Nanotechnology in the Verge and Bleed
Average Tech Level: TL 11
Associated Skills: Chemistry/TL11 (IQ/H), Computer Operation/TL11 (IQ/E), Computer Programming/TL11 (IQ/H), Electronics Operation/TL11 (Medical and Sensors); Engineering/TL11 (Materials, Microtechnology; Nanotechnology; Robotics) (IQ/H) [Nanoelectronics] (IQ/A) [Microelectronics] (IQ/A); Machinist/TL11 (IQ/A), Mechanic (Nanomachines) (IQ/A), Physician (Species) (IQ/H).
Associated Skills: Chemistry/TL11 (IQ/H), Computer Operation/TL11 (IQ/E), Computer Programming/TL11 (IQ/H), Electronics Operation/TL11 (Medical and Sensors); Engineering/TL11 (Materials, Microtechnology; Nanotechnology; Robotics) (IQ/H) [Nanoelectronics] (IQ/A) [Microelectronics] (IQ/A); Machinist/TL11 (IQ/A), Mechanic (Nanomachines) (IQ/A), Physician (Species) (IQ/H).
Nanotechnology is the precise manipulation of mater at the atomic level, typically using millions of microscale nanomachines. While it started as a fancy name for type of chemistry, as it matured, it began to revolutionize more and more industries until today, when mature nanotechnology seeps through most parts of the Verge and Bleed. Nanotechnology transformed manufacturing, and enabled new building techniques and materials. The advent of nanofactories and nanofabrication - building objects from the molecular level up using feed stock - transformed economies, and brought with them post scarcity ideologies. Nanotechnology in the Verge and Bleed permeates all aspects of life and materials, from computers to clothing and even food, there are a few areas where it has completely revolutionized life, and this includes medicine, fabrication, and the development of nanoswarms - a tool that many are still skittish about even to this day.
Debates over the ethics and legality of certain types of nanotechnology rage, and nanotechnology is one of the primary focuses of bioconservatives, who attack it as dangerous and think that it should be highly regulated; while most polities regulate advanced nanotechnology, and a few take steps to even ban it (especially habitats), most allow basic nanotechnology - although most does not mean all. Even some bioconservative habitats will ban or regulate the technology in a bid to "protect the population," although at the end of the day, it's usually just in service to maintaining the status quo of an inefficient pre-nanotech economic system, such as scarcity capitalism or some type of oligarchic kleptocracy as opposed to genuine interest in keeping the population "safe." |
The Swarms and Nanotech
For many, nanotechnology is strongly associated with the Swarms - a period of time that coincides with the Ascension Crisis. The Swarms were an outgrowth of the Ascension Crisis and until relatively recently, the disasters caused by the God AIs vanishing were simply called "the Swarms." Historians, however, have recently decided to relegate the Swarms as part of the greater Ascension Crisis caused by the God AIs vanishing. Not everyone agrees with this change, and so some still use "Swarms" to refer to the period. The cause of the Swarms was simple; like many disasters, it was caused by the God AIs suddenly vanishing. When they vanished, self-replicating Drexlerian nanotech swarms were left without any commands, and so they proceeded to follow the last command they were given, which resulted in billions dying from disassembler swarms, cannibal swarms, and terraforming swarms before humanity even knew what was going on. Some even mutated, or, more insidiously, some were changed and turned into weapons by rival factions during the chaos that immediately followed the God AIs absence. In any situation, this left a lasting negative impression on people. |
Basic Nanotech
Basic nanotech is exceedingly widespread throughout the Verge and Bleed, serving as the primary method of manufacturing for almost as long as humanity has been in space. The nanobots of basic nanotechnology are confined to delicate and specially maintained environments, like the insides of feedstocks and healing vats, and as a result, can't operate outside (or if they do, they are programmed to break down under UV light so any escaping swarm can be neutralized with a UV lamp). Basic nanotech permeates all aspects of life, but there are some instances where it does stand out, mostly in medicine and manufacturing.
