Android

Rommieuniform — Rommie, a sentient android and avatar of the ship Andromeda Ascendant.

Overview[]

An Android is an advanced technological humanoid construct used to house an artificial intelligence or a limited intelligence. There are a massive number of uses for androids, ranging from industrial to social to military to a combination of all three. Every technologically advanced culture uses them because of the advantages that their presence brings to a society, both economically and politically.

Technology and Composition[]

Androids are constructed out of a wide range of materials because of the complexity of their construction. The main material used in androids' skeletons are nickel-cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloys, because of the extremely high tensile strength, low weight, and the relative abundance of the materials needed to make the alloy, as most spacefaring species are able to process entire asteroids for their metals, which provides a cheap and vast source for Nickel, Iron, and other materials. The skeleton is the core of the android, and is what provides androids with their enormous strength and durability. There are also polymers and many exotic alloys used for joints and artificial musculature, as they are very durable and have the flexibility and conductivity that allow for extremely high information transfer rate, and also provide better electrical conductivity. Depending on what use an android is being designed for, the spine is either reinforced or streamlined, to either provide enhanced strength for industrial jobs, or to make an android appear more humanoid. The 'skin' and 'guts' of an android, no matter what application they are being put to use in, are usually filled with solid state data storage, processors, communication equipment, and other computational devices. There is also a network of sensors made out of highly conductive semi-organic polymers that give an android an extensive sensor network, one which allows it to detect and monitor physical and virtual transmissions of every kind, from radiation to quantum events, to a simple touch. The skin and hair of an android usually are comprised of, once again, polymers, and nanobots. Polymers are used because they have a wide range of tolerances for stress, temperature, and other extremes, and because of that they are an ideal material for an exterior cover. Nanobots are used to repair the polymer as it slowly ages and degrades over time, and are also for cosmetic uses, helping to create hair and change its color, and to also make skin appear more lifelike by adding and maintaining details such as follicles, pores, and small imperfections so that the polymers appear like real skin.

Capabilities[]

Androids, as a result of their artificial nature, are a potent force on the battlefield. An android can walk in extremely heavy gravity, be exposed to vacuum for extended periods of time, and can survive in hostile atmospheres and environments. They also are very effective in combat, because of their strength and lack of physical weaknesses. They excel in hand to hand combat because their speed of movement is not hindered by traditional electrochemical signals, and they do not have to worry about the weaknesses of flesh. Androids can lift and carry massive loads, up to several thousand pounds, and in some industrial androids, several tons.

Uses[]

Androids can be designed for almost any use in any field, be it menial or technical. Most androids are walking supercomputers built by technologically advanced civilizations; they are usually used in spaceships, where they are uniquely qualified to work in because of their artificial nature. Androids have massive computational abilities, and are well known for their deductive analysis of data, which they can use to make projections on how a situation or event will turn out. Androids are put to work on military vessels, both for combat purposes, and for a ship to have an interface to the Artificial Intelligence that the crew can feel comfortable dealing and working with. They can be used as medical personel on ships because of their attention to detail, and because of that precision can do many jobs that require strict adherence to procedure, or involve complicated mathematical or scientific methods. Androids can also perform high-function math equations and computations, and being advanced computers themselves, they are extremely good at repairing computers, writing programs, and interfacing with damaged Artificial Intelligences.

Types of Androids[]

Sentient[]

Sentient Androids are androids that have been designed for specialized purposes which require advanced artificial intelligences. A Ship Avatar, such as Rommie, Gabriel, or Doyle are good examples of a sentient android's niche in the universe. They are very hard to design and make, as their physical as well as virtual structure has to be extremely versatile, and strong enough to handle the rigors of everyday tasks, as well as the specialized ones that sentient androids are created for. During the Long Night sentient androids were almost nonexistent, because of the advanced technology and facilities needed to create them and their intelligence, as evidenced by the reaction of several different alien peoples to the presence of an android aboard the Andromeda Ascendant. However, during the time of the Systems Commonwealth sentient androids were common on board large ships such as Righteous Fist of Heaven Class vessels, Glorious Heritage Class vessels, and several others, because of their usefulness on them. They serve several purposes, as shown by the work of Rommie. They are an interface for the crew to use in order to easily access and utilze the computer for vital information, as well as being an almost indestructible, extremely strong, fighter.

Limited Intelligence[]

General Utility Android
Security Android
Worker Android

Psychology[]

Android psychology is extremely complicated, due to the nature of the complex hardware and software used to make an artificial intelligence and the body to house it. The mindset of an android can be programmed so that it can apply itself to a large amount of tasks, or it can be programmed so that it is restricted to a certain field, such as machinery or heavy labor. However, very advanced software filters and limiters must be applied to androids, because without them they could go insane, as they could overreach their preprogrammed limits because of their intelligence.

Android

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