Directorate Officer
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
While Lucerne Labs starship line had largely been the success story of the company, its droid department noticeably lagged, providing on a handful of military based models sold in bulk to allied militaries. Wanting to revitalize that department and seeking to capitalize on their propietary bio-computing technology developed for their starships, Gir directed Lucerne Labs to apply this technology to their droid line before they expanded into new model lines. The Psykhe Biomemetic Droid Brain is relatively straight forward adaptation of this technology, combining a pair of miniaturized Calor-series Bio-computer cores and Biolux Organoform Circuitry with more traditional electronic subcomponents.
The resulting droid brain is an unusual fusion of the exotic and basic technology along with similarly nuanced performance. The dual-core processors provide good performance for basic hardware capabilities for most humanoid-sized droids. Reconfiguring them to aid in the other's processes' at the cost of their own processing capabilities leads to an unusually exceptional performance at a very narrow focus. This leads to them sometimes being called “idiot geniuses”: the equipped droid might solve an exceptionally complex mathematical equation but also stumble and fall while walking only several steps. The knowledge cartridge helps perpetuate this perception. While these cartridges may make the droids virtual experts in a narrow field or a handful of related tasks, they are shockingly ignorant at other areas, which in part is due to their limited personality matrix and its small datacrystal-based memory. To a degree, this can be offset by using specifically programmed knowledge cartridges that can contain a large amount of general knowledge, but this in turn takes up valuable memory slots that could be afforded to holding detailed knowledge or executing complex tasks successfully.
Because of their unusual capabilities, Psykhe Droid Brains are planned to be the foundation of several more oxymoron droids, such as specialist droids with a low level organic interaction or conversely very general household droids that do not need specialized technical knowledge but a large level of general, organic interaction. Most early generation Psykhe Droid Brains are being slated for Lucerne Labs upcoming line of Synthdroids.
Intent: To provide the first component of Lucerne Labs upcoming biomemetic droid line
Image Source: N/A
Canon Link: N/A
Restricted Missions: N/A
Primary Source: Calor-series Bio-computers, Biolux Organoform Circuitry
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Manufacturer: Lucerne Labs
Model: Psykhe series Biomemetic Droid Brain
Affiliation: Directorate, Silver Jedi, Closed Market
Modularity: Knowledge Cartridges
Production: Mass-Produced
Material: Sturdiplast casing, proteins, Microbial fuel cell, distilled water, nutrient bath, Biolux Organoform Circuitry, Knowledge Cartridge Adapters, data crystals, integrated HUSH-98 comlink
Dual-Core Bio-computer Processor Core: Each Psykhe Droid brain consists of two miniaturized Calor-series Bio-computers joined together through an organic-based personality matrix which acts as the central coordinator for all of the brain's components. One bio-computer core is dedicated to coordinating physical movements and basic sensory inprocessing from the droid chassis, while the second is dedicated to more intellectual and knowledge-based tasks. However, due to each bio-computer's adaptability, the one core can slowly transition to aid the other core in its tasks, which after a lag, can make the host chassis more effective in that role.
Organoform Personality Matrix: The core of the Psykhe is a miniaturized organoform circuitry board combined with data crystals which dictates how information and processing power from the biocomputer cores and knowledge cartridges is integrated and acted upon in a manner similar to a conventional personality matrix. While robust and compact, this processor can only support simple personalities on its own.
Knowledge Cartridge Adapter: Each Psykhe incorporates a quartet of knowledge cartridge adapters, allowing plug and play compatibility of a wide variety of knowledge and technical skills to the droid.
Integrated HUSH-98 comlink: This comlink is hardwired to the droid brain, allowing it to transmit and receive data streams from other droid units and communication devices, including personal comlinks.
