The KAIMON/Ascendant Colleague, released in late YE 44, began its development cycle as the Foreign AI Exchange Body concept, the brainchild of Itatski Sachiko. It is a minimal, lightweight drone intended for telepresence and an expedient physical body for infomorphs.

A minimalist anthroform drone designed for remote telepresence and providing a temporary physical body for infomorphs.

The Star Army Exchange Program predictably led to the interaction of soldiers from other nations with the expectations, traditions, and procedures of Yamataian Culture and the Star Army of Yamatai. Many of were infantry with their own power armor, and in some cases had AI copilots accompany them. These AI tended to use the solider's power armor as a body to inhabit and interact with the physical world. When this inevitably caused problems, Itatski Sachiko went to her drawing board and started coming up with designs that would work.

She wanted to go minimal in terms of appearance, as she knew that making each Android with a unique appearance would take time, money, planning, and customer input for each individual unit. So instead, she chose to go the route of volumetrics. As each of these sophisticated AI minds likely had preferences regarding their appearance, she recognized the advantage of this approach. When the body's design was finalized, she left the face plate blank and formless so the inhabitant could use to system to project the form they chose.

Once the initial prototype was designed and completed, she decided on what connections she should use to have it manufactured. Realizing Yugumo Corporation had begun using the SachiTech Tech-Scanner in all of its production ship sensor systems, she was not only pleased to know her company was prospering due to the contract, but also had the perfect opportunity to have a production model manufactured from her prototype. Contacting Motoyoshi-Igarashi Yuka, she pitched the concept, and it was accepted. Itatski Sachiko was shortly thereafter made the head of the newly-formed KAIMON/Ascendant subsidiary.

Yugumo Corporation never made another production run of the KAIMON/Ascendant Consort after the first that spanned late YE 43 and early YE 44, except for replacement parts and warranty fulfillments. This left the production capacity and technology for the expensive drone entirely unused. When Itatski Sachiko approached the company with her prototype and ideas for the Foreign AI Exchange Body concept, she was given the entire engineering and production teams for that project as resources to develop the production release model.

In YE 44, as part of an New Dusk Conclave Officer Exchange Program-Star Army Exchange Program, Ancilla Hartbrook and Spark were assigned to the YSS Azalea II. Unfortunately, unaware of the rules, Ancilla Hartbrook inhabited the Revenant Power Armor Mk III, going to the ship's lounge to socialize¹⁾. Unfortunately, this caused twofold problems: taking the power armor into the lounge without authorization was a violation, and the potentially for collateral damage, demonstrated on a counter when Ancilla Hartbrook misjudged how she should perform a bow.

The ship's MEGAMI searched for a solution, suggesting the new body developed by SachiTech and Yugumo Corporation. One of the first units off of the line was requisitioned for Ancilla Hartbrook to use instead of the Revenant Power Armor Mk III as a physical body.

²⁾ The Colleague is intended to be surrounded by the custom volumetric projection of its remote operator or the infomorph inhabiting it, as the case may be. When the volumetrics are inactive, the drone looks very much like a artist's mannequin. It features a smooth, blank head and face with only the barest hint approximating cheekbones, jawline, ears, and chin. Likewise the articulated endoskeleton is covered by smooth, cylindrical polymer plates except at the joint, again with shapes only teasing the form of the equivalent body part.

The Colleague is designed to approximate a small, slight humanoid form for ease of storage, deployment, and maneuverability. Due to the reuse of the KAIMON/Ascendant Consort endoskeleton, it is capable of expanding or contracting the spaces between its joints to give a +/- 10cm (4 inches) variance in its overall length.

• Height: 167cm (≈65¾ inches)
• Variance: 157cm-177cm (≈61¾-69¾ inches)
• Mass: 65kg (≈143⅓ lb.)

The Colleague is an anthroform drone designed to resemble a minimal, mannequin-like humanoid. It deliberately highlights that this is meant to be a generic form that is able to represent anyone equally well.

The KAIMON/Ascendant is compatible with many of the artificial intelligences and mind-machine interfaces used across the Yamatai Star Empire, New Dusk Conclave, and Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia.

In addition to the out-of-the-box support listed below, there is also an expansion slot for custom interface adapter modules.

• KAIMON
• Autonomous Mech AI “EVE”
• Savtech JANE

Only one infomorph or remote operator may control the drone at one time. If multiple infomorph media or drones are slotted at once, only the first inserted one will be in control of the unit.

Telepresence is possible across any network the Colleague is attached to, however, enhanced functionality is available for compatible interfaces.

