The MOVR is a simple utility drone designed to transport resources or goods across a variety of terrains. To some extent, it takes the place of traditional pallet movers and forklifts.

The MOVR shares the same motive system as the Weaver Utility/Construction Frame, though in a less complex way. It has only 4 “legs”, compared to the Weaver's 6, and lacks the additional segmentation of the Weaver's legs. This makes it comparatively less nimble, but does not hamper the MOVR's functionality in any appreciable way.

The design allows the MOVR to move or turn in any horizontal direction on most surfaces, including low/zero gravity. The legs can extend to 2.5x their original height and pivot at the joint, allowing the MOVR to make a stable, if awkward, walking motion. The motile spheres at the end of its legs allow it to drive in any direction or walk across most terrains.

A full description of how the legs operate can be found in the Weaver's manual.

A simple gravity inducer is included with each unit to assist in hold cargo to the top of the MOVR or, as needed, the MOVR to surfaces it is traveling along. It does not generate an exceptionally strong pull, no more than 1g, and only at distances within half a meter of the MOVR's cargo surfaces.

Since the dawn of recorded history, things need to be moved. As sentient species discovered tools, so too did they discover better ways to move things.

The wheel. The cart. The forklift. And now, the MOVR.

Default Industrial Tools and Manufacturing is a company that moves a lot of things. Parts. Cargo. Vehicles. In classic Default fashion, the MOVR's predecessor was essentially a forklift that someone attached a rudimentary AI to. This turned out to be surprisingly effective. As more and more parts were stripped away, it was clear that an opportunity existed to make something new.

The MOVR is just one of many iterations. There were others in more classic shapes, ones that didn't have the legs attached to the outside or used other lifting ramp designs, but ultimately they didn't work in enough different scenarios to be worth making an entire product line for.

“I don't know, just make it fancy without getting too confusing. It moves things, right, just call it that. What do you mean, I can't just call it the “moves things”. I don't know, make it an acronym or something. That's what the big corps do.” - Default CEO, Marcus Default

The MOVR moves things. Depending on the design of the thing/s it is moving, it may need help in loading them onto itself. Its design and programming allow it to work with minimal supervision after an initial learning period, after which it just gets the job done.

For most jobs, it can take the place of pallet movers and forklifts.

A number of relatively simple systems work in harmony to make the MOVR a reliable part of a construction or warehousing team. It “just works”.

Most of the MOVR's body is dedicated to a flat carrying surface. While it has a texture and grip similar to rubber, it is actually made of hundreds of small Madite-S coated spheres that can be magnetically manipulated to move objects around. This lets the MOVR more easily load and unload things in conjunction with its extendable arms, as well as allowing it to reorganize containers on its surface to some extent.

While this design is more complicated than a basic flat surface, it is still relatively easy to maintain. The MOVR can “spit out” damaged orbs without losing much functionality and more can simply be poured on.

Concealed beneath its cargo surface are three extendable “arms”. Little more than thin retractable shelves, the arms take the place of the “fork” on a traditional forklift. They can lift cargo up and pull it back onto the main surface for transport.

While they have no actual manipulators, the MOVR can operate these arms with sufficient precision that they are able to use them to perform simple interactions. If an elevator requires a button press, for example, and no wireless command is available, the MOVR can lift itself, extend an arm, delicately press the button, and go back to waiting for the elevator to open.

MOVRs are autonomous drone units that coordinate with other nearby MOVRs in a sort of loose hivemind to improve efficiency. They learn their job sites quickly through networked mapping activities and reading any signs or digital indicators of layout and/or purpose.

They can work with vague commands such as “take that thing over to where we keep the fuel”, where they would both take “the thing” to the correct location and stow it away in an optimal fashion. They can also work with automated processing/ordering systems, fetching cargo and delivering it to the desired destination within their defined boundaries, as needed.

MOVRs are not perfect, nor are they preprogrammed for all situations or customer needs, and as such they can receive simple training (“no, this is how we stack them”) or learn by inspection of how things have already been done. When one MOVR learns how to do a job better, all of its fellow MOVRs also learn, even those added to the project at a later date. They are intelligent enough to understand nuances, such as “this is how we do this here, but not over there”.

In terms of personality, MOVRs seem to be very task-focused and can appear frustrated when things get in their way. While they do not speak, they are capable of making a range of simple beeps and boops, which they will sometimes combine into a reasonable facsimile of a car horn. They also show a surprising range of emotion by shifting their arm heights, though most of this range is confined to “you're in my way” and “shrugs”. They are very pleased by a job well done and will engage in communal celebrations if the opportunity presents itself.

To keep costs down, the MOVR does not have an onboard power generation system. A large battery pack sits on the rear of its cargo surface. The battery can be easily recharged with the included MOVR docking station or, should the need arise, swapped out with another battery.

For environments where a smooth surface is guaranteed, two versions of the MOVR are available. Both forgo the MOVR's “legs” and use only the motile spheres to get around. Their AI and other general systems are the same.

Largely the same as the standard MOVR, this variant uses only the motile spheres. While this model cannot walk, the spheres allow it to adjust to surfaces that are less than perfectly smooth to some extent.

The most stripped down version of the MOVR, this variant is only used for moving pallets or pallet-like cargo. It can only lift its cargo off the ground enough to move it and lacks the ability to move in all directions, as the other MOVRs do, because its fore wheels are not spheres.

Despite its drawbacks, the MOVR-mini is still a useful addition to any warehousing operation and has all of the same intelligent properties as the other MOVRs. It can learn its environment and the needs of its facility, move in an optimal way without risk of collision with other warehouse equipment, and generally ensure that things get where they're supposed to be.

Additional safety lights have been added to the variant to ensure that pedestrians are not caught off guard by the sight of a pallet seemingly moving on its own.

Whisper created this article on 2023/01/17 10:19.