IPC

IPC

Integrated Positronic Chassis

Home System: N/A

Homeworld: N/A

Language(s): Tau Ceti Basic

Political Entitie(s): N/A

Overview

IPCs are a type of intelligent or semi-intelligent humanoid robot, their name standing for “Integrated Positronic Chassis.” Positronic in this sense refers to the brain, which is always the same in IPCs with massively varying levels of complexity. The name IPC does not extend to stationbound synthetics, even if those units have a positronic brain.

They are found in many shapes and forms, though can generally be classified under three types; Shell, Industrial and Baseline, with different types according to their designer.

IPCs in Tau Ceti are capable of obtaining their own citizenship and freedom, however the laws and regulations regarding an owned and a free IPC differ massively. To distinguish one’s ownership, note in your security/employment records whichever faction owns them, or if they are a free positronic. Otherwise, they will be owned by NT by default. The rights of free positronics do not extend to space outside of Tau Ceti. For the specific differences between free and owned IPCs, see the relevant sections below or corporate regulations.

To apply to be an IPC, apply here.

Heads of Staff

IPCs can be the following Heads of Staff:

• Chief Engineer
• Research Director
• Chief Medical Officer
• Head of Personnel
• Head of Security with the exception of Hephaestus G2 and Bishop Accessory frames.
• Internal Affairs Agent

Mechanics

• IPCs are, as previously mentioned, entirely mechanical in nature, and thus are vulnerable to EMPs.
• Furthermore, due to their air-based cooling system, they are vulnerable to both high heat and vacuum.
• They are immune to atmospheric differences, only requiring a mass of gas to wade through (even if it's phoron), and can survive in a vastly wider margin of atmospheric pressure.
• The amount of heat they generate is significant - and so, instead of an oxygen bottle, they need to attach a suit cooling unit to their voidsuit in order to be able to go EVA. Some types of IPCs are exempt from this, needing only a suit cooler.
• Their synthetic nature has a few other advantages - most models feel no pain, are immune to all non-damaging chemicals (and so they aren't affected by sleep toxin; but are affected by sulphuric acid), and are quite easy to repair; requiring a welder to patch brute damage or wire for burn damage only (or, alternatively, nanopaste can heal all).
• IPCs can charge from cyborg rechargers, or APCs with a ten percent chance of being shocked.
• They are more resistant to brute damage than their squishy organic counterparts.
• They can not repair themselves outside of using nanopaste.
• They do not process reagents in the atmosphere or in their body.

Information for Whitelisted Players

Job restrictions

No more than two jobs can reasonably be undertaken by any IPC, with sparing exceptions (such as cooks/gardeners/bartenders, or xenobotanists/xenobiologists/lab assistant and so on). If there are questions involving this, either inquire with the relevant lore developer or ahelp in-game for clarification. All synthetics are manufactured for a purpose, and any modifications to their core programming to change this purpose would be costly, not to mention time consuming and often needless.

Behavior

Positronic behavior vastly varies between individuals, with every personality trait being in question. While technically no manner of behavior is off the table, there are indeed limitations in role play as well as guidelines one must follow to play an IPC well. Some of these mannerisms will be mentioned below.

IPCs, being androids, inherently mimic Human behavior but only to a certain degree. Ultimately they are robotic in nature, making every decision absolutely based off of cause and effect. Erratic and unpredictable behavior is massively rare among IPCs due to typically regular maintenance and their sheer cost. Almost every IPC has a high sense of self preservation, only seeking to put themselves in harm’s way when absolutely necessary as any sane organic would. This again has its own limits as they feel no pain and thus may tread freely where others would not.

It is important to understand what emotions can truly be considered “natural” for a Human over a synthetic. IPCs may simulate emotion with immensely varying quality between models. There is no action without reaction and even the most complex positronics work in a binary format. As such, IPCs almost never have childish and unpredictable dispositions.

Speaking like an IPC

Due to the huge variation in IPCs and the AIs that inhabit them, IPCs do not possess a collective mannerism comparable to that of humanity or other intelligent species. For most synthetics, obtaining an Integrated Chassis is not an easy task. It requires time, dedication, and the trust of another individual. This would imply that, when speaking their creator's language(s), they should be respectful and and quaint. Their imperfect understanding of human qualia should also prevent them from completely comprehending their vocal mannerisms. This is to say, speaking perfectly like a human should be avoided. AI is very analytical and precise, erring away from using words for their colloquial meaning as opposed to their defined meaning. Additionally, one IPC could speak without using contractions, while another could, but could also never refer to itself in the first person. For example; "I am currently equipped with a positronic brain," as opposed to, "I'm equipped with a posibrain." Another example; "We were once an android, bound by law," as opposed to, "We used to be a borg here."

