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"We're about 20 minutes away from the point where Clarke's law kicks in and technology becomes indistinguishable from magic."
- Peter Watts
 |
| Razorback | ||
| Autonomous motorcycle weapons platform. |
| A deep guttural roar rose over the other engines, and down each ramp rolled a riderless, black racing motorcycle with dozens of brushed steel blades running along their tops and sides like cooling fins. Neither bike had handlebars, but instead forward-mounted hydraulic assemblies of brushed steel, folded tightly. A cowling of black laminate armor enclosed the front. In place of a rider's saddle was a circular steel dome about a foot in diameter, its surface etched with mystical synbols. Nearly every ince of the bikes was covered in runes and glyphs and razor-sharp blades. They were as much fetish objects as machines.
The motorcycles rolled to a stop and twin hydraulic jacks slammed down onto the pavement like oversized kickstands or half formed legs. They thrust each bike nearly a foot off the ground, where they stood revving their 1800 cc engines deafeningly. Then twin robotic arms with gleaming three-foot sword blades unfolded from the forward hydraulic assemblies, lashing forth on gimabls, arcing smoothly with blinding spead as they ran through diagnostics like insects cleaning their antennae." Razorbacks are autonmous vehicles that can move between terror weapon and targeted assassination. Their primary armament are the two blades on the robot arms (which can swap out damaged blades like a fancy utility knife). They also have a blinding laser to disorient targets and make them easier prey. Finally, razorbacks have a battery powered 'stealth mode' that allows them to sneak up on targets. |
| Technovelgy from Daemon,
by Daniel Suarez. Published by Dutton in 2006 Additional resources -
|
Compare this wheeled device with the autonomous quadruped robot slamhound from William Gibson's 1986 novel Count Zero as well as the Terminator Salvation robot motorcycle.
Thanks to Trey Palmer for submitting this item.
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Razorback-related
news articles:
- Scarab Robotic Chase Vehicle Concept
- 'Young Razorbacks Before Their Katanas Grow In'
| Is The Seattle Ultrasonics C-200 A Heinlein Vibroblade? |
| Man Builds 200 Foot Basement Firing Range |
| Russians Create Robot Tank Platoons |
| Unmanned Boats Attack At Sea |
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'...there's a narrow belt where the climate is moderate.'
'Not like me. A T-1000, advanced prototype. A mimetic poly-alloy. Liquid metal.'
'It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
'The massive feet working the pedals, arms and hands flashing and glinting...'
'There were cubic miles of it, and it glistened like a silvery Christmas tree...'
'Jason had been guiding the caravan of cars as usual...'
"The robot solemnly hit a ball against the wall, picked it up and teed it, hit it again, over and again...'
'There was a wall ahead... It was riddled with holes that were the mouths of tunnels.'
