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"[Science fiction] is the one literary medium left in which we have a free hand. We can do any damn thing we please."
- Alfred Bester
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| R2-D2 (Artoo-Detoo) | ||
| Now the generic term for a small, maneuverable robot. |
Just a bit less than one meter tall, Artoo-Detoo is an astromech droid - or robot - with a wide assortment of tools and appendages to solve problems. R2 is a very talkative robotic Leatherman.
| Artoo did not comment immediately. The barrel torso tilted backward, powerful legs gripping the deck, the meter high robot was engrossed in studying the roof overhead. Though he did not have head to cock in a listening posture like his friend, Artoo somehow managed to convey that impression. A series of short beep's and chirps issued from his speaker. To even the sensitive human ear they would have been just so much static, but to Threepio they formed words as clear and pure as direct current. |
| From Star Wars,
by George Lucas. Published by Del Rey in 1976 Additional resources -
|
R2 does not speak English, or other human languages - too inefficient, perhaps. He communicates with a wide range of whistles and beeps, all translated (however reluctantly) by his counterpart C3PO.
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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 Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
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'But when Old Father Sun departs, the chromoplastic reverts to transparency in the dark.'
'It extended three of its tiny arms sideways to lock onto the registration pins...'
'The grey gas not only cut off his vision, but also his other senses...'
'Mass-produced in the orbiting factories...'
'I enjoy watching this way, but - He waved his hand and the circuit switched abruptly.'
SF writers popularized and elaborated on this idea a generation before the first patents were filed.
'The autopilot would need data before it could begin a translation...'
'Sealed to the ground along all the sides, Honey, he growled...'
