The Grand Robotics Exposition
- Thread starter Tithed_Verse
- Start date
- Original
-
- Tags
- robot quest
Aesthetics
Tithed_Verse
Vainglorious
- Location
- Iowa
- Pronouns
- They/Them
It's not aesthetics so much as area of specialization. But if you want to hear about their aesthetics.
Dr. Lambda:
Dr Lambda's aethetics are smooth. She likes glistening shells and rounded shapes. She hides cables behind flexible sheaths, or internally. She uses gleaming white ceramics more often than plastics, sometimes even transparent and fragile porcelain. What few lights her robots have tend to be blue or purple in hue. Often she'll decorate a robot with matte vs glossy instead of with different colors. Likes geometric designs of thin lines. Or she'll laser cut the shell so that it scatters rainbows like a CD. Imagine her as being the Apple of robotics.
Dr. Rankle
Dr. Rankle's robots tend to be designed to be easy to assemble and repair. Lots of access hatches, things are usually screwed on not glued nor wielded. They tend to have designs that are easy to put together. Cables tend to be more external and designed to be easy to replace, held in with screws or clips. They're... utilitarian is the wrong term. 'easy to maintain' might be more correct. Darker colors than Lambda. They tend towards polished grey, simple single color paints, and reds, greens or yellows for their lights.
Dr. Maloof
Maloof's robots don't have an aesthetic. They're made with whichever components were cheaper at the time. They're often mismatched. This is probably the closest to the 'scrapheap' aesthetic you were mentioning, but there's never 'rust' or 'patina'. Dr. Maloof uses cheap red LEDs unless she can get other colors cheaper, or the color is important for the usage. Dr. Maloof's robots are usually made from cheap black plastic, or cheap metal dipped into a cheaper orange anti-corrosive enamel.
Dr. Oliveira
Dr. Oliveria's robots are diselpunk. Anodized black and grey, thick visible wields, large visible rivets. Chicken-wire inside bullet proof glass protecting sensors. They're not fun to maintain because they're built so solidly.
Dr. Lebedev
Dr. Lebedev's likes transparent materials. She likes to make it so that you can see the circuits and devices within the robot. Lots of internal lights that blink to show things are working, or bits that spotlight a processor or a motor when it's turned on. Like those old see through Gameboys, or such. She has more experience working with plastic than metal or ceramic.
Dr. Kyenge
Dr. Kyenge's stuff probably has the weirdest aesthetic. It's inspired by Persia and Zoroastrianism. Very blue and yellow. Poetry written and blessings written in thin lines across arms or cables or legs. Lots of birds and archers and sages. Fire is a common theme as well. But ultimately, they're meant to be human directed, so most of the visual clutter is where it won't distract the operator. They often feature very clean and open sight lines from the cameras or cabins. The decorations are just plaster, and designed to break away easily in case of emergency.
The visual clutter actually helps a lot in competition: Robots are still worse at processing visual clutter than humans, so when directly competing against robots his remote operated devices often cause unexpected behavior and glitches in their opposition. It's unclear if this is genuine chicanery or if Dr. Kyenge believes that the unexpected malfunctions are a blessing from his piousness. Most of the other roboticists aren't aware of the cause.
Dr. Wang
Dr. Wang's stuff is playful and fun. Bright colors, rounded shapes, stripes and stars circus like. Plastic and ceramic with very little metal is how Wang builds things. They often use mag-lev, or even super cooled superconductor levitation at joints to both reduce friction and create a fun, bobbing, 'look ma no strings' effect. Though obviously not with any joint that's intended to supply significant torque.
Dr. Loess
Dr. Loess' aesthetic is from nature. Lots of organic looking shapes inspired by coral, or trees, or insects. Eyes painted onto the robot like on a moth's wings or a peacock's feathers or like knots in wood. Vivid blues, greens, browns, purples, and reds. Loess uses self-healing plastics, ceramics, putties, meshes, hemp, bamboo, wood, genuine rat brain tissue, and some plaster as well as some metal.
