How much would a T2 style T-800 be worth?

[Zorlon]

Well obviously if one could be made it would be a potentially thinking being and open a can of worms entirely besides this thread's intended discussion.

So imagining a device nearly as mentally capable as the T-800, but with no inner life, and every bit as physically capable, how much would one be worth? Assuming no cheaper less capable versions are available what would one have to cost before it wouldnt be worth the price?

Obviously a trillion would be too much, they are destructible and not significantly better than humans at thinky stuff, but certainly anyone who could afford it would consider a million a small price to pay for such a tool.

Where do you imagine the balance lies, and why?

Also no, I am not considering a new business opportunity. I promise.

Edit: To be clear this is the T2 T-800. No dual mini atom bombs for batteries, nor the extreme durability seen in any other movie. But yes just as tough as seen in T2, and 120 years of expected battery life

2nd Edit: Cannot be back engineered at all. By fiat no one even wants to try. The scope of discussion involves only what would be the dollar value in todays world of the utility a T-800 offers.

 

[RoboRenee]

The advances in combat robotics, prosthetics, and computer intelligence would make it quite literally invaluable. You could set any price in the world and have buyers at your door.

 

[Zorlon]

The advances in combat robotics, prosthetics, and computer intelligence would make it quite literally invaluable. You could set any price in the world and have buyers at your door.

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Sorry, I tried to get at that from the other angle by saying no bootleg options available.

For purposes of this thread its just the terminators as terminators. By Alien Space Bat magic its as impossible to reverse engineer for us as a glock, magazine, and laser sight would be for Cave Men.

Intended topic is what would the value of the utility offered by a unit itself be in todays world, or rather a version of the world that is otherwise exactly the same where no one would even dream it might be a source of knowledge?

 

[Q99]

The technology is nigh priceless, but just the Terminator itself, as a single powerful, *somewhat* infiltration capable (but frankly still kinda unsubtle) badass? Useful, but not astronomically so.

 

[obssesednuker]

I think they discuss that in "What's the Damage".

 

[The Narrator]

I think they discuss that in "What's the Damage".

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Entertaining video. I think the glaziers and auto body shops were probably the ones that made out like bandits there, tho.

They do say that price is just for parts, not what an end user would pay, especially if it were unique. (And I think that parts price is probably far too low, and doesn't account for armor-quality materials being a lot more expensive than aluminum or whatever Boston Dynamics makes their robots out of.)

I think we should keep in mind that while Terminators seem nigh unstoppable, that's because they're usually menacing civilians or police equipped with small arms. Any kind of anti-materiel weapon designed to crack armored targets will wreck them. So if you deploy one on the battlefield against a well-equipped military, it might do some damage at first, but it won't get far before someone with a .50 BMG, 40mm, or AT-4 puts it down.

If you had a decent number of them, a military could send them into dangerous situations first to avoid risking human lives, but just one?

You could deploy it for assassinations (its intended purpose) and potentially get some well-protected targets that you otherwise couldn't, but if you're too public with it then its face will become known. They're also quite useful as bodyguards in every movie after the first, so it could be used for that purpose.

I could see a crime boss paying millions for at T-800 and using it for protection and to eliminate rivals. Since rival criminals would probably only have small arms, they would be little threat to it. Since it would all be happening out of the public eye, it would be hard for anyone to realize its true nature and develop countermeasures.

 

[Avernus]

If used for space exploration it could easily be worth hundreds of millions, given that such projects as a Mars mission tend to reach the multibillion range in terms of cost. A Terminator (especially if in communication with Earth) would let us land a roughly human level "probe" on a planet without most of the issues of getting a human there, much less back. And with a 120 year lifespan you could do follow-up missions of landing more and more equipment on the planet being explored for the Terminator to operate.

 

[Q99]

If used for space exploration it could easily be worth hundreds of millions, given that such projects as a Mars mission tend to reach the multibillion range in terms of cost. A Terminator (especially if in communication with Earth) would let us land a roughly human level "probe" on a planet without most of the issues of getting a human there, much less back. And with a 120 year lifespan you could do follow-up missions of landing more and more equipment on the planet being explored for the Terminator to operate.

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Oh, good call! I didn't think of that, yes, even not designed for science a Termie would be invaluable. One could easily assemble a base for others to use and such.