• SACNES Interface (via SPINE if secure PANTHEON interface is active)
• KAIMON (via SQUID)
• BW-E-2 Anima System (via the G1-N2 "Geist" Advanced Interfacing Implant 2.0 or the original model)

The drone has slots inside its torso for interfacing with the various AI modules that might inhabit it. There are slots for the Autonomous Mech AI “EVE” disk, the Savtech JANE cartridge, an expansion slot for a custom interface adapter module, all at the back of a hemispherical depression 25cm (10 inches) in diameter and 12.5cm (5 inches) deep, for a KAIMON/Ascendant Companion or Fantastic Media Drone to dock. The opening is covered by retractable plates on the front of the torso, or filled by one of the spherical drones, which stick out forwards from the torso when docked. A docked drone can operate the Colleague itself if uninhabited and uncontrolled. Otherwise, the telepresence operator or inhabiting infomorph may control the docked drone.

As the KAIMON Aperture computer system is limited in capabilities, an uninhabited, uncontrolled Colleague cannot act spontaneously or of its own free will. It is only capable of carrying out basic commands such as “follow me,” “go there”, “hold this”, or “bring me that,” as well as a few simple, hardcoded reactions to keep itself safe and out of the way of others rather than an obstacle. It may be used, in this mode, as a personal computer and communicator like any KAIMON Aperture-powered device.

Except for the self-mobile KAIMON/Ascendant Companion and Fantastic Media Drone, infomorphs in inactive storage media must be placed in the Colleague's interface slots with outside help.

1. Place Hands on Torso: Within the center of the Torso is a pressure point which, when pressed opens a hole with an indent within it, where the AI’s disk can be placed.
2. Insert Module: Connect the medium into the appropriate physical interface.
3. Close Cover: Safety features prevent the body from moving unless the torso is fully closed or a spherical drone is docked. Once attached the informorph is activated and the volumetrics then activate, projecting the appearance of infomorph's self-image, and the safety locks are disengaged.
4. Getting Out: When necessary, the AI can activate an eject feature that opens the torso ejects the medium. A telepresence operator, higher system, or the owner may also remotely eject the medium. Except in the case of a docked and paired KAIMON/Ascendant Companion or Fantastic Media Drone, this activates the body's safety locks and then puts the drone body on standby mode.

Powered by the same ultra-high-density capacitor used by the KAIMON/Ascendant Consort, the Colleague's much lower energy requirements allow for about 480 hours of operation at normal output levels, and it features an induction-cycle charger. The charger is compatible with all standard, and many other, wireless and induction charging systems such as those found aboard ships and bases, or in buildings or cities. When charging via such a system, the android has near unlimited endurance unless operating close to maximum output. It takes around two hours to charge from less than 10% to a full 100% charge using the induction charger. An auxiliary power-outlet connection via a 5m (≈16½ feet) retractable universal power/data cable in a hidden compartment at end of the sacrum allows charging in less than an hour when connected to mains power. The Omnihue on its surface may be used for solar charging when the volumetrics are inactive, but the drone must be in limited-power mode to function, and in standby sleep in order to charge under all but the most intense energy gradients.

• Backup Battery Pack: Provides minimal functionality, communications, and locomotion/propulsion functions in the event of primary power failure for up to 24 hours.
• Emergency Capacitor: In case of catastrophic failure, there is an automatic failover to a high-density capacitor to allow the android's system to be put gracefully in standby mode.

The Colleague's anthroform articulation is limited by physics to a ground speed of around 45km/h.

The systems within the Colleague are based around the KAIMON suite, and the same base systems used in the KAIMON/Ascendant Consort. The KAIMON Aperture system handles all of the control, sensor, and communications faculties of the drone and includes the SYNC module.

Optionally, if the drones owner or inhabitant is a vetted citizen of the Yamatai Star Empire or participant in the Star Army Exchange Program, the PANTHEON module allowing access to the civilian levels of the network is available. Access to military levels of the system are restricted to owners or inhabitants who are Star Army of Yamatai personnel only, with limited access also available to Star Army Exchange Program partcipants. KAIMON/Ascendant Colleague drones with the PANTHEON connect module have a failsafe lockout program installed where the PANTHEON systems can override the drone; shutting it down, or disabling systems to prevent acts of treason.

The Colleagues's endoskeleton is the same as used in the Consort, made of lightweight Durandium Alloy and ADNR (Aggregated Diamond Nanorods), and covered with high-impact, heat resistant polymer covering. The limbs are designed to be modular, capable of being removed, swapped, and reattached at the joints. The drone is sturdily built, able carry up to 150kg (340lbs) easily and resist impacts and punctures, and even light small arms fire.

Hard-linked interface access is through the SQUID, provided by the Dataweave below the drone's skin covering.

The Colleague features the Consort's cutting-edge Solid Volumetrics projection system, with emitters in several places around its body for projecting the chosen appearance, clothing, and accessories. It can also project volumetric displays for supplemental interactions with KAIMON or other computers, or to allow others the same, and can even create simple, ad-hoc hand tools, freeing them of the need to carry basic tool kits.

As the Savtech JANE's biological component requires sugars to function, there is a refillable, internal magazine to dispense its standard sugar pills. This allows the AI to function for much longer periods than the amount contained in its cartridge normally would.

Charaa created this article on 2022/11/19 19:51.

Approval Post by Wes