Her robot's visual clutter often serves as a deliberate, nature inspired, camouflage, hiding them effectively from other robots by breaking up their visual line profile. She's been known to mix in radar-absorptive and reflective paints and use sound-absorptive and reflecting materials to confound attempts by other robots to use those sensors as well.
Dr. Lambda:
Dr Lambda's aethetics are smooth. She likes glistening shells and rounded shapes. She hides cables behind flexible sheaths, or internally. She uses gleaming white ceramics more often than plastics, sometimes even transparent and fragile porcelain. What few lights her robots have tend to be blue or purple in hue. Often she'll decorate a robot with matte vs glossy instead of with different colors. Likes geometric designs of thin lines. Or she'll laser cut the shell so that it scatters rainbows like a CD. Imagine her as being the Apple of robotics.
Dr. Rankle
Dr. Rankle's robots tend to be designed to be easy to assemble and repair. Lots of access hatches, things are usually screwed on not glued nor wielded. They tend to have designs that are easy to put together. Cables tend to be more external and designed to be easy to replace, held in with screws or clips. They're... utilitarian is the wrong term. 'easy to maintain' might be more correct. Darker colors than Lambda. They tend towards polished grey, simple single color paints, and reds, greens or yellows for their lights.
Dr. Maloof
Maloof's robots don't have an aesthetic. They're made with whichever components were cheaper at the time. They're often mismatched. This is probably the closest to the 'scrapheap' aesthetic you were mentioning, but there's never 'rust' or 'patina'. Dr. Maloof uses cheap red LEDs unless she can get other colors cheaper, or the color is important for the usage. Dr. Maloof's robots are usually made from cheap black plastic, or cheap metal dipped into a cheaper orange anti-corrosive enamel.
Dr. Oliveira
Dr. Oliveria's robots are diselpunk. Anodized black and grey, thick visible wields, large visible rivets. Chicken-wire inside bullet proof glass protecting sensors. They're not fun to maintain because they're built so solidly.
Dr. Lebedev
Dr. Lebedev's likes transparent materials. She likes to make it so that you can see the circuits and devices within the robot. Lots of internal lights that blink to show things are working, or bits that spotlight a processor or a motor when it's turned on. Like those old see through Gameboys, or such. She has more experience working with plastic than metal or ceramic.
Dr. Kyenge
Dr. Kyenge's stuff probably has the weirdest aesthetic. It's inspired by Persia and Zoroastrianism. Very blue and yellow. Poetry written and blessings written in thin lines across arms or cables or legs. Lots of birds and archers and sages. Fire is a common theme as well. But ultimately, they're meant to be human directed, so most of the visual clutter is where it won't distract the operator. They often feature very clean and open sight lines from the cameras or cabins. The decorations are just plaster, and designed to break away easily in case of emergency.
The visual clutter actually helps a lot in competition: Robots are still worse at processing visual clutter than humans, so when directly competing against robots his remote operated devices often cause unexpected behavior and glitches in their opposition. It's unclear if this is genuine chicanery or if Dr. Kyenge believes that the unexpected malfunctions are a blessing from his piousness. Most of the other roboticists aren't aware of the cause.
Dr. Wang
Dr. Wang's stuff is playful and fun. Bright colors, rounded shapes, stripes and stars circus like. Plastic and ceramic with very little metal is how Wang builds things. They often use mag-lev, or even super cooled superconductor levitation at joints to both reduce friction and create a fun, bobbing, 'look ma no strings' effect. Though obviously not with any joint that's intended to supply significant torque.
Dr. Loess
Dr. Loess' aesthetic is from nature. Lots of organic looking shapes inspired by coral, or trees, or insects. Eyes painted onto the robot like on a moth's wings or a peacock's feathers or like knots in wood. Vivid blues, greens, browns, purples, and reds. Loess uses self-healing plastics, ceramics, putties, meshes, hemp, bamboo, wood, genuine rat brain tissue, and some plaster as well as some metal.