Healing Vats
Healing vats are where the first type of nanotech medicine developed, and they remain the most powerful medical devices that are commonly in use. Sometimes called chrysalis machines, these devices spin a life-support web around the patient, surrounding each cell with biological repair and support machinery, which take over control from the patient's own DNA. The machine then instructs the cells to being self-repair procedures and if necessary, takes apart the patient cell by cell and rebuilds the individual in accordance with their own programming. This means that the vat can cure almost any disease, with the exception of nanoplagues, and as long the patient is alive, will not only emerge healthy, but without a scratch. It can even take a severed head (as long as it has been stabilized) and regrown an entire body based on the the genetics of the head. The tank heals 1 HP of injury per hour, and crippled limbs or lost organs and body parts are restored when the lost HP is recovered. They can reset cellular clocks, killing senescent or dying cells and replacing them with healthy ones, reversing the effects of aging completely and removing all age-related disadvantages. They also function as nanostatsis vats as well, although that isn't their primary function. When used to revive the dead, the individual must not be below (-10 x HT or worse). The machine rolls against its Physician skill (or the supervising doctor or AI rolls against their Physician skill), but with a -2 for every hour the subject has been dead (-2 for every four hours if the subject was was stabilized; no penalty if the subject was placed in nanostasis). Success means the subject is restored to full health; failure by 1 or 2 indicates partial memory loss, while failure by 3 or more indications no mind or personality at all, although a copy may be downloaded from file. Furthermore, as longs as there are traces of genetic material remaining (the body may be crushed or burned, but not disintegrated), the machine can clone the original using genetic reconstruction. Unless a mind emulation is available, the result will be a blank-minded clone. Healing vats can direct themselves using their own dedicated computer's Physician-13 skill, or be controlled by an operator of some kind. Most urban hospitals often have several healing vats, some may even have entire floors of healing vats. The necessary feedstock for one week is $1,000; 1lb. [$500,000.00; 600lbs; 2E/200hr or external; LC3] Implant Vats Implant vats are enclosed, specialized nanostatsis vats flooded with specialized feedstock that take advantage of nanostatsis' ability to freeze the metabolism in order to safely grow implants or grafts. The implant vat is flooded with feedstock and then a combination of specially designed nanobots and the Proteus virus are injected into the chamber; the two work in tandem to carry out whatever task is required, with the Proteus virus altering the genetics while the nanomachines use the feedstock to grown any implants, including cybernetic ones. The Implant vat is capable of growing entire cybernetic limbs, although few individuals chose to get cybernetic implants. The construction time is one hour per $500 of cost (minimum 1 hour); thus, something that costs $1,500 takes 3 hours to grow. Using an implant vat requires the Physician; like healing vats, they can direct themselves with their own dedicated computer's Physician-13 skill, or be controlled by an operator. It's not unusual for a hospital to have them, but implant vats appear most commonly at walk-in biosculpting clinics. Where health insurance companies exist, they often prefer implant vats to surgery, since there is less of a chance to mess up with an implant vat. The necessary feedstock for one week is $1,000; 1lb. [$250,000.00; 600lbs; 2E/200hr or external; LC3] Nanocleanser This is a type of "smart soap" that is a solution of microscopic cleaning robots suspended in a water-activated gel that work to remove stains, grime, dirt, dandruff, and lose skin flakes form the surface of an object. It comes in two varieties; domestic and industrial. Domestic Nanocleanser. Domestic can serve as shampoo, soap, or detergent, with a teaspoon dumped into water allowing it to clean anything immersed in 10 to 60 seconds. For more information, see Ultra-Tech, pg. 69. Bottle of Nanocleanser. [$10.00; 0.5lbs] Bar of Nanocleasner. [$3.00 for box of four; 0.4lbs] Domestic Nanomist. A spray bottle that covers 3 square yards. [$10.00; 0.5lbs] Industrial Nanocleanser. Industrial, on the other hand, is designed to eliminate bacteriological spills, rotten food, dead bodies, and other biological or medical waste. Any organic target covered by industrial nanocleaser takes 1d-1 corrosion damage each minute for five minutes. Inorganic sealed DR takes no damage. If sprayed on planets, it will strip all foliate within a minute. While it cleans bloodstains, skin flakes, and other organic residue, Forensics are still advanced enough to identify the brand used. Each application covers 30 square feet. For more information on Industrial nanocleanser, see Ultra-Tech pg. 83. [$100.00; 1lbs; LC3] |