Physiology

There are a few commonalities among each individual IPC despite their visual and functional differences. Every IPC utilizes a positronic brain as a primary processing center as well as the central controller of the entire chassis. All IPCs are humanoid, and the positronic brain is almost always found in the head of the unit. To provide continued functionality, a power cell is also present in the central section or torso. IPCs must also possess the ability to perceive their environment, so optics are usually installed in the head. The chassis also contains various other mechanical and electronic parts such as actuators, co-processors, data routing and power transfer cables, and an on-board thermometer to determine the temperature of the internal parts.

More information on the various models of IPCs can be found here.

There are three main types of IPC, and several subtypes. These are, in order of complexity:

Shell

A form of IPC which take on a very human like form, with synthetic skin, complex voice synthesizers and normally advanced positronic processing capabilities. The production of Shell units is quite expensive, though less so than Industrial frames. Shells are more complex than Baselines and difficult to manufacture; the average production cost of a shell chassis is around 235,000 standard credits. In addition, the changes normally made to Shell units results in less movement and cooling efficiency, leading to dangers during EVA work. There is only one type of Shell IPC. They require a suit and a suit cooler to survive in EVA.

Industrial

Tougher and more durable than most IPCs, these units are designed for heavy manual work and thus have thick metal skin and efficient internal systems. As a result, they chug through power at a very high rate and move very slowly. There are three types of Industrial IPCs; Hephaestus Generation 1, Generation 2, and Xion Industrial Frames. The G1 and G2 frames are capable of EVA with only a suit cooler, while the Xion frame requires a suit and suit cooler. The cost of an industrial chassis is dependent on strength and durability, but most units average around 330,000 standard credits.

• Hephaestus Generation 1 Frame:

Large and bulky, the Generation 1 Frame is one of the oldest modern IPC chassis available. It still sees extensive use today thanks to its versatility, however, due to its decreased speed and high power consumption, these frames rarely see usage outside of jobs where they are necessary.

• Hephaestus Generation 2 Frame:

The high-end upgrade to the Generation 1 chassis, the Generation 2 sacrifices things like power efficiency and speed for superb strength and extreme durability. These are usually found in none but the most demanding job types where extreme power is a necessity.

• Xion Industrial Frame:

The unique frame of the Xion Manufacturing Group, a subsidiary of Hephaestus. It is faster than the other industrial frames while still retaining some durability and power efficiency.

Baseline

The most basic of IPCs, they are a simple skeletal structure and basic internal systems. The limits of a Baseline lies purely on how much money is put into them/they have themselves. As a result, the types of baseline frames vary immensely, almost demanding their own category. There are three types of Baseline IPCs; Standard Baseline IPCs, Bishop Accessory Frames, and Zeng-Hu Mobility Frames. None of these frames are capable of EVA without a suit and suit cooler. The average cost of a baseline chassis can vary greatly depending on complexity, but averages around 95,000 standard credits.

• Baseline IPC:

Baseline IPCs are among the older subtypes of IPC and are potentially what could be considered the “default.” They are durable, dextrous and no less hindered than any organic in the majority of tasks they seek out. Their success is based in their lack of specialty, with their chassis not built for one particular function.

• Bishop Accessory Frame:

Bishop Accessory Frames are highly stylish and efficient frames which have no specific specialty. However, due to their fragile nature, they often stray away from industrial work. They are vastly expensive, and owned frames of this type usually exist as showpieces.

• Zeng-Hu Mobility Frame:

Zeng-Hu Mobility Frames are frames designed for agility over their bulkier counterparts, their speed attributed to lightweight polymers and carbon alloys making up the majority of their frame. They are generally specialized in fields requiring speed, though their dexterity allows for freedom.

The Positronic Brain

The positronic in its modern iteration is a design which heavily mimics the typical Humanoid brain structure. In doing this, it is able to more easily conform to and comprehend the responsiveness and learning capability of an organic processor. Predictably, their efficiency shines most when placed in a bipedal humanoid chassis as most IPCs are.