Her robot's visual clutter often serves as a deliberate, nature inspired, camouflage, hiding them effectively from other robots by breaking up their visual line profile. She's been known to mix in radar-absorptive and reflective paints and use sound-absorptive and reflecting materials to confound attempts by other robots to use those sensors as well.
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- Location
- PA
Soo my take-away if I wanted to link these guys to various Mega Man bots over the years...
Dr. Lambda- Crystal Man. Flash man is a close runner-up though.
Dr. Rankle- Dust Man. Not a strong link but I can't really think of better.
Dr. Maloof- obviously Junkman, she can't really be anything other then him.
Dr. Olivera- Hard Man. the obvious rivets, the durability theme...Yeah.
Dr. Lebedev- Hrrm... Gravity man with all the gauges and whatnot?
Dr. Kyenge- hoy vey...Cloud Man. It's a rougher link but that turban+ the weather manipulation and the way that can mess with another bot does semi-link to his visual clutter stutter technique.
Dr. Wang- Clown Man. Easy pick in this case.
Dr. Loess- Wood Man. Plant Man was considered but Wood Man is basically obviously made of wood.
...Anyhow...
Lambda- HIGH QUALITY POWER. Best of the best winners who win. Somehow I'm feeling something like a dashing attack.
Rankle- maintenance right? That makes me think of a rocket-punch or something along those lines for him.
Maloof- Who knows? Literally, some sort of randomized attack here.
Olivera- Barrier weapon like the Leaf Shield. No other choices.
Lebedev- Tempting to give her something like Bright Flash or Gravity Crusher AOE attacks...
Kyenge- ...Something flamethrower-esque weapon with a side of Spark Man stunning.
Wang- this guy gets...Maybe not the infamous Metal Blade of doom, but say, the lesser 'balance' of Shadow man's weapon, or something wildy hard to use like Stone Man's Power Stone.
Loess- Some sort of stealth weapon, given her focus on camouflage. Like you shoot it and then you cloak afterwards.
KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
[X]Look for recruits here at the competition.
-[X] Don't expect to get everyone you need, only accept the best and be prepared to get others from the organization to fill out the numbers.
-[X] Don't expect to get everyone you need, only accept the best and be prepared to get others from the organization to fill out the numbers.
- Location
- PA
[X]Look for recruits here at the competition.
-[X] Don't expect to get everyone you need, only accept the best and be prepared to get others from the organization to fill out the numbers.
Alright sooo here's the thing about robotics- you might make them from parts but it's the WHOLE that matters.
I think we could skim some from Lebedev's Open Source stuff, but as far as a general notion...
I'm liking the idea of going the opposite route as Kyenge- AI to the utmost. There's a hole in the market for someone that does that. The problem, of course, is at least two of the eight directly screw with that. Kyenge is the obvious one with the visual trickery and signal disruption, but Loess is the other, with her camouflage.
-[X] Don't expect to get everyone you need, only accept the best and be prepared to get others from the organization to fill out the numbers.
Alright sooo here's the thing about robotics- you might make them from parts but it's the WHOLE that matters.
I think we could skim some from Lebedev's Open Source stuff, but as far as a general notion...
I'm liking the idea of going the opposite route as Kyenge- AI to the utmost. There's a hole in the market for someone that does that. The problem, of course, is at least two of the eight directly screw with that. Kyenge is the obvious one with the visual trickery and signal disruption, but Loess is the other, with her camouflage.
Winding down: 8 quarters till next competition
Tithed_Verse
Vainglorious
- Location
- Iowa
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Two-to-four, actually, though Loess is the 'worst' of the lot. Wang's playfulness gives his robots non - standard visual profiles. Maloof's robots are easy to misidentify due to their simularities with other models, even those belonging to other doctors.