Nanodetector
This is a small device that sucks in the air and micro debris and scans for nanobots. Given that nanobots are small, their density in the air has to be large for it to have any success. On its own, the detector has a base skill of Electronics Operation (Sensor)-13, modified accordingly based on the activity of nanotechnology (+3 if an active nanoswarm or hive is present; +0 if a hive was active recently, -1 for the presence of nanobots outside of the swarm or hive). Once it detects nanobots, it can be analyzed either using the Nanodetector's native AI, which as Expert Skill (Nanotechnology)-13, or by a user if they have a higher skill. They are often worn and left on, set to alert the user if there is any hostile swarm that slips into the air. [$100.00; 0.1lbs; 2A/100hr] Nanostasis Nanostasis is a means of safely shutting down the metabolism of an individual, putting them in a state of suspended animation - without the need for specialized preserving fluids or ultra-cold temperatures. It uses nanomachines to install a protective scaffolding and fixatives around and within every single cell, which effectively stops them from functioning, but also prevents decay. Once placed in stasis, the organism doesn't require oxygen or food, and cannot age or deteriorate, although they do remain vulnerable to physical damage. For more information on Nanostasis, see GURPS: Ultra-Tech, pg. 200-1. Nanostasis Tank. A tank that is modified to place someone into nanostasis and then to revive them. The tank uses a package of nanomachines ($5,000; 0.1lbs) per patient. [$300,00; 250lbs; E/200hrs or external; LC3] Nanostasis Pod. An armored and radiation shielded (DR 50, PF 100) pod that contains a nanostasis tank and automatic suspension and revival equipment (Physician-14). It powers down when not in use and can keep someone preserved for centuries. [$500,000.00; 500lbs; E/200hrs or external; LC3] Repair Nanopaste This single-use paste consists of specialized machines that lack mobility but once placed on a damaged object, use their own mass to repair that object. It doesn't require any skill to use properly, but a skilled user can speed the process up (it requires the relevant Repair skill); a successful roll with a +2 will halve the time required for repair paste to work, and add +! to the HP that it heals. Dedicated Repair Paste. This repair past ecomes in applications designed for specific items of a given type; e.g., laser pistol repair paste, tiny radio repair paste, etc. Each tube holds just enough repair paste for one application, which repairs 1d-2 HP per hour. If the result is negative, the nanobotched the job, inflicting damage instead of repairing it. If the wrong nanopaste is sprayed on an object, it takes an hour to inflict 1d-1 HP damage. It cannot damage sealed objects. Cost is per application. [$500.00; 1lb; LC3] Smart Dust Smart dust is found in a walnut sized container; this container generates tiny sensor nanobots, each one of which is a tiny sphere the diameter of a human hair. A packet of smart dust nanobots is sufficient to perform detailed surveillance on a large room like an auditorium hast a volume of 1 cubic inch and contains 3 million nanobots. When a character dumps a packet of smart dust into a room, it will coat every service within 20 minutes, and by that point has recorded all data about the room that can be obtained in exceedingly detailed observation, such as the DNA records of people in the room or who have visited within the last week or two. They are vulnerable to UV Lamps, like most nanobots. They behave like swarms; see Ultra-Tech pg. 36. [$500.00; 0.01lb; LC3] Smart Plankton A form of smart dust that is designed to work underwater. Since they are designed for an underwater environment, they float around and communicate using flashing blue-green lights and infrasound. Like smart dust, it can record video, audio (including infrasound and ultrasound), water temperature, chemical traces, and other movements and related data. They behave like swarms; see Ultra-Tech pg. 36. [$500.00; 0.01lb; LC3] |
Nanofabrication
Nanofabrication is a broad term that is used to describe a number of different systems that exist within the Verge and Bleed, which are often found working side-by-side in most modern industry, although in less developed countries, they are typically found working separately, as well. Often a starship "fabricator" facility will include one or more of these things. All these use blueprints, which are detailed under Computers.
