NH-O-1 "iBot" Maintenance Drone

The iBot is a small maintenance and repair drone. It is easily recognizable thanks to its white sphere and prominent black display/sensory window - giving it a look much like an eyeball.

It can deploy a number of appendages from within its shell to handle a wide range of tasks and manufacture small components as needed.

Introduced to the market in late YE 42.

iBots are surprisingly expressive, ranging from cute to snarky. The average personality is akin to a mildly annoyed repairman. They lack true intelligence, but are talented problem solvers nonetheless, and can grow from their experiences within certain limits. All iBots have an excellent work ethic.

They communicate through a series of chirps and emoticons displayed prominently on their black display surface. Diagnostic information, specific requests (such as “Please recharge me”), and other information can also be displayed, but iBots usually don't bother.

Each drone's main body is approximately 30cm in diameter. With legs deployed, it is 45 cm tall.

The iBot typically floats from location to location, preferring to take small maintenance tunnels when possible. When it arrives at a destination, it produces a pair of stubby legs and arms to conserve energy.

Its power comes from an internal "PowerPak" energy cell. A full charge allows the drone to operate for three days of non-intensive use and is recharged when the drone is in storage.

When a charging station is unavailable and the drone is idle, it can use the Volumetric Display Module's small aether generator to recharge itself. While this takes longer than a dedicated charging station, it is a viable alternative for situations where power is scarce. This recharging method takes roughly twice as long as the normal method.

The iBot's has a diverse range of maintenance and repair appendages. It carries various small components and parts within its shell for small jobs. To deploy these appendages, the iBot's top and lower half separate, revealing a sturdy central column and various servo-driven appendage options within.

The iBot's appendages can along move the groove on its equator or the two vertical rails on either side of its body. It can use its appendages in any possible configuration, such that it could walk like a biped or a spider, wield multiple tools simultaneously, or simply roll around like a ball with all of its limbs stowed away.

In the event that an appendage is damaged, it can be easily replaced by the iBot itself.

All iBots are powered by a dedicated machine intelligence that takes orders from an external AI or designated individual. While their personalities are randomized, they are not truly sentient.

A Volumetric Display Module is built into the iBot. It is commonly used to display maps, project info, and overlay intended designs over a workspace.

A Honeycomb Fabricator takes up much of the iBot's interior that isn't reserved for its servo arms. Using the Honeycomb, the iBot can create small components for repair or construction on the fly.

A basic gravity-manipulation device allows the iBot to hover from place to place. It is not especially powerful, so the iBot can seem to be a bit ponderous under normal gravity. In the often reduced gravity of a starship, the small drones seem perfectly agile.

One 'rogue' software engineer added a single feature without being noticed by the rest of the team. An iBot can be held in both hands and asked a single question. If it is then shaken, a randomly selected answer will appear on its display screen. Responses include “Yes”, “No”, “Maybe”, and “Stop shaking me”.

Whisper created this article on 2020/04/29 17:37.

Approved by Syaoran on 12/18/2020