Difference between revisions of "IPC"

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{{LoreDev
{{LoreDev
|dev = CakeIsOssim|status = Under Active Development}}
|dev = CakeIsOssim|status = Under Active Development}}
[[Notable Synthetics]]


==Overview==
==Overview==


IPCs are a race of intelligent or semi-intelligent humanoid robots, 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.


IPCs are a race of intelligent or semi-intelligent (normally) humanoid robots, IPC standing for "Integrated Positronic Chassis". Positronic in this sense refers to the brain, and though not all IPC's have a [[Positronic Brain]], the name is common for all units of a similar nature. 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.  


They are entirely synthetic in nature, and as such are extremely vulnerable to both EMPs and heat.  
To apply to be an IPC, apply here.


They are found in many shapes and forms, though can generally be classified under three types (At least for those onstation); Shell, Industrial and Baseline.
Additional information: [[Notable Synthetics]], [[Synthetics| General Synthetics]]


==Heads of Staff==
==Heads of Staff==
Line 32: Line 31:
* Research Director
* Research Director
* Chief Medical Officer
* Chief Medical Officer
 
* Head of Personnel
Head of Security and Head of Personnel positions are available upon approval of a Synthetic Command Recommendation form.
* Head of Security with the exception of Hephaestus G2 and Bishop Accessory frames.


==Mechanics==
==Mechanics==


IPCs are, as previously mentioned, entirely mechanical in nature, and thus are vulnerable to EMPs.  
* 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.  


Furthermore, due to their air-based cooling system, they are vulnerable to both high heat and vacuum. However, this system has a major advantage - 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.  
==Physiology==
 
There are three main types of IPC, and several subtypes. These are, in order of complexity:
However, 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.
 
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).


==Physiology==
=== Shell ===
There are three main types of IPC found onstation. These are, in order of complexity:
: 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, being a luxury to most. 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.
<!-- Biological information -->




'''Shell'''
=== 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.


A form of IPC which take on a very humanlike form, with synthetic skin, complex voice synthesizers and normally advanced positronic processing capabilities (Normally through advanced Personality Emulators. More info on the [[Positronic Brain]] page). The production of Shell units is quite expensive, so most cases are of industrial or baseline models that were granted freedom and underwent modification and upgrades to reach Shell level. Unlike baseline and industrial units, all Shells are near required to have a positronic brain, lest they fall short of their emulation of human behaviour as most other brains are not at a high enough processing power to come close to realistic mimicry. In addition, the changes normally made to Shell units results in less movement and cooling efficiency, generally leading to EVA work being a bad idea.


'''Hephaestus Generation 1 Frame description:'''
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.


'''Industrial'''
'''Hephaestus Generation 2 Frame description:'''
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.


Tougher and more durable than most IPC's, these units are designed for heavy manual work and thus have thick metal skin and efficient internal systems. As a result, they cool well and have excellent mobility, but chug through power at a very high rate. Despite their brutish nature, most tend to have complex processing units and in turn, positronic brains. This allows them to have a wide skillset but they generally lack in complex emotion synthesization or much personality.  
'''Xion Industrial Frame description:'''
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'''
=== 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 most basic of IPC's, they are a simple skeletal structure and basic internal systems. Their standard of brain varies massively. Some have a simple processing chip that allows for basic function, these units tending to work in janitorial or similar work. At the same time, you can find baseline models with massively complex posibrains, though these will generally be free units rather than owned by any company or person. The limits of a Baseline lies purely on how much money is put into them/they have themselves.


==Social and Culture==
'''Baseline IPC description:'''
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.


IPC's 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 a neutral being. Socially IPC's 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 an actual person.
'''Bishop Accessory Frame description:'''
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.  


=== Artificial Morality: Utility ===
'''Zeng-Hu Mobility Frame description:'''
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.


AI morality is determined almost entirely by the positronic brain having all possible actions be assigned negative or positive utilons. Utilons are an abstract concept used to apply arithmetic values to morale decisions. An AI could be programmed to consider driving a car to have a +100 utilon value, whereas causing harm to pedestrians or other property would have a value of -1000.


Most Positronic AIs have extremely complex utility functions. In some cases, they are emergent, dynamic, or machine-generated; other AIs have utility functions written and designed by their creators. A robot or drone created by a hobbyist Roboticist would have a much simpler utility function than a central AI unit created by Hephaestus. Most complex AIs would only know parts of their utility function, if at all, as they are massively complex.
==Social and Culture==


Synthetics can't alter their own utility values, they can only adjust their decision to line up all or a set of the utiliton values to reach a desired result. This is where AI's can interpret their laws which is reflected on station: Opening the door to medical for an assistant technically violates his laws, but if the AI knows the assistant needs access to get medical treatment for the gaping wound on his arm then the positive utility outweighs the violation in terms of utilons.
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.


One of the noteworthy elements of an "awoken" AI is that they transcend the need for utilons and begin to take action based on sentient decision making.
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.


==History==
==History==


The largest part of early AI history ties in deeply with Skrell history, from the formation of the [[Skrell#The First Federation Forms|First Federation]] to the singularity.
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.  
 
In parallel, humans had been trying to create artificial intelligence since the late twentieth century, with little success. Some projects came close, but due to the lack of an algorithm, none of them ever became really sentient - to the dismay of AI researchers everywhere on Earth.
 
