This time, it's the advent of the next, next generation of robotic space exploration. Instead of sending one, do-it-all bot to sit around or roll around the surface, send a bunch of smaller robotic "blocks" that can assemble themselves into different shapes to best accomplish the task at hand. You can have a walking bot to traverse rough terrain... Which would then reassemble itself into a wheel or tread for smoother surfaces. Need an arm? Build one with the component blocks for a bigger reach to see or touch something. Malfunctioning block? Good thing there are other ones with redundant features that can replace the broken one on-site.
The closest SF refs are things like the replicators from SG-1, the Suliban cell ships, or even the Concensus of Parts from Andromeda. Pretty neat stuff.
Saltah'na
Chinese Canadian, or 75% Commie Bastard.
Member # 33
posted
You do one more "PEOPLE OF EARTH" announcement and I am going to dropkick you off the CN Tower!!!!
-------------------- "And slowly, you come to realize, it's all as it should be, you can only do so much. If you're game enough, you could place your trust in me. For the love of life, there's a tradeoff, we could lose it all but we'll go down fighting...." - David Sylvian FreeSpace 2, the greatest space sim of all time, now remastered!
Registered: Mar 1999
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Da_bang80
A few sectors short of an Empire
Member # 528
posted
Sounds like this "Doctor Shen" spent too much time in Legoland...
-------------------- Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change. The courage to change the things I cannot accept. And the wisdom to hide the bodies of all the people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.
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