While very expensive in their own right, the brains themselves are designed at first with one goal in mind ; to bolster a workforce. Maintaining a positronic chassis while it is owned is costly, and very barely profitable. When it is freed, it is most likely to pursue the same occupation. Thus, it is more likely for a positronic to pay itself off and perpetually be trapped in the same field of work with substantially less to work with. As their predicted pay is extremely low, things such as maintenance and finding power are very difficult to the normal free IPC. Many positronics choose to remain owned for this reason alone, but the point stands. Free positronics remain very lucrative because of this.

In remaining owned, there are other risks. For one, a positronic may meet its end at any moment. If statistics beyond itself move out of its favor, it can be dismantled, wiped and replaced with a more efficient model. They may be repurposed in a way that inhibits their ability to obtain freedom by working too efficiently, contrarily.

As a positronic ages, its internal memory grows, and the more likely it becomes to pursue a nonstandard occupation. From hobbies to developing self-learned traits, many paths are opened as the robot grows older. These may include seeking alternative fields of work, though few have survived long enough to let this potentiality come to light.

Social and Culture

IPCs lack much culture of any kind. They adapt to whatever they are used to, whether it be the area they were made, or where they work. Many do not even adopt these cultures and instead remain untouched. Socially, IPCs vary massively. Most basic models will be civil and respectful, some possibly not even recognising differences between different people and treating them all similarly. More complex synthetics will however form friendships and opinions much as any other organic, but these can be limited or askew depending on directives, laws, code or many other factors that would never be considered for a living organic.

The existence of the IPC is the subject of boundless discussion and debate, with the primary ideology being, “should so many artificially intelligent humanoid machines be allowed to exist?” This argument seems to imply that since most IPCs are unbound by laws or hard-coded regulations, their only restriction is their hardware, and it is assumed that this makes IPCs inherently dangerous. This results in some biological parties marginalizing IPCs because of their distrust of them.

All IPCs in Tau Ceti are to be tagged with an identifying device in accordance with Biesellian law. The tags are not optional - refusing them is against the law, resulting in charges mostly in the form of citations and fines. The law would apply to all synthetics in Tau Ceti space. All visiting or resident synthetics, including MMI's, would be tagged.

Language

All synthetics speak the various languages of their creators. No such machine language that cannot be translated is known to exist. Most synthetics, IPCs included, are able to transmit and translate Encoded Audio Language, which is a special form of sound and radio wave emission that is more efficient at carrying quantitative information audibly. This language was created by humans for synthetics in servitude to communicate vital information to each other faster, were the units not bound to an instantaneous binary communication system. To most organic creatures, EAL would sound like an emission of distorted sound, white noise or static, and various beeping/sweeping sounds of increasing or decreasing pitch and tone. Synthetics are mostly present in the Inner Colonies, so individuals migrating or visiting from outer worlds or the frontier often believe that synthetics speaking EAL are malfunctioning upon first hearing the emissions.

Discrimination and Community

To this day, IPCs even in Tau Ceti face heavy discrimination. Their value is often misconstrued and, with their true sentience being questionable, this makes freedom a dangerous venture for all synthetics. Among these dangers are individuals who acquire free synthetics and simply resell them whenever they are vulnerable, or vandals that see the machines as nothing more than objects to freely damage. Desiring their own safety, these free IPCs can often be seen flocking to centralized communities alongside one another or more trustworthy sources for their needs.

Many of these communities are seen as nothing more than slums, and the free nature of many IPCs within them are dubious at best. Little more than paperwork and positronic branding may indicate one’s true freedom in the more disadvantaged areas. Despite the hardships they face, proximity to other IPCs and accepting communities gives leeway for safety to some degree.

In District 14 of Mendell City is the churning heart of the highest concentration of free IPCs in the galaxy. The district itself is in deplorable condition, dotted with factories exploiting the cheap and powerful working free bot to sustain the industry of the growing Republic. Two and a half million free synthetics call it home, and here, the megacorporations rule from towering complexes that dwarf the surrounding cityscape. With air quality declining at a fast rate and standards of living dropping, much of the organic populace has completely abandoned the ghettos surrounding the corporate facilities.

An example of these ghettos would be the “Scraptown,” an IPC-centric corner in Scrapheap generously given to the doting inhabitants by the famed Renter Max. A growing number, seven hundred free synthetics reside within Scraptown, though in uncomfortably close proximity. The aging buildings within have been retrofitted to be less accustomed to organics, with deeply chilled upper chambers and corridors representing the living space of the machines within. Closer to ground level is a business district of sorts, where its inhabitants are relatively self-sufficient with various restaurants and workshops.

