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"In science fiction one can say a great many things that are unpalatable, … because it's expressed as science fiction you can slip it past their defenses."
- Frederik Pohl
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| Purza the Pukha | ||
| A toy with sensors used to monitor children in hospitals. |
Pukhas are described in the novel as "specially programmed stabilizing surrogate devices."
| Pukhas, deriving their name from the imaginary companions discovered by needful children, had become widely used in pediatrics. They could be programmed for a variety of uses, but more often were used in surgical and long-term care with great effect and as surrogates for intense dependency cases. ...thought had been given to its programming: its long soft hair was composed of receptors, monitoring the child's physical and psychic health. It could, receiving danger signals from the Rowan, initiate pacifying sentiments, encourage conversation and, of paramount importance, moderate the little girl's mental "voice." It also responded with its soothing, rumbling purr when the little girl became restless or distressed. |
| Technovelgy from The Rowan,
by Anne McCaffrey. Published by Penguin Putnam in 1990 Additional resources -
|
This does not appear to be a robotic device capable of independent movement.
Compare to the electric sheep and other pets in Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?.
See also the robot baby from Life Everlasting (1934) by David H. Keller,
the robotic infiltrator from Second Variety (1953) by Philip K. Dick,
the robot brother from Brother Robot (1958) by Henry Slesar,
the android son from Super-Toys Last All Summer Long (1969) by Brian Aldiss and
the artificial friend from Klara and the Sun (2021) by Kazuo Ishiguro.
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Rowan
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and Technology by Anne McCaffrey
Tech news articles related to The Rowan
Tech news articles related to works by Anne McCaffrey
Purza the Pukha-related
news articles:
- Huggable Robotic Bear Companion From MIT
- Huggable Robotic Bear Video
- Paro Robot Seal Helps Grandma
- Auti Interactive Toy For Autistic Children
- MEDi Robot Calms The Nervous Patient
- Qoobo Headless Robotic Therapy Cat Was Anne McCaffrey's Idea
- Cute Teddy Bear Robot Favorite Of Hospitalized Children
- Dino From Magical Toys An AI Companion To Children
| BrainBridge Concept Transplant Of Human Head Proposed |
| Natural Gait With Prosthetic Connected To Nervous System |
| Brain Implant Is Able To Capture Your Inner Dialogue |
| 'Pregnancy Humanoids' From China Replace Moms |
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'Power could be compressed thus into an inch-square cube of what looked like blue-white ice'
'It's so light that you can set it up in five minutes by yourself...'
'Heavy penalties... were to be applied to any one found driving manually-controlled machines.'
'Buy a Little Dingbat... electropen, wrist watch, pocketphone, pocket radio, billfold ... all in one.'
'... an elastic, tinted material that had all the feel and appearance of human flesh and epidermis.'
'It is remarkable that the long leverages of their machines are in most cases actuated by a sort of sham musculature...'
