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"Money to me is freedom, and freedom is essential. Money allows me to say that I will now devote my life to being me, rather than putting on my shoes and tie, and going to an office every day."
- Robert Silverberg
 |
| 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." |
| Technovelgy 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.
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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
| Chaffeur Robot Musashi Will Drive Your Regular Car |
| Shanghai Guidelines For Humanoid Robots |
| Desktop TARS Robot From Interstellar |
| Robots Can Now Have Smiling Faces With Human Skin |
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'What would you do,' Eric asked the robot cabdriver, 'if your wife had turned to stone, your best friend were a toad, and you had lost your job?'
'those suits they wear -- call them 'stillsuits' -- that reclaim the body's own water...'
'Now, except for weight and heat, the same conditions prevail in this chamber as in space.'
'there were so many worms and counterworms loose in the data-net...'
'Now, look, let's start with the three fundamental Rules of Robotics...'
'..the synthetic intellects at the Place of Knowledge had far outstripped the minds of men.'
'But after washing and drying clothes had to be smooth - free from fine lines and wrinkles ...'
