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"Building one space station for everyone was and is insane: we should have built a dozen."
- Larry Niven
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| Robus | ||
| A robotic bus. |
Polite and soft-spoken, this automated transport shows more humility than many other robots.
| A wheeled machine of some kind was rolling toward them over a smooth surface of polished stone...
The machine was obviously a transport. Rolling on its eight wheels, it swept swiftly nearer, and Dekkin saw that it was large enough to hold all of his men... The machine, starlight-trapped and mellowed in the dull sheen of its metal, stopped directly in front of them. A door on its side opened, folded down. As it touched the platform, its metal shivered and then, incredibly, it began to melt. It twisted, still fluidly changing shape, and became a set of impossibly proportioned steps. There was a click, and soft lighting flooded its interior. Dekkin stepped forward hesitantly. "I beg your pardon. The voice was soft, mellow, and it spoke perfect Deelin in a perfect accent... "It was I who spoke. I am a robus. My apologies. It took me a few moments to perform the required analysis and alter my circuits accordingly. Dekkin stared at the machine his mouth suddenly dry. The steps had re-aligned themselves, and the shape of the doorway had altered. The interior lighting had changed to a more pleasant shade. "Please accept my services, the robus said. |
| Technovelgy from Terror in the Stars,
by John A. Sentry. Published by Fantastic Universe in 1955 Additional resources -
|
It turns out that the robus is just for transport.
"Yes.
"And you are not unusual. Am I correct? Your duties are to welcome visitors. But there are other machines, with other duties, and with just as many talents as you possess?
"Far greater talents, the robus said. "I am only a single-purpose mechanism.
Compare to the automatobus from Sally (1953) by Isaac Asimov, the autobus from Tidal Moon (1938) by Stanley G. and Helen Weinbaum and the robotic conductor from Philip K. Dick's 1953 short story Paycheck.
He scrutinized the machine more intently. "The Ras built and taught you? he asked.
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More Ideas
and Technology from Terror in the Stars
More Ideas
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Tech news articles related to works by John A. Sentry
| Satyress Centaur Robot Horror Reminds Everyone Of Something |
| Pole-Dancing Stripperbot Robot |
| VaMEx Biomimetic Mars Robot Inspired By Skink |
| DIY Robotic Content Farming |
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'...a hemispherical force field enclosing his head.'
'Then he became aware of a gentle pressure pushing him away from the ship.'
'And now they wre busily transforming all their companions, and so on, and so on...'
'Why, a clockwork dancer, or, better still, one that would go by electricity and never run down...'
'Maybe the individual intelligence of each Cubic pools into a group intelligence...'
'Looks like she has bought the Avatar Construction Set and put together her own...'
'Across the ground something small and metallic came, flashing in the dull sunlight of midday.'