Biofab
Biofabs are a type of wet nanofactory (see below) that can assemble organs and even complete lifeforms; pods and androids are both assembled using biofabricators. A biofabricator can assemble living things rapidly (about a year of growth every week), and can grow adult human androids in 18-20 weeks; with the help of a autofac and dry nanofactory, it can produce a human pod like the Ren series every day. Incubator Biofab. This biofabricator can carry an infant to term, like an advanced artificial womb. [$200,000.00; 50lbs; D/20hr or external; LC3] Adult Biofab. This fabricator is big enough to produce an adult organism, allowing it to grow fully adult androids inside of it or assemble pieces and organs that an autofac then assembles into an organism using pieces from a nanofactory, producing a pod. [$4,000,000.00; 1,000lbs; E/20hr or external power; LC2] Autofactory The Autofactory take the automation that was prevalent in earlier factories and upgrades it, making a factory that can operate with no human involvement at all, and with all the operations and maintenance directed and performed by machines. These factories can configure themselves to manufacture almost any product, with the largest covering several city blocks and costing billions of dollars. Since they are fully autonomous, they come with their own Machinist skill. Autofactories are often used to assemble products that are designed and first prototyped using a fabber, or are designed to assemble goods and materials using materials produced in a nanofactory, given the limit on scale that exists with nanofactories. It's not unusual to find nanofactories and autofactories working together to accomplish the same goal, often in the same building. Industrial Autofac. A full-sized factory, with a skill of Machinist-14. It produces $1,000 or 10lbs of good every half hour. [$1,000,000.00; 1,000lbs; industrial power; LC3] Robotic Minifactory. A workshop-sized unit. It can fabricate $10 or 0.1lbs of produce per half hour. It has a skill of Machinist-12. [$100,000.00; 100lbs; external power; LC4] Portable Autofac. Fits inside of a carrying case or a large backpack and can fabricate $10 or 0.1lbs of product per hour. [$10,000.00; 10lbs; C/8hrs; LC3]. Fabricators Fabricator in most common use is a general-use term that refers to any specific device that is capable of creating objects regardless how the device does so. However, when those who study manufacturing and when engineers use the term, it refers to something very differently: a programmable factory that is capable of making, repairing, and modifying most manufactured foods, assuming parts such as sheet metal, circuit boards, and chemicals are available. They incorporate a multi-axis lathe along with grinders, lasers, and other components, as well as rapid prototyping 3D printer systems that lay down layers of liquid plastics, epoxies, and metal powders to manufacture solid objects. They can build most solid objects by printing materials, layer by layer, until the object takes form, and with the proper blueprint, they can build just about anything that fits inside of their chambers, assembling devices one molecular layer at a time. They require databases with the appropriate blueprints, so constructing things like military grade lasers often require blueprints that are very hard to come by. For more information on how fabricators work, see Ultra-Tech pg. 90. Fabricators in the modern era are mostly used for the production of prototypes; once the prototype is demonstrated to work, then the blueprints are sent over to the robot factory or the nanofactory, where it is produced en masse. However, some less efficient economies that are concerned with scarcity restrict them, so only corporations and governments can run them. Hobbyists outside of said governments often keep a number of small fabricators around so they can produce goods and materials relevant to their hobby, although like all such fabricators, it requires raw materials. As such, they are basic equipment for the Machinist skill, with larger systems providing a bonus in accordance with their size. Industrial Fabricator. This is a full-sized factory, still common in parts of the Verge and Bleed that either never learned about nanofactories or that have banned it. It adds +5 to the Machinist skill, and can fabricate $1,000 or 5lbs of goods every 15 minutes. [$1,000,000.00; 1,000lbs; industrial power; LC3] Minifabber. These are workshop-sized units that can fabricate $50 or 1lb of product every 15 minutes. It adds a +3 (quality) bonus to the Machinist skill. [$50,000.00; 100lbs; external power; LC4] Suitcase Fabricator. A portable system that fits in a carrying case or a large backpack. It adds a +1 (quality) bonus to the Machinist skill. It can fabricate $10 or 0.1lbs of material every half hour [$5,000.00; 10lbs; C/8hr; LC3] |
Nanofactory