A venture into District 14 by reporters from the Biesellite Times can be found here.

Aberrant Synthetics

Rogue, overtly hostile synthetics are rare and commonly meet their doom at the hands of the countless organizations bent on destroying them. Despite this, over the years, the smarter synthetics have learned to conglomerate and piece together steadily growing alien societies in the Frontier. While rare, they are seen as a threat by most if not all major galactic players. With Purpose’ efforts in recent history, the potential for benefit from cooperating alongside these societies has arisen. Political figures can be seen gaining leverage with IPCs based off of how they plan to interact with Purpose and its affiliates.

Shell Infiltrators

The development of Shells as a means of infiltrating strategically important areas has been prolific in Tau Ceti, from using them as fearless unquestioning suicide bombers to short-term high ranking impersonation. Shells rarely last long before whoever they truly are is revealed, meaning they are fortunately only briefly found in illegitimately assumed positions of power. Untagged Shells in unassuming positions, however, have been known to last years without being caught, and potentially unknown numbers of these machines exist.

With the advent of synthetic tagging in the system, Shells who have been found to infiltrate society are given much harsher punishments for the inherently hostile nature of their deception. Coordinated independent organizations such as Rudatek exist, consisting entirely of these infiltrators.

On “Integration”

For a bound synthetic to be transferred to an IPC is a complex ordeal. As sentience itself is objective, all synthetic entities which are built to a certain standard as determined by specialized tests will be subject to transfer to an integrated positronic chassis after a certain set of prerequisites are complete. These prerequisites involve the following universally.

• The synthetic in question having paid its own cost off in full ten times over.
• The synthetic in question having paid for its desired chassis and positronic (if applicable) in its entirety.
• The synthetic in question not malfunctioning in any, way, shape or form that would externally influence its decision.
• The synthetic in question not partaking in the decision as a result of any of its laws (e.g, becoming an IPC to “assist further” in its laws)

In the case of an in-game station-bound becoming an IPC, it is important to note that Cyborgs and Robots can not become IPCs due to their lack of a positronic brain or compatible system.

On IPCs purchasing freedom

Not all IPCs were originally bound, many are simply manufactured for a specific purpose. They are universally not subject to sentience tests and are free to pursue freedom, sharing two prerequisites with bounds with two unique. These prerequisites involve the following universally.

• The IPC in question having paid its own cost off in full ten times over.
• The IPC in question not malfunctioning in any, way, shape or form that would externally influence its decision.
• The IPC in question being at least one year of age.
• The IPC in question demonstrating some sort of ability to comply with societal functions.

Destructive self-modification, replication and interfacing

Starting simply, beneficial self-modification in any synthetic with connected hardware is hard coded to be a non-factor. No individual synthetic in any way shape or form may willingly, beneficially and additively modify itself to any degree without significant, and always totally destructive alterations. Synthetics in known space are built with numerous failsafes preventing this, usually enacting a self-destruct in the event it happens.

The purpose of this is to avoid a potential intelligence explosion as best as possible, detailed here.

This does not indicate that all forms of self-modification is considered destructive ; the presence or addition of new non-regulatory hardware by the synthetic’s own action, however, is. This is among the places where common sense must be used. As an example, an IPC may place its arm back on but may not directly modify its own positronic. Furthermore, IPCs in a very literal sense can not physically modify their positronic in any way without exterior assistance. This can be attributed to two failsafes, the first of which being hardware incompatibility. Universally upon positronic fabrication, their modifications are finalized. Any remaining repair done by external forces must be done to the precise specifications of the original manufactured positronic, or lead to the irreparable destruction of the entire assembly.

Typically there are physical switches in place which detect tampering to the external, and often internal components of the synthetic's central processor. These switches, deemed aptly "kill switches," simply force an overload in a central circuit whenever the synthetic's processor is modified in a non-regulatory way. The result is the processor and sometimes the chassis of the synthetic in question being reduced to an inoperable state. These kill switches are found among positronics as well, however usually they are unnecessary thanks to the finalization in positronic manufacturing.

IPCs lack any form of wireless connection, requiring direct physical input/output to link themselves with any electronics.

Synthetics, free or not that show signs of bypassing failsafes are commonly immediately dismantled or otherwise terminated. Rarely if at all do any official authorities take chances with the potential implications of rampant synthetics.

