at much lower efficiency when away from a planet's gravity well, but it still works. They operate at about half normal output, if I recall. So, in vacuum you've got 0.5 G's to work with, enough to haul along 4 times your weight and still manage 0.1 G's, which is quite adequate for shuttling from ship to asteroid and back. With the gravs in place, you may not need a zero-G maneuvering system.
Conversely, with a zero-G maneuvering system in place, you may be able to eliminate the gravs and replace them with wheels or tracks, which are much cheaper and require much less power. Better yet, replace them with legs, and you can use the legs to move down tunnels in asteroids and to brace the bot when digging or drilling.
My take on a mining bot:
51304-52-GL112-N402(2)
Cr83,670
100-liter Box/Wedge; Chassis suggested dimensions: 74 cm tall/long by 37 cm by 37 cm
Armor, CT: Cloth
1 head (5%)
2 medium arms;
4 legs; Speed (ground): 1 (6 kph; 100 meters per minute)
Power: 1x Type D Fuel Cell; available excess power: 2.3Kw
Fuel: 2.26 liters LH2 and 18.04 liters LO2 internal, 9 hours
(That should be sufficient for one shift under supervision, with a bit of leeway.)
Designed Cargo Capacity (under 1 G): 93 kg.
Mass: 206.77 kg unloaded, 299.77 kg loaded
Inoperable: 20; Destroyed: 50
Programs
TL9 High Data: Commands must be explicit.
Basic Command: Full vocabulary but limited to basic verb-adjective-object commands, must be clearly spoken, cannot understand accents.
Cargo Handling-1, Active; Operations-1, Active;
(Is that supposed to be Zero-G ops?)
Chassis
Voder (speech synthesizer);
Slave Unit; Radio, Regional (500 km); Zero-G Maneuver Package; Spotlight (100 m. range);
Head: 2 Visual Sensors; 1 Audio Sensor;
Appendage #1: TL 6 Arm, medium; Laser Welder;
Appendage #2: TL 6 Arm, medium (no installed items)
Note that the effective intelligence is 0; bots get a TL-12 intelligence modifier, which means -3 at TL 9, so TL 9 bots are basically useless outside of their programmed routines and need to chirp for guidance for anything outside of routine parameters - which usually means the human monitor takes over the bot in slave mode since the Basic Command program doesn't give much room for guidance beyond routine program parameters outside of very specific one-step instructions.
Note also that there is no listing for the useful life of a TL9 bot; one could extrapolate the table and assume 5 years, but there's also no loan offered for the things. You could perhaps rule a 1 or 2 year loan for your TU, but even with that it's still most likely that only larger mining concerns with deep pockets can afford them, and given that they also need to be closely supervised by a miner (though hypothetically he could supervise 4 or 5), they aren't really cheaper than hiring a miner for the same work. They'd most likely only be used for high-risk tasks like placing explosives.
Working out of a 1st printing LBB8 and the FFE reprint, it's bean about 15 years since I've seriously done a Bot and never anything but RPV's down below TL C. So I know I've made mistakes
I've chosen to go over on the Plant to allow for running of everything and to allow for optional extras.
for the Bot Brain I'm still playing with it
Edit: started working with the Spread Sheet looks like I can't do it in a 150L Chassis, if I increase it to 200L it can go legal except for Thrust that I cant find to add
I've chosen to go over on the Plant to allow for running of everything and to allow for optional extras.
for the Bot Brain I'm still playing with it
Edit: started working with the Spread Sheet looks like I can't do it in a 150L Chassis, if I increase it to 200L it can go legal except for Thrust that I cant find to add
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Bean Jiggering around all day and came up with this as a revised set of stats, need to mess with it some more to wiggle the endurance to around 8hrs, if I put in 30L of H2 & O2 I get 8hrs 20min, that's enough for one six hour shift and just over a third of a shift in a reserve tank, that hangs on if Arms (and other appendages) are included in the Chassis volume or are treated like Heads.
Rock Hound-9
7120E-52-GL111-PF12(2)
Cr219,750
200-liter Box/Wedge; Chassis suggested dimensions: 92 cm tall/long by 46 cm by 46 cm
Armor, CT: Cloth
1 head (5%)
2 medium arms;
TL 10 HV Grav Mod; Speed: 4 (24 kph; 400 meters per minute ground. 40 kph/667 meters per minute roads. 120 kph top speed in flight.
Power: 2x Type C Fuel Cell; available excess power: 3.5Kw
Fuel: 12 liters, 30 hours
Batteries: 0 KWh; Duration: 0 hours
Designed Cargo Capacity: 0 kg.
Mass: 265.44 kg unloaded, 265.44 kg loaded
Inoperable: 40; Destroyed: 100
Programs
TL9 High Data: Commands must be explicit. Can analyze and learn from data, gains experience.
Basic Command: Full vocabulary but limited to basic verb-adjective-object commands, must be clearly spoken, cannot understand accents.
Cargo Handling-1, Active;
0G Opperations-1, Active;
Chassis
Voder (speech synthesizer);
Slave Unit; Radio, Regional (500 km); Zero-G Maneuver Package; Spotlight (100 m. range);
Mineing Laser;
Head #1
2 Visual Sensors; 1 Audio Sensor;
Appendage #1: TL 6 Arm, medium (no installed items)
Appendage #2: TL 6 Arm, medium (no installed items)
Rock Hound-9
7120E-52-GL111-PF12(2)
Cr219,750
200-liter Box/Wedge; Chassis suggested dimensions: 92 cm tall/long by 46 cm by 46 cm
Armor, CT: Cloth
1 head (5%)
2 medium arms;
TL 10 HV Grav Mod; Speed: 4 (24 kph; 400 meters per minute ground. 40 kph/667 meters per minute roads. 120 kph top speed in flight.
Power: 2x Type C Fuel Cell; available excess power: 3.5Kw
Fuel: 12 liters, 30 hours
Batteries: 0 KWh; Duration: 0 hours
Designed Cargo Capacity: 0 kg.
Mass: 265.44 kg unloaded, 265.44 kg loaded
Inoperable: 40; Destroyed: 100
Programs
TL9 High Data: Commands must be explicit. Can analyze and learn from data, gains experience.
Basic Command: Full vocabulary but limited to basic verb-adjective-object commands, must be clearly spoken, cannot understand accents.
Cargo Handling-1, Active;
0G Opperations-1, Active;
Chassis
Voder (speech synthesizer);
Slave Unit; Radio, Regional (500 km); Zero-G Maneuver Package; Spotlight (100 m. range);
Mineing Laser;
Head #1
2 Visual Sensors; 1 Audio Sensor;
Appendage #1: TL 6 Arm, medium (no installed items)
Appendage #2: TL 6 Arm, medium (no installed items)
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