Litebody Economy Platform
The Litebody Economy Platform, or simply 'Litebod' for short, is a customizeable HLAI platform designed by Umberlake Mechatronics primarily for minimum weight and production costs. Primarily constructed of lightweight polymers and simple electromechanical components easily printable in a household Auto-Fabricator, the Litebody is a cheap and semi-disposeable choice for HLAI who operate mostly in a domestic setting or aboard spacecraft, wish to appear non-threatening to their human companions, wish to adopt a specific aesthetic over functional concerns, or (rarely) cannot afford a more durable or organic-looking option.
Propulsion
Electromechanical pneumatic actuators for a Litebody can be sourced from hobby parts manufacturers or may be produced in local auto-fabricators with the right materials in hand. The speed and lifting strength of a Litebody platform is limited by the structural strength of its polymer exoskeleton and the resolution (and, thus, layer adhesion) the auto-fabricator that cranked out the Litebody is able to manage. Litebodies are common, in part, because they are non-threatening; even the rare murderous HLAI would have difficulty strangling or bludgeoning an opponent when ensconced in a Litebody, and a few square blows with fists or blunt instruments would fracture the Litebody in turn.
Armor and defense
The attorney trod shakily towards the table, his beige polymer limbs and squat, cuboid head jostling about as though nearly weightless. They might as well be weightless, Fox thought, as the parts he could see end-on showed little in the way of infill - a hasty, or perhaps deliberately fragile, job performed by the auto-fabricators down in the mechatronics creche. The more feminine-looking HLAI platform standing next to the attorney before the gathered tribunal was similarly ensconced in a Litebody, no less sturdy or organic-looking than her representative. "If it please the tribunal," the attorney croaked through his platform's vocoder, the usual boisterousness absent, "I will present a statement from the Synthetic Union of Revelation in regards to the current events under consideration today."Litebodies are not fragile, per se, but they are not designed for combat or heavy industrial use. Most Litebodies are adopted for aesthetic or economic reasons, trading raw durability for a polymer exterior that can be colored or shaped to suit the desires of the HLAI. Litebodies tend to be blocky and abstract in overall shape, though they may still adopt masculine or feminine forms to match the personality of the individual HLAI. In this sense, a customized Litebody may be considered the HLAI equivalent of casual or business coutoure depending on the setting in which it is intended to be used most, though Litebodies are even less expensive than tailored clothing for their Evermornan counterparts in some cases.
Communication Tools & Systems
The Litebody has a set of compact speakers embedded beneath the 'chin' for communicating verbally and to emit ultrasonic pulses for navigational purposes. Antennae embedded along the crown of the head provide microwave-band communications, allowing the Litebody's owner to connect wirelessly to local networks, though this may be left out of the final printed product for high security environments. The shakiness inherent in pneumatic actuators and servos with long levers attached makes sign language difficult for Litebodies unless done so with deliberation.
Sensors
A Litebody's sensory and communications systems are comparatively simple in relation to true androids or gynoids. The head of the uncustomized Litebody is broad and squat, featuring a single cluster of cameras in the center or to one side, a band of infrared sensors for detecting the relative distance of objects in the environment, and two microphone clusters with ultrasonic sensitivity. Simple capacitance-based touch sensors in the fingers and at joints provides limited tactile and proprioceptive feedback; tilt sensors located in the head and torso provide balance where visual environmental cues are not sufficient.
Hangars & docked vessels
"Why don't you ever join the parade?" Sara laughed. "Why? Did you want to see me galavanting around in the middle of a work day dressed up all garish like that?" "It's a holiday - it'd be fun for both of us." Enzo cupped his chin and made a show of examining her from head to toe. "Plus, you get to pick your livery. I'm wondering what you would look like in a Litebody." "And leave this expensive rig just lying around?" she scoffed, tugging at her artificial dermis where it hung a little more loosely at her elbow for emphasis. "Although... hmm. I suppose I would look good in red racing contours..." "Right?"More expensive platforms constructed from cybernetic prostheses and artificial dermis may be customizeable in the sense that they can be made to look like different people with concerted effort, but Litebodies have the advantage of being able to swap out parts quickly and largely without the need of tools due to the lack of a constraining outer layer. The owner of a Litebody can simply pluck off an arm, for example, and swap it with another that has a more pleasing color or shape to it over the course of a few minutes. The normal hand-like manipulators can be swapped out for tool mounts with equal alacrity, though the durability of these mounts often leaves something to be desired. Many Litebody operators have been known to eschew traditional feet altogether, opting instead for nubs of springy polymer so as to have one less actuator to think about when focussing on other tasks; conversely, integrated rollerblades are also common for Litebody operators who like to move fast and live dangerously. Old or damaged components can be easily recycled and re-printed to restore both looks and functionality.
Class
Nickname
Litebody; Litebod
Manufacturer
Price
The Litebody schematics are licenseable for private, enterprise, or governmental applications for a nominal fee. Subsidiaries of the Evermorn Strategic Colony Initiative may use them free of charge.
Rarity
Litebodies are among the most common low-end platform models on the market today.
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