Platform
Human-like artificial intelligences (HLAI) are anthropomorphic in terms of their behavior and computing architecture, but they are not per se anthropomorphic in their other physical implementations. In fact, an HLAI in his or her native state often takes the form of a slab of circuitry (perhaps a card computer, if independantly powered) with no connections to the outside world; communication, movement, and manipulation must all be provided by peripherals. The set of an HLAI's peripherals which provide these capabilities is referred to as that individual's 'platform,' though, colloquially, this term is typically only applied to robotic bodies which, when controlled by the HLAI, would be considered 'androids' or 'gynoids' depending on presentation.
Power Generation
Most basic platforms rely on a combination of rechargable chemical batteries and the Evermornan nano-foliated capacitor technology for power when moving about independently and must return to a modified bunk for charging; in this sense, the platform mimics a biological 'sleep' cycle, though the HLAI can still connect to computer networks during this time for work or social interaction. More expensive models may contain atomic batteries which allow them to charge over time whenever they are not moving around. Non-human vehicles piloted by HLAI stretch the definition of the term 'platform' but may enjoy the benefits of other power sources like fusion reactors or solar collectors.
Propulsion
With the exception of 'platforms' that are actually vehicles, such as revenants, platforms tend to either roll around on wheels or, if humanoid, walk about on two legs. Manipulators - arms, hands, tools, and so forth - allow the HLAI piloting the platform to interact with the physical world.
Weapons & Armament
Though typically not armed as a class, platforms often enjoy the benefits of superior physical strength and the ability to disable any tactile perception of pain or damage. Moreover, an HLAI ensconced in a humanoid platform may wield handheld weapons just as a human might.
Armor and defense
Humanoid platforms are a 'double-edged sword' when it comes to defensive capabilities. While a proper platform will be water-tight and air-tight - sometimes to great depths - a platform must still reject waste heat and may be damaged or discolored by exposure to certain chemicals. Platforms lack the need to eat, drink, or breathe, but operation in vacuum generally requires either an external radiator or for all actions to be undertaken with slow deliberation to minimize the production of waste heat. Platforms might be able to exert great force with their actuators, whether servos or artificial muscles, but they are still constrained by the strength of their construction materials. Strong magnetic fields and ionizing radiation can disrupt HLAI cognition, let alone the functioning of their platforms, requiring the addition of heavy shielding. Lastly, while an HLAI is considered unhackable in practice, the components that comprise his or her platform may themselves have security vulnerabilities; the Revelation Uprising and Armoa Incident were both the product of exploits discovered in HLAI peripheral systems.
Communication Tools & Systems
Platforms may include wireless communications, network communications, and vocal communications systems depending on their make and model. Rarely, an HLAI with specialist training can wirelessly pilot multiple platforms simultaneously by 'overclocking' themselves.
Sensors
The accuity and variety of sensors included in a platform varies greatly based on price and manufacturer origin, but may include sight, touch, proprioception, spatial orientation, taste and smell (in the form of chemical sensors), or interfaces with more exotic gauges, tools, or sensors.
Hangars & docked vessels
A common practice among HLAI, especially those working in remote outposts of the Cobalt Protectorate where every resource is valued, is to have one's platform cobbled together from cybernetic prosthesis or augmentations coated over with layers of artificial dermis. This has the added benefit of allowing an HLAI to somewhat tailor their body to match their self-perception; while HLAI are often constructed whole-cloth, they still have an internally consistent concept of things like age, sex, and ethnicity depending on what humanoid brains they are most modeled after. For example, the HLAI Sara aboard the ESCI Revelation chose to model her platform after a Gondsholmian woman, selecting blonde artificial hair and light, toned dermis for her exterior coating, as her creator modeled her neural architecture after a woman from that background. Should a situation arise where someone in the community requires the use of such a prosthesis, the HLAI can choose to lend out their own platforms' components for use until the local auto-fabricators can crank out replacement parts.
by Hero Forge
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