As for AI, three doctors are really into it : Lambda openly wants to build a supermind, Rankle is trying for a geth like networked intelligence, and Lebedev wants to build a program that's 'infinitely adaptable'. If Lamda and Lebedev could work together they chould maybe manage it, but they don't get along.
Wang prefers purpose built 'expert systems' to 'AI' that use trickery to sidestep processing. If anyone could accidentally invent a strong AI, it would be Wang, but he has no plans to deliberately do so.
Oliveria doesn't like AI, it tends to behave unpredictably, which is a problem when your whole stitch is 'it just works, no matter the conditions you put it in'
Maloof doesn't care about AI one way or another.
Loess and Kyenge... Well, I don't really need to tell you about their AI positions XS
Lamda is too hardware focused, and Lebedev too focused on programming and interoperability.
[X]Look for recruits here at the competition.
-[X] Don't expect to get everyone you need, only accept the best and be prepared to get others from the organization to fill out the numbers.
-[X] Don't expect to get everyone you need, only accept the best and be prepared to get others from the organization to fill out the numbers.
In the end you find yourself taking advantage of the differences between you and Dr. Lambda to poach the more skilled apprentices out of her service. You get three that way, a fact that she will not thank you for, and of the remaining two you pick up one was unaffiliated and the other was one of Maloof's.
You havn't yet told them about your mysterious employer.
[][Apprentices]Tell them about employer and try to talk them into agreeing to join employer's service after graduation, so you can determine how many extras to request
[][Apprentices]Request a few extras, just in case not all of them want to join, but don't tell them about the employer yet.
Other than that, you do genuinely enjoy the robotics exposition. The food, the fights, the sights. Wang's robots are playful, and range from juggling robots, to little pink nurse robots that look like candy striped spiders.
You were amazed to find Lebedev herself womaning a booth where she was trying to sell some of her designs and coding. As you munched on a churro, you pondered getting a little bit of startup help from her. Lebedev was always looking for other third or fourth tier roboticists to work with.
[][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started
[][Lebedev]Try to make a deal so that she sends some of the people who approach her your way
[][Lebedev]Don't interact with Lebedev
Maloof was short manufacturing capacity, and willing to outsource it. It could let you view some of her designs, but unless you're a dedicated manufacturer this would cost you more money than it makes.
[][Maloof]Manufacture a few parts for Maloof: Profitable if you're mixed usage or primary factory, but you and your students will learn the least from it
[][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it
[][Maloof]Don't interact with Maloof
After that, everything wound down. The next few weeks were a mess of anxiety and stress as you set up your facilities.... Talking with contractors, getting your vision in gear, deciding what to rent and what to buy.
[][Facilities]Teaching facility
Your facilities were designed almost entirely for teaching: Several large machine shop with many redundant machines, and a few classrooms with top of the line computer systems set up for modeling. Amusingly, this is how Lambda does just about everything, no assembly lines for her. Hire a few supplemental teachers to help out and teach subjects you're not good at.
[][Facilities]Mixed usage
Your facilities were designed for mixed usage: you rented a factory floor so you can produce robots on an industrial scale, but also developed a small machine shop with a several redundant machines for prototyping and teaching and a few powerful computers for students to run simulations and modeling upon. Hire a several senior machinists to help manufacture and teach.
[][Facilities]Primary Factory
Your facilities were intended to produce robots: You built a full-fledged, modular, multi-line factory using some of Rankle's public designs for 'rapid readjustment lines', though you put a machine shop with a few tools and a modeling computer in a side room to teach your apprentices on. Hire many factory workers to run the floor.
[x][Apprentices]Request a few extras, just in case not all of them want to join, but don't tell them about the employer yet. [they don't need to know yet]
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started [even if they are bad, they are examples of what not to do]
[x][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it. [learn now, profit later]
[x][Facilities]Mixed usage
Your facilities were designed for mixed usage: you rented a factory floor so you can produce robots on an industrial scale, but also developed a small machine shop with a several redundant machines for prototyping and teaching and a few powerful computers for students to run simulations and modeling upon. Hire a several senior machinists to help manufacture and teach [learn through doing]
(Also, Happy New Year!)
