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"What has allowed so many Psychopathic Personalities to rise so high in corporations and government, is that they are so decisive. Unlike normal people, they are never filled with doubts, for the simple reason that they cannot care what happens next."
- Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
 |
| Mechanical Bride | ||
| A perfect robotic replica of a woman. |
In the story, a wealthy man decides to purchase a beautiful robot to have around the house. His former girlfriend, now a sales assistant to a robot company, decides on a path to revenge. She begins by describing the company's products.
| "Mr. Shalk supplies the finest mannequins in the world. Streamlined, smooth-working, absolutely noiseless, breath-takingly realistic. Each one is powered by thirty-seven midget electric motors, all completely noiseless, and is controlled by instructions, recorded on magnetic tape, which are triggered off by the sound of your voice and no one else's. There is a built-in microphone that hears everything you say, and an electric brain that selects a suitable answer. The de luxe model is built to your specifications, has fifty different facial expressions, sings two hundred love songs, and can carry on a thousand fascinating conversations... But she has one serious defect. They all do.
"What's that?" "They have no heart." |
| From The Mechanical Bride,
by Fritz Leiber. Published by Vanguard in 1954 Additional resources -
|
Rita states her point of view early in the story, talking with old Chernik, the roboticist:
As it turns out, real women with hearts turn out to be more dangerous than heartless robots.
"...Men don't want real women anymore. You and I are behind the times, Chernik. We stil believe in love. But most men just want beautiful, brainless robots. That's all my man really wanted. He didn't want me to have a will of my own. He didn't want me to be alive...
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Mechanical Bride
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Tech news articles related to works by Fritz Leiber
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- Sophia, The Personable Robot From Hanson Robotics.
- EveR-1 Korean Android And The Mechanical Bride
- Actroid DER2 Late Model Fembot
- Zoltan's Fembot Wife
- E.M.A. Robot Eternal Maiden Actualization Video
- Robot Fashion Models
- Actroid DER2 Gets TV Commercial Gig Video
- Palette Super Model Robot
- Aiko Fembot No Stepford Wife
- HRP-4C Robot Woman Is A Cybernetic Humanoid
- HRP-4C Robot In Wedding Dress A Mechanical Bride
| Out-Of-Work Blue Collar Robots Need Your Help |
| Massage Robot Has Soft Hands, Er, Pads |
| M-Blocks 2.0 Self-Assembling Robots |
| Digit V2 Bipedal Robot From Agility Robotics |
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