Hi
Hi,
My concerns about limitations on the extent of humanform robots I guess stems from a couple of reasons.
First, per canon even if typical everyday objects have some form of automation and intelligence things like starships, shuttles, air/raft, ATVs, and ground vehicles (etc) prior to the publication of Book 8 all also require a sentient being to operate as a pilot, navigator, driver, and/or engineer, etc. Upon publication of Book 8 it became possible to replace the sentient being with a robot programmed to perform those functions. And in Book 8, under Robot Encounters, it specifically indicates that Robots may be encountered in a variety of roles including janitorial, housekeeping, clerks, law enforcement, pilots, navigators, engineers, and drivers to name but a few. Many, if not most of these areas of encounter may also be areas where one might also expect to encounter a human (or some other sentient species) performing such duties (perhaps depending on what planet and or tech level you are adventuring near). Also, per Book 8 it appears that it is possible to build robots with skills in more than one area. As such a question arises as to what form a robot performing some of these tasks might take. It may well be possible that the best pilot "robot" may be little more than a brain a interface that plugs directly into a sraship's control hardware (perhaps using a special hardwired interface or perhaps some form of futuristic USB interface - kind of like the arm R2D2 used to interface with different computers in the Star Wars movies). There would be little need for such a device to be self-mobile and I guess some could argue whether it truly meets the definition of a robot, however such units are specifically allowed (and described) in book 8.
Similarly, if I want a pilot for my shuttle craft I could also procure another similar such unit to be housed within the shuttle craft and perform those functions. The same could go for any air/raft or ground vehicle (such as an ATV) that I might have on my ship. An issue arises though in that when not in use each of these dedicated/non-mobile "robots" would sit idle, and I couldn't really use them for much anything else, such as assisting me in engineering or life support system repairs, when not in use (sometimes an extra set of hands can be handy even if the person or robot is not specificaly trained as a plumber or electrician, they can still hold your tools and/or assit in moving things out ofthe way, etc). As such, there could be a market for a single unit that can do multiple tasks such as being a starship pilot when the ship is underway, but also an air/raft driver or ATV driver when off the ship.
Such a "robot" would likely need to be self-mobile and capable of traversing through the same corriders as a human (or whatever sentient species the starship and vehicles are designed to accommodate). Similarly, unless it is intended that the starship and vehicles be only driven/piloted by the robot, it is likely that these vehciles/craft would be configured for use by a human (or other specific sentient species). As such, there probably would be a great deal of benefit in having the robot be near the same size as a human (or what ever species you are playing) with similar interfaces to the outside world (arms, legs, hands, etc) so that he/it could use the same interfaces and controls that the human (or other species) uses to control the ship/vechicle/ or craft. This would give the robot the added benefit of being able to interface with other similar craft (such as rental cars and/or air/rafts etc) without needing any special interfaces other than what it normally provided for the human (or other species) driver/pilot. Additionally such a robot would have some benefits over a hardwired/non-mobile "robot" in that he doesn't have to go along for the ride if not needed. (IE, if you are off on an adventure and there is only enough room in you air/raft for the adventurers the mobile robot could stay on the ship, while one of the adventurers pilots the air/raft).
Second, if I were the head of a robot building company and I wanted to develop a line (or several lines) of robots to perform certain duties ranging from simple janitorial tasks up to being a starship pilot, I suspect that I would look at specialized robots for each task, but I also suspect that I would look at a standardized line of robots (perhaps based off common components or chases) that could be custom configured to do different tasks depending on how they are programmed and what accessories are added. In looking at the list of robot encounters in book 8 one thing that comes across is that many of the areas listed are areas where you might as easily encounter a human (or other similar species). As such, for some (or perhaps many) of these tasks a robot that can at a minimum access the same areas, and use the same tools/interfaces/equipment and/or weapons as a human may have some benefits. Which would suggest that there may be markets for humanform robots in these areas. This doesn't mean that I am suggesting, for instance, that all police bots will be human form robots, as I suspect that there will be many areas in law enforcement that a more dedicated unit would have advantages (such as modern tracked vehicle explosive ordinance disposal robots). However, it does suggest to me that in some areas of law enforcement a robot that at a minimum can drive the same vehicles as a human officer, use the same weapons and tools as a human officer, and fit in the same passageways and accesses as a human officer may be of use and perhaps common in many areas.
Third, according to book 8 the average life of a robot is about 85 years (if I am recalling correctly). As such it would seem to me that there might well be a reasonable after market for used robots, especially if technology makes certain top of the line stuff obsolete in its original intended purpose. In such a market, the utility of a humanform robot that could be reprogrammed for alternate duties would seem to be greater than say a single purposestarship pilot bot, automobile plant line-welder, semi-stationary cargo bot, smart toaster, or intelligent vacuum. As such, it may well be possible that formerly top of the line hamnform Servant or Expert bots may find an after-market uses in a variety of other fields.
Forth, even currently on Earth early stage work is ongoing in the fields of exo-skeletons and mechanised artifical limbs, etc for the use of indiviuals who may have either lost their own limbs orwho never had use of them. To me it seems logical that such research likely could be easily leveraged for use in humanform robots, either in the present day or in the 57th century, where technology developed for Battledress and Combat Armor could be leveraged into use for humanform robots.
In the end I'm not saying that I think humanform robots would be the predominate type of robot in a Traveller setting nor am I saying that they would be limited to only a small niche. More correctly I think my point of view is that in some ways they may be like the smart phones of today (like the Android & iPhone) in comparison to other gadgets and devices. Specifically, a modern smart phone is typically relatively expensive but multi-functional and can be used as both a cellphone, a web-browser, video and/or still camera, clock/watch, portable GPS, PDA, music player, video player, and/or portable game system, and also can have some limited? computing ability/ability to run certain apps. The existance of these smart phones does not mean that relatively simple and cheap cell phones do not exists (just check any 7-11 convenience store) or that people no longer use stand alone cameras, GPS units, music or video players, portable game systems or portable computers. Basically all the above co-exist together and in some areas the use of a multifunction smart phone may be more prelevent that using seperate systems, but in other areas or for other people having a cheaper phone and perhaps a couple other gadgets may make more sense. (I for one still use a very simple phone, a stand alone GPS and stand alone camera plus my Tablet PC for most my needs, while several of my friends and familiy have actually migrated to an iPhone instead for much the same uses).
In other words, I think my point of view is that humanform robots will not just be limited to certain niche areas and while specific dedicated bots and smart equipment/machinery will exist, they will exist alongside humanform robots in many areas.
Regards
PF
