AgriCultivator: A brilliant design, the AgriCultivator has all the necessary tools to till, plant, tend, and harvest a field. It runs off rails suspended above the field on which it is working. This robot has become colloquially known by the shortened name, AgriVator, because of its propensity for breaking down.
Automated Secretary: To all appearances a pleasant-looking young person (man or woman, at the buyer’s option) sits behind a desk, answering the Telofonix calls and greeting visitors. If you were to steal a peep around the desk, though, you would find the person has no legs—just the wheeled chair it’s built in to. The unit can answer simple questions related to its function, such as giving directions, typing memos, and filing documents. When faced with something it doesn’t understand, it will ask politely if it can refer the person to a more capable party, usually a help-desk or other human in the area. To operate, the automated secretary must be plugged into the local power grid.
LoveBot: No self-respecting robotics manufacturer makes such a self-indulgent toy, but there’s enough demand to keep a small but steady underground market supplied with these extremely expensive ‘bots. Usually built to custom specs (desired sex, build, skin tone, hair color, etc.), the LoveBots are designed for companionship. They are capable of a slow walk, simple conversation, and the physical acts for which they are primarily designed. They generally lounge quietly on sofas or beds, and remain plugged into the power grid by a cord (which can be detached; a LoveBot can run on battery power for 12 hours). As a concession to practicality, LoveBots have an internal emergency signal beacon, and are capable of summoning the police or an ambulance if they detect the need. They can also be used to record and play back simple messages. Anyone known to own such a device automatically earns a black mark in the Companion Registry.
Excavator: One of the few robots manufactured and operated almost solely on the outer worlds, Excavators are used in most mining concerns. Capable of identifying, cutting, and loading minerals and ores into an attached cart, the unit runs on tracks that guide it and supply it with power. Humans still have to do the truly dangerous work of mining, since they still have to blast through rock, shore up tunnels, bring in and construct the tracks, and identify areas in which to concentrate operations. After that, the excavators are brought in to do the rest. The arms that fold in to the rectangular body contain laser-saws, mining-charge layers, measurement and cutting tools, sensors and claw-like manipulators.
Household Assistant: Not much bigger than a trash can, this angular little robot has a vacuum, a static dust-cleaner, bays for polishes and waxes, and so on. It can clean a room fairly well in a matter of minutes, assuming it doesn’t bungle its sensors and start running into things. Popular as a show of wealth in the Core, the Assistants are owned by many of the wealthiest families (even though they still employ housekeepers). Consequently, the wealthy Core-wanna-be’s living on the Rim consider them status symbols and will pay well for them.
Scout Drone: A newly modified expansion on the Seeker missile, the scout drone is slightly larger than its explosive predecessor. Capable of both automated seeking and manual guidance, the drone can travel up to two miles from its launch-point and return safely on a full battery charge. It carries several cameras, an infrared sensor, and a variety of other sensory instruments, all of which constantly transmit data back to base. These drones have yet to undergo a real field test, since they went into mass production after the war ended.