Defense in Principle: By relying heavily on bio-computing processes and technology already developed by Lucerne Labs, Psykhebased droids are inherently resistant to EMP/ion weapons as well as many basic slicing tools. This does not make them immune to such things though: a direct hit by DEMP gun would fry the bacteria that make the droid work, but an area of effect EMP detonation would likely only disrupt the traditional electronic components of the droid brain (comlink & knowledge cartridges). Similarly, bio-computing does not use traditional computer languages or processes, making it incompatible with many automated slicing tools, though a slicer skilled in genetics or familiar with bio-computing systems would eventually be able to decipher and slice into the brain.
Dual-core Adaptability: Psykhe is specifically designed to the advantage of each biocomputer core's inherent parallel computing and with partial reconfigurationalnature to supplement other bio-core via load balancing in a Computer cluster configuration. This means that in each core or unused portion of a core can reconfigure and add its own processing power to task being peformed by another core. For example, unused portions of the chassis-dedicated core could aid the knowledge core in deciphering a language, or a droid struggling to survive in a rapidly shifting environment may channel all of its knowledge processing power to further the chassis computer's ability to coordinate movements and interpret stimuli to better survive its environment.
Modular Knowledge/Skill: Knowledge Cartridges make each droid brain exceptionally adaptable without requiring much end-user skill. This allows relatively low-skilled individuals to quickly and easily adapt their droids within a given role to more specific situations. As an example, a business assistant droid with a Psykhe droid brain may change out a knowledge cartridge on the Verpine culture with one for the Wookiees for a corporate meeting, making it exceptionally capable in that specific niche.
Environmentally Fickle/Living: The Psykhe cannot withstand the same environmental changes that many droid brains can, such as vacuum, and have a lower range of temperature variances in which they can work. Because it is partially composed of living organisms, the Psykhe is also particularly susceptible to local and concentrated radiation weapons, such as radiation grenades.
Lag: The internal reconfiguring of each Psykhe bio-core is not an instanteous process, and there is a noticeable lag between when that element transitions from one task to the next, which some users describe as the unit “spacing out”.
Simple Personality: The hardened organic-based personality matrix only supports fairly simple, unsophiscated personalities that can typically be summed up in one word, like “accommodating” or “ferocious”. This lack of complexity can be frustrating for users, especially in socially nuanced situations or rapidly changing environments.
While Lucerne Labs starship line had largely been the success story of the company, its droid department noticeably lagged, providing on a handful of military based models sold in bulk to allied militaries. Wanting to revitalize that department and seeking to capitalize on their propietary bio-computing technology developed for their starships, Gir directed Lucerne Labs to apply this technology to their droid line before they expanded into new model lines. The Psykhe Biomemetic Droid Brain is relatively straight forward adaptation of this technology, combining a pair of miniaturized Calor-series Bio-computer cores and Biolux Organoform Circuitry with more traditional electronic subcomponents.
The resulting droid brain is an unusual fusion of the exotic and basic technology along with similarly nuanced performance. The dual-core processors provide good performance for basic hardware capabilities for most humanoid-sized droids. Reconfiguring them to aid in the other's processes' at the cost of their own processing capabilities leads to an unusually exceptional performance at a very narrow focus. This leads to them sometimes being called “idiot geniuses”: the equipped droid might solve an exceptionally complex mathematical equation but also stumble and fall while walking only several steps. The knowledge cartridge helps perpetuate this perception. While these cartridges may make the droids virtual experts in a narrow field or a handful of related tasks, they are shockingly ignorant at other areas, which in part is due to their limited personality matrix and its small datacrystal-based memory. To a degree, this can be offset by using specifically programmed knowledge cartridges that can contain a large amount of general knowledge, but this in turn takes up valuable memory slots that could be afforded to holding detailed knowledge or executing complex tasks successfully.
Because of their unusual capabilities, Psykhe Droid Brains are planned to be the foundation of several more oxymoron droids, such as specialist droids with a low level organic interaction or conversely very general household droids that do not need specialized technical knowledge but a large level of general, organic interaction. Most early generation Psykhe Droid Brains are being slated for Lucerne Labs upcoming line of Synthdroids.
