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"Every scientist worth his salt that I know of has read science fiction."
- Greg Bear
 |
| Spider | ||
| A robotic device that both extruded cable and climbed along it; a space construction robot. |
The Spider is a robot designed for speed in bridge-building; it extrudes the cables and works faster than any other component. They were well adapted for a free space environment.
| The two great ovoid bodies were hanging near the surface of the asteroid, about a hundred meters apart. The eight thin metallic legs were pointed downwards, balanced delicately a few centimeters clear of the surface. Between them, probing deep into the interior of the asteroid, was set the long proboscis. As Rob watched, the great, faceted eyes turned towards him. The Spiders were aware of his presence. Somewhere deep in their organic components lurked a hint of consciousness.
Corrie had been fascinated by them from the first moment she saw one. "Why eight legs?" she had asked. Rob had shrugged. "It extrudes material like a spider. How many legs wouldi you have given it? |
| From The Web Between the Worlds,
by Charles Sheffield. Published by Not Known in 1979 Additional resources -
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Spider-related
news articles:
- Spidernaut, Orbital Construction Robot
- Robotic Space Spiders To Crawl Sub-Orbital Web
- Robot Fabricates Endless Tools For Itself (Updated)
- Robonaut To Get Eight-Legged Spidernaut Configuration?
| NASA Gives Away Rocket Code - For Dads |
| Automated Planet Finder Telescope Starts The Hunt |
| Spacesuit Z-2: NASA Wants You To Pick Their Next Design |
| Can 'Dimers' Be Used For Star Trek's Long Range Sensors? |
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'... the immense, three-dimensional, minutely cubed model...'
'I donned it and drew its hood, and threw on its current.'
'Microscopic machinery, smaller than ants, smaller than pins, working energetically...'
