AtB Warehouse: Cybernetics, Robotics, Bionics

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Cybernetics, Robotics, Bionics

What if bio-augmentation isn't for you? What if you grew up in the Empire of Humanity where purity is the expectation. Well, there's always mechanical augmentation.

Be it cybernetic, bionic, or robotic, there are numerous ways you can augment yourself without muddying your genetics.

Anthropomorphic Robotic Vehicles & Armor
Anthropomorphic robotic vehicles, like the Empire's Type 1 Robotic Armor, are much more maneuverable than typical wheeled and tracked vehicles. They also tend to have a higher psychological impact on the enemy. The drawback, in real life, is that they require complicated computer assistance to operate and require a lot more maintenance than a wheeled or tracked vehicle, which is probably why you don't see them being used by the military...yet.

Robotic Exosuits
The main difference between Robotic Armor and Robotic Exosuits is size. Robot Armor is an offshoot of Robotic Vehicles that users drive, while Exosuits (like the 2dx) are seen as cybernetic body armor that the user wears.

The following video is of an exosuit that could also be termed a Robot Vehicle, except for its size.

Bionic Limbs and Senses
Here we enter the realm of "The Six Million Dollar Man" and the "Bionic Woman". Whether you've lost your hearing, sight, or even a limb, you can get it replaced with a bionic equivalent. Often, that bionic replacement can have better functionality than the original. "We can make you better, stronger, faster."

The next two categories aren't designed to augment the human condition, but are going to be a part of a technologically advanced society.

Unmanned Robotic Vehicles
Remote robots were first used by law enforcement agencies to check and handle EODs (Explosive Ordinance Devices), but the current big thing is the use of Unmanned Combat Vehicles by the military that can piloted remotely from some distant command center (sometime on another continent). Most of these are UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), but there are also ground and submersible vehicles for utility, scouting and combat purposes as well.

And while these units don't "augment" the human condition it does offer the introduction of remotely controlled robotic surrogates.

Autonomous Robotic Systems
Why put people in harms way when you can sent an autonomously controlled robot in their place? The autonomous robots are operated by an AI that is programmed to make its own decisions on the fly. While they are rather rough around the edges today, and do have the drawback of not being directly controlled by a human operator.

But watch out that you don't unleash a horde of AI killing machines on the world...