FFS designs
TL-8 Odour Supplant-Janitorial Robot [OS-JR] v0.9b
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Source wording preserved. The original download is available separately.
From: Zaidfeld <cs911408@qrc.com>
Subject: TL-8 Odour Supplant-Janitorial Robot [OS-JR] v0.9b
Hello,
Here is a robot design that I worked out using the new robot rules from
VF+FF&S. This article is almost finished (Just a few more adventure
hooks to add) and I might even send it off to Challenge. Please, read it
over and let me know of any comments/errors/adventure hooks/anything that
you might come up with. Thanks.
Enjoy,
-Shalom Zaidfeld
----
TL-8 Odour Supplant-Janitorial Robot [OS-JR]
The Odour Supplant-Janitorial Robot [OS-JR], commonly called
Hos-Jar, was one of the first models introduced to the vacated
automated maintenance & upkeep market in the Reformation
Coalition. Hos-Jar has been developed and manufactured back in
mid-1200 by a small and unknown company called Barzel Manufactory
[BM].
Barzel Manufactory started out in early 1200 as a family run
electronics repair facility, which provided its services to the
expending population of Delios Tradestation, Apollo's orbiting
Class-E Starport. Due to Apollo's status as an Administrated
Territory by the Reformation Coalition, there were barely any
restrictions in the way of design and implementation of robotics by
the RCSA.
This cemetery world provided Barzel Manufactory with most of the
components and electronics needed, thus supplying virtually a free
and a steady replenish of scavenged electronic apparatus. Many
market analysers, on Aubaine and elsewhere in the coalition,
attribute it as the reason for their relatively high pitched
earnings in sales.
---
Barzel Manufactory first released this model in an attempt to
suppress the growing numbers of vermin in Delios's inner hull and
service conduits. They produced a small array of Hos-Jars to
patrol and exterminate the vermin. The Hos-Jar's low and
semispherical hull, together with it's tiny arm enabled it to reach
into the vermin's hideouts easily and brought to a successful &
triumphant victory.
Thus, the first introduction of Barzel Manufactory's robots designs
became a favourite addition in Delios. Their celebrated high
speed chases after vermin in the empty fuel tanks resulted in
numerous gambling pools in the bars. Scores were kept for each
Hos-Jar's performance, and later, even a tri-d Hos-Jar simulator
game was released by Barzel's expending venture into the
electronics commodity market.
Hos-Jar successfulness in controlling the vermin situation also
attracted a number of transient Free Traders and Coalition
Merchants to acquire the model for treatment on their vessels and
as merchandise to trade around the coalition. It is also rumoured
that some Guild vessels obtained the model, but this information is
not conformed.
Of course, exterminating vermin was only one component of Hos-Jar
multi-operational capacity. Barzel Manufactory added many
diversified optional odour canisters to their Hos-Jar product line
and transform it to an Air quality enforcement tool.
For example, here's Barzel Manufactory's ad for the Hos-Jar:
"...be it in a marines' changing room after a raid, aboard a
scout ship with a shabby lavatory or a Ithklur-infested bar
with no elbowroom, even in the maintenance bays of Aubaine's
Starport, Odours can make you and your customers feel
uncomfortable and interfere with their enjoyment of your
facility and products. That means loss of revenue and
produces a bad name for your business.
-So how can I solve the problem?, you ask.
Why, here at Barzel Manufactory, we came up with the
appropriate tool for the job. Our Odour Supplant Janitorial
Robot product will attack at an unwanted odours and restore
the air quality to your normal standards. The Hos-Jar, as we
fondly call it here, uses a low body configuration and a
quiet operational mode to keep it out of view. It's swift
movement will reach any area where it's services are needed
quickly and effortlessly.
The Odour Supplant Janitorial Robot model is also easy to
maintain and inexpensive to own. Of course, we back all our
products with Barzel Manufactory's standard 20 years warranty
so you don't have to worry about a thing. Our full catalogue
of various Odours and pesticides add-on canisters is available
at no charge. Whichever odour you need, we can supply you
with it.
Our company offices and product exhibitions are available at
most major starports (Aubaine, Trybec, Aurora and our new
offices in the Kruyter system) and of course, you can always
reach us at Barzel Manufactory's main offices:
Barzel Manufactory
Airlock 8, Delios Tradestation
Apollo, Reformation Coalition
[Barzel_Manufactory@lock8.delios.ap.rc]"
- Extracted from _The Coalition Onward Gazette_,
Barzel Manufactory's ad, p. 9.
