“Robot” was derived from the Czech word for “worker,” and that is what these machines are intended to do. These machines are useful for various tasks, including cargo-handling, salvage, working with hazardous materials, and exploration.

This is a general-purpose technical robot. It has a cylindrical body and a pair of arms, and moves on either legs or tracks, depending on the model. It can operate in a wide variety of environments, and may be used for everything from working in a garage to hazardous waste disposal. Its payload space usually holds tools.

Its weapon mount is built into its rotating head; it can carry a weapon up to 6 lbs. weight, which is more likely to be a laser or plasma torch than an actual weapon.

Attribute Modifiers: ST-2 [-20].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: SM-1; HP+6 [12].

Advantages: Absolute Direction [5]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; DR 15 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [45]; Extra Arm (Weapon Mount, -80%) [2]; Machine [25]; Microscopic Vision 3 [15]; Radio (Burst,+30%; Secure, +20%; Video, +40%) [19]; Payload 2 [2]; Protected Senses (Hearing, Vision) [10]; Radiation Tolerance 5 [10]; Sealed [15]; Vacuum Support [5].

Perks: Accessory (Personal computer, fast option) [1].

Disadvantages: Cannot Float [-1]; Electrical [-20]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].

Choose a TL lens for the robot and select a machine intelligence lens (pp. 27-28).

TL9 Techbot (-40 points): This moves on a pair of articulated tracks. High Manual Dexterity 1 [5]; Maintenance (one person, weekly) [-5]; No Legs (Tracked) [-20]; Numb [-20]. $20,000, 50 lbs., D/8 hr. LC4.

TL10 Techbot (+21 points): This model has a bipedal barrelshaped body. HT+1 [10]; High Manual Dexterity 2 [10]; Reduced Consumption 2 [4]; Maintenance (one person, bi-weekly) [-3]. $10,000, 50 lbs., D/24 hr. LC4.

TL10^ Contragrav Techbot (+59 points): A spherical body with no legs. As TL10 techbot, plus Flight (Planetary, -5%) [38]; Aerial [0]. +$10,000.

These are multipurpose robots resembling a walking leafless bush. A bush robot has six arms branching into multiple “fingers,” each of which branches into a set of smaller fingers, and so on, down to nanometer scale. Each set of fingers is capable of independent sensing and operation; a “bushbot” can perform complex repairs or surgery without special tools. Massive processing capability is needed to control these “bush manipulators” – the robot’s brain is equivalent to a microframe computer, and is distributed throughout its body. These highly adaptable robots may be standard general-purpose machines, as well as popular bodies for sapient volitional AIs and mind emulations.

Attribute Modifiers: HT+2 [20].

Secondary Characteristic Modifiers: HP+7 [14]; Per+2 [10].

Advantages: 360° Vision [25]; Absolute Direction [5]; Ambidexterity [5]; Discriminatory Taste [10]; Doesn’t Breathe [20]; Double-Jointed [15]; DR 15 (Can’t Wear Armor, -40%) [45]; Enhanced Tracking 2 [10]; Extra Arms 4 (Extra Flexible, +50%) [60]; Extra Attack 2 [50]; High Manual Dexterity 4 [20]; Hyperspectral Vision [25]; Injury Tolerance (No Brain, No Eyes) [10]; Ladar [20]; Laser Communication [15]; Machine [25]; Microscopic Vision 6 [30]; Protected Vision [5]; Radio (Burst +30%; Secure, +20%) [15]; Sealed [15]; Sensitive Touch [10]; Quick Gadgeteer (Not for inventing new gadgets, -50%) [25]; Vacuum Support [5]; Vibration Sense [10].

Perks: Accessory (Compact microframe computer) [1].

Disadvantages: Electrical [-20]; Restricted Diet (Very Common, power cells) [-10].

Choose a TL lens for the robot. Also select a machine intelligence lens (pp. 27-28). Cyborg is not available!

TL11 Model (+4 points): Add Maintenance (one person, monthly) [-2] and Reduced Consumption 3 [6]. $150,000, 75 lbs., 3D/1 week. LC4.

TL12 Model (+8 points): Add Reduced Consumption 4 [8]. $100,000, 50 lbs., 3D/1 month. LC4.

These are additional upgrades that may be added to bush robots:

Contragrav (TL11^) (+38 points): Capable of flight! Add Flight (Planetary, -5%) [38]. +$10,000.

Budding (TL12) (+21 points/copy): Some bushbots can bud off parts of themselves as smaller copies. Take up to five copies with Duplication (Duplicate is -1 SM, +0%; Shared Resources, -40%) [21/copy]. +$20,000 per copy it can bud.

These are equipment packages for microbot swarms (TL10) or nanobot swarms (TL11).

This swarm is designed to tunnel, dig ditches, etc. Each bot is equipped with small arms and digging jaws. A square yard of swarm can dig as if it had ST 3 (not ST 1) and a pick and shovel (see p. B350). Construction swarms are often employed for mining, or civil or military engineering. They can also pile up loose earth and rock into ramparts, dikes, or walls. $1,000/square yard. LC3.

Decontamination swarms remove traces of most biotoxins, persistent chemicals, nanotechnology, or radioactive fallout. The type of hazard removed depends on the individual swarm’s specialization. A square yard of swarm can decontaminate a one-square-yard area to a soil depth of 2” every minute, and can do so 20 times before requiring replacement. It has Hazardous Materials (Biological, Chemical, Nanotech, or Radioactive) skill at TL+2, and serves as basic equipment for hazmat disposal. $1,000/square yard. LC3.

This swarm kills plants but has no effect on other living creatures. Even so, a large swarm might serve as an ecological sabotage weapon. It takes the swarm 10 seconds to strip a square yard clean of bushes or foliage. It can be programmed to carefully trim plants; this takes one minute per square yard. It may also be programmed to affect specific plants (for example, weeds) or to mow lawns. $1,500/square yard. LC3.

These can harvest crops with an effective Farming skill of TL+2. $2,000/square yard. LC4.

These swarms are programmed to spread paint or ink. Simply upload a particular design, provide paint, and they will go to work. Each square yard of swarm can paint 1 square yard per minute. They can paint for five minutes before requiring paint refills, and can refill themselves if a supply is available. $500/square yard. LC4.

The swarm is equipped to hunt down fleas, spiders, and other pests. Flier swarms can also destroy flies and mosquitoes. They will inflict 1d corrosion damage per turn to swarms composed of real insects! The swarm’s actions are harmless to humans, although they can be entertaining or distracting. Like defoliator swarms, they can be an ecological threat. $1,000/square yard. LC3.

The swarm functions as artificial bees, spreading pollen or seeds. This is useful if normal insects are not available, or cannot adapt to the local climate or ecology. Base cost is $1,000/square yard. LC4.

The swarm has the tools and programming to repair a single, specific model of equipment, plus appropriate Armoury, Electronics Repair, or Mechanic skills at TL+2 (specify which). A single swarm fixes things at about 1/10 the speed of a human, but up to 10 swarms can combine to make repairs. Base cost is $500 per square yard, plus $250/square yard per additional model of equipment the bots are programmed to fix, to a maximum of four types of equipment per swarm. LC4.