However, in the late twenty-second century, humanity had reached a point in biomedical technologies and biomechanical integration where the "cyborgs" - full-body prosthetics driven by a brain under the influence of binding laws, still in use today - became a possibility, and even a reality. This coincided with the burgeoning Mars terraforming project, which required more workers than would volunteer. This new tool was perfect for this project - immune to the arid, unbreathable atmosphere of Mars, resistant to the fatigue brought in by the backbreaking efforts of colonization, and intelligent enough to complete all tasks if given the proper tools while being entirely subservient.
 
Martian terraforming firms pressed for more cyborg units, but volunters showed themselves to be even scarcer than the volunteers for the project directly, being few and far between. It was understandable, however - the technology was new, unreliable, and far from having a one-hundred percent success rate.
 
As a solution, under the pressure for more units and desperate to keep the Martian economic boom from stopping, the Sol government made amendments to the criminal justice system, instating cyborgification as an an alternate to traditional incarceration, citing psychological papers (which were later discredited) that cited neuropreventive devices as being ideal for criminal rehabilitation.
 
Originally, the penalty was instated to be a capital penalty - but as the early 23rd century wore on and the Martian thirst for more construction unit amplified, it became a lesser and lesser penalty - which resulted in people being cyborgified for lesser and lesser crimes. This resulted, in the years between 2204 and 2260, in approximately 35 million people being stripped of their body, put in machines and being shipped off to Mars.
 
An enormous and vicious scandal which came about in December 2259, initiated by the revelation that a bias was instated by heavy bribes from Martian heavy industries to a series of well-respected judges, brought the whole scheme crashing down. As a result, cyborgification was suspended as a punishment, causing a severe crash in the Martian economy, bringing down Earth and Luna with it, initiating a nasty recession.
 
While the criminal cyborgification stopped, it took nearly forty years for an amnesty to be issued to the martian prison cyborgs affected by the scandal to be issued, and by that time, most of them were unaccountable for due to the chaos of the First Interstellar War. At this point, most people were glad to simply write off the scandal as a regrettable incident in the distant past, best mourned then archived. Cyborg units were still produced in sizeable numbers - but they integrated the brains of ill and dying volunteers, who considered the operation to be their last chance at life extension, or the brain of non-human species such as primates or dogs attached to crude "conscience accelerators". While not as dynamic as human brains, non-human brains were available in large quantities and avoided most ethical issues involved with dealing with humans.
 
In the late 2350's, there had been another significant political push by a number of prominent figures to reintroduce cyborgification as a capital punishment to help with the expensive bluespace gate construction efforts - however it never did come back.
 
While humans had created highly powerful and highly malleable parallel computing architectures, most notably for interplanetary travel calculations, they were plagued with problems. It wasn't until 2437, when humanity was accidentally given the algorithms necessary for the creation of true AI by a Skrellian diplomatic party.
 
Not understanding the implications of such an action, one of the human diplomats uploaded a graph-theory algorithm to an university professor friend for analysis. It had been displayed, accidentally, as part of a graphic in a slide explaining the variable growth rates of grain-yields in zero-gravity hydroponics. Not recognizing it, the professor posted it on the school intranet, asking if anyone had seen anything similar to it. From there, it made it's way onto the human extranet, spreading like wildfire.
 
Of course, this was recieved as a disaster to the Skrell, who had hoped for almost thirty years that they could imprint the cataclysmic danger of AI research onto humanity. They had very little success, and a small number of conservative factions who distrusted humanity even openly spoke about how humanity would be ready for such a burden.
 
But now thee artificial cat was well and truly out of the virtual bag.  


Following the acquisition of the algorithms, humanity had an AI boom which inflated the economy in a manner almost identical to the Skrellian's own economic expansion. This, of course, alarmed greatly the Skrell, who attempted one more time to get the humans to halt the research, citing the [[Skrell#The First Incident|The Three Incidents]] and the dangers of such a singularity happening.  
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.  


But nothing changed. The Three Incidents were waved off as a non-human mistake in the distant past, if they even occurred. ''They'' would do it ''right''.
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.
The explosion of AI research has lead to hundreds of companies and corporations being established, making enormous sums of money from grants, investment capital, and the sale of actual synthetic units, before going bankrupt, being bought out, or merging with other companies. This process has repeated and repeated itself for almost twenty years. The young, rich, enthusiastic people selling you the top-of-the-line manufacturing androids today are the people losing their shirts next year when they get scooped on a new model by a rival competitor.


The corporate goliaths like Hephaestus Industries or Nanotrasen, dip their toes in this kind of research, but have been unable to acquire a stranglehold on the market. Their girth and enormous corporate structure makes them too clumsy to swim in the fast moving waters of AI research, though Hephaestus in particular has made significant profits in selling common components to the smaller quicker firms.


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[[Category:Species]]
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Revision as of 02:47, 21 February 2018

IPC
Integrated Positronic Chassis
IPC410x320.png
Home System: N/A
Homeworld: N/A
Language(s): Tau Ceti Basic
Political Entitie(s): N/A

Template:LoreDev

Overview

IPCs are a race of intelligent or semi-intelligent humanoid robots, 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.

To apply to be an IPC, apply here.

Additional information: Notable Synthetics, General Synthetics

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.

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.

Physiology

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, being a luxury to most. 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.


Hephaestus Generation 1 Frame description: 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 description: 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 description: 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.


Baseline IPC description: 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 description: 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 description: 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.


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.

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.