- Issue XII/1201, Trantown, Aubaine.
---
Physical & Technical Description:
The Odour Supplant-Janitorial Robot model utilise a low,
semispherical shaped composite laminate hull which provides
its main structural support. A short arm is based on the top
of the hull, housing the odour emitter mechanism and a tube
which is attached to the externally mounted odour/pesticide
canister at the rear of the hull. The arm's installation
resembles a turret, with the ability to turn 360 degrees, thus
providing an superb coverage of the area around the robot.
A basic visual sensor is installed towards the front of the
hull, just below the arm's installation. It provides the
robot with basic pattern recognition; For example, the
Hos-Jar will recognise Humans, walls, Hivers and everything
else in its way as obstacles. Although, it could also be
pre-programmed to track a specific configuration, colour or
smell of an obstacle. Be it a rat, Ithklur or a foul-smelling
vac suit, the Hos-Jar will distinguish it and spray it if
so programmed.
The Smoke/Gas Detector sensor is installed alongside the basic
visual sensor. As described before, it can be pre-programmed
to detect a specific odour/smoke/gas, follow the programmed
instructions and handle it. Located underneath these two
sensors is the internal speaker. This device can be
pre-programmed with a small number of Anglic words and it comes
with miscellaneous other options like Male/Female voice, voice
volume and more. (Note: Barzel Manufactory recently announced
the availability of alternative sound cards for the Schalli
and Ithklur languages).
The Hos-Jar's TL-10 storage battery provide for its power
requirements and is installed internally at the base of the
hull, just below the CPU brain unit. The battery is the only
component used in this model that is manufactured & shipped to
Apollo from Trybec instead of being scavenged from Apollo
itself. This high performance battery provides for 5 hours
of continuous operation and is easily recharged.
And last, The Hos-Jar's robot brain unit. This state of the art,
TL-8, unit is produced solely from the finest recovered components
available. It resides on top of the battery, and is easily
accessed by lifting the arm's installation. The housing contains
the CPU unit and the varied sensory pre-programmed cards. The
brain is occupied with Barzel Manufactory's patented PRAC/1
[Pattern Recognition Algorithm Card, Class 1] (As discussed above,
regarding the basic visual sensor).
All of the cards, including the brain, can be easily programmed
using a TL-8+ hand/standard computer, the owner's password and the
MCE [Module Customising Extension], located on top of the CPU
unit. Just plug-in the cord to the computer's standard port and
Hos-Jar's brain will display the options that are accessible to you.
---
Referee's Notes & Adventure Hooks:
The Hos-Jar can be added to most Traveller/Megatraveller/Traveller:
The New Era campaigns readily and can provide for a broad & richer
atmosphere & background in the adventure. The Odour Supplant
Janitorial Robot is designed to be used as an NPC by the referee.
Be it a minor encounter in the bar, or a mini-adventure on its own,
here are some tips which can help you run the Odour Supplant
Janitorial Robot Model by Barzel Manufactory in your Traveller
adventure.
If you look closely at the Design Notes, you might notice that the model
suffers from a shortage of power. This 0.000008 MW shortage is not
obvious during normal operations, since not all of the components
work at the same time. However, if the power requirement is
stretched to its limit i.e.: If the Basic Visual Sensor and the
Odour/Gas Detector, plus the Odour Emitter, arm and the brain start
to operate simultaneously, unknown effects might occur. The main
reason for this is that the brain is the main power hog in the
model, thus it will be the one developing minor quirks in its
operation.
These quirks can range from simple ones, for example, the brain
won't shut off the gas emitter, thus, flooding the bar with sweet
aroma which will irritate a group of Vargrs. This will provoke them to
pursuit the Hos-Jar down and destroy it, causing a commotion which
may lead to various adventure hooks.
- The owners wants the Vargrs to pay for his 20,000Cr Hos-Jar which
they destroyed and hires the PCs to find them and obtain the money
from them.
- The PCs help the Vargrs out by shutting off the Hos-Jar (in a
friendly way), thus gaining the gratitude of the Vargrs/Bar owner
which may lead to miscellaneous rumours/job offers.
- [More to come...]
Another problem with this model is that the arm can only handle a
load of 480g while the Gas Emitter installed on it weight 500g.
This problem plus the poor agility of the arm (AGL 2) can be used
by the referee to turn them into either witty scenes
or terrifying ones. For example:
- [more to come...]