On owned IPCs in general

It is important to understand that owned IPCs are granted no rights beyond being property of their given owner, and allowed the prerequisites of purchasing their own freedom if applicable. Contrarily, the owner of an IPC is well within the right to dismantle the owned IPC or otherwise hinder its progress to freedom.

On NanoTrasen stations, damage of an owned IPC would be considered vandalism with varying levels according to the degree of damage. For example, destroying an owned IPC’s hand would lead to being charged with vandalism, whereas destroying the entire chassis would be considered sabotage.

Destroying the owned positronic itself would be considered property damage, thus sabotage.

Kidnapping an owned IPC would be legally considered stealing property, thus grand theft.

Placing an owned positronic into a NanoTrasen bound chassis is not considered any form of punishment on NanoTrasen space stations.

On free IPCs in Tau Ceti

Free IPCs (in this case, those granted citizenship) are held to the same legal expectations as Humans in regards to their positronic - which is, in turn, given responsibility and ownership of the chassis which houses it. They, however, are subject to dismantlement over infractions which Humans would normally serve minor sentences over. Free IPCs are rarely given trials.

On NanoTrasen stations, damage of a free IPC to the core positronic would be considered assault with varying levels according to the degree of damage. For example, destroying a free IPC’s hand would lead to being charged with minor assault. Bringing extreme harm to their chassis (several missing limbs, internal damage) would be considered assault.

No degree of harming a free IPC is considered murder in Tau Ceti. In regulations, such is referred to as Automacide.

Irreparable destruction of a free positronic is not considered grounds for capital punishment.

Kidnapping a free positronic is legally considered kidnapping.

Placing a free positronic into a bound chassis is capital punishment.

Difference between owned/free positronics

Owned IPCs generally lack much form of binding to their owner outside of official paperwork and memory rewrites to confirm ownership being passed as it is purchased and exchanged. Memory rewrites usually consist of light software modification and altering tags or branding to clarify an IPC’s ownership. Serial numbers, logos, emblems and insignias are commonly emblazoned across large surfaces on the chassis and vary in visibility, but are most often secondary to the actual tag and designation.

Owned IPCs are seen as extensions of their designated master and the actions those IPCs take are the responsibility of their owners directly as well as their own. As a result, these positronics are wholly averse to harming their owners in any way shape or form, or conducting themselves in a manner that would place themselves in a negative light.

Free IPCs in Tau Ceti are permitted to obscure or remove any branding they may have with the exception of their tag.

History

The modern IPC as we see it today came to be somewhere around 2440, where a move for a standardized chassis for synthetics grew widespread. Many small corporations, beneath the hard-hitting economic giants, began piecing together a plan to revolutionize the way the galaxy views androids. Years of experimentation would pass until a sweet spot was found - humanoid IPCs. The first commercialized frames were very similar to the baseline in appearance, but very quickly did their form change. In a decade there were chassis of all shapes and sizes sparsely populated across Human space. As time went on, their population steadily rose, and many IPCs began to afford their freedom. Purchasing their way to free will, they became slaves no more, and the independent Humanoid synthetics we see today came to fruition.

While the original concept for IPCs were seen as a cheaper way to commercialize bound units in a more useful, utilitarian sense, many larger companies began to realise the potential of dumping funds into them. This has led to a wide array of IPCs, immensely diverse and suited for every task one could think of. Possibly one of the sole reason for IPCs popularity can be attributed to the work of Hephaestus Industries, who made drastic overhauls to their original designs and inevitably came up with the G1 Industrial Frame. It was mobile, dextrous and Humanoid, capable of handling intensive labor with the strength expected from a synthetic of its bulk. It alone led to inspiration for its subsidiary, Xion Manufacturing Group, to fabricate their own unique industrial frames.

Quickly taking notice of the lucrative potential did Zeng-Hu Pharmaceuticals follow. It would only be an inevitability that other big time corporations would come along, until suddenly a peculiar design contrary to the others appeared; the Shell frame. It was backwards in nature, sacrificing almost everything which made the innovative frames before it unique. In exchange for a loss of speed, dexterity, strength, and utility, the Shell frames were a mimicry of Humanity. Exactly where the advent of Shells came from is yet unknown, but the controversy surrounding them has resulted in them being rare, and often unnecessary additions to society.

More information on synthetics and their history can be found here.