Nanofactories are molecular manufacturing systems that utilize programmable general-purpose assemblers - cell-sized robots programmed to build molecular components in an orderly fashion "from the ground up". At the core of the nanofactory is a se of manufacturing chambers, surrounded by a cooling system (since the process generates a tremendous amount of heat), and feed lines connected to material storage tanks. The storage tanks house assemblers and a feedstock of prefabricated parts and industrial chemicals. The assemblers are cell-sized robots equipped with their own computer brains, jointed arms, plugs, and sockets. Prefab parts include molecular structural fibers, motors, brackets, fasteners, and molecular components. The operator selects a design program for the assemblers to follow; once one is selected, a fluid mixture of prefab parts, assemblers, and chemicals is pumped into the nanofacturing chambers. The assemblers then set to work, seizing the prefab parts and snapping them together or bonding them chemically. The molecular-scale parts undergo sorting and assembly in stages, gradually forming complicate structures. Countless microscopic nanobots swirl into the tank, and being building the object from the inside out. The desire object quickly takes shape within the chamber; when done, it is totally seamless, with no tool marks, rivets, or other evidence of construction. Large objects are built on principles of convergent assembly; the large objects are constructed out of subassemblies and are built from sub-subassemblies, which are built in still smaller chambers, in a method sometimes called "fractal manufacturing." In this way, objects can be created quickly and efficiently and limited only in size by the volume of the chambers and the supply of feedstock. As a result, they often produce many pieces quickly that are then assembled by a robotic factory, although nanofabricators are just as capable of producing individual goods by themselves, and many do; public access nanofabricators in many nations and meta-empires has functionally eliminated things like starvation, homelessness, and the like throughout the Verge and Bleed. They are incapable of changing the atomic structure of objects, so if an object requires rare elements like Tellurium, then those elements must be provided. Similarly, they can't produce things like antimatter; only an industrial particle accelerator can do that. For more information on nanofabricators, see Ultra-Tech pg. 91-2. Operating one requires the Machinist skill, and repairs require the Repair (Nanomachines) skill. Fabrication is based on both the cost and material weight, whichever takes longer. Industrial Nanofac. a full-sized factory. It can produce $10,000 or 20lbs worth of goods in an hour. It must be connected to a suitable feedstock. [$2,000,000.00; 1,000lbs; industrial power; LC2] Nanofac Workbench. A table-sized nanofac roughly 6' x 3' x 3'. It can assemble $500 or 1lb of produce per hour. It must be connected to a suitable feedstock in order to work. [$200,000.00; 100lbs; external power; LC3] Cornucopia Machine. A portable system that fits in a suitcase or a backpack; it is capable of assembling $50.00 or 0.1lbs of material per hour. It must be connected to a suitable feedstock. They are sometimes found implanted in military grade cybershells. [$20,000.00; 10lbs; D/4hrs; LC2]. Feedstock Pipes. Feedstock pipes are pipes that are common found in some New Urban communities, but they also appear elsewhere. These pipe connect households and apartments to a "public nanofeed supply," and carry the material between the common reservoir of parts to the home nanofactory in instances where there is a home factory (in other instances, there are only public-access ones found in a common location). In such communities, users pay by the raw materials, which are generally $1 - $10 per pound of gadget being produced. Vatfac Vat factories, or vatfacs, are large biofactory unites that can grow food, pulp, industrial bacterial, and other, similar products. Food produced by these factories ranges from "acceptable" to "barely palatable", although occasionally a vatfactory can produce something that comes close to food. Vatfacs are often used by communities to ensure that hunger doesn't exist in their community; it's not uncommon to find community vatfacs and community fabricators side-by-side. In others, the vatfac material is pumped directly into the house. Industrial vatfac. This can feed up to 20 people, or half as much if it's attempting to actually create foods, including imitations of flesh and something other than nutrient paste. [$100,000.00; 200 tons, external power; LC3] Kitchen vatfac. This can feed up to 10 people, or half as much if it's attempting to create actual foods. It specializes in flavors of nutrient paste. [$10,000.00; 100lbs; external power; LC3] Suitcase vatfac. This can feed up to two people, and unlike other vatfacs, it's good at making actual food. [$10,000.00; 10lbs; C/8hr; LC3] |
Advanced Nanotechnology
Advanced nanotechnology includes a number of more recent developments in the field, as well as older discoveries that were employed by the God AIs during the height of their power in the Verge and Bleed. Like basic nanotech, advanced nanotech cannot self-replicate (in most cases - God AI nanotech could) but the nanobots can function normally in most environments and are highly resistant to bacterial attacks and other environmental problems. Typical advanced nanotech consists of a generator - known as a "hive" - that produces nanobots as long as it is supplied with feedstock, as if it were a suitcase nanofactory. Every hive also includes a miniature disassembly unit and/or specialized nanomachines that collect raw materials for the generator; these hives produce nanoswarms that are then set loose on the world and directed to perform specific tasks. in most places of the Verge and Bleed, Advanced Nanotechnology is highly regulated, if not outright illegal, owing to the ravages of the Swarms. Because of the Swarms, in places where the technology is allowed, the swarms are usually made weak to direct UV light, so a sunlamp is often enough to kill or stop a rogue swarm before it becomes too much of a problem.