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started [even if they are bad, they are examples of what not to do]
[x][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it. [learn now, profit later]
[x][Facilities]Mixed usage
Your facilities were designed for mixed usage: you rented a factory floor so you can produce robots on an industrial scale, but also developed a small machine shop with a several redundant machines for prototyping and teaching and a few powerful computers for students to run simulations and modeling upon. Hire a several senior machinists to help manufacture and teach [learn through doing]
(Also, Happy New Year!)
Solarstream
It's all in the cards
- Location
- Zombie World
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Plan Recruit and Teach
-[X][Apprentices]Tell them about employer and try to talk them into agreeing to join employer's service after graduation, so you can determine how many extras to request
-[X][Lebedev]Try to make a deal so that she sends some of the people who approach her your way
-[X][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it
-[X][Facilities]Teaching facility
-[X][Apprentices]Tell them about employer and try to talk them into agreeing to join employer's service after graduation, so you can determine how many extras to request
-[X][Lebedev]Try to make a deal so that she sends some of the people who approach her your way
-[X][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it
-[X][Facilities]Teaching facility
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[X][Apprentices]Tell them about employer and try to talk them into agreeing to join employer's service after graduation, so you can determine how many extras to request
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started
[X][Maloof]Don't interact with Maloof
[X][Facilities]Teaching facility
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started
[X][Maloof]Don't interact with Maloof
[X][Facilities]Teaching facility
[x][Apprentices]Tell them about employer and try to talk them into agreeing to join employer's service after graduation, so you can determine how many extras to request
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started [even if they are bad, they are examples of what not to do]
[x][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it. [learn now, profit later]
[x][Facilities]Mixed usage
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started [even if they are bad, they are examples of what not to do]
[x][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it. [learn now, profit later]
[x][Facilities]Mixed usage
KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
....Can we even choose both "Assemble a line for Maloof" and "Mixed Usage", @Tithed_Verse ?
Tithed_Verse
Vainglorious
- Location
- Iowa
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Yes, it just means you lose money. That's what 'not profitable' means. Maloof will be paying you less for the parts and assembly than it will cost you. If you're 'teaching primary' it's going to be much less.
With mixed you can treat it as 'partly subsidized teaching material' and could consider yourself to have saved money.
But a full line in teaching primary? That's expensive.
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KnightDisciple
Brotherhood. Unity. Peace.
- Location
- Midwest, USA
[x][Apprentices]Tell them about employer and try to talk them into agreeing to join employer's service after graduation, so you can determine how many extras to request
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started [even if they are bad, they are examples of what not to do]
[x][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it. [learn now, profit later]
[x][Facilities]Mixed usage
[x][Lebedev]Buy some code and designs to help you get started [even if they are bad, they are examples of what not to do]
[x][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it. [learn now, profit later]
[x][Facilities]Mixed usage
- Location
- Sweden
[X][Apprentices]Tell them about employer and try to talk them into agreeing to join employer's service after graduation, so you can determine how many extras to request
[X][Lebedev]Don't interact with Lebedev
[X][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it
[X][Facilities]Mixed usage
@Tithed_Verse
Is the cost of Lebedev's codes enough to eat into our loan, or is it something we could have bought anyway?
[X][Lebedev]Don't interact with Lebedev
[X][Maloof]Assemble a line for Maloof: Only profitable if you're primary a factory, but you and your students will learn the most from it
[X][Facilities]Mixed usage
@Tithed_Verse
Is the cost of Lebedev's codes enough to eat into our loan, or is it something we could have bought anyway?
Tithed_Verse
Vainglorious
- Location
- Iowa
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Without the loan you were sunk. You had, essentially, nothing without the loan. You put everything into your first showing, and it (almost) didn't work out.
... so yes. it does eat into the loan money XD.