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"The whole problem of energy sources is going to be solved by little solutions, not by some big new piece of technology that does everything. We got into this crisis by believing that we had one big piece of technology that would do everything (oil)."
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Robot Probes (Arr-twos) | ||
| Remote controlled robots that wander through a facility, bringing pictures and information to a central location. |
Niven and Pournelle use small, remote-controlled robots to be the "eyes and ears" of Tony Rand, the chief engineer of a massive arcology, Todos Santos.
| He had to follow the minutiae, because he didn't know what would turn out to be vital.
That led to his development of robot probes; small devices with cameras and sound equipment which could move freely through Todos Santos under Rand's direct control. If he sent out two or three of the small tele-operated devices (he called them Arr-twos after the small droid in Star Wars), Rand could effectively be in several places at once, see machinery and construction details in real time from both above and below, and generally explore without leaving his bedroom. |
| Technovelgy from Oath of Fealty,
by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle). Published by Timescape in 1981 Additional resources -
|
The authors even provide us with some possible limits of the device, particularly during interactions with people:
Compare to remote telepresence robot from Buck Rogers, 2430 AD (1929) by Philip Nowlan (w/D. Calkins) and the proxy robot from Hotel Cosmos (1938) by Raymond Z. Gallun.
Good as the Arr-twos were, with their full two-way communications and their TV screen to show Rand's face, he'd found it necessary to get out and talk to the technicians and carpenters and pipe fitters and maintenance people; talk to them himself, because most construction people didn't like talking to an Arr-two even with Rand's TV image.
This is becoming the preferred model for security guard robots (see links below).
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Oath of Fealty
More Ideas
and Technology by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)
Tech news articles related to Oath of Fealty
Tech news articles related to works by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)
Robot Probes (Arr-twos)-related
news articles:
- Rotundus And Rover: Robotic And Fictional Guardians (Updated)
- PEBBLES Robot - Teleconferencing For Kids At NextFest 2006
- Reborg-Q May You Shop In Peace
- HeadThere Giraffe Telepresence Robot
- DIY Telepresence By Teleoperated Robot
- 7 Day Old Baby Meets Telepresence Robot Dad
- Tmsuk Telepresence Shopper Cell Phone-Controlled
- Rotundus Groundbot Robotic Spherical Guardian Video
- MeBot Robot Avatar Telepresence
- Telepresence Robot Roundup With Anybot
- iRobot AVA Telepresence Robot With iPad
- Videochat Robot: DIY Telepresence Robot
- Kuri Robot Roams Your Home, Taking Pictures
- Double Robotics iPad-Based Telepresence Robot
- Beam Yourself To Distant Places
- Telepresence In The Office
- Temi Robotic Telepresence Roommate
- Ford Uses Obedient Robot Dogs To Update Facilities Maps
- Spherical Police Robot Rolls In China
| Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You |
| SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits |
| Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots |
| What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots? |
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