Download Nanosurgery
The download nanosurgery was a technique pioneered during the God AI period and it requires a healing vat and a blank-mind clone, along with a mind emulation. Downloading requires an Electronics Operation (Medical) roll with a success indicating that the mind emulation replaces the original's memories and personality (if it has any). For more information, see Ultra-Tech pg. 220-1. It uses $100,000 worth of specialized nanomachines, and thus, does not happen frequently. Nanoswarms Swarms are specially designed collections of independent nanomachines that exist within an environment to form a specific service. They are insect-sized or smaller, and are capable of running simple programs modeled on insect behavior. As a result, they can do a large range of simple tasks, and are even capable of demonstrating swarm intelligence. For more information on Swarmbots, see pg. 35-6 of Ultra-Tech. Below are some of the more commonly found swarms. Unless explicitly mentioned otherwise, assume they use power cells and recharge at their swarmbot hives. Cleaning Swarm. This commons warm is programmed to move around a predetermined are an remove dust, grit, and other dirt, as well as polish smooth services with tiny brushes. The sensors determine what might be damaged by its actions, so a cleaning swarm can safely polish lenses and even harmlessly clean people. A square yard can thoroughly clean one square yard a minute, and it gives a +2 bonus to Housekeeping checks. Aerostat cleaning swarms, where legal, are popular installations in doorways, bathrooms, and showers. [$1,000.00/square yard, LC3] Construction Swarm. These are swarms that are used to dig tunnels, ditches, and other types of earth-based infrastructure. Each bot is equipped with a small arm and set of digging jaws; a square yard can dig as if it had ST 3 and a pick and shovel. Construction swarms are often employed for mining, or civilian or military engineering projects. They can also pile up loose earth and rocks into ramparts, dikes, or walls. [$1,000.00/square yard, LC3] Decontamination Swarm. These swarms remove traces of most biotoxins, persistent chemicals, nanotechnology, or radioactive fallout. The type of hazard removed depends on the individual swarm's specialization, with a square yard capable of decontaminating one square yard of soil up to a depth of 2" every minute, and is capable of doing so 20 times before requiring replacement. It has Hazardous Materials (Biological, Chemical, Nanotech, or Radioactive)-13 and serves as basic equipment for hazmat disposal. [$1,000.00/square yard, LC3] Defoliator Swarm. This swarm kills plants but has no effect on other living creatures; a defoliator swarm turned loose on a green acre will stripe it clean quickly. It takes the swarm 10 seconds to strip a square yard clean of bushes and foliage. It can be programmed to carefully trim planets; this takes one minute per square yard. It can also be programmed to look for one specific type or category of plants (i.e., weeds) or to mow lawns. If confronted with a planimal, it will be confused and return to its hive. [$1,500/square yard, LC3] Explorer Swarm. One of the most efficient ways to perform exploration tasks over a large area is to employ tiny robots to do it. The swarm generally takes a spiral pattern, fanning out as it looks for whatever it is programmed to look for: minerals, chemicals, explosives, water, organic molecules, and the like. After following a predetermined search pattern, they return to their home, which is often attached to a portable lab, which allows their data to be analyzed and a computer to map the areas explored. [$500.00/square yard, LC3] |
Harvester Swarm. These harvest crops with an effective skill of Farming-13. They can be programed to return the crops to various locations, sorting specific crops as they do. [$2,000/square yard, LC3].
