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"A science fiction story is a story built around human beings, with a human problem and a human solution, which would not have happened at all without its scientific content."
- Theodore Sturgeon
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| Human-Passing | ||
| A robot that is so convincingly human that most people cannot tell. |
It seems to me that this is a very useful term.
| “And now, for a verrrry special appearance,” the human compère said on stage, “The Lunar Rose, Magdalena Tasso!”
The robot was carrying a tray back to the kitchen when it heard her voice. It turned, its task forgotten, and watched the stage. Magdalena Tasso, the Lunar Rose, human-passing, small, stood alone in the spotlight. When she sang her voice rose like a prayer. The robot stared, helpless before her, caught between memories of horrors it had not drawn upon in many year and the beauty of the voice. “Oli stap koko,” the singer sang, “ol olfala tingting blong yumi i kam lus, solwota blong taem i kilimaot ol trak blong yumi long sanbij blong laef…” It goes on and on, she sang, our memories fade, the sea of time vanishes our footprints on the shore of life… Later, when its shift ended, the robot found the Lunar Rose sitting at the bar, still alone, and sipping a small glass of cherry liqueur so black it was like liquid darkness. “Mind if I sit?” the robot said. “You’re one of the old ones,” she said wearily. Then, “Do what you want.” The robot sat on a stool. “I know—” it began. “What I am?” she said. She sipped her drink. “Good for you, then.” “My name is R. Riperem-ol-Gud.” She looked at him in some amusement. “Is that what you call yourself?” she said. “You’re a, what, an R76-2? General purpose, carer type? You don’t have a name. You’re just a robot. You’re obsolete. Junk.” “And you’re a II-V Tasso,” the robot said. “Walking bombs. You used to infiltrate civilian populations and go off. I saw it happen…” “You were in the war, huh?” she said. “Figures. Well, as you can see…” She gestured at herself. “I didn’t go off. Are we done here?” |
| Technovelgy from The Robot,
by Lavie Tidhar. Published by Uncanny Magazine in 2024 Additional resources -
|
Compare to the robotic infiltrator from Second Variety (1953) by Philip K. Dick.
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'The suit stands up and starts walking, gripping me round the calves and waist, taking the bulk of my weight off my throbbing feet.'
't came out into plain view. Darkington glimpsed a slim body and six short legs of articulated dull metal.'
'Internally it’s made up of millions of components, but the most important ones are the thinking and memory parts of the Mind proper.'
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'Chris, the City Fathers are not interested in your welfare; I suppose you know that. They're interested in only one thing: the survival of the city.'
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