Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"Science fiction represents the modern heresy and the cutting edge of speculative imagination as it grapples with Mysterious Time---linear or non-linear time."
- Frank Herbert
 |
| Usuform Robot | ||
| A robot designed strictly along functional lines. |
In the story, there is a robot epidemic. Arms and legs become weak and need maintenance - maybe it's because a robot that sits all day doesn't need legs.
What good is a robot shaped like a man, when when it does a simple, repetitive job?
| "Almost every robot, except perhaps a few like farmhands, does only one or two things and does those things constantly. All right. Shape them so that they can best do just those things, with no parts left over. give them a brain, eyes and ears to receive commands, and whatever [sensory] organs they need to do their work...
That's the source of your whole robot epidemic. They were all burdened down with things they didn't need... "But this can't be done overnight. People are used to android robots... They'll be scared of your unhuman-looking contraptions... Give'em a name. A good name... Keep 'robots' thats common domain... I've got it. Usuform. Quinby's Usuform Robots. Q.U.R." |
| From Q.U.R.,
by Anthony Boucher. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1943 Additional resources -
|
Another fascinating part of this story is the discussion of how wasteful it is to have a full "mechanical man" when all you need is just a brain, sensory devices and some sort of manipulators for most tasks.
"A good point... You have convinced me that android robots are a prime example of conspicuous waste..."
I found another use of this term in HB Fyfe's 1952 story Manners of the Age:
"Robinc is slowly using up all our resources of metallic and radioactive ore, isn't it?" Quinby asked... "And our usuforms will use only a fraction of what Robinc's androids need."
SEVERAL dark usuform robots were smoothing the sand on this beach under the direction of a blue humanoid superviser. Watching them idly, Robert estimated that it must be ten years since he had seen another human face to face. His parents were dim memories. He got along very well, however, with robots to serve him or to obtain occasional information from the automatic scanners of the city library that had long ago been equipped to serve such a purpose.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from Q.U.R.
More Ideas
and Technology by Anthony Boucher
Tech news articles related to Q.U.R.
Tech news articles related to works by Anthony Boucher
Usuform Robot-related
news articles:
- Do People Prefer Humanoid Robots?
- Robots Don't Need To Be Humanoid
- A Bayesian Approach to Safe Imitation Learning For AIs and Robots
| Delivery Robots Being Bullied, Robbed |
| Unitree H1 General-Purpose Humanoid Robot |
| Underwater Robot Moves Like A Jellyfish |
| Solar Panel Cleaning Robots |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Robots have worse problems than anybody.' (A Present for Pat)
'... the frosted glass squares began, one by one, to show the faces and shoulders of a peculiar type of young men.'
'When the colony was established, the whole interior was carved out with atomic burners...'
'The machine scans the patterns of the mind; ...Impress these same waves on a robot computer.'
'... ravished with joy, I gazed at the giant suns, Arcturus and Betelguese, and the red Antares, and at systems of double and triple and quadruple suns...'
'Skarwold pushed a switch and Katz’s autodoc sprayed sedative into his lungs.'
'... it is remarkable that the long leverages of their machines are in most cases actuated by a sort of sham musculature.'
'The tree ended its wild larruping, stood like a dreaming giant liable to wake into frenzy at any moment.'
