New Home - People and Culture

Robots

Domestic servants and manual labourers are being rapidly replaced by affordable and reliable robots. New Home's technologists have developed increasingly sophisticated and independent robots over the past decades. All of New Home's robots are easily identifiable as such. There are no robots that could even remotely pass as human.

Today New Home's robots can be found performing complex tasks in almost every aspect of life. Most Commoners have at least one general purpose robot. New ground cars are always equipped with a robot driver, and factories are routinely controlled by robots.

The first robot policeman patrolled the streets of Firstfall in 5605AD. Today the Royal New Home Marines are rumoured to be trialing a sophisticated autonomous 'warbot'.

Although New Home scientists have developed artificially intelligent computers, their robots are not classed as intelligent. The only AIs are huge clusters of servers based in University computer departments, and in corporate and governmental headquarters. The most sophisticated robots achieve an IQ of about 70, and are only able to operate in their own area of expertise.

The New Home government is well-aware of the huge advantage its robots represent. As with so many items of advanced technology, it is forbidden to export any robot technology offworld. Even the most influential nobles accept that they must do without their robot servants when travelling abroad.

Foreigners never see robots on their own worlds. Many are surprised when they first visit New Home and discover how ubiquitous robots are on the Clusters' most advanced world.