---
Miscellaneous Information Addendum:
- To program the Hos-Jar's brain, Difficult (Computer), 20 min.
[One level lower if the manual is used w/task, 10 min.)
- To program the sensors, Easy (Computer), 10 min.
- To crack the owners' password, Difficult, (Intrusion), 5 min.
- To repair the robot, Difficult,
(Robotics/Mechanic/Electronics/Computer), time varied by damage.
- A canister of Odour/Pesticides/Gas costs 50Cr. and can be
obtained at Major ports.
- The Odour Supplant Janitorial Robot's Padded Hard-Shelled Box
provides enough space for the Hos-Jar and 3 canisters of
Odour. The manual is also provided inside the box.
---
Equipment Sheet:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Volume: 28 litres
Transport Volume: 56 litres [Shipped w/Padded Hard-shelled Box]
Mass: 36 Kilograms [w/o box]
Armour Value: 0.1
Price: 19,712.91 Credits
Power Plant: TL 10 Storage battery
Generated: 0.000992 MW
Used: 0.001 MW
Unused: -0.000008 MW
Endurance: 5 hours
Initiative: 1
Intelligence: 1
Command Function: Limited
Maintenance: 0.54 sec. [about a minute, once a week]
Movement:
Road/Cross Country: 33/7 km/h
Combat: 15/3 meters per turn
Travel: 67/13 Km per 4 hours
Armament: None*
Arm Lift Hit UMD Wpn AMD
------------------------------------------
Top 480g 3 1 - -
Electronics:
- Smoke/Gas Detector, Odour Emitter, Basic Visual Sensor, Internal Speaker.
Cargo: None
Assets: Pattern Recognition-1
--------==--------
HIT LOCATION CHART
Die Area Results
--------------------------------------------------
1 Hull See next table
2 Hull See next table
3 Hull See next table
4 Arm The arm is destroyed
5 Arm The arm is destroyed
6 Suspension The suspension is wrecked
Hull
Die Type Results
---------------------------------------------------------------
1 CPU 2 difficulty levels higher per action
2 Canister The odour/pesticide canister is damaged.
All of it's contents is lost.
3 Sensor One of the sensors is destroyed.
Smoke/Gas Detector or Basic visual Sensor.
4 Traverse The arm is jammed, and can not be moved.
On a roll of 6 (D6), it unjam
5 Secondary Either the odour emitter, or the
internal Speaker is dysfunctional
6 Engine The batteries are dysfunctional.
The robot is immobilised.
---
Design Notes:
ROBOT DESIGN WORKSHEET
----------------------
Volume: 0.028 Shape: Dome
MV: 0.01 MVM: 1.2
Shell Type: Composite Laminate
Though: 6 ROBOT BRAIN:
Thick: 0.0169 Type: Low Data (TL 8)
AV: 0.1014 Volume: 0.006
Volume: 0.0002028 Mass: 0.001
Mass: 0.0014196 Price: 10000
Price: 1.6224
Electronics Options:
Suspension: Type: Internal Speaker
Type: Wheel Volume: 0.0005
Volume: 0.0042 Mass: 0.0005
Mass: 0.00084 Price: 1000
Price: 1.12
Type: Basic Visual Sensor
PERIPHERALS Volume: 0.0005
Type: Smoke/Gas Detector Mass: 0.0005
Volume: 0.0005 Price: 5000
Mass: 0.0005
Price: 1000
POWER PLANT
Type: Storage Batteries (TL 10)
Type: Odour Emitter Volume: 0.0031
Volume: 0.0005 Mass: 0.0062
Mass: 0.0005 Price: 9.3
Price: 500 Power: 0.000992
Duration: 5 [x0.5 mod]
Arm:
Volume: 0.012001
Transmission: Mass: 0.024002
Type: Wheel Articulation %: 20
Volume: 0.000496 Power Volume: 0.009601
Mass: 0.000496 Price: 1200.12
Price: 0.744
TOTAL:
-===============================================================-
Volume: Mass: Power:
Used: 0.028 Loaded: 0.035958 Generated: 0.000992
Empty: 0 Empty: 0.035958 Needed: 0.001
Unused -8E-06
------
Flotation: 0.778686245 NO
SDR: 0.00196
Price: 19,712.91
Road: 33
Cross: 7
Combat: 15/3
Travel: 67/13
Damage: 0.56
Maint: 0.53937 min.
Limited
INT.: 1
Hit chance: 3
UAD: 0.2
Agility: 2
Strength: 1
Lift (kg): 0.480048
---