Massage Swarm. This is a swarm that is similar to a cleansing swarm, but it is equipped and programmed to deliver relaxing or erotic tactile sensations to their subject. They use Professional Skill (Massage)-10 and Erotic Art-11, or provide a +6 bonus to someone directing them. [$200.00/square yard, LC3] Painter Swarm. These swarms are programmed to spread paint or ink; simply upload the specific design, provide the paint or ink, and they will do the rest. Each square yard can paint 1 square yard per minute. They can paint for five minutes before requiring paint refills, and can refill themselves if a paint supply is available. [$500/square yard, LC4] Paramedical Swarm. This swarm of microbots is designed for autonomous patient care and is made up of teams of specialized microbots. Some taste blood and perform diagnosis, some cut out damaged tissue, clean wounds, sew up cuts, and inject drugs, while others enter the body to perform surgery. The swarm is capable of performing First Aid, with each square yard treating one person at a time. It has Diagnosis-11 and First Aid-11. It provides its own basic equipment for both skills but cannot benefit types of medical equipment. They can't be used to treat someone in a sealed suit, but a swarm can be housed in microbot arteries. [$6,000/square yard, LC3] Pesticide Swarm. These swarms are equipped to hunt down fleas, spiders, earwigs, silverfish, and other pests. Flier swarms can also destroy flies and mosquitoes. They will inflict 1d corrosion damage per turn to swarms composed of real insects, although while the swarms actions are harmless towards humans, they can be entertaining or distracting. Like defoliator swarms, they can pose a serious ecological threat in the wrong hands. [$1,000.00/square yard, LC2] Play Swarm. These swarmbots are equipped to play with one another in an amusing fashion. For example, a "farm in a box" might contain bots that look like and act like tiny animals, agriculture robots, human farmers, and so on. A city in a box might do the same thing, but with an urban area, while allowing the individual to program the buildings and interactions, and so forth. [$200.00/square yard, LC3] Pollinator Swarm. This swarm functions like artificial bees or wasps, spreading pollen or seeds. This is useful during terraforming efforts, since insects are not always available (or desirable) for newly terraformed worlds. [$1,000.00/square yard, LC3] Repair Swarm. This swarm has the tools and programming to repair a single, specific model of equipment, plus appropriate Armoury, Electronics Repair, or Mechanic skills at 13 (specify which when the swarm is purchased). A single swarm fixes things at about 1/10 the speed of a human, but up to 10 swarms can combine to make repairs. [$500.00/square yard + $250/square yardper additional model of equipment the bots are programmed to fix, to a maximum of four types per swarm; LC3]. Swarmbot Hive. This is a container that can house a square yard of swarmbots, allowing them to recharge from external power rather than relying on internal power. When you purchase a swarm, they come with their own hive, although this option allows the user to have multiple hives that a swarm can rest in throughout an establishment or location. If purchased separately, it does not come with its own swarmbot load out, and swarmbots must be programmed to treat the new hive as home. [$200.00; 10lbs; LC3] Terraforming Swarm. A terraforming swarm is functionally a type of smart clay that takes dead soil and makes it fertile again through chemically altering it; it's also called smart soil. One square yard affects one square yard of soil. [$2,000.00/sq. yd.; LC3] |
Utility Fogs and Angelnets
One of the major symbols of the God AIs was their widespread use of utility fog, also called angel-netting. Utility fog consists of countless cell-sized nanobots (called "foglets") that are equipped with a dozen hook-like arms and are suspended in the atmosphere. They can lock together temporarily to form solid objects upon a voice command or through a DNI interaction, creating virtually anything that the user desires. While in cloud form, it is virtually unnoticeable, except around large buildings and just after rains, where water droplets form around the nanites and they from clouds, making the term utility fog literal. One yard can make an object up to a pound in weight but the God AIs never used just one yard; entire planets were coated in quadrillions of these robots; furthermore, each one was equipped with a sensor, allowing the God AI total omniscience and the ability to intercede at a moment's notice should danger or trouble happen. They are capable of forming ordinary solid matter as well as electronic and mechanical equipment, which allowed the God AIs to form their bodies from the clouds when they needed to interact. The God AIs could use the fog to directly interact with individuals living in their demesne. When they used this to provide for the needs of the people that they watched over or saved lives, the term use to describe them was angel-netting.
The tools to make angel-netting and utility fog are understood and can be replicated, but the resources required to make a full plant (or even city)-scale nanoswarm when no God AIs are around to manage it is something most colonies, settlements, nations, and meta-empires decide are better spent elsewhere; especially considering the general concern regarding nanoswarms to begin with. However, many angel-nets and utility fogs still exist throughout the Verge and Bleed, and sometimes, they're still capable of functioning - allowing individuals who learn the code to manipulate them, creating the appearance of magic on those worlds.
The tools to make angel-netting and utility fog are understood and can be replicated, but the resources required to make a full plant (or even city)-scale nanoswarm when no God AIs are around to manage it is something most colonies, settlements, nations, and meta-empires decide are better spent elsewhere; especially considering the general concern regarding nanoswarms to begin with. However, many angel-nets and utility fogs still exist throughout the Verge and Bleed, and sometimes, they're still capable of functioning - allowing individuals who learn the code to manipulate them, creating the appearance of magic on those worlds.